Birthday - 2018 Mix

The Beatles gave us this rock and roll alternative to "Happy Birthday" on The White Album in 1968. Paul McCartney told Mojo magazine October 2008 the story of this song: "With 'Birthday' we had a few friends around and it was one of our party's birthday, can't remember who. Pattie Boyd was there, Terry Dolan, just a few mates. Normally we didn't have friends around to sessions so it was very unusual. We didn't know what song to do so we decided to make one up. We did what Roy Orbison had done with 'Pretty Woman' and Little Richard had started with 'Lucille,' do-do do-do do-do do-do; Roy Orbison goes, do-do do-do DO-DO DO-DO- he just changes the end a little bit. We changed basically the same riff of Lucille and Pretty Woman into Birthday- do-do do-do do-do do-do...'You say it's your birthday.'"

Many of the songs The Beatles worked on for The White Album were labored, but they cranked out "Birthday" in one night: September 18, 1968. According to Q magazine May 2008, the Beatles were in a rush to get to Paul McCartney's house in time to catch the rock 'n' roll movie The Girl Can't Help It on TV. Consequently they played around with a simple blues track rather than record anything too involved. Duly inspired after watching the movie, they completed the song back in the studio in sessions that creeped into the next morning. The Girl Can't Help It, released in America in 1956, stars Jayne Mansfield, but The Beatles were more interested in the musical acts, particularly Little Richard, a huge influence on Paul McCartney. Other performers in the film include Gene Vincent, Fats Domino and Eddie Cochran. The film was a major influence on John Lennon, who saw it when he was 16. It allowed him to see his American rock and roll heroes as actual, living human beings that one could aspire to become.

This was one of the last songs John Lennon and Paul McCartney collaborated on. Even though all of their songs were credited to Lennon/McCartney, many of their later songs were written separately.