John Lennon Said 1 of The Beatles’ Songs Was About a Part-Time Hippie
John Lennon said one of The Beatles’ songs was about a part-time hippie. Subsequently, Paul McCartney said it was about someone who wasn’t as committed to a certain lifestyle as The Beatles. The track became a hit in the United Kingdom twice.
John Lennon explained the central metaphor in 1 of The Beatles’ songs
The book All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono includes a 1980 interview. During the interview, John was asked about The Beatles’ “Day Tripper.” “That’s mine,” he said. “Including the lick, the guitar break, and the whole bit. It’s just a rock ‘n’ roll song.”
John explained the meaning of “Day Tripper.” “Day trippers are people who go on a day trip, right?” he said. “Usually on a ferryboat or something. But it was kind of — you know, you’re just a weekend hippie. Get it?”
Paul McCartney said the song might have been inspired by women John Lennon met
In the 1997 book Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now, Paul discussed “Day Tripper” too. “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,” he recalled. “Whereas we saw ourselves as full-time trippers, fully committed drivers, she was just a day tripper.”
John said he wrote the song himself but Paul remembered differently. “That was a co-written effort; we were both there making it all up but I would give John the main credit,” he said. “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.” Paul said some pretentious women John met may have inspired “Day Tripper.”
How The Beatles’ ‘Day Tripper’ performed on the pop charts in the United States and the United Kingdom
“Day Tripper” became a modest hit in the United States. It peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the chart for 10 weeks. Subsequently, it appeared on the album 1962-1966. The album hit No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and lasted 175 weeks on the chart.
“Day Tripper” and “We Can Work It Out” were released as a double A-side single in the United Kingdom. The Official Charts Company said the songs were No. 1 for five of their 12 weeks on the chart in the 1960s. In 1985, the songs recharted at No. 79 and spent three weeks on the chart. Meanwhile, 1962-1966 hit No. 3. It remained on the chart for 167 weeks.
The Beatles were full-time trippers, but they still made an anthem for hippie day-trippers.
