"Frankly, Mr. Shankly" was an attempt to recreate the "vibe" of Sandie Shaw's "Puppet on a String", although "it didn't quite work out that way", according to Marr. Linda McCartney was asked to play piano on the track, but declined, and a first take featuring a trumpeter was scrapped. The version originally intended for inclusion on "The Queen Is Dead" was ruined by a technical glitch on the tape, and so the song was re-recorded with John Porter at Wessex Studios in London.