Background & Inspiration
"Day Tripper" was written early in the Rubber Soul sessions when the Beatles were under pressure to produce a new single for the Christmas market. John Lennon wrote the music and most of the lyrics, while Paul McCartney contributed some of the lyrics. Lennon based the song's guitar riff on that from Bobby Parker's "Watch Your Step", which had also been his model for "I Feel Fine" in 1964. In a 1980 interview, Lennon said of "Day Tripper": "That's mine. Including the lick, the guitar break and the whole bit." In the 1997 book Many Years from Now, McCartney claims that it was a collaboration but Lennon deserved "the main credit".
Lennon described "Day Tripper" as a "drug song" in 1970, and in a 2004 interview McCartney said it was "about acid" (LSD). The song title is a play on words referring to both a tourist on a day-trip and a "trip" in the sense of a psychedelic experience.
During the sessions for Rubber Soul, a rift was growing between McCartney and his bandmates as he continued to abstain from taking LSD. After Lennon and George Harrison had first taken the drug in London early in 1965,[14][16] Ringo Starr had joined them for their second experience, which took place in Los Angeles when the Beatles stopped there during their August 1965 US tour. Given McCartney's continued abstinence, author Ian MacDonald says that the song's lyrics may well have been partly directed at him, as does music journalist Keith Cameron.
Recording
The Beatles recorded the song at their first session after completing "Drive My Car". The session took place at EMI Studios (now Abbey Road Studios) in London on 16 October 1965. Unusually for the time, the group allowed visitors into the studio, as Lennon's wife Cynthia and his half-sisters Julia Baird and Jacqui Dykins attended part of the session. The band rehearsed the song for much of the afternoon before taping the basic track. The line-up was Lennon and Harrison on rhythm and lead guitar, respectively, McCartney on bass and Starr on drums.
Take 3 was selected for overdubs, having been the only take in which the performance did not break down. On the studio tapes from the session, Starr can be heard encouraging his bandmates to "really rock it this time" before take 1. Lennon and McCartney overdubbed lead vocals, with McCartney the more prominent singer in the verses' first and third lines, and Harrison added a harmony vocal over the choruses and the instrumental bridge. Starr overdubbed the tambourine.
A-side Status & Promo Films
"Day Tripper" had been conceived as the A-side of the Beatles' next single but the band came to favour "We Can Work It Out", which was predominantly written by McCartney and recorded later in the Rubber Soul sessions. Lennon continued to argue for "Day Tripper". To promote the upcoming release, the Beatles filmed mimed performances of the two songs on 1–2 November for inclusion in the Granada TV special The Music of Lennon & McCartney. At the start of "Day Tripper", the band were accompanied by a group of go-go dancers.
On 15 November, EMI announced that the A-side would be "We Can Work It Out", only for Lennon to publicly contradict this two days later. As a compromise, the single was marketed as a double A-side. Lennon's championing of "Day Tripper" was based on his belief that the Beatles' rock sound should be favoured over the softer style of "We Can Work It Out".
As with the other clips, the promos for "Day Tripper" showed the Beatles making minimal effort to appear as though they were performing the song. In the first clip, the band members are dressed in black and perform on a stage in front of shiny pillars. Following the song's bridge, Starr marches rather than plays, seated at his drum kit.
For the second promo, they wore their military-style jackets from their August 1965 concert at New York's Shea Stadium. Surrounded by travel-themed props, they perform in front of a backdrop of tinsel and a New Year's greeting in French. Lennon and McCartney stand behind an aeroplane, while Harrison and Starr play through the windows of a railway carriage. With no drum kit visible, Starr discards his drumsticks in favour of a saw and begins sawing through the carriage. In music critic Richie Unterberger's view, Starr's antics lend the performance "a dash of surrealism (by 1965 pop group standards at any rate)".
Day Tripper
Beatles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For taking the easy way out
Got a good reason
For taking the easy way out now
She was a day tripper
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
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
Sunday driver, yeah
It took me so long to find out
And I found out
Day tripper, day tripper, yeah
Day tripper, day tripper, yeah
Day tripper, day tripper, yeah
"Day Tripper" is a song written by the Beatles and released as a single in 1965. The lyrics describe a woman who is a "day tripper," meaning that she is someone who is noncommittal and only interested in casual flings. The singer, a man, is initially attracted to her but eventually realizes that she is not interested in anything serious. He goes on to describe her as a "big teaser" who only wants to play one-night stands. The repetition of the phrase "day tripper" throughout the song reinforces the idea that this woman is not looking for a long-term relationship, but instead is just passing through.
The song is musically and lyrically complex. The opening riff is immediately recognizable and has been described as a descending arpeggio pattern, with George Harrison playing the lead guitar. The song features a call-and-response structure in the chorus, with Lennon and McCartney alternating vocals. The chorus and verses are comprised of three bars each, making the song difficult to count and giving it an unpredictable feel.
Overall, "Day Tripper" is a clever and catchy song that captures the theme of casual relationships and the loneliness that can come from them. The singer's tone is both playful and wistful, suggesting that he is attracted to the day tripper but ultimately knows that she is not right for him.
Line by Line Meaning
Got a good reason
The singer has a justifiable cause for his actions and decisions
For taking the easy way out
He chose the simplest and least complicated route
Got a good reason
The singer reiterates that he has an adequate justification
For taking the easy way out now
He again emphasizes that he chose the effortless and undemanding approach
She was a day tripper
The subject of the song is a person who enjoys taking short trips and outings
One way ticket, yeah
She only intends to move in one direction and is not looking to stay long in any one place
It took me so long to find out
The singer only recently discovered the truth after a prolonged time of confusion and ignorance
And I found out
He finally learned the lesson he needed to, even if it took him some time
She's a big teaser
The subject enjoys provoking people and keeping them guessing
She took me half the way there
She helped the singer get part of the way to where he wanted to go or what he wanted to do
She was a day tripper
The subject of the song is still someone who enjoys brief excursions
It took me so long to find out
The singer was again slow to realize what was happening or what the subject was really like
And I found out
The singer has apparently come to an understanding of the situation
Tried to please her
The singer attempted to make the subject happy or content
She only played one night stand
The subject was only interested in a brief encounter, not a lasting relationship
She was a day tripper
Once again, the focus is on the subject's frequent short outings
Sunday driver, yeah
The subject is a slow and leisurely traveler, perhaps uninterested in getting anywhere quickly
It took me so long to find out
Yet again, the singer was slow to grasp the true nature of the subject
And I found out
But now he has finally figured things out
Day tripper, day tripper, yeah
This line is a repetition of the chorus, which emphasizes the subject's love of short outings
Day tripper, day tripper, yeah
Another repetition of the chorus
Day tripper, day tripper, yeah
Third and final repetition of the chorus
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHN LENNON, JOHN WINSTON LENNON, PAUL MCCARTNEY, PAUL JAMES MCCARTNEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind