Maxwell's Silver Hammer - Wikipedia

1969 song by the Beatles

"Maxwell's Silver Hammer"
Northern Music sheet music cover
Song by the Beatles
from the album Abbey Road
Released	26 September 1969 (UK)
Recorded	9–11 July, 6 August 1969
Studio	EMI, London
Genre	Pop[1] music hall[2]
Length	3:27
Label	Apple
Songwriters	Paul McCartney, credited to Lennon–McCartney
Producer	George Martin
Official audio
"Maxwell's Silver Hammer" on YouTube

"Maxwell's Silver Hammer" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1969 album Abbey Road. Written by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership,[3] it tells the tale of Maxwell Edison, a student who murders people with a hammer. The dark lyrics are 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."[4]

The murder ballad 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 a bitter time for the Beatles, as McCartney pressured the group to work at length on the song. His bandmates were all 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."[5][6]

Background

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While in Rishikesh, India, in early 1968, McCartney began to write the first verse of the song.[7] Having completed most of it by October that year, he intended for its inclusion on the album The Beatles, but it was never properly recorded during those sessions due to time constraints. It was rehearsed again three months later, in January 1969, at Twickenham film studios during the Get Back sessions but would not be recorded for another six months.[8]

McCartney's wife Linda said that he had become interested in avant-garde theatre and had immersed himself in the writings of the French symbolist writer Alfred Jarry. This influence is reflected in the story and tone of "Maxwell's Silver Hammer", and also explains how McCartney came across Jarry's word "pataphysical", which occurs in the lyrics.[9] In 1994, McCartney said that the song epitomises the downfalls of life, being "my analogy for when something goes wrong out of the blue, as it so often does, as I was beginning to find out at that time in my life. I wanted something symbolic of that, so to me it was some fictitious character called Maxwell with a silver hammer. I don't know why it was silver, it just sounded better than Maxwell's hammer."[4]

Recording

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Take 12 of "Maxwell's Silver Hammer"
Listen on YouTube

The Beatles began recording the song at EMI Studios (later Abbey Road Studios) in London on 9 July 1969. John Lennon, who had been absent from recording sessions for the previous eight days after being injured in a car crash in Scotland, arrived to work on the song,[10][11] accompanied by his wife, Yoko Ono. She was more badly hurt in the accident than Lennon, and lay on a large double-bed in the studio.[12][8] Sixteen takes of the rhythm track were made, followed by a series of guitar overdubs.[8] The unused fifth take can be heard on Anthology 3 (1996).[citation needed] Over the following two days the group overdubbed vocals, piano, Hammond organ, anvil and guitar.[8] The song was completed on 6 August, when McCartney recorded a solo on a Moog synthesiser.[13]

The recording process subsequently drew unfavourable comments from Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. Lennon said, "I was ill after the accident when they did most of that track, and it really ground George and Ringo into the ground recording it,"[14] adding later: "all I remember is the track — he made us do it a hundred million times. He did everything to make it into a single, and it never was and it never could’ve been. … We spent more money on that song than any of them in the whole album."[15] In the recollection of engineer Geoff Emerick, Lennon dismissed it as "more of Paul's granny music."[16] Harrison recalled: "Sometimes Paul would make us do these really fruity songs. I mean, my God, 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer' was so fruity. After a while we did a good job on it, but when Paul got an idea or an arrangement in his head …"[17] Starr told Rolling Stone in 2008, "The worst session ever was 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer.' It was the worst track we ever had to record. It went on for fucking weeks. I thought it was mad."[5] McCartney recalled: "The only arguments were about things like me spending three days on 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer.' I remember George saying, 'You've taken three days, it's only a song.' – 'Yeah, but I want to get it right. I've got some thoughts on this one.'"[18][better source needed]

