In preparations for We Can Work It Out, Paul had undoubtedly
premiered the demo to the group before they entered EMI Studio Two on October
20th, 1965 for the first of two recording sessions that day, which took four
hours (2:30 to 6:30 pm). Much
arrangement work apparently needed to be done before recording began and ideas
began to flow.
One noteworthy change concerned the arrangement of the
bridge. Early run-throughs reveal the
acoustic guitar as “fingerpicked in double-time” at the end of each lyrical
phrase, according to Ian MacDonald’s book “Revolution In The Head.” Since this wasn’t found suitable, a
suggestion was offered. “It was George
Harrison’s idea to put the middle into waltz time,” McCartney remembers, “like
a German waltz. That came on the
session, it was one of the cases of the arrangement crafted and completed on
the session.”
With that worked out, two takes of the rhythm track were recorded,
the instruments depict John on acoustic guitar, George on tambourine, Paul on
bass and Ringo on drums. The first began
with Paul instructing John with the words, “Do you remember the end?” to which
he answers, “I know how it goes…it’s when it comes!” This take was nearly perfect except that it
fizzled when Ringo forgot to switch to waltz time in the second bridge. The second take was all that was needed and
they took a half-hour break before returning to start with the overdubs.
The second session of the day ran from 7 to 11:45 pm and was
devoted entirely to overdubbing onto take two of the rhythm track. It was during this session that they found
something interesting to be added to the song.
“The other thing that arrived on the session was we found an old
harmonium hidden away in the studio,” Paul recalls, “and said, ‘Oh, this’d be a
nice color on it.’ We put the chords on
with the harmonium as a wash, just a basic held chord, what you would call a
pad these days.” The overdubs included
two harmonium tracks, Paul’s lead vocals (which he also double-tracked) and
John’s harmony vocals in the bridge.
Thinking it was complete, the group left at 11:45 pm to presumably get
some needed rest.
The first mono mix of the song was made on October 28th, 1965 in
the control room of EMI Studio Two by producer George Martin and engineers
Norman Smith and Jerry Boys. This mix
was not intended for release on record, however, instead made solely for The
Beatles to mime to during the filming of the upcoming British television show
“The Music Of Lennon And McCartney.” As
it turned out, though, this mix didn’t get utilized for this purpose
either. When the group heard this mix,
they felt that the vocals could be improved upon which would nullify the use of
this mix.
The next day, October 29th, 1965, The Beatles returned to EMI
Studio Two for a two-hour recording session (2 to 4 pm) to re-record the vocals
for “We Can Work It Out.” With this
complete, the total hours spent on the song tallied up to nearly eleven hours,
the most time spent recording any Beatles song to date. (This was topped by “I’m Looking Through You”
shortly afterward with a total of eighteen hours.)
With this complete, two more mono mixes were made by George
Martin, Norman Smith and 2nd engineer Ken Scott in the control room of EMI
Studio Two. One of these mixes was made
for the above-mentioned television show and the other for release as a
single. “Day Tripper” was also given two
mono mixes on this day since it also was included in the TV program.
November 10th, 1965 was the date for the first stereo mixing of
“We Can Work It Out,” which was done in Room 65 of EMI Studios by Martin, Smith
and Jerry Boys. This mix was sent to the
US and eventually used on Capitol’s “Yesterday…And Today” album (and an
Australian “Greatest Hits” album) that was reportedly scrapped on August 9th,
1966 because management deemed inferior.
This mix features the rhythm track primarily in the left channel except
for some bleed-through into the right channel from the studio speaker during
the vocal overdubs. The right channel
contained all of the overdubs including the slightly reverbed vocals with the
exception of one of the harmonium overdubs which appear centered in the mix.
A second stereo mix was made on November 10th, 1966 (exactly one
year later) also in Room 65 of EMI Studios by engineers Peter Bown and Graham
Kirkby in preparation for the first British compilation album “A Collection Of
Beatles Oldies.” This stereo mix is essentially
the same except for more pronounced reverb on the vocals and both harmonium
overdubs panned exclusively to the right channel.
