Judy Teen

"Judy Teen" is a song by the British rock band Cockney Rebel, fronted by Steve Harley.

In response, Harley went away to re-work an unfinished song of his titled "Judy Teen", with the objective of providing EMI with the next single.

"[3] Speaking of the song, Harley has said, "'Judy Teen' was a boy/girl story, a teenage romance, a bit of sex in there, interesting drum rhythm, hooks all over the place – lo and behold big hit!

[7] Another early version of "Judy Teen" was recorded at Audio International Studios on 1 March 1973 and was released in 2012 on Cavaliers: An Anthology 1973–1974.

[8] When the song was recorded by Cockney Rebel in 1974, with Harley and Alan Parsons producing, the decision was made to overtrack Jean-Paul Crocker's violin approximately twenty times rather than use a string section.

[16]"Judy Teen" was released by EMI Records on 7-inch vinyl in the UK, Ireland, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Japan and Australia.

[29] Peter Jones of Record & Radio Mirror noted the song's "delicate, tinkling opening" and "very together sound as it builds along".

"[30] Deborah Thomas of the Daily Mirror wrote, "A hanky panky hit for madcap popsters Cockney Rebel.

"[31] Dave Lewis of the Acton Gazette and West London Post considered the song to be "a sort of Mexican two-step picked out on an electric mandolin with a beefy backing".

[32] The Belgian magazine Juke Box described the song as mixing the rhythm of "Sweet Pea" (the Manfred Mann version) with a little bit of "Catch a Falling Star".

[33] Donald A. Guarisco retrospectively reviewed the song for AllMusic, stating, "Most glam acts were either arty or purely commercial, but other groups were able to blend both styles to create singles that were as challenging as they were catchy.

He noted the "light-hearted lyrics", the "swinging mid-tempo verses" with a "waltz-like beat" and the "more up-tempo chorus that builds to an effervescent peak".

He concluded, "The song's plentiful hooks [are wrapped] in some unique ear candy, the result catchy enough for a wide audience but clever enough to snare in ambitious listeners with its wordplay.

"[34] Carol Clerk of Classic Rock, in a 2006 review of The Cockney Rebel – A Steve Harley Anthology, commented on the song being "exquisitely crafted and arranged, and determinedly eccentric to boot".

[35] Chris Roberts of Uncut commented, "Harley's band slid perfectly into the post-Ziggy/Roxy slipstream, all mannered English vocals, florid lyrics and sexual-theatrical rock.