Editing Paperback Writer

{{Short description|1966 song by the Beatles}}
{{About|the Beatles song|the profession|Novelist}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Infobox song
| name        = Paperback Writer
| cover       = Paperrain.jpg
| alt         =
| caption     = US picture sleeve
| type        = single
| artist      = [[the Beatles]]
| B-side      = [[Rain (Beatles song)|Rain]]
| released    = {{Start date|1966|05|30|df=y}}
| recorded    = 13–14 April 1966
| studio      = [[Abbey Road Studios|EMI]], London
| genre       = *[[Hard rock]]{{sfn|Miller|2010|page=39}}
*[[power pop]]{{sfn|Borack|2007|p=175}}
*[[psychedelic rock]]{{sfn|DeRogatis|2003|page=48}}
| length      = *2:16 (stereo)
*{{Duration|2:23}} (mono)
| label       = *[[Capitol Records|Capitol]] (US)
*[[Parlophone]] (UK)
| writer      = [[Lennon–McCartney]]
| producer    = [[George Martin]]
| chronology  = [[The Beatles]] UK
| prev_title  = [[We Can Work It Out]]
| prev_title2 = [[Day Tripper]]
| prev_year   = 1965
| next_title  = [[Yellow Submarine (song)|Yellow Submarine]]
| next_title2 = [[Eleanor Rigby]]
| next_year   = 1966
| misc        = {{Extra chronology
 | artist     = [[The Beatles]] US
 | type       = single
 | prev_title = [[Nowhere Man (song)|Nowhere Man]]
 | prev_year  = 1966
 | title      = Paperback Writer
 | year       = 1966
 | next_title = [[Yellow Submarine (song)|Yellow Submarine]]
 | next_title2 = [[Eleanor Rigby]]
 | next_year  = 1966
 }}{{External music video|header=Promotional film|{{YouTube|yYvkICbTZIQ|"Paperback Writer"}}}}
}}

"'''Paperback Writer'''" is a song by the English [[Rock music|rock]] band [[the Beatles]]. Written primarily by [[Paul McCartney]] and credited to the [[Lennon–McCartney]] partnership, the song was released as the A-side of their eleventh single in May 1966. It topped singles charts in the United Kingdom, the United States, Ireland, West Germany, Australia, New Zealand and Norway. On the US [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]], the song was at number one for two non-consecutive weeks, being interrupted by [[Frank Sinatra]]'s "[[Strangers in the Night]]".

"Paperback Writer" was the last new song by the Beatles to be featured on [[The Beatles' 1966 US tour|their final tour in 1966]], and debuted globally on the 1966 compilation album ''[[A Collection of Beatles Oldies]]'', except in the United States and Canada, where it debuted on the 1970 collection ''[[Hey Jude (Beatles album)|Hey Jude]]''.

==Background and inspiration==
"Paperback Writer" was largely written by [[Paul McCartney]], who based the lyrics on a challenge made to him by his Aunt Lil. McCartney said in 1966: "Years ago, my Auntie Lil said to me, 'Why do you always write songs about love all the time? Can't you ever write about a horse or the summit conference or something interesting?' So, I thought, 'All right, Auntie Lil.'"{{sfn|Schaffner|1978|p=60}} According to [[Radio Luxembourg]] DJ [[Jimmy Savile]]'s recollection, the inspiration for the song came backstage at a concert venue when McCartney, mindful of his aunt's request, saw [[Ringo Starr]] reading a book and declared his intention to write a song about a book.{{sfn|Turner|2005|p=101}}

The lyrics are in the form of a letter from an aspiring author addressed to a publisher.<ref name="Fontenot/About">{{cite web
| last=Fontenot| first=Robert| year=2008| title=The Beatles Songs: 'Paperback Writer' – The history of this classic Beatles song| work=About.com| url=https://www.thoughtco.com/top-beatles-songs-4058717|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150104225223/http://oldies.about.com/od/thebeatlessongs/a/paperbackwriter.htm|archive-date=4 January 2015|access-date=10 October 2021}}</ref>{{refn|group=nb|According to the Beatles' friend and aide Tony Bramwell, McCartney based much of the lyric on a letter he had received from a would-be novelist.{{sfn|Turner|2005|p=101}}}} McCartney completed the song with [[John Lennon]] in response to pressure from [[EMI]] for a new [[The Beatles|Beatles]] single in April 1966, early on in the sessions for the band's ''[[Revolver (Beatles album)|Revolver]]'' album.{{sfn|Turner|2016|pp=150–51}} Intrigued by the rhythmic possibilities of the phrase "paperback writer", McCartney came up with the framework for the song during his hour-long drive from London to Lennon's house in Surrey.{{sfn|Turner|2016|p=151}}