A further stereo mix was made in 2015 by Giles Martin (son of
George Martin) and Sam Okell at Abbey Road Studios for inclusion in a
re-release of the compilation album "Beatles 1."
On January 25th, 1991, Paul McCartney and band performed the song
during their MTV Unplugged show which was recorded and released on his
“Unplugged (The Official Bootleg)” album.
Also, sometime between March 22nd and June 15th, 1993, a live recording
of the song was made that was released on his album “Paul Is Live.” Then, sometime between April 1st and May
18th, 2002, another live recording was released on his album “Back In The U.S.”
Song Structure and Style
Once again, Paul and John concoct a unique approach to the usual
structure of their catalog up to this point.
While the format itself is quite usual, comprising a ‘verse/ verse/
bridge/ verse/ bridge/ verse’ structure (or aababa) with a brief conclusion,
the makeup of both the verse and the bridge brings elements that show the
growth in their songwriting.
Let’s first examine the verse.
They decide to abruptly jump right into the first sixteen-measure verse
without any need of an introduction with the full rhythm track (guitar, bass,
drums and tambourine) coming in right on the downbeat of the first
measure. Paul’s double-tracked lead
vocals also appear immediately but actually come in on the second beat of the
measure while the overdubbed harmonium swells its volume for the first time on
the first beat of the second measure.
The verse is actually made up of three melodic phrases that are
broken up in an uncommon manner compared to “Ticket To Ride,” for instance,
that also has sixteen measures broken up into four even melodic phrases of four
measures each. In the case of “We Can
Work It Out,” the first and second phrase is six measures long, the first
triggering: “Try to see it my way, do I
have to keep on talking till I can’t go on.”
The second phrase it similar in length which brings the verse through to
the twelfth measure. Then, to round off
the sixteen measures, a refrain-like four-measure conclusion of the verse
occurs which repeats the title of the song twice, making the optimistic main
phrase of the song indelibly etched in your mind.
Arrangement wise, these last four measures change the texture of
the song to further emphasize this main phrase.
The drums alter the pattern to double-time with snare beats on the one-
and three- beats of each measure while the tambourine strategically accents the
two- and four- beats of these same measures.
The harmonium chords are also raised in volume at this point while
Paul’s vocals jump into a higher range than heard so far in the song, both doing
their part to further make the end of the verse stand out.
The second sixteen-measure verse is arranged invariably the same
but with a couple noticeable quirks.
While the tambourine in the first verse only accented the third beat in
every even-numbered measure (for the first twelve measures, that is), George
accidentally hits the accent on the second beat of the second measure instead
of the third (during the word “saying”).
Also, John makes a rhythm guitar flub on the downbeat of the sixth
measure while switching from C to D (during the word “alright”). This seemed to be a little tough for him
since he made the same flub in the unused first take of the rhythm track as
well.
The bridge comes next which is quite tricky. It is twenty-four measures long and can be
divided into two identical twelve-measure sections with the last four measures
of each section played in 3/4 waltz time instead of 4/4 time like the rest of
the song. This could very well have been
inspired by the similar inclusion in Buddy Holly’s “That’ll Be The Day,”
knowing that the group had a fondness for Buddy and in that song in
particular. Interestingly, the 3/4
sections keep the time perfectly, meaning you can keep counting in 4/4 time
through these measures and still end up with a symmetrical twenty-four
measures. It may appear to speed up when
the waltz section ends, but this is only an illusion.
The arrangement changes drastically as well, with lower harmony
vocals from John appearing for the first time.
