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[Hello Goodbye]

Day Tripper

Pressured by the need of a new single for the Christmas market, The Beatles entered EMI Studio Two at 2:30 PM on 16 October 1965 and recorded Day Tripper.  By 7:00 PM, three takes of the rhythm track were recorded and it was time for overdubs.  By 11:00 PM the song was complete and The Beatles spent the final hour of the session on George Harrison's If I Needed Someone.

Day Tripper Take 1, 2, 3 / The Beatles

Day Tripper / We Can Work It Out was released as a double A -side single in the UK on 3 December 1965 and on 6 December 1965 in the US...

Day Tripper / We Can Work it Out 7" - The Beatles first UK press

The engineers had a bit of a problem with a squeaky click that appeared on the master tape containing George’s overdubbed guitar riff and John’s tambourine.  A noise was heard immediately after.  The click occured just after the words “tried to please her” in the third verse.  The engineers cut that particular section out of the stereo mix leaving a drop-out in the finished product with both a guitar note and the tambourine missing for a moment.  This is repeated, though less noticeable, on the word “tried” at the beginning of the ninth measure of this same verse...

The Beatles We Can Work It Out/Day Tripper Single (Stereo Audio)

4:04


Got a good reason for taking the easy way out
Got a good reason for taking the easy way out now
She was a day tripper, a one way ticket yeah
It took me so long to find out, and I found out

She's a big teaser, she took me half the way there
She's a big teaser, she took me half the way there now
She was a day tripper, a one way ticket yeah
It took me so long to find out, and I found out

Tried to please her, she only played one night stands
Tried to please her, she only played one night stands now
She was a day tripper, a Sunday driver yeah
It took me so long to find out, and I found out


In Many Years From Now, Paul McCartney said that Day Tripper was about drugs, and "a tongue-in-cheek song about someone who was ... committed only in part to the idea."



John Lennon -  Lead and Harmony Vocals, Rhythm Guitar (1964 Rickenbacker 325), tambourine
Paul McCartney -  Lead and Harmony Vocals, Bass Guitar (1963 Hofner 500/1)
George Harrison – Lead Guitar (1961 Sonic Blue Fender Stratocaster), Harmony Vocals
Ringo Starr –  Drums (1965 Ludwig Super Classic Black Oyster Pearl), tambourine






 

[Hello Goodbye]

On 1 and 2 November 1965, The Beatles were at Granada TV Centre in Manchester to film the upcoming British television special “The Music Of Lennon And McCartney.”  The Beatles mimed both sides of their soon-to-be-released single which included Day Tripper...

The Beatles - Day Tripper [HQ]

Promo films for Day Tripper were filmed at Twickenham Film Studios on 23 November 1965...

The Beatles - Day Tripper

The Beatles - Day Tripper (Live at The Complete Twickenham Promos) 1965!

[Moogmodule]

This is a very professional piece of work by the lads. All the elements are great and come together really well.  But I've always found it a little cold. Almost like you can see them putting all the bits in place to create a hit single.  Day Tripper is very very good but I've always preferred its flip side which I consider a true Beatle great.

[Kaleidoscope_Eyes]

Day Tripper is very very good but I've always preferred its flip side which I consider a true Beatle great.

I agree. It's not my favourite and easily a skipple* I do remember that when we first heard the song my sister started to blush because the word "tripper" in Russian is quite rude..... 




*skipple = an easy song to skip

[Klang]

Still one of my top fave singles. Great energy throughout.

 

[Bobber]

From What Goes On, anomalies on Day Tripper:

Day Tripper

0:05-0:06
    Click, centre.

1:20
    Right channel only, someone shouts "Hey!" right before the solo starts.

1:40
    The note progression that starts at 1:21 in the left channel (guitar) seems to cut off very abruptly at 1:40, as if excess was edited away.

1:50, 1:56, 2:32
    There are three extremely noticeable dropouts near the end of the song. This is not on any earlier mixes of the same take, so it is quite likely that it happened during the mastering stage. Other mixes show a sound at 1:50 that was likely the reason for the dropout, and John's misplaced "yeah" at 2:32, but one has to wonder if the cure wasn't worse than the illness.

This is particularly true in the 2:32 case, since one can still hear the "yeah" as we plunge into the dropout. The dropout at 1:50 punches the sixth note of the riff out, 1:56 punches the first note of the riff out.

2:06
   1st voice: "She was a daaay tripper, Sun-day driver yeh"
   2nd voice: "She was a daaay tripper, One-day driver yeh"
   John is still thinking "one-way ticket yeh" and half-sings it!

2:40
    Paul's bass line gets stuck, gets stuck, gets stuck, gets back into it.

[blmeanie]

I agree. It's not my favourite and easily a skipple*

*skipple = an easy song to skip

I like the term, will now add it to my vernacular, however, I do not classify this song as a skipple.  Love the simplicity and power of it.

[Mr Mustard]

Superb by virtually anyone else's standards, but - dare I say it - mediocre for them. Beyond the catchy riff around which everything else revolves, I've never been a fan of this one and always prefer its double A side partner. Moog summed it up very well for me in post # 3 on this thread: made to order, it's very much a clinical, painting-by-numbers Beatles hit I've always thought. What's more it's lyrically and stylistically laced with a sort of remote, cliquey smugness - almost scorn - which detracts from the broad charm and warm inclusive appeal hitherto guaranteed on a Beatles single.

Recorded almost straight after "Drive My Car" there are obvious similarities and I've always mentally linked the two - "Day Tripper" is really just a supercharged, radio-friendly retread of its slightly less pugnacious predecessor (I don't like "Drive My Car" much either by the way).