Discussing "Paperback Writer" with Alan Smith of the ''[[NME]]'' that year, McCartney recalled that he and Lennon wrote the lyrics in the form of a letter beginning with "Dear Sir or Madam", but that the song was not inspired by "any real-life characters".<ref>{{cite web|first=Alan |last=Smith |title=Paul Speaks Out! |work=[[New Musical Express]] |date=16 June 1966 |access-date=9 January 2016 |url=http://www.beatlesinterviews.org/db1966.0616.beatles.html |via=Beatlesinterviews.com}}</ref> However, according to a 2007 piece in ''[[The New Yorker]]'', McCartney said he started writing the song in 1965 after reading in the ''[[Daily Mail]]'' about an aspiring author, "possibly [[Martin Amis]]" (who would have been a teenager at the time).<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Colapinto|first=John| author-link=John Colapinto|title=When I'm Sixty-Four|url=https://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/06/04/070604fa_fact_colapinto|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|date=4 June 2007|access-date=24 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012113833/http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/06/04/070604fa_fact_colapinto|archive-date=12 October 2012}}</ref> The ''Daily Mail'' was Lennon's regular newspaper and copies were in Lennon's Weybridge home when Lennon and McCartney were writing songs.{{sfn|Turner|2005|p=101}}

Aside from deviating from the subject of love, McCartney had it in mind to write a song with a melody backed by a single, static chord. "John and I would like to do songs with just one note like '[[Long Tall Sally]].' We got near it in '[[The Word (song)|The Word]].{{'"}}{{sfn|Aldridge|1990|p=24}} McCartney claimed to have barely failed to achieve this goal with "Paperback Writer", as the verse remains on G until the end, at which point it pauses on C.<ref>{{cite web|last=Pollack|first=Alan W.|title=Notes on 'Paperback Writer' and 'Rain'|url=https://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/pw_and_r.shtml|date=22 December 1993|website=Soundscapes|accessdate=10 October 2021
}}</ref>

Lennon told ''[[Hit Parader]]'' in 1972 that "Paperback Writer" was primarily written by McCartney: "I think I might have helped with some of the lyrics. Yes, I did. But it was mainly Paul's tune." Speaking in 1980, Lennon described "Paperback Writer" as "son of '[[Day Tripper]]' – meaning a rock'n'roll song with a guitar lick on a fuzzy, loud guitar – but it is Paul's song".{{sfn|The Beatles|2000|p=212}}

==Recording==
The Beatles recorded "Paperback Writer" at EMI Studios in London on 13 and 14 April 1966.{{sfn|Lewisohn|2005|pp=73–74}}{{sfn|Miles|2001|p=229}} The 14 April session was attended by a photographer from ''[[The Beatles Book|Beatles Monthly]]'',{{sfn|Miles|2001|p=229}} while EMI engineer [[Phil McDonald]]'s handwritten notes similarly documented the band's experimentation with overdubs on the basic track.{{sfn|Lewisohn|2005|p=74}}{{sfn|Winn|2009|p=10}} In the search for a suitable arrangement, [[George Harrison]] briefly switched to bass guitar, and producer [[George Martin]] contributed on [[tack piano]], sent through a [[Leslie speaker]], and on [[Vox Continental]] organ, none of which were retained in the completed track.{{sfn|Rodriguez|2012|pp=116, 150–51}}

"Paperback Writer" is marked by the boosted bass guitar sound,{{sfn|Turner|2005|p=101}} which was partly in response to Lennon demanding to know why the bass on a certain [[Wilson Pickett]] record exceeded that on any Beatles records.{{sfn|Lewisohn|2005|p=74}} [[Geoff Emerick]], who had been promoted to the role of the Beatles' [[Audio engineer|recording engineer]] for ''Revolver'', later said: "'Paperback Writer' was the first time the bass sound had been heard in all its excitement. Paul played a different bass, a [[Rickenbacker 4001|Rickenbacker]]. Then we boosted it further by using a [[loudspeaker]] as a [[microphone]]. We positioned it directly in front of the bass speaker and the moving diaphragm of the second speaker made the electric current."{{sfn|Lewisohn|2005|p=74}} McCartney's playing was also more melodic and busy than on previous tracks.{{sfn|Hertsgaard|1996|p=180}}

According to McCartney, the harmony vocals on the track were arranged during the recording session.{{sfn|Womack|2014|p=708}} Martin later commented: "The way the song itself is shaped and the slow, [[contrapuntal]] statements from the backing voices – no one had really done that before."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-beatles-songs-20110919/paperback-writer-19691231 |title=100 Greatest Beatles Songs: 35. 'Paperback Writer'|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|access-date=11 June 2016}}</ref> In their backing vocals over the third verse, Lennon and Harrison sing the title of the French nursery rhyme "[[Frère Jacques]]".{{sfn|MacDonald|2005|p=196}}