Actually, since John is credited as the major songwriter of the bridge,
one could easily say that he is singing the lower lead while Paul is singing a
higher harmony. Be that as it may,
two-part harmony comprises the entire bridge as does some interesting holding
notes from the harmonium, which were the result of a second overdub from the
instrument and appear centered in the first stereo mix of the song. Descending notes from the bass guitar and
harmonium contrast nicely with the held B minor chords of the acoustic guitar
in the waltz-time measures.
The drums in the bridge start out continuing the snare accents on
the one- and three- beats of each measure as he had been doing in the final
measures of the verse. This changes
during the waltz-like measures with cymbal crashes on the downbeats and
tambourine accents on the two- and three-beats of each of these measures. The waltz-like tempo of these sections are
actually anticipated by the vocal melody line in the eighth measure (“fuss /
ing / and”).
A third sixteen-measure verse is then heard which follows the
usual verse pattern and arrangement, one interesting feature signals the
acoustic guitar accentuation (“cha-ching-ching”) in the sixth measure after the
phrase “right or I am wrong.” George's
tambourine accent is once again miss-hit in the eighth measure, coming in on
the fourth beat instead of the third (after the words “your way”).
A nearly indistinguishable repeat of the bridge comes next, an
observable difference shifts the harmonium playing an F# chord just before the
words “I have always thought.” In all of
the other similar places in the bridge, John continues to play the B minor
chord, so this change is an interesting variance to add a distinct color to the
song.
Next comes a nearly identical repeat of the third verse with Paul
this time raising his melody line in the twelfth measure (“before too
lo-o-ong”) to match what he sang in the second verse (“say
goodni-i-ight”). After this, the song
ends with a three-measure conclusion that reprises the striking waltz tempo of the
bridge although this time, instead of capitalizing on the negative mood of the
lyrics (“fussing and fighting”) with a minor chord, it plays on the optimistic
tone of the words with a D major, this refreshes the home key of the song and
a proper resolve. As an interesting
counterpoint, the rhythm guitar chord hold the D major chord while the
harmonium plays a chorded phrase that injects a G major chord. The final harmonium chord rings out in full
volume as the final word as it is faded down in the mix.
Although instrumentally Paul is relegated only to bass guitar, his
presence is felt as he takes the reins for what was, for all intents and
purposes, initially his personal song about his current romantic problems. His pitch perfect double-tracking is done
with his usual impeccability while his bass work adds the necessary harmonic
touches to work well in exemplifying the arrangement.
John’s harmonium playing is impressive with its volume pedal
swells in the verses simulating what sounds like (to me, anyway) an accordion
while his voluminous chording makes its presence known in the arrangement when
it’s called for. His acoustic rhythm
guitar playing was also done with precision, with much emphasis put on
sustaining the D chord to accentuate Paul’s vocal line, something that Paul
didn’t do on his acoustic guitar demo for the song. Add to this his incredible vocal work in the
bridges and we can see how John obviously thought a lot about getting the song
down perfectly. In fact, when both John
and Paul were asked in 1966 if this song and “Day Tripper” were “forced,” they
both emphatically replied “No!”
Much strategic planning must have been necessary for George's
tambourine work which, according to Chris Ingham’s “The Rough Guide To The
Beatles,” was “the most elaborate element of the record.” Ringo, as usual, put in a gallant effort with
the arrangement and, with some ‘working out’ to be done with the waltz tempo in
the bridge, he got the job done.
Lyrically, Paul’s optimistic and hopeful lyrics show that he wants
things to ‘work out’ between him and Jane, although desperation does rear its
ugly head in his words. “Do I have to
keep on talking till I can’t go on?” he exasperatingly asks. As most troubled relationships are, he argues
that his points are the right ones and hers the wrong ones. “Try to see it my way,” he keeps insisting,
while seeing it “your way” always results is the worst, such as “our love may
soon be gone” and “we might fall apart before too long.” The results of ‘his way’ would be to “work it
out or get it straight or say goodnight.”
The solution is very clear…at least in his eyes.
