Day Tripper - Music

Frogtoon Music - Song Info: Day Tripper

The-Beatles - 1

"Day Tripper" Is A Song Primarily Written By John Lennon Credited To Lennon/McCartney And Recorded By The Beatles In 1965 During The Sessions For Their Rubber Soul Album. The Song Would Be Released As A "double A-Sided" Single With "We Can Work It Out" The First Time Both Sides Of A Single Were So Designated In An Initial Release. Background & Inspiration "Day Tripper" Was Written Early In The Rubber Soul Sessions When The Beatles Were Under Pressure To Produce A New Single For The Christmas Market. John Lennon Wrote The Music And Most Of The Lyrics While Paul McCartney Contributed Some Of The Lyrics. Lennon Based The Song's Guitar Riff On That From Bobby Parker's "Watch Your Step" Which Had Also Been His Model For "I Feel Fine" In 1964. In A 1980 Interview Lennon Said Of "Day Tripper" "That's Mine. Including The Lick The Guitar Break And The Whole Bit." In The 1997 Book Many Years From Now McCartney Claims That It Was A Collaboration But Lennon Deserved "the Main Credit". Lennon Described "Day Tripper" As A "drug Song" In 1970 And In A 2004 Interview McCartney Said It Was "about Acid" LSD . The Song Title Is A Play On Words Referring To Both A Tourist On A Day-Trip And A "trip" In The Sense Of A Psychedelic Experience. During The Sessions For Rubber Soul A Rift Was Growing Between McCartney And His Bandmates As He Continued To Abstain From Taking LSD. After Lennon And George Harrison Had First Taken The Drug In London Early In 1965 14 16 Ringo Starr Had Joined Them For Their Second Experience Which Took Place In Los Angeles When The Beatles Stopped There During Their August 1965 US Tour. Given McCartney's Continued Abstinence Author Ian MacDonald Says That The Song's Lyrics May Well Have Been Partly Directed At Him As Does Music Journalist Keith Cameron. Recording The Beatles Recorded The Song At Their First Session After Completing "Drive My Car". The Session Took Place At EMI Studios Now Abbey Road Studios In London On 16 October 1965. Unusually For The Time The Group Allowed Visitors Into The Studio As Lennon's Wife Cynthia And His Half-Sisters Julia Baird And Jacqui Dykins Attended Part Of The Session. The Band Rehearsed The Song For Much Of The Afternoon Before Taping The Basic Track. The Line-Up Was Lennon And Harrison On Rhythm And Lead Guitar Respectively McCartney On Bass And Starr On Drums. Take 3 Was Selected For Overdubs Having Been The Only Take In Which The Performance Did Not Break Down. On The Studio Tapes From The Session Starr Can Be Heard Encouraging His Bandmates To "really Rock It This Time" Before Take 1. Lennon And McCartney Overdubbed Lead Vocals With McCartney The More Prominent Singer In The Verses' First And Third Lines And Harrison Added A Harmony Vocal Over The Choruses And The Instrumental Bridge. Starr Overdubbed The Tambourine. A-Side Status & Promo Films "Day Tripper" Had Been Conceived As The A-Side Of The Beatles' Next Single But The Band Came To Favour "We Can Work It Out" Which Was Predominantly Written By McCartney And Recorded Later In The Rubber Soul Sessions. Lennon Continued To Argue For "Day Tripper". To Promote The Upcoming Release The Beatles Filmed Mimed Performances Of The Two Songs On 1–2 November For Inclusion In The Granada TV Special The Music Of Lennon & McCartney. At The Start Of "Day Tripper" The Band Were Accompanied By A Group Of Go-Go Dancers. On 15 November EMI Announced That The A-Side Would Be "We Can Work It Out" Only For Lennon To Publicly Contradict This Two Days Later. As A Compromise The Single Was Marketed As A Double A-Side. Lennon's Championing Of "Day Tripper" Was Based On His Belief That The Beatles' Rock Sound Should Be Favoured Over The Softer Style Of "We Can Work It Out". As With The Other Clips The Promos For "Day Tripper" Showed The Beatles Making Minimal Effort To Appear As Though They Were Performing The Song. In The First Clip The Band Members Are Dressed In Black And Perform On A Stage In Front Of Shiny Pillars. Following The Song's Bridge Starr Marches Rather Than Plays Seated At His Drum Kit. For The Second Promo They Wore Their Military-Style Jackets From Their August 1965 Concert At New York's Shea Stadium. Surrounded By Travel-Themed Props They Perform In Front Of A Backdrop Of Tinsel And A New Year's Greeting In French. Lennon And McCartney Stand Behind An Aeroplane While Harrison And Starr Play Through The Windows Of A Railway Carriage. With No Drum Kit Visible Starr Discards His Drumsticks In Favour Of A Saw And Begins Sawing Through The Carriage. In Music Critic Richie Unterberger's View Starr's Antics Lend The Performance "a Dash Of Surrealism By 1965 Pop Group Standards At Any Rate ".