Emerick stated that the "Paperback Writer" / "[[Rain (Beatles song)|Rain]]" single was cut louder than any other Beatles record up to that time, due to a new piece of equipment used in the mastering process, referred to as "Automatic Transient Overload Control", which was devised by the EMI maintenance department.{{sfn|Emerick|2006|p=117}}

==Promotion==
In Britain, the single was promoted with a photograph depicting the Beatles draped with pieces of raw meat and decapitated baby dolls. This photograph was later used, albeit briefly, as the ''[[Yesterday and Today]]'' album cover in the US, and in that capacity it became known as the "butcher cover".{{sfn|Miles|2001|p=228}}{{sfn|Rodriguez|2012|p=22}} For the American release of the single, the picture sleeve showed the Beatles playing live, but with Lennon and Harrison's images reflected so that it appeared they were playing left-handed.

[[Michael Lindsay-Hogg]] directed four promotional films for the song shot on 19 and 20 May 1966.{{sfn|Miles|2001|p=231}} On the first day they recorded a colour performance at EMI Studios, for ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]'', which was shown on 5 June,{{sfn|Rodriguez|2012|pp=160, 163}} and two black-and-white performance clips for British television.{{sfn|Winn|2009|p=20}} The latter aired on ''[[Ready Steady Go!]]'' and ''[[Thank Your Lucky Stars (TV series)|Thank Your Lucky Stars]]'' on 3 and 25 June, respectively.{{sfn|Winn|2009|p=19}} The Beatles also filmed a personal introduction to [[Ed Sullivan]] with their faces hidden behind colour transparencies of the butcher cover.{{sfn|Rodriguez|2012|pp=163–64}}{{refn|group=nb|Starr then explained their absence,{{sfn|Winn|2009|p=20}} saying that they were too "busy ... with the washing and the cooking" to appear on the show in person.{{sfn|Rodriguez|2012|pp=163–64}}}}

On 20 May, a second colour film was made at [[Chiswick House]] in west London.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://thebeatles.com/#/images/19_05_1966_1 |title=Shooting the 'Paperback Writer' promotional video |website=thebeatles.com |access-date=6 May 2021}}</ref>{{sfn|Turner|2005|p=100}} The Beatles mimed to the song, and they were shown in a statue garden and inside the conservatory{{sfn|Winn|2009|p=21}} in the grounds of the house.{{sfn|Rodriguez|2012|pp=162–63}}{{refn|group=nb|Harrison described the Chiswick House promos for "Paperback Writer" and "Rain" as "the forerunner of [music] videos", adding, "I suppose in a way we invented [[MTV]]."{{sfn|The Beatles|2000|p=214}}}} The clip was first broadcast in black and white on [[BBC Television|BBC-TV]]'s ''[[Top of the Pops]]'' on 2 June.{{sfn|Rodriguez|2012|pp=163, 164}} The 20 May promo clip was included in the Beatles' 2015 video compilation ''[[1 (Beatles album)|1]]'', and both the 19 May colour film and the 20 May film were included in the three-disc versions of the compilation, titled ''1+''.<ref>{{cite web|first= Matt |last= Rowe |title= The Beatles 1 to Be Reissued with New Audio Remixes ... and Videos |work= [[The Morton Report]] |date= 18 September 2015 |access-date= 9 January 2016 |url= https://www.themortonreport.com/entertainment/music/the-beatles-1-to-be-reissued-with-new-audio-remixesand-videos}}</ref>

The Beatles appeared on ''Top of the Pops'' to mime to "Paperback Writer" and "Rain" on 16 June.{{sfn|Turner|2016|pp=211, 213}}{{sfn|Everett|1999|p=68}} This television appearance – which was the Beatles' only "in person" appearance on the BBC's flagship pop music show of the era{{sfn|Turner|2016|p=213}} – was subsequently lost due to the BBC's habit of [[Lost television broadcast#Wiping|wiping]] expensive video tape for reuse,{{sfn|Rodriguez|2012|p=164}} leading to efforts by the corporation to find an original copy.{{sfn|Winn|2009|p=21}} In 2019, a collector unearthed 11 seconds of the performance;<ref>{{cite web |title=Clip of 'lost' Beatles Top of the Pops performance unearthed |date=8 April 2019 |publisher=[[BBC News]]|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-47854806}}</ref> a longer 92 seconds' worth was found later in the year.<ref>{{cite web|title=Footage of Beatles' only Top of the Pops live show found |date=29 May 2019 |publisher=[[BBC News]]|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-birmingham-48450810/footage-of-beatles-only-top-of-the-pops-live-show-found}}</ref>