Contemporary reviews

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In his 1969 review of Abbey Road for Rolling Stone, John Mendelsohn wrote: "Paul McCartney and Ray Davies are the only two writers in rock and roll who could have written 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer', a jaunty vaudevillian/music-hallish celebration wherein Paul, in a rare naughty mood, celebrates the joys of being able to bash in the heads of anyone threatening to bring you down. Paul puts it across perfectly with the coyest imaginable choir-boy innocence."[19] Writing in Oz magazine, Barry Miles described the song as "a complex little piece" and said that, aside from McCartney's casual interest in Jarry's work, "The only British pop group holding any pataphysical honours are The Soft Machine." Miles also said it was "a perfect example of Paul's combination of American Rock with British brass band music."[20] Derek Jewell of The Sunday Times found the album "refreshingly terse and unpretentious", but lamented the inclusion of "cod-1920s jokes (Maxwell's Silver Hammer)."[21] Mike Jahn of The New York Times called it a "light singalong" akin to songs like "When I'm Sixty-Four" and "Yellow Submarine".[22]

Retrospective assessments and legacy

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Among Beatles biographers, Ian MacDonald said that "If any single recording shows why The Beatles broke up, it's 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer'." He continued:

This ghastly miscalculation – of which there are countless equivalents on [McCartney's] garrulous sequence of solo albums – represents by far his worst lapse of taste under the auspices of The Beatles … Thus Abbey Road embraces both extremes of McCartney: the clear-minded, sensitive caretaker of The Beatles in 'You Never Give Me Your Money' and the Long Medley – and the immature egotist who frittered away the group's patience and solidarity on sniggering nonsense like this.[23]

Author Jonathan Gould cites "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" as an example of the selfishness inherent in the Beatles' creative partnership, whereby a composition by McCartney or Lennon would be given preference over a more substantial song by Harrison.[24] He also rues McCartney's penchant for a light entertainment style that the Beatles had sought to render obsolete, and concludes:

The sorriest aspect of 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer' is thus the way it demonstrates how Paul's workmanlike tendency to build on his past successes had caused him to translate the genuinely charming novelty and subversive parody of 'When I'm Sixty-Four' into a personal subgenre of glibly clever songs that had devolved in the two years since Sgt. Pepper into a form of musical schtick.[25]

In 2009, PopMatters editor John Bergstrom concluded his list "the worst of the Beatles" with the song. He said that while McCartney had previously created "some borderline-schmaltzy, music hall-inspired songs", "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" was "where even the secret admirer of 'Rocky Raccoon' must draw the line". Bergstrom described it as "Unnervingly 'cute', unrelentingly obnoxious, too literal-minded by half" and "the single Beatles song out of nearly 200 that is basically unlistenable".[26] Rolling Stone includes it in its 2025 list of 50 "terrible songs on great albums", calling its concept and storyline "crazy" and the time the Beatles spent to finish it "even crazier."[15] Richie Unterberger of AllMusic considers it "about the quirkiest" McCartney song he wrote while a Beatle.

Cover versions

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• In 1969, George Fenton (as George Howe) released a cover of "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" as his debut single, produced by Mike Leander.[27][28] His rendition became a hit in Sweden,[27] where it reached number six on Kvällstoppen and number one on Tio i Topp for two weeks in January 1970.[29][30]
• In 1972, the Canadian band the Bells covered "Maxwell's Silver Hammer". Their version reached number 83 on the Pop chart and number two on the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart.[31]

Personnel

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According to Kevin Howlett,[32] except where noted:

The Beatles

• Paul McCartney – lead and harmony vocals, piano, acoustic guitar, Moog synthesiser
• George Harrison – harmony vocal, bass, electric guitars[33]
• Ringo Starr – harmony vocal, drums, anvil[a]

Additional musician

• George Martin – Hammond organ[38]

References

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Notes

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1. ^ The Beatles' road manager Mal Evans played the anvil during the band's Get Back sessions in January 1969,[34] but most sources state Starr played it during the sessions for Abbey Road, including Howlett, Walter Everett, Mark Lewisohn, John C. Winn and Kenneth Womack.[35] Ian MacDonald instead says it was played by Evans,[23] as does Emerick in his autobiography.[36] Authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon are noncommittal, citing either Evans or Starr as the performer.[37]

