TheBeatlesOnline

Day Tripper

Recorded October 16 1965.

Available on:
Past Masters Volume Two
The Beatles 1962-1966 (Red Album)
The Beatles 1
A Collection of Beatles Oldies

John and Paul later admitted that Day Tripper was a "forced" composition, written under pressure because the Beatles had to come up with a Christmas single.

Lennon wrote the guitar riff, apparently inspired by Bobby Parker's 'Watch Your Step'. Lennon also plays the guitar solo on the song.

George and John had allegedly been introduced to the drug LSD in the summer of 1965, and both admitted in later interviews that they started taking the drug on a regular basis after that. Lennon later hinted that the phrase Day Tripper refers to "weekend hippies," people who only took drugs only at weekends.

The line "she's a big teaser" was originally going to be "she's a prick teaser", a reference to women who encouraged sexual arousal but with no intention of having sex ("she only took me half the way there.")

Lennon's half sister Julia Baird was present in the studio during the recording of Day Tripper. She later said she was amazed that the end result was so good when all they had to begin with was lots of loose bits.

Day Tripper was released in the US on 6 December 1965 as a double A-sided single together with We Can Work It Out. It peaked at number 5 (We Can Work It Out went to number 1). In the UK, the single was released on 3 December 1965, and topped the charts for five weeks.

Day Tripper

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
One way ticket, yeah
It took me so long to find out
and I found out
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah

Tried to please her
She only played one night stand
Tried to please her
She only played one night stand, now
She was a day tripper
One way ticket, yeah
It took me so long to find out
and I found out

Day tripper, day tripper, yeah