==Release and reception==
"Paperback Writer" was issued as a single in the US by [[Capitol Records]] on 30 May 1966, with the catalogue number 5651 and "Rain" as the B-side.{{sfn|Castleman|Podrazik|1976|pp=53–54}} The UK release, on EMI's [[Parlophone]] label, took place on 10 June, with the catalogue number R 5452.{{sfn|Lewisohn|2005|pp=83, 200–01}} It was the Beatles' first UK single since the "Day Tripper" / "[[We Can Work It Out]]" double A-side in December 1965.{{sfn|Turner|2016|p=150}} Other than their brief performance at the annual ''NME'' Pollwinners Concert on 1 May, promotion for the new record was also the first sign of public activity by the band since the start of the year.{{sfn|Savage|2015|pp=316, 321}}

Reviewing the single for the ''NME'', Derek Johnson said that "Paperback Writer" "swings along at a thundering pace", with McCartney's lead vocal "aided by some startling chanting". He admired Starr's "cymbal bashing" and concluded, "those sudden breaks in tempo help to increase the impact."<ref>{{cite book|editor=Sutherland, Steve|title=[[NME|NME Originals]]: Lennon|year=2003|publisher=IPC Ignite!|location=London|page=36}}</ref> In ''[[Disc and Music Echo]]'', [[Penny Valentine]] said the song had a "marvellous dance beat" and was "very striking" due to its "break-up drumming and ethereal surf chorus".{{sfn|Savage|2015|p=318}} ''[[Record World]]''{{'}}s reviewer wrote that with a new Beatles single, "the rush is on", and commented on the band's use of "interesting electronic effects to good effect",<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Single Picks of the Week|magazine=[[Record World]]|date=4 June 1966|page=1}}</ref> while ''[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]]'' predicted that the group would easily continue their run of "blockbuster" singles and described the A-side as "a rhythmic, pulsating ode with an infectious repeating riff all about the creative urge".<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Record Reviews|magazine=[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]]|date=4 June 1966|page=8}}</ref> A later review in 2016 by ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' lauded the song's innovation in paving the way to ''[[Revolver (Beatles album)|Revolver]]'', opining that "from the get-go, there is something otherworldly about Paperback Writer."<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Fleming |first=Colin |date=2016-05-30 |title=How Beatles' Game-Changing 'Paperback Writer' Paved Way for 'Revolver' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/how-beatles-game-changing-paperback-writer-paved-the-way-for-revolver-182879/ |access-date=2024-08-01 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref>

The more widely held view was one of disappointment, according to author [[Peter Doggett]], and dismissal as "a brash, insubstantial throwaway".{{sfn|Miles|2001|p=233}} Writing in ''[[The Beatles: An Illustrated Record]]'', ''NME'' critics [[Roy Carr]] and [[Tony Tyler]] described "Paperback Writer" as "the first Beatles single to receive less-than-universal acclaim", saying that it was "perhaps a trifle too 'clever'" and criticism was focused on "the triviality of the lyric and a slight nagging suspicion that the Beatles were playing at 'being songwriters' at a time when the world was waiting for The Word".{{sfn|Carr|Tyler|1978|p=52}} The band's apparent aloofness also alienated many of their fans, who wrote into ''[[Record Mirror]]'' to disparage the group's new music.{{sfn|Savage|2015|pp=317–18}}{{refn|group=nb|Patrick Doncaster, the ''[[Daily Mirror]]''{{'}}s show business reporter, commented that neither side of the single "had any romance about them. Gone, gone, gone are the days of luv, luv, luv." He quoted McCartney as saying: "It's not our best single by any means, but we're very satisfied with it. We are experimenting all the time with our songs ... Our new LP is going to shock a lot of people."{{sfn|Turner|2016|p=213}}}} The UK music press were similarly offended by the ads for the single,{{sfn|Miles|2001|p=232}} which included a second "butcher" photo appearing in full colour on the cover of ''Disc and Music Echo'', accompanied by the caption "Beatles: What a Carve-Up!"{{sfn|Rodriguez|2012|pp=22–23, 155}}{{sfn|Turner|2016|p=201}} In author [[Nicholas Schaffner]]'s description, this image led "one crusty columnist to rail against the importation of American 'sick humor' into the United Kingdom".{{sfn|Schaffner|1978|p=55}}

Such was the Beatles' status, they were scrutinised in the press when, like "Day Tripper" / "We Can Work It Out", the single failed to top all of the UK's sales charts straightaway.{{sfn|Turner|2016|pp=27–28, 213}}{{sfn|Rodriguez|2012|p=164}} On the ''[[Record Retailer]]'' chart (subsequently adopted as the [[UK Singles Chart]]), "Paperback Writer" entered at number 2, behind [[Frank Sinatra]]'s "[[Strangers in the Night]]", before taking the top position the following week.{{sfn|Turner|2016|p=213}} On the national chart compiled by ''[[Melody Maker]]'', the song debuted at number 1,{{sfn|Castleman|Podrazik|1976|pp=337–38}} remaining there for a total of four weeks.{{sfn|Everett|1999|pp=xiii, 68}} Amid a climate of failing domestic economy, despite the country's strong exports through music,{{sfn|Philo|2015|p=102}} the record's UK sales were the lowest for any Beatles single since "[[Love Me Do]]" in 1962.{{sfn|Lewisohn|2005|p=83}}

