David Bowie, performing under the name Davy Jones, made his live debut with the Lower Third in June 1965. They gained little notice and by July, Bowie convinced his manager, Leslie Conn, to strike a recording deal with
Shel Talmy, who would produce a new single in order to raise the group's profile. Talmy, who had produced singles for
the Who at the time, was impressed with Bowie's composition "You've Got a Habit of Leaving", and agreed to produce a single for
Parlophone. Bowie demoed the track in the early 1960s, telling photographer
Mick Rock in 1972: "The first song I ever demoed was 'You've Got a Habit of Leaving Me'. I'd saved up about £2 to hire a demo studio. Touted it around everywhere. Nobody wanted to know." The session for "You've Got a Habit of Leaving", along with the chosen B-side "
Baby Loves That Way", was conducted in early July 1965 at
IBC Studios in London. The recording featured pianist
Nicky Hopkins and was engineered by
Glyn Johns. According to Kevin Cann, there were frequent disagreements between Bowie and Talmy during the session. Bowie also attempted to have the backing vocals performed in the style of a "monks' chant", although the idea was discarded after the first attempt. Under Talmy's influence, the band crafted a sound similar to
the Who, particularly their songs "
Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" and "
I Can't Explain", later covered by Bowie in 1973 for
Pin Ups. According to biographer Chris O'Leary, Bowie mimicked the Who's lead singer
Roger Daltrey in his vocal performance for "You've Got a Habit of Leaving".
Paul Trynka notes that he abandoned the distinctive vocal style he displayed on "
I Pity the Fool". Structurally, the song also takes influence from the Who's "
My Generation" and
the Kinks' "
Tired of Waiting for You". Regarding the Who's influence, Bowie stated in an interview with
Q magazine in 1993: ==Release==