The Beatles release a 'Day Tripper' work tape from before the riff existed
A newly issued home recording of Lennon and McCartney writing the song, tied to October's Rubber Soul reissue, has the melody and structure but not yet its famous 11-note guitar figure.
Aug 26, 2026
Credit: Apple Corps Ltd. (via source)
On August 26 the Beatles' archive put out 'Day Tripper (Songwriting Work Tape)', a rough recording of John Lennon and Paul McCartney building the song at Lennon's house in Weybridge during the run-up to Rubber Soul. It arrives ahead of an expanded edition of that 1965 album, due October 2.
What makes it interesting for guitarists is what is missing. The melody, the harmony vocals and the shape of the song are all there, but in a loose, acoustic, almost folky form. The riff, those 11 notes that make the record, isn't. That part came together later in the studio.
Credit for it has always been murky. Lennon told David Sheff it was his: "That's mine. Including the lick, the guitar break and the whole bit." George Harrison most likely played it on the session, probably on his Gibson ES-345 or a 1963 Gretsch Tennessean. Either way, the tape is a useful before-and-after on how a riff-driven song is assembled, at a moment in 1965 when the guitar riff itself was still a fairly new idea in pop.
Credit: The Beatles (via source)
Why it matters
'Day Tripper' is one of the songs that established the guitar riff as the engine of a pop record; hearing the track without it is a rare look at how that piece was found rather than written.
Sources
- https://guitar.com/news/beatles-day-tripper-work-tape/(primary)
- https://www.thebeatles.com/beatles-release-rare-recording-day-tripper-songwriting-work-tape
- https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/the-beatles-rare-working-demo-day-tripper-1235615793/
- https://www.nme.com/news/music/hear-how-the-beatles-day-tripper-came-together-as-they-share-early-songwriting-work-tape-3964809
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