In the US, "Paperback Writer" topped the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] for two non-consecutive weeks.{{sfn|Castleman|Podrazik|1976|p=349}} It replaced [[the Rolling Stones]]' "[[Paint It Black]]"{{sfn|Rodriguez|2012|p=164}} and was then deposed by Sinatra's single for a week before returning to number 1.<ref>"July 1–23, 1966". In: {{harvnb|''Mojo Special Limited Edition''|2002|p=54}}.</ref> It was certified as a gold record by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] on 14 July.{{sfn|Castleman|Podrazik|1976|p=331}} The single also topped the charts in Australia, West Germany{{sfn|Turner|2005|p=101}} and many other countries around the world.{{sfn|Lewisohn|2005|p=83}}

The song's release coincided with London being feted by the US media as the "[[Swinging London|Swinging City]]" of international culture.{{sfn|Philo|2015|pp=100–01}}{{sfn|Turner|2016|pp=152–53}} In his book on the 1960s, social historian [[Arthur Marwick]] says the Beatles represented the popular image of a phenomenon in which "hitherto invisible swathes of British society became visible and assertive" and "Paperback Writer" was the song that best conveyed "the new class-defying tide of individualistic enterprise".{{sfn|Marwick|2012|pp=415–16}}

"Paperback Writer" was the only new song the Beatles included in their 1966 tour setlist.{{sfn|Zolten|2009|p=47}} Their inability to reproduce the layered vocal effect of the studio recording was a source of embarrassment for the group, however.<ref>Shaar Murray, Charles. "Revolver: Talking about a Revolution". In: {{harvnb|''Mojo Special Limited Edition''|2002|p=72}}.</ref>{{refn|group=nb|Harrison recalled that they took to waving at the audience – which he likened to the band's "Elvis legs" moment – eliciting screams that covered the poor performance.{{sfn|The Beatles|2000|p=214}}}}

In addition to moulding their characters and sound on the Beatles, [[the Monkees]] used "Paperback Writer" as the basis for their debut single, "[[Last Train to Clarksville]]".{{sfn|Savage|2015|pp=339–40}}{{sfn|Rodriguez|2012|pp=177–79}}

==Subsequent releases and other versions==
A stereo mix of "Paperback Writer" was first carried out in late October 1966 for inclusion on the UK compilation album ''[[A Collection of Beatles Oldies]]''{{sfn|Lewisohn|2005|p=86}}{{sfn|Everett|1999|p=326}} and then appeared in an alternate stereo mix on the 1970 US compilation album ''[[Hey Jude (Beatles album)|Hey Jude]]''.{{sfn|Winn|2009|pp=10–11}} Following the Beatles' break-up, the song was included on compilations such as ''[[1962–1966]]'' (1973), ''[[Past Masters|Past Masters, Volume Two]]'' (1988) and ''[[1 (The Beatles album)|1]]'' (2000).{{sfn|Womack|2014|p=711}} In 1995, a mix featuring only vocals was among several tracks that were in the running for inclusion on the three ''Beatles Anthology'' compilation albums but were ultimately passed over.{{sfn|Badman|2001|p=542}}

The single was released as part of a [[Record Store Day]] reissue in 2010.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}} "Paperback Writer" was included on the Beatles' 2012 [[iTunes]] compilation ''[[Tomorrow Never Knows (Beatles album)|Tomorrow Never Knows]]'', which the band's website described as a collection of "the Beatles' most influential rock songs".{{sfn|Womack|2014|p=918}}

Other artists who have recorded the track include [[the Bee Gees]], [[the Charles River Valley Boys]], [[the Cowsills]], [[Floyd Cramer]], [[Eric Johnson (guitarist)|Eric Johnson]], [[Kris Kristofferson]], [[Kenny Rogers]], [[the Shadows]], [[Sweet (band)|Sweet]],  [[Daydé]], [[Tempest (UK band)|Tempest]] and [[10cc]].<ref name="Fontenot/About" /> McCartney has often played the song in concert.{{sfn|Turner|2016|p=404}} Live versions appear on his 1993 album ''[[Paul Is Live]]'' and 2009 album ''[[Good Evening New York City]]''.{{sfn|Womack|2014|p=710}}

