The Beatles lyrics: the stories behind the music, including the handwritten drafts of more than 100 classic Beatles songs (English) paperback – October 20, 2015
essential information
Publisher: little, brown and company; Reprint edition (October 20, 2015)
Language: English
Paperback: 384 pages
ISBN-10 : 0316247170
ISBN-13 : 978-0316247177
Commodity weight: 907 G
Dimensions: 9 x 2.54 x 24.45 inches
The definitive book of Beatles songs, shown as first written by their own hands and put into authoritative context, for the 50th anniversary of the Beatles coming to America.
For the Beatles, writing songs was a process that could happen anytime -- songs we all know by heart often began as a scribble on the back of an envelope or on hotel stationery. These original documents have ended up scattered across the world at museums and universities and with collectors and friends. Many have never been published before. More than 100 songs a nd lyrics are reproduced in The Beatles Lyrics, providing Hunter Davies a unique platform to tell the story of the music.
The intimacy of these reproductions -- there are sections crossed out and rewritten, and words tossed into the final recordings that were never written down -- ensures that The Beatles Lyrics will be a treasure for musicians, scholars, and fans everywhere.
Editorial comments
Review
"Rich with insider authenticity. To paraphrase Walt Whitman, Mr. Davies was the man, he suffered, he was there.... The book itself-with Mr. Daviess expert guidance-gives us a glimpse into genius. No better monument could mark the 50th anniversary of the Beatles arrival in America, nothing, that is, short of coming up with a hitherto lost scrap of paper with a Beatles lyric on it, wittily doodled on."―Alexander Theroux, Wall Street Journal
"Beatles expert Hunter Davies demonstrates that the Fab Four wrote their songs just about anywhere--many began as a scribble on the back of an envelope, on a napkin, or on hotel stationery. The collection reproduces more than one original manuscript, granting the reader an all-access look behind the music."
―Henry L. Carrigan Jr., Publishers Weekly
"A fascinating, intimate glimpse into the creative process behind some of the greatest pop songs ever written."
―Christian Science Monitor
"A stunning collection."
―BookPage
A "chatty, knowledgeable, readable account of the back stories behind all the Beatles lyrics."
―The Seattle Times
"An unprecedented glimpse into the true genius of the band."
―Alan Petrucelli, Examiner.com
"This tome still finds some fresh ground to break and observations to make for diehard and casual fans alike, often derived from their handwritten words."
―Bob Ruggiero, Houston Press
About the Author
Hunter Davies is the author of over 40 books, including the New York Times bestseller The John Lennon Letters, and has written for The Guardian, New Statesman, and The Sunday Times. He is married to the novelist and biographer Margaret Forster, and they live in London.
