| "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" | |
|---|---|
 Cover of the Northern Songs sheet music | |
| Song by the Beatles | |
| from the album Abbey Road | |
| Released | 26 September 1969 |
| Recorded | 9–11 July, 6 August 1969 |
| Studio | EMI, London |
| Genre | |
| Length | 3:27 |
| Label | Apple |
| Songwriter(s) | Lennon–McCartney |
| Producer(s) | George Martin |
"Maxwell's Silver Hammer" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1969 album Abbey Road. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership.[4] The song is about a student named Maxwell Edison who commits murders with a hammer, with the dark lyrics disguised by an upbeat sound.[1] 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".[5]
The song was initially rehearsed during the Get Back 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, Ringo Starr remembered it as "the worst session ever" and "the worst track we ever had to record".[6][7]
- ^ a b Mulligan 2010, p. 127.
- ^ Unterberger, Richie. "Maxwell's Silver Hammer – The Beatles | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
- ^ Gould 2007, p. 278. "the song is a preternaturally catchy music-hall number ..."
- ^ Sheff 2000, p. 202.
- ^ Miles 1997, p. 554.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
StarrRSwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Schaal, Eric (19 July 2019). "The Paul McCartney Song the Other Beatles Hated With a Passion". Showbiz Cheat Sheet. Retrieved 1 December 2022.