The Beatles released “Day Tripper” in the UK on December 3, 1965, sharing a Parlophone seven-inch single with “We Can Work It Out.” It was the band’s first double A-side, and it arrived alongside Rubber Soul without either song appearing on the album. Buying the LP didn’t get you the new single’s two tracks.
John Lennon and Paul McCartney developed “Day Tripper” together at Lennon’s home in Weybridge, Surrey. In the 1997 biography Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now, McCartney gave Lennon the main credit while remembering a collaborative process: “we were both there making it all up.” A home work tape captures the pair working on the song before its familiar guitar riff had been written. The title carried a double meaning, too. In his 1980 interviews with David Sheff, Lennon described the subject as a “weekend hippie,” someone only partly committed to the experience. McCartney also connected the song to drug culture in Many Years from Now. A familiar expression for a short outing could suggest another kind of trip without spelling it out.
The band recorded “Day Tripper” on October 16, 1965, at EMI Studios in London, with George Martin producing. After rehearsing, they attempted the backing track three times; only take three was complete. Bass and drums occupied one track of the four-track tape, while Lennon and George Harrison’s electric guitars occupied another. Those parts were played together in the room. During the evening session, Lennon and McCartney added vocals, Harrison contributed backing vocals, and Ringo Starr added tambourine alongside further guitar overdubs. Once “Day Tripper” was finished, the band began the backing track for Harrison’s “If I Needed Someone.”
The finished arrangement kept returning to the guitar riff. Its instrumental middle added a rising guitar line and wordless harmonies, building intensity before the final verse. There was plenty happening inside a record that ran less than three minutes, but finishing it didn’t settle which song would lead the single. “Day Tripper” had been intended as the A-side; “We Can Work It Out,” recorded four days later, became the favored choice. Lennon continued to argue for “Day Tripper.” Giving both recordings A-side status resolved the disagreement and kept both songs at the center of the release’s promotion.
Television gave the recordings another route to listeners. On November 23, 1965, The Beatles filmed three promotional clips for “Day Tripper” at Twickenham Film Studios and three for “We Can Work It Out.” The shoot also covered earlier singles, including “I Feel Fine,” “Ticket to Ride” and “Help!” The films supplied broadcasters with material to accompany the records without requiring the band to appear at each television studio.
The pairing entered the UK singles chart at No. 2 and moved to No. 1 the following week, remaining there for five weeks. Official Charts identifies it as the Christmas No. 1 of 1965, completing the band’s run of three consecutive Christmas chart-toppers. The songs had separate fortunes on the US Billboard Hot 100: “We Can Work It Out” reached No. 1, while “Day Tripper” peaked at No. 5 in January 1966.
In 1988, “Day Tripper” and “We Can Work It Out” became the opening tracks on Past Masters Volume Two, the CD compilation gathering the band’s later non-album recordings.
