Written by: Lennon-McCartney
Recorded: 16 October 1965
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Norman Smith
Released: 3 December 1965 (UK), 6 December 1965 (US)
John Lennon: vocals, rhythm guitar, lead guitar
Paul McCartney: vocals, bass
George Harrison: lead guitar
Ringo Starr: drums, tambourine
Available on:
Past Masters
1
Written to order when Lennon and McCartney realised they needed a new single at the tail end of 1965, Day Tripper was released as a double a-side with We Can Work It Out.
Day Tripper was [written] under complete pressure, based on an old folk song I wrote about a month previous. It was very hard going, that, and it sounds it. It wasn't a serious message song. It was a drug song. In a way, it was a day tripper - I just liked the word.
Anthology
John Lennon had the initial idea for Day Tripper, and collaborated with McCartney to complete the song. Written at Kenwood, Lennon's house in Weybridge, Surrey in October 1965, the song is based on a 12-bar blues in E, switching up a tone (F#) for the chorus.
That was a co-written effort; we were both there making it all up but I would give John the main credit. Probably the idea came from John because he sang the lead, but it was a close thing. We both put a lot of work in on it.
Many Years From Now, Barry Miles
The song was a knowing reference to the burgeoning drugs-based counterculture of the mid-1960s. 'Day tripper' was a slang term for someone who failed to fully embrace the hippy lifestyle.
It's just a rock 'n' roll song. Day trippers are people who go on day trips, right? Usually on a ferryboat or something. But it was kind of... you're just a weekend hippie. Get it?
Playboy, 1980
Lennon and Harrison had both been introduced to LSD by 1965, although their use wouldn't peak until 1967. McCartney later admitted the song was about drugs, though The Beatles' clean-cut image at the time meant that the references were well hidden to all but those in the know.
Day Tripper was to do with tripping. Acid was coming in on the scene, and often we'd do these songs about 'the girl who thought she was it'... But this was just a tongue-in-cheek song about someone who was a day tripper, a Sunday painter, Sunday driver, somebody who was committed only in part to the idea. Whereas we saw ourselves as full-time trippers, fully committed drivers, she was just a day tripper.
Many Years From Now, Barry Miles
The lyrics employed other double meanings. "She's a big teaser" was originally "She's a prick teaser", though they never seriously considered recorded it like that.
I remember with the prick teasers we thought, That'd be fun to put in. That was one of the great things about collaborating, you could nudge-nudge, wink-wink a bit, whereas if you're sitting on your own, you might not put it in.
Many Years From Now, Barry Miles
Day Tripper was a part of The Beatles' live repertoire from 1965 until they gave up touring. It was the fourth song performed at their final concert at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, on 29 August 1966.
Doesn't McCartney sing lead on this? And why, if he claims the song's idea was Lennon's?
Unless I'm mistaken, they sing in unison on the first half of every phrase in a verse:
"She's a big teaser"
then Lennon drops to a LOWER harmony (very difficult to pick out, not very many cover bands do it correctly, intuitively you want to go higher on a harmony) on the 2nd phrase:
"She took me half the way there"
On the pre-chorus/chorus they sing in nearly co-equal 3 part harmonies with George, so attributing the "lead" on this song is a bit problematic. McCartney sings out a bit more on the unison parts, and his harmony on the 2nd phrase is more prevalent, so it may seem he's singing lead, but this is near a co-lead vocal song as any in the Beatles' repertoire.
This article seems to indicate that Lennon played the lead solo, but that would have been quite out of character for The Beatles at the time, (not to mention, the timbre and licks of the solo sound very George-ish.)
Does anyone know for certain that John played lead?
If Paul seems to be singing lead in a song that is mainly a Lennon composition, that was probably due to pitch issues of the vocals... Probably Lennon couldn't sing the notes, so Paul asked to try the vocals, and they agreed that his worked out better. Same story with A HARD DAYS NIGHT and ANY TIME AT ALL.
Ultimately, however, DAY TRIPPER is a Lennon/McCartney collaboration.
I cant see that Day Tripper is a Lennon/McCartney collaboration. In my ears its a typical Lennon-Song. Paul helped him for sure, but I dont think he earned too much credits.
Think: Paul and John have agreed, that Babys in Black was the last number, which they written face to face. Later on, John or Paul would show the song only then to other one, if they had a problem to finish up.
In the end it is not important, if its 80:20, 70:30 or 85:15. They worked togehter, not only for Day Tripper cause nearly each time.
And you have given the answer: Paul sings the "Got a good reason" and so on line, because John couldnt have reached the higher notes and it sound much better when they alternate the vocals.
One of the coolest guitar songs the Beatles did. The best version is the 2nd stereo mix done for the U.S. album "Yesterday..& Today". It's lead guitar is more distorted in the beginning, making it sound rough! All other mixes are like ice cream.