Rating: 
Summary: Everything we know (to date) of every Beatles song (to date)
Review: In the music unit my Popular Culture class we look at the songs of the Beatles, specifically those collected on their "Beatles 1" album. Students write a paper looking at the stages of the group as defined by the songs on that album and sometimes they find things on the Internet that talk about how John Lennon and Paul McCartney (and George Harrison for "Something") came to write their songs. Unfortunately that has little to do with putting these songs into distinct chronological stages, but after reading "A Hard Day's Write" you can see where they would be fascinated by some of these stories and forget to just listen to the songs and decide for themselves what they are about and what makes them work.
Steve Turner provides the stories behind every one of the Beatles songs, including "Free As a Bird" and all the songs from "Anthology" and "Live at the BBC" that would not be covered by the other albums. The book is divided into 14 chapters representing 17 albums ("Magical Mystery Tour" and "Yellow Submarine" are combined, as are the three "Anthology" albums). Turner is following the British albums and including those songs that ended up on the two "Masterworks" collections with the albums that were being recorded (e.g., "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "With the Beatles," "Penny Lane" and "Strawberry Field Forever" with "Sgt. Pepper"). It does not include the songs by other writers that the Beatles covered during their early years.
Turner makes the point that this is not a book that is attempting to explain what the Beatles "were really trying to say," but tells us about the ideas and inspirations behind these songs, as well as dispelling some of the popular myths connected to some of these songs. You have probably heard about some of these, such as Peter Fonda telling John Lennon "I know what its like to be dead" leading to "She Said She Said," the Victorian poster about "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" and Julian Lennon's drawing of his friend "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." But know you can also learn about the real location of not only "Penny Lane" but also "Blue Jay Way," who was the real "Polythene Pam," and what happened when the Beatles mentioned Denis O'Dell in "You Know My Name."
Nor does Turner present this book as the definitive one on the subject, since that cannot be written until everything the Beatles have to say about their songs is made public. However, he did track down and interview the real-life subjects of these songs as well as going through public records and newspaper archives, and speaking in depth to some of the people who were closest to the Beatles back in the sixties. Turner also provides a brief introduction to each album that talks about where the Beatles were in their careers at that point, such as how "Revolver" represented a significant development in the Beatles' sound since their music was now being created in the studio with no thought for how it could be played in concert (the album came out during their final tour but none of its 14 songs were ever played on stage by the band). So Turner does pay some attention to things other than the individual songs.
The back of the book contains a chronology for the beats from the births of Ringo Starr and John Lennon in 1940 to Paul McCartney filing a suit against the Beatles and Co. to dissolve the partnership, a discography from 1962-1996, a bibliography, and index. There are also over 200 photographs, some in color, many of which are on point with regards to specific songs (e.g., you get to see the gravestone of Eleanor Rigby, the real Bungalow Bill, and the Apple Scruffs who came in through the bathroom window. No matter what level of fan you are of the Beatles you should find plenty of interest and stories you have never heard before. At the very least, you can learn something new about your favorite Beatles songs.
Rating:
Summary: Thoughtful, well-researched, and readable
Review: Never mind the dumb punny title. The subtitle says it much better: "The stories behind every Beatles song." And never mind academic navel-gazing about the metaphors in "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" or nonsensical philosophizing about "Revolution #9." Those of us whose hearts are in the firm grip of the Beatles' rich catalog owe a debt of gratitude to ace British music journalist Steve Turner for this book. Read it for fun and for some insight into the hard work the lads put into the creation of so many deceptively simple little ditties that have deservedly become classics. Enjoy the pictures, too. This book has a couple of hundred very good photos. Books about the Beatles number many hundreds. This one deserves a place near the top of the heap for the quality of the writing and the readable, accessible journalistic format. One quibble, and I'm surprised the editors didn't catch it: there's no alphabetical, page-numbered index of the songs, not in the Table of Contents, not in the Index, either. If you want to find the story behind a specific song such as "In My Life," you have to know which album the song appeared on, and approximately which cut. But that's a minor detail-Beatles afficionados know the songs on every album.