However, its performance at Granada Television did yield one of my favourite photos (and currently my screensaver) 

[stevie]

For years I sort of it ired this song! Then a couple of years back I listened to it on the iPod headphones and it rocked! Played it all,the time for months.

Now I've gone off it again lol and it's a skipple!   But it in as been amazing since the newer tech came in to to re listen to Beatle sings and hear different things that were never apparent on the old records.

[Hello Goodbye]

Granada...

[Bobber]

I've always liked Day Tripper, although its flipside wins it for me. Still, I was enormously proud when I learned how to play the Day Tripper-lick on the guitar.

[tkitna]

I love 'Day Tripper'.  A real rocker for the boys.  I like it a lot better then 'We Can Work It Out'.  Throughout time, I've always kind of lumped 'Day Tripper' and 'Paperback Writer' together (prefer Paperback Writer) as their great early rockers.  One could d a lot worse then 'Day Tripper' for sure.

[Bobber]

Funny. The lick from Day Tripper resembles the earlier I Feel Fine for me. I admit it's a nice threesome: I Feel Fine -Day Tripper - Paperback Writer. Similar style to my ears.

[oldbrownshoe]

In the Beatles Monthly Poll of 1983, 'Day Tripper' and 'We Can Work It Out' were, rather aptly, at 34 (348 votes) and 35 (339 votes) respectively. 

I've always preferred Paul's song but the most amazing thing about this single is that, on the VERY SAME DAY of the release of the all-new, 14-track 'Rubber Soul', the pop market of 1965 should demand an all-new, stand-alone 45 from the group!!!!! And that's before even considering their touring commitments AND the '65 Xmas flexi-single.

That's 17 new tracks released in one calendar month.
A truly amazing accomplishment, both in quality and quantity.

And, wait for it, in the new year not one song was plundered from 'Rubber Soul' for a 45, the next Beatles' 45 being again an all-new one,  'Paperback Writer'/'Rain'.
Now That's What I Call A Golden Age.

[Hello Goodbye]

Funny. The lick from Day Tripper resembles the earlier I Feel Fine for me. I admit it's a nice threesome: I Feel Fine -Day Tripper - Paperback Writer. Similar style to my ears.

Riffs!

Ray Charles- What'd I Say

Ray Charles   1959

Watch Your Step - Bobby Parker (1961)

Bobby Parker   1961

I Feel Fine - The Beatles

The Beatles   1964

[Hello Goodbye]

This is from a 2004 PBS program called John Lennon's Jukebox...

Bobby Parker - Watch Your Step

#39   Watch Your Step   Bobby Parker

[Moogmodule]

Can certainly here where the I Feel Fine riff came from.

Whatd I Say though sounds more like a standard blues progression. I kept wanting to break into Boys at certain points listening to it.

[Hello Goodbye]

I've always preferred Paul's song but the most amazing thing about this single is that, on the VERY SAME DAY of the release of the all-new, 14-track 'Rubber Soul', the pop market of 1965 should demand an all-new, stand-alone 45 from the group!!!!! And that's before even considering their touring commitments AND the '65 Xmas flexi-single.

That's 17 new tracks released in one calendar month.
A truly amazing accomplishment, both in quality and quantity.

And, wait for it, in the new year not one song was plundered from 'Rubber Soul' for a 45, the next Beatles' 45 being again an all-new one,  'Paperback Writer'/'Rain'.
Now That's What I Call A Golden Age.

A truly remarkable feat by four truly remarkable individuals.

[Brynjar]

In the Beatles Monthly Poll of 1983, 'Day Tripper' and 'We Can Work It Out' were, rather aptly, at 34 (348 votes) and 35 (339 votes) respectively. 

I've always preferred Paul's song but the most amazing thing about this single is that, on the VERY SAME DAY of the release of the all-new, 14-track 'Rubber Soul', the pop market of 1965 should demand an all-new, stand-alone 45 from the group!!!!! And that's before even considering their touring commitments AND the '65 Xmas flexi-single.

That's 17 new tracks released in one calendar month.
A truly amazing accomplishment, both in quality and quantity.

And, wait for it, in the new year not one song was plundered from 'Rubber Soul' for a 45, the next Beatles' 45 being again an all-new one,  'Paperback Writer'/'Rain'.
Now That's What I Call A Golden Age.

Got to admit but I´ve never really  listened to those christmas records:

The Beatles - Christmas Record 1965

[Moogmodule]

In the Beatles Monthly Poll of 1983, 'Day Tripper' and 'We Can Work It Out' were, rather aptly, at 34 (348 votes) and 35 (339 votes) respectively. 

I've always preferred Paul's song but the most amazing thing about this single is that, on the VERY SAME DAY of the release of the all-new, 14-track 'Rubber Soul', the pop market of 1965 should demand an all-new, stand-alone 45 from the group!!!!! And that's before even considering their touring commitments AND the '65 Xmas flexi-single.

That's 17 new tracks released in one calendar month.
A truly amazing accomplishment, both in quality and quantity.

And, wait for it, in the new year not one song was plundered from 'Rubber Soul' for a 45, the next Beatles' 45 being again an all-new one,  'Paperback Writer'/'Rain'.
Now That's What I Call A Golden Age.

It's hard to argue against the proposition that those couple of years 65 and 66 were extremely impressive by the Beatles in quantity and quality of output. As good as their stuff was from 67 onwards I don't think they ever were as consistently on their game as they were in this period.