We Can Work It Out / Day Tripper

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From Wikipedia:

[…] In a discussion about what song to release as a single, Lennon argued “vociferously” for “Day Tripper“, differing with the majority view that “We Can Work It Out” was a more commercial song. As a result, the single was marketed as the first “double A-side,” but airplay and point-of-sale requests soon proved “We Can Work It Out” to be more popular, and it reached No. 1 on both sides of the Atlantic, the Beatles’ fastest-selling single since “Can’t Buy Me Love“, their previous McCartney-led A-side in the UK. It has sold 1.39 million copies in the UK.

“We Can Work It Out” was the last of six number one singles in a row on the American charts, a record at the time. It was preceded by “I Feel Fine“, “Eight Days a Week“, “Ticket to Ride“, “Help!“, and “Yesterday“. The song became the band’s 11th number one, accomplished in just under two years time.

Both sides of the single entered the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart the week ending December 18, 1965. Just three weeks later (January 8, 1966), “We Can Work It Out” hit number 1 on the chart, while “Day Tripper” entered the Top 10 at number 10. Ultimately, “We Can Work It Out” spent three non-consecutive weeks at number 1, while “Day Tripper” peaked at number 5.

The Beatles made 10 black-and-white promo films for television broadcasters on 23 November 1965, at Twickenham Film Studios in London, as they were often unable to make personal appearances by that time. Three of the films were mimed performances of “We Can Work It Out“, in all of which Lennon was seated at a harmonium. The most frequently-broadcast of the three versions was a straightforward performance piece with the group wearing black suits. Another had the group wearing the stage suits from their Shea Stadium performance on 15 August; the third opens with a shot of Lennon with a sunflower in front of his eye. […]

Last updated on October 26, 2022