Citations

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1. ^ a b Mulligan 2010, p. 127.
2. ^ Gould 2007, p. 278. "the song is a preternaturally catchy music-hall number ..."
3. ^ Sheff 2000, p. 202.
4. ^ a b Miles 1997, p. 554.
5. ^ a b "Interview with Ringo Starr". Rolling Stone. January 2008.
6. ^ Schaal, Eric (19 July 2019). "The Paul McCartney Song the Other Beatles Hated With a Passion". Showbiz Cheat Sheet. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
7. ^ Howlett 2018, p. 21.
8. ^ a b c d Lewisohn 1988, p. 179.
9. ^ McCartney, Linda (1992). Linda McCartney's Sixties: Portrait of an Era. Bullfinch Press. p. 153.
10. ^ "The day John Lennon crashed his car in the Highlands". Press and Journal. 8 December 2015. Archived from the original on 8 August 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
11. ^ Dick, Sandra (25 March 2019). "How the North Coast 500 led a Beatle to near-fatal car crash". The Herald. Archived from the original on 7 November 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
12. ^ Miles and Badman 2003, p. 347.
13. ^ Lewisohn 1988, p. 185.
14. ^ "The Playboy Interviews With John Lennon and Yoko Ono". Playboy. Putnam Pub Group. 1981. ISBN 978-0-87223-705-6.
15. ^ a b Greene, Andy (17 February 2025). "50 Terrible Songs on Great Albums". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 5 December 2025.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
16. ^ Emerick & Massey 2006, p. 281.
17. ^ "George Harrison Interview". Crawdaddy Magazine. February 1977. Retrieved 1 July 2009 – via The Beatles Interviews Database.
18. ^ "Maxwell's Silver Hammer". The Beatles Bible. 2009. Retrieved 5 November 2009.
19. ^ Mendelsohn, John (15 November 1969). "The Beatles Abbey Road". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
20. ^ Miles (November 1969). "Abbey Road: The Beatles Come Together". Oz. Available at Rock's Backpages (subscription required).
21. ^ Fricke, David (2003). "Abbey Road: Road to Nowhere". Mojo Special Limited Edition: 1000 Days of Revolution (The Beatles' Final Years – Jan 1, 1968 to Sept 27, 1970). London: Emap. p. 112.
22. ^ https://www.nytimes.com/1969/10/04/archives/-abbey-road-by-beatles-marked-by-moderation.html
23. ^ a b MacDonald 2007, p. 357.
24. ^ Gould 2007, pp. 534–36.
25. ^ Gould 2007, pp. 578–79.
26. ^ Bergstrom, John (12 November 2009). "The 'Worst' of The Beatles: A Contradiction in Terms?". PopMatters. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
27. ^ a b Wall, Mick (1 April 2024). "'I would've loved to be in a progressive rock band,' says composer George Fenton". Daily Express. Archived from the original on 16 April 2024. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
28. ^ Hallberg & Henningsson 2012, p. 182.
29. ^ Hallberg 1993, p. 204.
30. ^ Hallberg & Henningsson 2012, p. 473.
31. ^ "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 21 October 1972. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
32. ^ Howlett 2019, pp. 30–31.
33. ^ Everett 1999, p. 252.
34. ^ Winn 2009, p. 305.
35. ^ Everett 1999, p. 252; Howlett 2019, p. 30; Lewisohn 1988, p. 179; Winn 2009, p. 305; Womack 2019, p. 121.
36. ^ Emerick & Massey 2006, p. 283.
37. ^ Guesdon & Margotin 2013, p. 564.
38. ^ Everett 1999, p. 252; Winn 2009, p. 305.

