Paperback Writer / Rain (US)

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From Something Else!:

[…] It had been a while since they released their previous single, “We Can Work it Out”/”Day Tripper” in December of 1965, so the band was overdue for a new one. “Paperback Writer” and “Rain” were chosen to grace the first Beatles single of 1966, and were released in the U.S.A. on May 30; the U.K. release followed on June 10. “Paperback Writer” has been considered the A-side, not surprisingly as it is the more spirited and catchy of the two. However, the picture sleeve listed it first on one side and second to “Rain” on the other. If Mark Lewisohn is the final arbiter, then the appendices for Chronicle book lists “Paperback Writer” alone in the lists for the Beatles’ Peak Singles, sandwiched between others that were listed as actual double A-sides (“We Can Work It Out”/”Day Tripper” and “Eleanor Rigby”/”Yellow Submarine”).

While the single quickly shot up both the U.K. and U.S. charts, it lasted only one week at No. 1. Lewisohn notes that it was the Beatles’ lowest-selling single since their very first, “Love Me Do.” At this point in their career, the Beatles were blazing through new trails, turning their attention to increasing the creativity of their music and recordings in light of seeing the end of exhausting and unproductive touring — and it might have take a while for the public to catch up. One can surmise that the content of these two songs caught the fickle female records-buying public by surprise, and after hearing the songs on the radio were not as interested in purchasing a single where the subjects were about a desperate job hunter and the weather – instead of, well, the girls themselves. […]

IN NEW U.S. CHART – BEATLES TOP!

The Beatles’ “Paperback Writer” shot up 15 places and takes over the No. 1 spot from the Rolling Stones in next week’s Hot 100 published by “Billboard,” cables June Harris. The flipside “Rain” moves up 13 places to No. 29. The Stones’ “Paint It Black ” drops to No. 3.

Three new British records enter the chart — Tom Jones’s “Not Responsible” at 72, the Troggs’ “Wild Thing” at 75 and the Yardbirds’ “Over Under Sideways Down” at 82.

Going up (previous positions in brackets) are Dusty Springfield’s “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me” 9 (12), Dave Clark’s “Please Tell Me Why” 43 (61), the Animals’ “Don’t Bring Me Down” 14 (17) and Crispian St. Peters’ “Pied Piper” 56 (70).

From New Musical Express – June 17, 1966

Last updated on October 11, 2023