John’s bridge, although simulating being sung by the same person
who sings the verses, shows the one pleading his case as throwing up his hands
and complaining that “life is very short and there’s no time for fussing and
fighting,” referring to this futile exchange as a “crime” of a waste of better
used time. While referring to the woman
with the amicable term “my friend,” he continues his plead “so I will ask you
once again” to usher in the return of the frustrating issue at hand.
On July 20th, 1968, Jane Asher had stated on the BBC show Dee
Time, “My engagement to Paul is off!”
Apparently, Paul’s assurance that they could “work it out” turned out to
be wrong.
Next Song – Day Tripper:
On October 16th, 1965, which was only the third day of recording
for what became the “Rubber Soul” album, The Beatles along with guest Julia
Baird (John’s half-sister) entered EMI Studio Two at 2:30 pm for a
nine-and-a-half-hour recording session.
The vast majority of this session, the first eight-and-a-half hours, was
used to fully record the newly composed song “Day Tripper” which appears to
have been slated as their upcoming December single.
The first four-and-a-half hours were spent discussing and
rehearsing the song’s intricate arrangement, which caused Julia Baird to
comment, “It seemed like bits and pieces were being put together…I can’t
understand how they got the final version.”
After much time was spent putting these “bits and pieces” together,
three takes of the rhythm track were recorded.
The instrumentation comprised George on lead guitar (the main riff),
John on electric rhythm guitar, Paul on bass and Ringo on drums.
It should be noted here that, since John once credited himself
with “the lick, the guitar break, and the whole bit,” many feel he meant that
he played the main guitar parts in the studio.
However, all indications show that George played the guitar riff during
the rhythm track as well as the overdub and also played the guitar solo in the
bridge. John apparently meant that he
was the writer of the guitar riff as well as the originator of the guitar
break, or bridge, in the arrangement.
During their live performances of the song, John is seen playing rhythm
guitar as was his role during the recording of the rhythm track.
With Paul counting the song off, take one showed the entire
arrangement details already in place although we do notice George flubbing a
note in the guitar riff at the end of the ninth measure (something we
occasionally note in the finished master).
However, there are some interesting differences in his guitar part,
including a repeating quick-picking riff he plays during the second half of the
second verse (which would have occurred after the words “day tripper” and then “ticket,
yeah”), as well as his famous volume pedal during his ascending notes in the
bridge (as used in the songs “Yes It Is,” “I Need You” and “Wait” earlier in
the year). This take comes to a halt
when John accidentally changes chords too early in the final verse, which was
an easy mistake considering no vocals were recorded at this time and keeping
count of measures would have been difficult.
Take two ended because of the same problem, only the mistake was
made early in the first verse. Take
three was the keeper, although George did miss the same note of the guitar riff
at the end of the first measure of the final verse. By this time, it was 7 pm and set for
overdubs.
These overdubs consisted of both John and Paul’s lead vocals,
which were then double-tracked along with a third harmony from George, and then
George double-tracking the guitar riff heard throughout the song while also
adding a solo in the bridge section as an additional overdub. A subtle vocal error was left in, however,
John singing “one-day driver, yeah” instead of “Sunday driver,” no doubt a
combination of the line “one-way ticket” from the previous verses, him catching
himself midway. While most attribute the
tambourine overdub to Ringo, George himself sets the record straight in a 1965
interview: “’Day Tripper’ is a rocker,
but not in the old-fashioned sense. It’s
a very ‘Groupy’ sort of record. It
starts with guitar, then bass guitar and then John comes in on tambourine. There’s a funny middle which stays on one
chord.” The tambourine was also
double-tracked in areas where dramatic shaking was deemed necessary.
By about 11 pm the song was complete and they spent the last hour
of the session on George’s new composition “If I Needed Someone,” which was
then completed on the following session two days later.
The first mono mix of “Day Tripper” was made on October 25th, 1965
in the control room of EMI Studio Two by producer George Martin and engineers
Norman Smith and Ken Scott. It is
presumed that at this point they noticed a problem with the master tape which
deemed this first mix unusable.
