5 Facts About ‘Day Tripper’ By The Beatles

Another Classic

‘Day Tripper’ only peaked at #5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 but it was a huge hit in the UK and other countries. It was recorded during the Rubber Soul sessions and became a staple in their live repertoire until The Beatles retired from touring in 1966.

5. ‘Day Tripper’/‘We Can Work It Out’ was released on the same day as their sixth studio album, Rubber Soul. Because it was the first double A-side, it helped popularized the format.

4. Although both John Lennon and Paul McCartney worked on this track, it was still mainly Lennon’s song. Lennon revealed, “That’s mine. Including the lick, the guitar break and the whole bit. It’s just a rock ‘n’ roll song. Day trippers are people who go on a day trip, right? Usually on a ferryboat or something. But it was kind of – you know, you’re just a weekend hippie. Get it?”

3. The Beatles’ short promotional film for the song became one of the first music videos. They actually filmed three different versions.

2. Jimi Hendrix used to cover this at his concerts.

1. John Lennon never tried to hide the fact that it’s about LSD. He said, “‘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.”