Bibliography

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Books and academic sources

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• Babiuk, Andy (2002). Beatles' Gear: All The Fab Four's Instruments, from Stage to Studio (Second Revised ed.). London: BackBeat Books (Outline Press). ISBN 0-87930-731-5.
• Emerick, Geoff; Massey, Howard (2006). Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of The Beatles. New York: Gotham. ISBN 978-1-59240-179-6.
• Everett, Walter (1999). The Beatles as Musicians: Revolver through the Anthology. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-512941-0.
• Gould, Jonathan (2007). Can't Buy Me Love: The Beatles, Britain and America. London: Piatkus. ISBN 978-0-7499-2988-6.
• Guesdon, Jean-Michel; Margotin, Philippe (2013). All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Beatles Release. New York, NY: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers. ISBN 978-1-57912-952-1.
• Howlett, Kevin (2018). The Beatles (White Album) Super Deluxe Edition.
• Hallberg, Eric (1993). Eric Hallberg presenterar Kvällstoppen i P3 [Eric Hallberg Presents Kvällstoppen on P3] (1st ed.). Stockholm: Drift. ISBN 9-789-16-302-14-04.
• Hallberg, Eric; Henningsson, Ulf (2012). Tio i Topp - med de utslagna "på försök" 1961–74 [Tio I Topp With The Eliminated On Try 1961–1974] (in Swedish) (2nd ed.). Stockholm: Premium. ISBN 978-91-89136-89-2.
• Howlett, Kevin (2019). Abbey Road (50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Version) (book). The Beatles. Apple Records.
• Lewisohn, Mark (1988). The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions. New York: Harmony Books. ISBN 978-0-600-63561-1.
• Lewisohn, Mark (1992). The Complete Beatles Chronicle: The Only Definitive Guide to the Beatles' Entire Career. London: Hamlyn. ISBN 0-600-60033-5.
• MacDonald, Ian (2007). Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties (Third ed.). Chicago: Chicago Review Press. ISBN 978-1-55652-733-3.
• Miles, Barry (1997). Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now. Secker and Warburg. ISBN 978-0-7493-8658-0.
• Miles, Barry; Badman, Keith (2001). The Beatles Diary: The Beatles Years. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-7119-8308-3.
• Mulligan, Kate Siobhan (1 July 2010). The Beatles: A Musical Biography. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-0-313-37686-3.
• Sheff, David (2000). All We Are Saying. New York: St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 0-312-25464-4.
• Winn, John C. (2009). That Magic Feelings: The Beatles' Recorded Legacy, Volume One, 1966–1970. New York: Three Rivers Press. ISBN 978-0-307-45239-9.
• Womack, Kenneth (2019). Solid State: The Story of Abbey Road and the End of the Beatles. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. ISBN 978-1-5017-4685-7.

Websites and other sources

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External links

[edit] Wikiquote has quotations related to Abbey Road.

• Alan W. Pollack's Notes on "Maxwell's Silver Hammer"
• The Beatles Bible entry on "Maxwell's Silver Hammer"
• Take 5 of "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" on Anthology 3

v t e Abbey Road
50th Anniversary Edition
Songs	Side one "Come Together" "Something" "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" "Oh! Darling" "Octopus's Garden" "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" Side two "Here Comes the Sun" "Because" "You Never Give Me Your Money" "Sun King" "Mean Mr. Mustard" "Polythene Pam" "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window" "Golden Slumbers" "Carry That Weight" "The End" "Her Majesty"
Non-album single	"The Ballad of John and Yoko" "Old Brown Shoe"
Outtakes	"All Things Must Pass" "Come and Get It" "Ain't She Sweet"
Related articles	The Beatles albums discography Break-up of the Beatles Abbey Road, London McLemore Avenue The Other Side of Abbey Road The Abbey Road E.P.
The Beatles albums: Please Please Me With the Beatles A Hard Day's Night Beatles for Sale Help! Rubber Soul Revolver Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Magical Mystery Tour The Beatles Yellow Submarine Abbey Road Let It Be

Authority control databases	MusicBrainz work