Beatles fans can now hear an early home recording of Day Tripper captured before the song became one of the band’s most recognisable hits.
The Day Tripper (Songwriting Work Tape) was recorded at late frontman John Lennon’s Kenwood home during the Rubber Soul era, and it’s a world away from the polished single fans know. At this point, the iconic riff hadn’t even been written. Instead, Lennon and Sir Paul McCartney are heard kicking around ideas from an old folk tune John had been working on, laughing, teasing each other and trying out lines as they go.
The finished Day Tripper would later be hammered out in an eight-hour studio sprint, released as a double A-side with We Can Work It Out and kept separate from Rubber Soul. But this tape shows the song in its earliest, most human form, with John joking about how loud the recording levels are as the pair try to shape the track.
The work tape arrives ahead of the Rubber Soul Special Edition, landing October 2. The expanded set digs deep into the album’s creation, packing in 24 early session recordings, 20 unheard takes, three home demos, plus new and original mixes. It follows the recent release of Michelle (Take 1), giving fans another peek behind the curtain.
The drop comes as UMG and Apple Corps tighten their long-term partnership with the legendary Liverpool band, with UMG now overseeing global Beatles merchandise, licensing and e-commerce. UMG boss Sir Lucian Grainge recently called the band “one of the most iconic and enduring cultural brands of all time,” praising the new deal as a major step in expanding how fans experience their legacy.
The Beatles’ cultural footprint keeps growing. Global Beatles Day saw Apple Corps colourise and upload the band’s 1967 All You Need Is Love broadcast to YouTube for the first time, with worldwide fan events marking the occasion. A full Beatles fan experience is set to open at 3 Savile Row in 2027, and Sam Mendes’ four-film Beatles project arrives in 2028.