The next day, October 26th, saw the first stereo mix of the song
created in the control room of EMI Studio Two by George Martin, Norman Smith
and 2nd engineer Ron Pender. The entire
rhythm track is heard in the left channel throughout the mix except that the
introductory guitar riff suddenly switches to the right channel when the other
instruments come in. All of the overdubs
are heard in the right channel, including all of the vocals. This stereo mix was issued in the US on their
“Yesterday…And Today” album in 1966.
Effort was made on this stereo mix to mask the problem previously
found on the master tape, particular, a noticeable squeaky click on the track
containing George’s overdubbed guitar riff and John’s tambourine, an audible
noise following thereafter. The click
occurs just after the words “tried to please her” in the third verse, so the
production team cut that precise section out of the stereo mix entirely,
leaving an obvious flaw in the finished product with both a guitar note and
tambourine missing for a slight moment.
This is repeated, though less noticeable, on the word “tried” at the
beginning of the ninth measure of this same verse.
Two more mono mixes were then made on October 29th, 1965, also in
the control room of EMI Studio Two by Martin, Smith and Scott, one of which was
made specifically for the upcoming British television special “The Music Of
Lennon And McCartney,” the other used as the official version for release on the
single throughout the world. The same
fancy editing was used to mask the master take flaw, which was less noticeable
in mono since there were two guitars playing the same riff heard only on one
track in mono.
Because EMI staff thought the October 26th, 1965 stereo mix could
be improved upon, another stereo mix was made on November 10th, 1966 in
preparation for the upcoming British compilation album “A Collection Of Beatles
Oldies.” This mix was created in Room 65
of EMI Studios by engineers Peter Bown and Graham Kirkby with no producer
required.
This new mix was by-and-large the same as the previous stereo mix,
still containing the small missing moments during the final verse to mask the
master tape defect. A similar alteration
was made in the conclusion of the song as well.
John and Paul intended for the vocals to alternate between “day tripper”
and “day tripper, yeah” as the song faded out.
However, since John inadvertently sang “yeah” the first time around,
they must have informed the EMI staff of their mistake and they tried to cut it
out of this new mix in the same way they cut out the master tape flaw. The results, though, were less than perfect,
the work put into omitting the error probably not worth the effort. A bit more reverb is also heard on the
vocals, the result of which is mostly noticeable on the left channel.
The Beatles, that is to say Paul, touched on the song once more in
the studio on August 15th, 1968. While
they were recording the rhythm track for "Rocky Raccoon," Paul got
lost while doing an adlib for the verse about "the doctor" on 'take
four' on that day. Paul stopped the song
saying, 'F*uck knows where I am!", before picking out the riff of
"Day Tripper" to relieve the tension.
This, of course, has never been released.
Sometime in 2015, Giles Martin (son of George Martin) and Sam
Okell returned to the original master tape to create a more vibrant stereo mix
at Abbey Road Studios, the result included on the re-released compilation album
"Beatles 1."
On July 17th, 18th and 21st, 2009, Paul McCartney and band
performed shows at the newly constructed Citi Field in New York City. On one of these nights, a recording was made
of their performance of “Day Tripper,” which was included on Paul’s live album
“Good Evening New York City.”
Song Structure and Style
This “’groupy’ sort of record,” as George Harrison called it,
definitely breaks new ground for The Beatles, structure- and
arrangement-wise. While its format is of
a usual ‘verse/ verse/ bridge/ verse’ nature (or aaba) that isn’t repeated
(used as early as “Please Please Me”), many dramatic differences make it distinctively
different from anything they had done up to this point.
