TOP 100 SONGS OF THE BEATLES: 35

"Paperback Writer" (McCartney – May 30, 1966)  

Single 

You Tube (Candlestick Park, live)

From Wikipedia, Rolling Stone, About.com, and Google –

"Paperback Writer" is a 1966 song recorded and released by the Beatles. Written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon(credited to Lennon–McCartney), the song was released as the A-side of their eleventh single. The single went to the number one spot in the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, West Germany, Australia, New Zealand and Norway. On the US Billboard Hot 100, the song was at number one for two non-consecutive weeks, being interrupted by Frank Sinatra's "Strangers in the Night".

"Paperback Writer" was the last new song by the Beatles to be featured on their final tour in 1966, and was the group's only U.S. number one released that year.

History –

The inspiration for this rocker of Paul's is open to debate. Influential British DJ Jimmy Savile has claimed that Paul saw Ringo (or Savile himself) immersed in a book and decided to write a song about one; recently, McCartney himself claimed the inspiration came after reading about a upcoming young author in Britain's Daily Mail newspaper. However, Paul has been known to embellish the meanings and origins of his songs, and so the most reliable creation story is probably his first claim in 1966, which is that his Aunt Lil, sick of seeing him write love songs, challenged him to try something different. 

The song's lyrics take the form of a letter from an aspiring author to a publisher, as his original handwritten lyrics reveal (the letter begins "Dear Sir or Madam"). Even more so than now, a "paperback" book was considered an inferior knock-off of a hardcover novel; the implication in the lyrics is that the writer in question is a hack, creating a b-grade "potboiler" for mass consumption. (Note that the book is described by the author himself as "a dirty story of a dirty man," leading some to believe the subject is actually literary pornography!)

The song was finished quickly and recorded in only two takes: the first take, which broke down under George's complaint that it was "too fast," was recorded after completion of "Love You To," the keeper of a second take was outfitted with a double-tracked vocal by Paul the next day, before work began on the song's b-side, "Rain." (The October '66 mix is a stereo mix designed for inclusion on album compilations.)

In order to get a fuller bass sound, heard in American soul records but almost never in British rock, engineer Ken Townshend devised a method of using a loudspeaker for a microphone and then positioning it in front of the bass amp. (The "mismatching impedance" caused by the two conflicting signals led to a reprimand from EMI.) The legendary opening guitar riff gets its full sound from John and George playing it at the same time on two different instruments.

The "man named Lear" mentioned as the book's inspiration is almost certainly Edward Lear, a favorite author of John's whose books of poetry, along with the paper Daily Mail (also mentioned), could often be spotted in the studio. (It's unclear whether or not John, who helped polish off the lyrics, added these references.) Their American label, Capitol, worried about both references translating to American audiences, but it only made the song more exotic.

As often noted, the backing vocals sung by George and John in the third verse are actually the children's rhyme "Frere Jacques," altered to fit the song's chords.

Although not the first song recorded and released by the band to have nothing to do with love, it was their first Number One song of this kind -- an important nod to the future of the band and rock in general.

Song lyrics –

According to disc jockey Jimmy Savile, McCartney wrote the song in response to a request from an aunt who asked if he could "write a single that wasn't about love." Savile said, "With that thought obviously still in his mind, he walked around the room and noticed that Ringo was reading a book. He took one look and announced that he would write a song about a book." In a 2007 interview, McCartney recalled that he started writing the song after reading in the Daily Mail about an aspiring author, possibly Martin Amis. The Daily Mail was Lennon's regular newspaper and copies were in Lennon's Weybridge home when Lennon and McCartney were writing songs.

The song's lyrics are in the form of a letter from an aspiring author addressed to a publisher. The author badly needs a job and has written a paperback version of a book by a "man named Lear." This is a reference to the Victorian painter Edward Lear, who wrote nonsense poems and songs of which Lennon was very fond (though Lear never wrote novels).

Aside from deviating from the subject of love, McCartney had it in mind to write a song with a melody backed by a single, static chord. "John and I would like to do songs with just one note like 'Long Tall Sally.' We got near it in 'The Word.'" McCartney claimed to have barely failed to achieve this goal with "Paperback Writer," as the verse remains on G until the end, at which point it pauses on C. The backing vocals during this section are from the French children's song "Frère Jacques".

Recording –

The track was recorded between 13 April and 14 April 1966.

"Paperback Writer" is marked by the boosted bass guitar sound throughout, partly in response to John Lennon demanding to know why the bass on a certain Wilson Pickett record far exceeded the bass on any Beatles records. This changed with the "Paperback Writer" single.

"'Paperback Writer' was the first time the bass sound had been heard in all its excitement," said Beatles' engineer Geoff Emerick in Mark Lewisohn's book The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions. "Paul played a different bass, a Rickenbacker. Then we boosted it further by using a loudspeaker as amicrophone. We positioned it directly in front of the bass speaker and the moving diaphragm of the second speaker made the electric current."