==Personnel==

There is some dispute over who played what on "Paperback Writer". In the July 1990 and the November 2005 issues of ''[[Guitar Player]]'' magazine, McCartney stated that he played the song's opening riff on his [[Epiphone Casino]] guitar,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.epiphone.com/news.asp?NewsID=378 |title=McCartney and His Casino on Cover of Guitar Player |publisher=Epiphone.com |date=25 October 2005 |access-date=21 August 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722052548/http://www.epiphone.com/news.asp?NewsID=378 |archive-date=22 July 2011}}</ref> and photos from the recording session seem to be consistent with this.{{sfn|Babiuk|2002|pp=179, 182, 183}} In the 2005 edition of his book ''[[Revolution in the Head]]'', [[Ian MacDonald]] gives Harrison as the sole lead guitarist,{{sfn|MacDonald|2005|p=195}} and [[Kenneth Womack]] similarly lists McCartney only on bass and lead vocal.{{sfn|Womack|2014|p=710}} Robert Rodriguez and [[Walter Everett (musicologist)|Walter Everett]] each credit McCartney as the player of the song's main guitar riff, and state that Harrison added lead guitar "fills" over his initial rhythm part.{{sfn|Rodriguez|2012|pp=115–16}}{{sfn|Everett|1999|pp=42–43}}

The following line-up is per Rodriguez:{{sfn|Rodriguez|2012|pp=115–16}}

*[[Paul McCartney]]{{snd}} lead vocal, lead guitar (riff), bass
*[[John Lennon]]{{snd}} backing vocal, tambourine
*[[George Harrison]]{{snd}} backing vocal, rhythm guitar, lead guitar (fills)
*[[Ringo Starr]]{{snd}} drums

==Charts and certifications==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}

===Weekly charts===
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
!Chart (1966)
!Peak<br />position
|-
|Australia ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref>{{cite book | title=Australian Chart Book (1940–1969) | author=Kent, David | publisher=Australian Chart Book | location=Turramurra | year=2005 | isbn=0-646-44439-5}}</ref>
|align="center"|1
|-
|{{single chart|Austria|4|artist=The Beatles|song=Paperback Writer|access-date=16 May 2016}}
|-
|{{single chart|Flanders|7|artist=The Beatles|song=Paperback Writer|access-date=16 May 2016}}
|-
|{{single chart|Canadatopsingles|1|chartid=5702|access-date=16 May 2016}}
|-
|Denmark ([[Hitlisten|Salgshitlisterne Top 20]])<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Beatles - Salgshitlisterne Top 20|url=http://danskehitlister.dk/?artist_id=26|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104013806/http://danskehitlister.dk/?artist_id=26|archive-date=2013-11-04|access-date=2022-08-02|website=Danske Hitlister}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;" |15
|-
|{{single chart|Ireland2|1|artist=The Beatles|song=Paperback Writer|access-date=16 May 2016}}
|-
|Italy (''[[Musica e Dischi]]'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musicaedischi.it/classifiche_archivio.php|title=Classifiche|work=[[Musica e dischi]]|language=it|access-date=31 May 2022}} Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Titolo" field, search "Paperback writer".</ref>
|align="center"|6
|-
|{{single chart|Dutch100|1|artist=The Beatles|song=Paperback Writer|access-date=16 May 2016}}
|-
|Finland ([[Suomen virallinen lista]])<ref name=Finland>{{cite book|first=Jake|last=Nyman|year=2005|title=Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja|edition=1st|publisher=Tammi|location=Helsinki|isbn=951-31-2503-3|language=fi}}</ref>
|align="center"|4
|-
|{{single chart|Norway|1|artist=The Beatles|song=Paperback Writer|access-date=16 May 2016}}
|-
|South Africa ([[Springbok Radio|Springbok]])<ref>{{cite web|title=SA Charts 1965–March 1989|url=http://www.rock.co.za/files/springbok_top_20_(B).html|access-date=1 September 2018}}</ref>
|align="center"|9
|-
|Sweden ([[Kvällstoppen]])<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hallberg|first=Eric|title=Eric Hallberg presenterar Kvällstoppen i P 3: Sveriges radios topplista över veckans 20 mest sålda skivor 10. 7. 1962 - 19. 8. 1975|publisher=Drift Musik|year=1993|pages=130|isbn=9163021404|location=}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
|Sweden (''[[Tio i Topp]]'')<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Hallberg |first1=Eric |title=Eric Hallberg, Ulf Henningsson presenterar Tio i topp med de utslagna på försök: 1961 - 74 |last2=Henningsson |first2=Ulf |publisher=Premium Publishing |year=1998 |isbn=919727125X |location= |pages=53}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|4
|-
|{{single chart|UK|1|date=1966-06-29|access-date=16 May 2016}}
|-
|{{single chart|Billboardhot100|1|artist=The Beatles|access-date=16 May 2016}}
|-
|US [[Cashbox (magazine)|''Cash Box'' Top 100]]<ref>{{cite book| first=Frank| last=Hoffmann| year=1983| title=The Cash Box Singles Charts, 1950-1981| publisher=The Scarecrow Press, Inc| location=Metuchen, NJ & London| pages= 32–34}}</ref>
|align="center"|1
|-
|West German [[Media Control]] Singles Chart<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts|title=Offizielle Deutsche Charts|format=Enter "Beatles" in the search box|publisher=[[GfK Entertainment Charts]]|language=de|access-date=16 May 2016}}</ref>
|align="center"|1
|}

