The Beatles have released an unheard recording of Paul McCartney and John Lennon working on an early version of "Day Tripper," offering a rare glimpse into how the classic single came together.
Titled "Day Tripper (Songwriting Work Tape)," the recording was captured at Lennon's home in Weybridge, Surrey, where the pair had not yet landed on the song's now-famous riff, though the chords they play make clear how they got there. The most striking part of the tape is not the songwriting itself but the two old friends cracking up between takes of a rock classic still taking shape.
The demo will appear on an expanded special edition of Rubber Soul, due October 2, which features a newly mixed version of the album from producer Giles Martin and engineer Sam Okell alongside 24 early session recordings: 20 previously unreleased studio takes and three unreleased home demos, including a Lennon sketch called "Little Girl" that was unknown to exist until it was recently discovered by his estate. "Day Tripper" itself never appeared on the original Rubber Soul, having been released as a single alongside "We Can Work It Out" around the same time in 1965.
Giles Martin, son of the Beatles' original producer George Martin, has described the original 1965 album as one "born of the frustration of not wanting to be little kids anymore," adding that it marked the first time the band stopped trying to write a stack of potential singles and instead let the songs stand on their own. The reissue's early previews, including a work take of "Michelle" released alongside the announcement, have offered fans a rare window into that shift as it happened in real time.
The Rubber Soul reissue lands alongside a wave of Beatles archival activity this year, which has also included Revolver turning 60 and Sam Mendes' four-film Beatles project moving into Abbey Road Studios, continuing the catalog's steady stream of expanded reissues that pair newly mixed originals with session material long unheard outside Abbey Road's vaults.
The facts
- Unheard 'Day Tripper' work tape recorded at Lennon's Surrey home
- Rubber Soul special edition arrives October 2
- Reissue includes 24 early session recordings, 20 previously unreleased
- Also features a newly discovered Lennon demo, 'Little Girl'
- New mix comes from producer Giles Martin and engineer Sam Okell
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