Rating:
Summary: Thoughtful, well-researched, and readable
Review: Never mind the dumb punny title. The subtitle says it much better: "The stories behind every Beatles song." And never mind academic navel-gazing about the metaphors in "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" or nonsensical philosophizing about "Revolution #9." Those of us whose hearts are in the firm grip of the Beatles' rich catalog owe a debt of gratitude to ace British music journalist Steve Turner for this book. Read it for fun and for some insight into the hard work the lads put into the creation of so many deceptively simple little ditties that have deservedly become classics. Enjoy the pictures, too. This book has a couple of hundred very good photos. Books about the Beatles number many hundreds. This one deserves a place near the top of the heap for the quality of the writing and the readable, accessible journalistic format. One quibble, and I'm surprised the editors didn't catch it: there's no alphabetical, page-numbered index of the songs, not in the Table of Contents, not in the Index, either. If you want to find the story behind a specific song such as "In My Life," you have to know which album the song appeared on, and approximately which cut. But that's a minor detail-Beatles afficionados know the songs on every album.
Rating:
Summary: Finally a book about Beatles music and not the men
Review: Of course, the music was ultimately about the men... but then if a biography of George, Ringo, John and Paul is what you are looking for, there is probably no more interesting way to learn about them than studying their music. This book is a very fun and interesting read for hard core Beatles fans and new interests alike. Turner examines EVERY Beatles song, album by album, in a format that is also easy to use for reference. As I am listening and singing along with Beatles music, I sometimes find myself saying "I wonder where THAT lyric came from? What does it mean?" It is delightful and satisfying to be able to find a clue to that answer in this book.
Rating:
Summary: A SERIOUS IN DEPTH ANALYSIS OF THE BEATLES' LYRICS
Review: One almost wants to smile and say, "The Doctor [Turner] is in and he is analyzing the Beatles even as we speak." I thoroughly enjoyed this well researched, richly illustrated book of Beatles' song lyrics. I felt that Turner did an outstanding job of gathering this information and providing it to the hordes of people eager to obtain it. It is truly a treat. I can't recommend this book highly enough. Turner treats the Beatles individually and their work with the utmost respect. This book is a must have.
Rating: 
Summary: Good book about an overrated band
Review: Please, I am getting so sick of the Beatles.
It is 2005, enough is enough. Let's but the Beatles to bed already.
Rating:
Summary: Money CAN buy you this fantastic book!
Review: Steve Turner gives the background story behind every Beatles song on all their officially released albums up to Abbey Road. Other books make the same claim, but this one's the best! To me, the most fascinating entries are about John's autobiographical songs, such as 'In My Life' and 'Strawberry Fields Forever.' The story behind 'A Day In the Life' is riveting and is partly based on a personal tragedy for Paul. Find out what John's inspiration was for 'Tomorrow Never Knows.' Does Dr. Robert really exist? 'She's Leaving Home' is based on a true story Paul had read about in a newspaper. Which was the first Beatles song not to be about love? Learn how much of an influence Dr. Timothy O'Leary was. Who's Ocean Child ('Julia')? Maharishi Mahesh Yogi is behind a few songs, but not always the way you might think! A song based on a conversation with Peter Fonda? You bet! What's the story of the sitar in 'Norwegian Wood,' and just who is the mysterious woman in whose bathtub John slept? I could go on and on! The text is very well researched, and includes quotes from people who were involved with the Beatles. The photos are excellent and add to the realness of the songs. See Eleanor Rigby's gravestone, Matt Busby (from 'Dig It')and the man who 'blew his mind out in a car.' AHDW is thorough, accurate and FUN to read. If I could, I'd give it 10 stars!
Rating:
Summary: A Hard Day's Write -- Easy and Fun to Read Book!
Review: Steve Turner wrote a wonderful book about the stories of the Beatles' songs. Where is "Penny Lane"? Who is she when "I saw her
standing there"? Who is Martha? What does she look like? How interesting they are! I just like to know the stories. There are
also a lot of beautiful pictures which I've never seen before.
If you have a hard day's night, and you want some change to a easy, funny, enjoyable, relaxing time, read this book. I guarantee you will find a lot of fun and joy.
Rating:
Summary: THE BEATLES ARE WONDERFUL SONGWRITERS!
Review: THE BEATLES ARE WONDERFUL SONGWRITERS THEY RULE FOR EVER!
I LOVE THIS BOOK IT HAS GREAT INFORMATION ABOUT EVERY BEATLES SONGS!
FROM A BIG BEATLES FAN KIRSTEN
Rating:
Summary: good read about write
Review: There are many good photographs and tasty tidbits in this fascinating glance at the writing inspirations behind our favorite songs. A little of it must necessarily be speculation, but it is thoroughly researched. One question: where did he get the drawing that inspired "Lucy In The Sky..," and is it authentic? He doesn't give a source.
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