{{col-2}}

===Year-end charts===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!align="left"|Chart (1966)
! style="text-align:center;"|Rank
|-
|US ''Billboard'' Hot 100<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1966.htm |title=Top 100 Hits of 1966/Top 100 Songs of 1966|publisher=musicoutfitters.com |access-date=1 December 2017}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|28
|-
|US ''Cash Box'' Top 100<ref>{{cite web |url=https://tropicalglen.com/Archives/60s_files/1966YESP.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170217030153/http://www.tropicalglen.com/Archives/60s_files/1966YESP.html |archive-date=17 February 2017 |url-status=live |title=Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles |date=24 December 1966}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|43
|-
|}

===Certifications===
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|artist=The Beatles|title=Paperback Writer|award=Gold|relyear=1966|certyear=1966|type=single|access-date=14 May 2016}}
{{Certification Table Bottom | nosales=true}}

{{col-end}}

==Notes==
{{reflist|30em|group=nb}}

==References==
{{reflist|20em}}

==Sources==
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite book| publisher=Houghton Mifflin/Seymour Lawrence| year=1990| title=The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics| location=Boston, MA |editor1-last=Aldridge |editor1-first=Alan |editor1-link=Alan Aldridge
| isbn=0-395-59426-X}}
*{{cite book|last=Babiuk|first=Andy|author-link=Andy Babiuk|year=2002|title=Beatles Gear: All the Fab Four's Instruments, from Stage to Studio|publisher=Backbeat Books|location=San Francisco, CA|isbn=978-0-87930-731-8}}
*{{cite book|last=Badman|first=Keith|title=The Beatles Diary Volume 2: After the Break-Up 1970–2001|publisher=Omnibus Press|location=London|year=2001|isbn=978-0-7119-8307-6}}
*{{cite book|author=The Beatles|author-link=The Beatles| title=The Beatles Anthology|publisher=Chronicle Books|location=San Francisco, CA|year=2000|isbn=0-8118-2684-8}}
* {{cite book 
| first=John M.| last=Borack|author-link=John M. Borack
| title=Shake Some Action: The Ultimate Power Pop Guide
| year=2007|publisher=Not Lame Recording Company|location=Fort Collins, CO
| isbn=978-0-9797714-0-8
}}
* {{cite book|last1=Carr|first1=Roy|author-link1=Roy Carr|last2=Tyler|first2=Tony|author-link2=Tony Tyler|title=The Beatles: An Illustrated Record|publisher=Trewin Copplestone Publishing|location=London|year=1978|isbn=0-450-04170-0}}
* {{cite book|last1=Castleman|first1=Harry|last2=Podrazik|first2=Walter J.|title=All Together Now: The First Complete Beatles Discography 1961–1975|publisher=Ballantine Books|location=New York, NY|year=1976|isbn=0-345-25680-8|url=https://archive.org/details/alltogethernowfi0000cast}}
* {{cite book|first=Jim|last=DeRogatis|author-link=Jim DeRogatis |title=Turn on Your Mind: Four Decades of Great Psychedelic Rock|year=2003|publisher=Hal Leonard|location=Milwaukee, WI|isbn=978-0-634-05548-5}}
* {{cite book
| last=Emerick
| first=Geoff
| year=2006
| author-link=Geoff Emerick
| title=Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of The Beatles
| publisher=Gotham
| location=New York, NY
| isbn=978-1-59240-269-4
}}
* {{cite book|last=Everett|first=Walter|author-link=Walter Everett (musicologist)|year=1999|title=The Beatles as Musicians: Revolver Through the Anthology|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=New York, NY|isbn=978-0-19-512941-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eTkHAldi4bEC}}
* {{cite book|last=Hertsgaard|first=Mark|author-link=Mark Hertsgaard|title=A Day in the Life: The Music and Artistry of the Beatles|publisher=Pan Books|location=London|year=1996|isbn=0-330-33891-9}}
* {{cite book|first=Mark|last=Lewisohn|author-link=Mark Lewisohn|title=The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions: The Official Story of the Abbey Road Years 1962–1970|publisher=Bounty Books|location=London|year=2005|orig-year=1988|isbn=978-0-7537-2545-0}}
* {{cite book
| last=MacDonald
| first=Ian
| year=2005
| author-link=Ian MacDonald
| title=Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties
| publisher=Pimlico
| location=London
| edition=2nd rev.
| isbn=1-84413-828-3
}}
