McCARTNEY: "We thought, 'Why not make something up?' So we got a riff going and arranged it around this riff. We said, 'We'll go to there for a few bars, then we'll do this for a few bars.' We added some lyrics, then we got the friends who were there to join in on the chorus. So that is 50-50 John and me, made up on the spot and recorded all on the same evening. I don't recall it being anybody's birthday in particular but it might have been, but the other reason for doing it is that, if you have a song that refers to Christmas or a birthday, it adds to the life of the song, if it's a good song, because people will pull it out on birthday shows, so I think there was a little bit of that at the back of our minds." Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now
LENNON: "Both of us [wrote it]." Hit Parader (April 1972)
LENNON: " 'Birthday' was written in the studio. Just made up on the spot. I think Paul wanted to write a song like 'Happy Birthday Baby,' the old '50s hit." September 1980, All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono
RECORDED
September 18, 1968, at Abbey Road
CHRIS THOMAS, producer of the session: ". . . Paul was the first one in, and he was playing the 'Birthday' riff. Eventually the others arrived, by which time Paul had literally written the song, right there in the studio." The Complete BEATLES Recording Sessions; The Official Story of the Abbey Road Years 1962-1970
Harrison wore a glove during the session to avoid getting more blisters. The Long and Winding Road: An Intimate Guide to the Beatles
During a break in the session, the Beatles watched The Girl Can't Help It on television at McCartney's house. The 1956 film starred Jayne Mansfield and featured performances by Fats Domino, the Platters, Gene Vincent, and Little Richard. The Beatles Diary, Volume 1 : From Liverpool to London
INSTRUMENTATION
McCARTNEY: piano, lead vocal
LENNON: lead guitar, backing and occasional lead vocal
HARRISON: bass, tambourine
STARR: drums
YOKO ONO: backing vocal
PATTI HARRISON: backing vocal
McCartney's piano was an upright that was prepared to sound like an electric harpsichord. The Long and Winding Road: An Intimate Guide to the Beatles
COMMENTS BY BEATLES
LENNON: "It was a piece of garbage." September 1980, All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono
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1 comment:
I think this song is more mccartney's than lennon's. john's 1980 comment and especially chris thomas's(who witnessed all the composition process) commment indicates that paul began and developed a large part of this song on his own .
In my opinion this song should be credited Mccartney (7) lennon (3).
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