The Beatles Lyrics: The Stories Behind the Music, Including the Handwritten Drafts of More Than 100 Classic Beatles Songs

This book is awesome with so many great details! Definitely a must have if you are a Beatles lover!

I purchased this for a music lover in my family. When receiving the item, I leafed through the book and wanted to keep it for myself! This book has every song in the Beatles catalog, but that is not the best part...it has the hand-written notes used to write the songs! Along with personal notes to each other. It makes you feel like you're reading something personal and very special. I would absolutely recommend this!!

Everytime my cousin drives me somewhere I buy him a book for my appreciation, he loves the Beatles so it was a great book for him ,he loved it

Of the scores of authors who have published books about the Beatles, Hunter Davies is the best. His 1968 "Authorized Biography"is by far the most accurate and accessible account of the years prior to The White Album. His access to the band, their manager (to whom the book is dedicated), their producer (Sir George Martin), and their friends and associates, results in (a) accuracy and (b) first-person immediacy. His writing is clear. His research is impeccable. Who better to tell the origin tales behind the songs?One of the delights of this tome is that it can be opened to any page with certainty that what one finds there is both interesting and fun. It can be read front-to-back, or the reverse, or just starting from the middle, if what interests you primarily are the songs.If, like me, you like to know context and background, the traditional approach -- begin at the beginning -- is probably best. But if (like me) you have loved the Beatles for 52 years, just pick up the book, let it fall open where it may, and enjoy!

Hunter Davies met and hung out with the Beatles for the year 1967 (into 1968), observing them from a journalistic perspective but also as their official biographer. His book (the Beatles - an authorized biography) was published in mid-1968 amid much fanfare and around the release the Beatles single 'Hey Jude.' That book is considered a classic today, or at least by me (although some would argue the opposite, or that it has not survived the test of time).Davies became famous and authoritative enough to write this book "The Beatles Lyrics" years after the fact. While the book is thorough and comprehensive (it covers all of the written songs on the original UK albums), it is (like his biography) observational and occasionally opinionated. But that's OK, and here's why.If you liked Davies biography, and by extension, became used to his way of writing (and especially if you became an obsessive Beatles fan like myself)...you're really going to love this book. If you understand the fact that Davies writes with the authority of an Beatles insider (which in fact he became after hanging with them in 1967), then you start accepting his observations and opinions of the various songs and the individual Beatles. Moreover, you start to take in his role not just as an insider but more like an occasionally disapproving elder uncle (like George Martin admonishing them occasionally).Well, this is what Davies effectively does here. He'll track down the origins of the individual songs, relate relevant information for each, and tell some memorable stories (while reproducing hand-written originals and associated artwork in full color) AND integrate his personal opinions into the text. Most of Davies opinions, mind you, are positive, and his descriptions are overwhelmingly informative. All of the above additions actually make the lyrics analysis more interesting and intriguing. And that 'uncle' status (even when relating a negative thought or opinion) actually makes the reading more fun, thus an easier reading experience.Like his earlier biography, the Beatles lyrics is a page turner. How can it not be? Or, I should say, Davies makes a potentially added lyrics analysis much better and intriguing. There's a lot to read, and plenty of illustations. Certainly makes for evocative reading, brings back memories of the Beatles in their time for those who want to experience it.I loved it. Recommended!

Gave it to my friend, she raved about how cool the information was.

If you're a songwriter in need of some inspiration I recommend this book. You get some great insight into how The Beatles crafted their songs. Takes away some of the magic, but makes them infinitely more relatable and inspiring.

Great Stories and great all around read from Hunter Davies who taught us Americans all about the lads - now finally we see the actual written down lyrics! Over the Top! Each one is a section in itself. I Loved it