The first distinctive element of the song, not to mention the most
notable, it the repeating two-measure guitar riff that begins the proceedings
played by George without any other instrumental backing, much like John’s riff
in “You Can’t Do That.” But while the
riff from that 1964 classic song is used to form the framework of the song, the
riff in “Day Tripper” absolutely permeates the proceedings. It’s the first thing and ultimately the last
thing we hear in the song, this guitar figure endlessly repeating even on top
of changing chords. Not that we mind; I
don’t think there is any argument that this guitar riff is the most
identifiable and loved riff within the entire Beatles catalog, arguably in all
of rock/pop music.
This ten-measure introduction is built around five repeats of the
double-tracked guitar riff as the instrumentation builds behind it. After hearing it played solo, the third and
fourth measure adds Paul’s bass playing the same riff, while the fifth through
eighth measure has both John’s rhythm guitar and John’s tambourine (overdubbed)
join the fray. The second half of the
eighth measure introduces Ringo with his excellent tom fills, more of which
we’ll hear later. As the cymbal crashes
and the drums settle into a rock beat on the closed hi-hats, the riff is heard
for the fifth time, completing a rather lengthy ten-measure intro.
The first sixteen-measure verse then begins with Paul’s
double-tracked lead vocals coming in directly on the downbeat (“Got a good
reason”). With the guitar riff
continuing, John’s double-tracked harmony vocals kick in for the third and
fourth measure (“for taking the easy way out”), this vocal pattern continuing
in the next four measures. The fifth
measure shows the song finally shift away from its home key of E major to A
major with the guitar riff following it, this seemingly indicating that we’ll
be delving into another 12-bar blues pattern the group habitually uses, as
heard in “You Can’t Do That” and “Can’t Buy Me Love,” as well as countless
others. However, this is not the
case. The group jumps to an
unpredictable F# chord while the rhythm switches to an R&B-style beat with
accents on all four quarter notes instead of just the two and four as heard up
to this point. In his book “Revolution
In The Head,” Ian MacDonald sites this change as “another in-joke…played with
fours on the bass drum in the style of Al Jackson of the MGs, the Stax house
band.”
At this point in the song, John appears to have switched to lead
vocalist with Paul singing the higher harmony joined by George for three-part
harmony. Since John is the primary
writer of the song and it was customary for Paul to sing lead on lines that
were a little out of John’s reach (see “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Any Time At
All”), this can confidently be said to be the case here as well. The melody line and chord pattern then
cascades downward through more unpredictable chord changes to land firmly back
on the home key of E major for the second verse.
One interesting observance during the second half of this verse
(referred by some as the chorus) is, while the guitar riff is finally put on
hiatus, the bass continues to play a pattern that resembles it. This keeps the essence of the riff playing in
the back of our mind (as if we would have forgotten it). Also, Ringo curiously includes a quick
sixteenth-note figure on the two-beat of both the thirteenth and fourteenth
measures during the words “so long.”
Since he repeats the same thing in the other two verses, as well as the
previous takes of the song, this was indeed planned.
The second verse actually contains its own intro, a four-measure
re-introduction to the riff which is obviously their intended focal point for
the song. The first two measures consist
of a break in all instrumentation except for George’s double-tracked riff and
John’s double-tracked tambourine shaking.
Ringo reprises his tom roll and cymbal crash to usher in the rest of the
rhythm section and to finish off the second two measures of this intro.
The second verse now proceeds with the same exact arrangement as
the first except for different lyrics in the first eight measures. This verse ends with Paul exclaiming “hey”
off microphone on one of his vocal tracks while a dramatic cymbal crash ushers
in the 12-measure bridge, which many understandably identify as the “solo” of
the song. Not heard before in any
Beatles song, the group uses this opportunity to build the arrangement into a
blistering climax, changing the key to B and altering the guitar riff to
accommodate the change.
The first six measures consist of the riff played three times
while Ringo crashes the cymbal on every downbeat. The D chord may be played nonstop throughout
all of these measures, but the illusion of rising chords is given by a single
note played by George on the two-beat of each measure on the rhythm track, each
measure ascending one note higher on the scale.