The background vocal harmonies at the beginning of the third chorus are provided by Lennon and George Harrison who sing the title of the French nursery rhyme "Frère Jacques" in several slow incantations. These harmonies occur at a little over one minute into the track.

Emerick stated that the "Paperback Writer" / "Rain" single was cut louder than any other Beatles record up to that time, due to a new piece of equipment used in the mastering process, referred to as "Automatic Transient Overload Control", which was devised by the EMI maintenance department.

Takes: 2

Personnel

John Lennon – Harmony vocals, rhythm guitars (1964 Gretsch 6120 "Nashville")

Paul McCartney – Lead vocals, bass guitar (1964 Rickenbacker 4001S)

George Harrison – Harmony vocals, lead guitar (1962 Gibson Les Paul (SG) Standard)

Ringo Starr – Drums (Ludwig), tambourine

There is some dispute over who played what on "Paperback Writer". In the November 2005 issue of Guitar Player magazine, Paul McCartney claims to have played the song's famous opening riff on his Epiphone Casino guitar, and photos from the song's session seem to verify this claim. McCartney is also widely credited for the song's iconic bass line, but photos from the session show George Harrison playing a Burns Nu-Sonic bass, not an electric guitar. Whether or not Harrison recorded a bass line for "Paperback Writer" that was later removed and re-tracked by McCartney remains unclear.

Promotion –

In Britain, the single was promoted with a photograph depicting the Beatles draped with joints of raw meat and decapitated baby dolls. This same photograph was later used, albeit briefly, as an album cover in the USA, which has become known as the butcher cover.

For the American release of the single, the cover depicted the Beatles playing live, but with Lennon and Harrison's images reflected so that it appeared they were playing left-handedly. (See the image at the top of the page)

The promotional film for the song, one of the first of its type, shot amongst ornate garden statuary, was directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, who went on to direct the Beatles' final film, the documentary Let It Be.

Trivia –

Although promo photos and videos taken at the time show George Harrison holding a Nu-Sonic brand bass, it was not used during the actual recording, nor does George play bass on the track.

The infamous "Butcher Cover" photo, featuring the group surrounded by raw meat and baby doll parts, was originally first seen in UK print ads for "Paperback Writer," though it became best known as the original cover of the US-only compilation Yesterday and Today.

This was the last original Beatles composition ever played by the group onstage, and the second-to-last song played at their final concert (Candlestick Park, San Francisco, CA, August 30, 1966). However, "I Want To Tell You" was the last song recorded by the band to eventually be played during that set.

A misheard "Paperback Writer" was the inspiration for the Monkees' song "Last Train to Clarksville." Indeed, the outro of "Clarksville" can be sung over the outro of "Writer." (Try it!)

This was the last song played during the funeral program for beloved sci-fi writer Douglas Adams (Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy).

Today in Beatles History (From The Internet Beatles Album) March 6 –

1963 – The Playhouse Theatre, Manchester. 8.00-8.45pm. Recording for BBC's Here We Go: "Misery"; "Do You Want To Know A Secret"; '"Please Me"; "I Saw Her Standing There". 

– Only live take of "Do You Want To Know A Secret". First time "Do You Want To Know A Secret" and "Misery" are heard by the public. 

– Last performance for Here We Go.

1964 – Chile single release: 'I Want To Hold Your Hand'/'This Boy'. 1st Beatles single in Chile.
– Annual ball held by the Hospital Wing Aid Committee of the Home for Aged Jews, at the Adelphi Hotel, Liverpool. This year the dinner is in honour of Brian. Guests, among others: Brian, Gerry Marsden, Alma Cogan, Lionel Bart, Bernard Delfont, Maurice Kinn.
– Shooting of early scenes for A Hard Day's Night at Paddington Station, on board a chartered train leaving from Paddington Station.
– After a day of filming in the West Country for 'A Hard Day's Night', the Beatles return to Westbourne Park Station, London.

1965 – Beatles For Sale is replaced by Rolling Stones II as number 1 (UK Record Retailer chart).

1967 – Studio 2. 7.00pm-12.30am. Recording: "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (overdub onto take 10). Mono mixing: "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (remixes 2, 3, from take 10). Stereo mixing: "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (remixes 1-8, from take 10). Producer: George Martin; Engineer: Geoff Emerick; 2nd Engineer: Richard Lush. 

– Recording of sound effects, except public screaming.

1970 – UK single release: "Let It Be"/"You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)".

– US gold certification: LP Hey Jude.

1972 – The extension of Lennon's US visa is cancelled by the director of the district of New York, Sol Marks, under a request of the Immigration Service.

1976 – UK release: The Singles Collection (23 singles).