* {{cite book|last=Marwick|first=Arthur|author-link=Arthur Marwick|title=The Sixties: Cultural Revolution in Britain, France, Italy, and the United States|year=2012|orig-year=1998|publisher=Bloomsbury Reader|location=London|isbn=978-1-4482-0573-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Miles|first=Barry|author-link=Barry Miles|title=The Beatles Diary Volume 1: The Beatles Years|year=2001|publisher=Omnibus Press|location=London|isbn=0-7119-8308-9}}
* {{cite book|title=[[Mojo (magazine)#Special editions|Mojo Special Limited Edition]]: 1000 Days That Shook the World (The Psychedelic Beatles – April 1, 1965 to December 26, 1967)|location=London |publisher=Emap|year=2002|ref={{SfnRef|''Mojo Special Limited Edition''|2002}} }}
* {{cite book
| first=Scott 
| last=Miller|author-link=Scott Miller (pop musician)
| title=Music: What Happened?
| publisher=125 Books|location=Boston, MA
| year=2010
| isbn=978-0-615-38196-1
}}
* {{cite book|last=Philo|first=Simon|title=British Invasion: The Crosscurrents of Musical Influence|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WqiDBQAAQBAJ|year=2015|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|location=Lanham, MD|isbn=978-0-8108-8626-1}}
* {{cite book|last=Rodriguez|first=Robert|title=Revolver: How the Beatles Reimagined Rock 'n' Roll|year=2012|publisher=Backbeat Books|isbn=978-1-61713-009-0|location=Milwaukee, WI}}
* {{cite book|last=Savage|first=Jon|author-link=Jon Savage|title=1966: The Year the Decade Exploded|publisher=Faber & Faber|location=London|year=2015|isbn=978-0-571-27763-6}}
* {{cite book|last=Schaffner|first=Nicholas|author-link=Nicholas Schaffner|title=The Beatles Forever|publisher=McGraw-Hill|location=New York, NY|year=1978|isbn=0-07-055087-5|url=https://archive.org/details/beatlesforever00scha}}
* {{cite book
| last=Turner
| first=Steve
| year=2005
| author-link=Steve Turner (writer)
| title=A Hard Day's Write: The Stories Behind Every Beatles Song
| publisher=Harper Paperbacks
| location=New York
| edition=3rd
| isbn=0-06-084409-4
}}
* {{cite book|last=Turner|first=Steve|author-link=Steve Turner (writer)|title=Beatles '66: The Revolutionary Year|year=2016|publisher=Ecco|location=New York, NY|isbn=978-0-06-247558-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Winn|first=John C.|year=2009|title=That Magic Feeling: The Beatles' Recorded Legacy, Volume Two, 1966–1970|publisher=Three Rivers Press|location=New York, NY|isbn=978-0-307-45239-9}}
* {{cite book|last= Womack |first= Kenneth|author-link=Kenneth Womack|year= 2014 |title=The Beatles Encyclopedia: Everything Fab Four|publisher=ABC-CLIO|location=Santa Barbara, CA |isbn= 978-0-313-39171-2}}
* {{cite book|last=Zolten|first=Jerry|author-link=Jerry Zolten|chapter=The Beatles as Recording Artists|editor-last=Womack|editor-first=Kenneth|year=2009|title=The Cambridge Companion to the Beatles|location=Cambridge, UK|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-68976-2|pages=33–61|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/cambridgecompani0000unse_y4s8/page/33|chapter-url-access=registration}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
* [https://www.thebeatles.com/paperback-writer Full lyrics for the song at the Beatles' official website]
* {{YouTube|SepZDSkY4Ro|The Beatles "Paperback Writer"}}

{{The Beatles singles}}
{{Revolver}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1966 songs]]
[[Category:1966 singles]]
[[Category:The Beatles songs]]
[[Category:Parlophone singles]]
[[Category:Capitol Records singles]]
[[Category:Songs written by Lennon–McCartney]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by George Martin]]
[[Category:Songs published by Northern Songs]]
[[Category:Music videos directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg]]
[[Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles]]
[[Category:Cashbox number-one singles]]
[[Category:UK singles chart number-one singles]]
[[Category:Number-one singles in Germany]]
[[Category:Number-one singles in Australia]]
[[Category:Number-one singles in New Zealand]]
[[Category:Number-one singles in Norway]]
[[Category:Irish Singles Chart number-one singles]]
[[Category:RPM Top Singles number-one singles]]
[[Category:British hard rock songs]]
[[Category:British power pop songs]]
[[Category:British psychedelic rock songs]]
[[Category:Songs about writers]]
[[Category:Songs about letters (message)]]