Add to this the double-tracked ascending harmonies from John and Paul in
measures seven through twelve with Ringo reverting to the Stax-like accented
drumming beginning in the seventh measure while crashing away at his cymbals.
All the while, George reverts to a pedal-point overdubbed guitar
rhythm while a further lead guitar part appears on top as another overdub,
adding even more to the thickness of the sound.
As the harmonies ascend to a feverish pitch in the final three measures,
Ringo just blasts away, accenting every eighth note on his snare and crash
cymbal. Given the sexual content of the
lyrics, “climax” is the only appropriate word to be used here as The Beatles
intent. Only the orchestral build in “A
Day In The Life” can be said to upstage the intended effect of the bridge in
“Day Tripper.”
Finally, we’re back on solid ground as we hear the band suddenly
stop to reveal the solo guitar riff once again, this being a repeat of the
verse intro we heard before verse two.
The third verse is also identical in structure and instrumentation but
with yet a new set of lyrics in the first eight measures. A slight alteration is also heard in the
eleventh measure, “Sunday driver” substituted for “one-way ticket” (John
accidentally combining the two on one of his vocal tracks). The words “so long” are now sung in falsetto
to add some nice variation from the previous verses.
A full repeat of the song’s introduction is now heard which
culminate into the conclusion and fade of the track. As the tambourine part finishes off the
eighth measure, it begins to rush the tempo, this making it sound as if Ringo
was late coming in with his tom roll.
When listening to the rhythm track alone (aka, the left channel), you’ll
see that Ringo’s time was impeccable as usual, John, however, fell short not
able to keep accurate time while overdubbing the tambourine without Ringo’s
drum beat there as a guide.
After his cymbal crash on the downbeat of the eighth measure, the
band kicks in with John and Paul altering final lyrical phrases “day tripper”
and “day tripper, yeah” as Ringo reprises his triplet beats from “Ticket To
Ride” in between (as well as one last tom roll in the twelfth measure). So ends a classic piece of rock’n’roll
history.
Every Beatle is in top form on this song, exuding the confidence
of this brilliantly written track.
John’s stunning vocal delivery is evident throughout as is his rhythm
guitar playing and, uncharacteristic for him, tambourine work. Paul equally plays a prominent role, his
voice being the first heard on the song leading many to view him as the main
catalyst to its writing, although his input was no doubt substantial. His bass playing, while mimicking the guitar
riff in strategic places, is quite appropriate where it doesn’t.
George appears very much a part of the game, his guitar delivery
well executed from beginning to end. And
Ringo shines brilliantly with his sharp attention to detail in this razor-sharp
arrangement proved a true highlight in his Beatles career.
With this song written and recorded during the period where they
thought, as Paul explained it, “comedy numbers are the next thing…songs with
jokes in,” the lyrical intent of “Day Tripper,” as outlined above under
“Songwriting History,” comes through as more innuendo than storytelling. That being said, the singer is “taking the
easy way out” of this relationship because she wasn’t all that he thought she
was. Fancied only as “a day tripper” and
not committed to that lifestyle all of the time, he was no longer interested,
although it took him “so long to find out.”
Not that he didn’t give her a chance..after all, he “tried to please
her.” Referring to their sexual
relationship, she “only played one night stands,” but even then, she only took
him “half the way there” anyway. No
wonder he moved on.
From listening to the song, which is more instrumentally based
than lyrically, the obvious intent of “Day Tripper” as a whole was to focus on
the music. While the lyrics did raise
eyebrows in 1965 (as they may still today), the striking feature of the track
is and will always be the instrumental delivery. Hum the guitar riff to anyone of any age
group and I’d venture to guess they’ll know what it is.
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fans. You and they might also enjoy knowing more about my Love Songs CD and my
novel,
BEATLEMANIAC. Just click on the “My Shop” tab near the top of this
page for full details.
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