Maxwell's Silver Hammer by lazarus57

lazarus57 - Maxwell's Silver Hammer

lazarus57

Aug 03, 2025 03:17pm

THE BEATLES VERSUS THE BEE GEES - ROUND 1<img src="https://singsnap-cdn.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/message-board/threads/XAZQ/16ec91757e_LE7Y_media.gif"><img src="https://singsnap-cdn.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/message-board/threads/2HR9/da1ca8411e_IJUU_media.png"> "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" is a song by the English rock band <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 102, 204);">the Beatles</a> from their 1969 album <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbey_Road" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 102, 204);">Abbey Road</a>. It was written by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_McCartney" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 102, 204);">Paul McCartney</a> and credited to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lennon%E2%80%93McCartney" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 102, 204);">Lennon–McCartney</a> partnership.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell%27s_Silver_Hammer#cite_note-FOOTNOTESheff2000202-4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 102, 204);">[4]</a> The song is about a student named Maxwell Edison who commits murders with a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 102, 204);">hammer</a>, with the dark lyrics disguised by an upbeat sound.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell%27s_Silver_Hammer#cite_note-FOOTNOTEMulligan2010127-1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 102, 204);">[1]</a> McCartney described the song as symbolic of the downfalls of life, being "my analogy for when something goes wrong out of the blue, as it so often does".<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell%27s_Silver_Hammer#cite_note-FOOTNOTEMiles1997554-5" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 102, 204);">[5]</a>The song was initially rehearsed during the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_It_Be_(album)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 102, 204);">Get Back</a> sessions in January 1969. During the recording of Abbey Road in July and August, the band devoted four recording sessions to completing the track. These sessions were an acrimonious time for the Beatles, as McCartney pressured the group to work at length on the song. All three of his bandmates were vocal in their dislike of "Maxwell's Silver Hammer". In a 2008 interview, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringo_Starr" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 102, 204);">Ringo Starr</a> remembered it as "the worst session ever" and "the worst track we ever had to record".<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell%27s_Silver_Hammer#cite_note-StarrRS-6" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 102, 204);">[6]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell%27s_Silver_Hammer#cite_note-7" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 102, 204);">[7]</a><h2>Background</h2>While <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles_in_India" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 102, 204);">in Rishikesh</a>, India, in early 1968, McCartney began to write the first verse of the song.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell%27s_Silver_Hammer#cite_note-FOOTNOTEHowlett201821-8" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 102, 204);">[8]</a> Having completed most of it by October that year, he intended for its inclusion on the album <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles_(album)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 102, 204);">The Beatles</a>, but it was never properly recorded during those sessions due to time constraints. It was rehearsed again three months later, in January 1969, at Twickenham film studios during the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_It_Be_(album)#Twickenham_rehearsals" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 102, 204);">Get Back sessions</a> but would not be recorded for another six months.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell%27s_Silver_Hammer#cite_note-FOOTNOTELewisohn1988179-9" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 102, 204);">[9]</a>McCartney's wife <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linda_McCartney" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 102, 204);">Linda</a> said that he had become interested in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avant-garde" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 102, 204);">avant-garde</a> theatre and had immersed himself in the writings of the experimental French author <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Jarry" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 102, 204);">Alfred Jarry</a>. This influence is reflected in the story and tone of "Maxwell's Silver Hammer", and also explains how McCartney came across Jarry's word "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%27Pataphysics" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 102, 204);">pataphysical</a>", which occurs in the lyrics.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell%27s_Silver_Hammer#cite_note-10" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 102, 204);">[10]</a> In 1994, McCartney said that the song epitomises the downfalls of life, being "my analogy for when something goes wrong out of the blue, as it so often does, as I was beginning to find out at that time in my life. I wanted something symbolic of that, so to me it was some fictitious character called Maxwell with a silver hammer. I don't know why it was silver, it just sounded better than Maxwell's hammer."<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell%27s_Silver_Hammer#cite_note-FOOTNOTEMiles1997554-5" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 102, 204);">[5]</a><h2> </h2><img src="https://singsnap-cdn.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/message-board/threads/BWXW/303f0aa5db_1XPM_media.gif"> <img src="https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.78196add9345f5dad413dcf5b8439fd9?rik=jIHqh5i5%2bqrQKg&pid=ImgRaw&r=0" alt="Beatles Isolated Vocals - Maxwell's Silver Hammer - YouTube">