A hard day's write

Steve Turner sets out to overturn familiar stories about the Beatles by tracking down the real people and everyday happenings that inspired their songs. It is the first book to look into this subject in depth, and it treats the band's catalogue as a source of new insight into the group.

The chapters follow the albums in release order, showing how personal episodes in the members' lives shaped their lyrics and how their sound changed over time. Turner explains that the image in "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" came from a picture Julian Lennon drew of a school friend. He also identifies "Bungalow Bill" as an American big-game hunter who shot tigers, and the "Doctor Robert" of the song as a New York doctor known for supplying amphetamines. These are only a few of the many revelations in the book.

Taken together, the book offers a fresh account of the Beatles that goes beyond the myths surrounding them, appealing to anyone who wants to know where the songs came from.