The Beatles » Tracks » Paperback Writer

The Beatles – Paperback Writer (2:15)

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About This Track

“Paperback Writer” is a 1966 rock song recorded and released by The Beatles. 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, West Germany, Australia, New Zealand and Norway. Written in the form of a letter from an aspiring author to a publisher, “Paperback Writer” was the first UK Beatles single that was not a love song (though “Nowhere Man”, which was a single in the U.S., was their first album song released with that distinction).

One of McCartney’s aunts reportedly requested that he write a song with some other theme than boy–girl relationships. British disc jockey Jimmy Savile claimed that McCartney’s inspiration came from seeing drummer Ringo Starr reading a book. “He took one look and announced that he would write a song about a book,” he said. In a 2007 interview, McCartney recalled that he wrote the song after reading in the Daily Mail about an aspiring author, possibly Martin Amis. The Daily Mail was Lennon’s regular newspaper and was often in the studio when The Beatles 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 John Lennon was very fond (though Lear never wrote novels).
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Albums featuring this track

  • Past Masters, Vol. 2
    The Beatles Play
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  • Early Contemporary Album (disc 1)
    The Beatles Play
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  • Hey Jude
    The Beatles Play
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  • Past Masters, Volume 2
    The Beatles Play
    Buy
See all 22 albums

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  • oldiesfanjohn

    this n rain,yep

    last month

  • Bixbycanyon

    exceptionally rad in mono

    March 2012

  • IamFlood

    George George George Paul Ringo Ringo John

    February 2012

  • voorisdogfc

    I'm 48, Played this song all day long when i was 8.

    February 2012

  • xtwntraphq

    Paperback Writer / Rain Ask for a better 45? :)

    January 2012

  • obscurecendo

    BASS

    December 2011

  • MIKEH3875

    I'll never forget as a young kid discovering music for the first time in the early 80's and seeing 1962-1966 a double beatles album.That album was gold for a young kid just finding the beatles.

    December 2011

  • AlCapwnUK

    i think that norwegian wood is the real starting point of later beatles, this is damn good though. this and rain are certainly oasis' favourite records though

    November 2011

  • promisedeyes

    One of the songs that invented powerpop, so I adore it especially <3

    November 2011

  • crawlpalmetto

    Boom!

    October 2011

  • traytray89

    hell to the yeah!

    October 2011

  • PartySanCTG

    For me, this song + "Rain" signals the moment in the Beatles' career where shit just got real.

    September 2011

  • DGreenHat

    I want to fuck this quitar riff...

    August 2011

  • Jeronimmo66

    Great!

    August 2011

  • Kirill88

    OMG, THAT BASS!

    July 2011

  • davidbowiegirl

    Great song.

    July 2011

  • mgpixlab

    ★★★★★★★★★★

    July 2011

  • grxai2

    paaaperback wriiter

    May 2011

  • Karmageddonx

    This is The Beatles' best guitar riff, no doubt about it. Amazing.

    May 2011

  • rasen-virus

    dat bass

    January 2011
See all 120 shouts

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