Drawing on canonical literary works, mythology, poetry, or the Western literary tradition
'In My Life' (1965) is the earliest Beatles song to draw on Literary influence, which goes on to appear on 12 in all.
Song count per year
% of each member's catalogue with this tag (by writing credit)
| # | Title | Year | Album | Lead Vocal(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | In My Life | 1965 | Rubber Soul | John | – |
| 2 | Paperback Writer | 1966 | Past Masters | Paul | – |
| 3 | Tomorrow Never Knows | 1966 | Revolver | John | Leary, Metzner & Alpert |
| 4 | Eleanor Rigby | 1966 | Revolver | Paul | Character-sketch in Dickensian/Victorian mode |
| 5 | She's Leaving Home | 1967 | Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band | Paul, John | Cinematic-novelistic third-person framing |
| 6 | I Am the Walrus | 1967 | Magical Mystery Tour | John | King Lear excerpt mixed into outro |
| 7 | The Inner Light | 1968 | Past Masters | George | Tao Te Ching |
| 8 | Piggies | 1968 | The Beatles (The White Album) | George | Orwell's Animal Farm allegory |
| 9 | Blackbird | 1968 | The Beatles (The White Album) | Paul | – |
| 10 | Julia | 1968 | The Beatles (The White Album) | John | Kahlil Gibran 'Sand and Foam' |
| 11 | Golden Slumbers | 1969 | Abbey Road | Paul | Dekker's 'Patient Grissel' lullaby |
| 12 | Maxwell's Silver Hammer | 1969 | Abbey Road | Paul | Pataphysics (Alfred Jarry) |
Leary, Metzner & Alpert
Character-sketch in Dickensian/Victorian mode
Cinematic-novelistic third-person framing
King Lear excerpt mixed into outro
Tao Te Ching
Orwell's Animal Farm allegory
Kahlil Gibran 'Sand and Foam'
Dekker's 'Patient Grissel' lullaby
Pataphysics (Alfred Jarry)
Updated
Book
The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics
Alan Aldridge
Book
Revolution in the Head
Ian MacDonald
Album
With The Beatles
CD
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