Top singles from the past
30 May 2026
THE BEATLES released one of their countless hit singles today
60 years ago, on May 30th, with PAPERBACK WRITER.
It was #1 in the UK, the US, Australia, Canada,
New Zealand and severel European countries.
The song was largely written by Paul McCartney, who based the lyrics on a challenge made to him by his Aunt Lil. Macca in 1966: “Years ago, my Auntie Lil said to me, ‘Why do you always write songs about love all the time? Can’t you ever write about a horse or the summit conference or something interesting?’ So, I thought, ‘All right, Auntie Lil.’” So he wrote a song about a book.
“Dear Sir or Madam, will you read my book?
It took me years to write, will you take a look?
It’s based on a novel by a man named Lear
And I need a job, so I want to be a paperback writer
Paperback writer”
