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Maxwell’s Silver HammerThe Beatles

Released: September 26, 1969

Songwriter: Lennon-McCartney Paul McCartney

Producer: George Martin

[Verse 1]
Joan was quizzical
Studied pataphysical science in the home
Late nights all alone with a test tube, oh, oh, oh, oh
Maxwell Edison, majoring in medicine
Calls her on the phone
"Can I take you out to the pictures, Joa-oa-oa-oan?"
But as she's getting ready to go
A knock comes on the door

[Chorus]
Bang! Bang! Maxwell's silver hammer
Came down upon her head
Clang! Clang! Maxwell's silver hammer
Made sure that she was dead

[Verse 2]
Back in school again
Maxwell plays the fool again
Teacher gets annoyed
Wishing to avoid an unpleasant sce-e-e-ene
She tells Max to stay
When the class has gone away
So he waits behind
Writing 50 times "I must not be so, o, o, o"
But when she turns her back on the boy
He creeps up from behind

[Chorus]
Bang! Bang! Maxwell's silver hammer
Came down upon her head
(Do-do-do-do)
Clang! Clang! Maxwell's silver hammer
Made sure that she was dead
(Do-do-do-do)

[Verse 3]
P. C. 31 said, "We caught a dirty one,"
Maxwell stands alone
Painting testimonial pictures, oh, oh, oh, oh
Rose and Valerie
Screaming from the gallery, say he must go free
(Maxwell must go free)
The judge does not agree and he tells them so-o-o-o
But as the words are leaving his lips
A noise comes from behind

[Chorus]
Bang! Bang! Maxwell's silver hammer
Came down upon his head
(Do-do-do-do-do)
Clang! Clang! Maxwell's silver hammer
Made sure that he was dead

[Outro]
Whoa, whoa, whoa-oa
(Do-do-do-do-do)
(Silver hammer man)

The Beatles

The Beatles are arguably the most famous, critically-acclaimed, and successful rock band of all time—certainly the preeminent group of the 20th century. They started out as four teenagers playing grimy basement clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg, but they progressed to become world-beating rock stars who are still influential to this day.

John Lennon first formed a skiffle group called The Quarrymen in March 1957. A fifteen-year-old Paul McCartney joined shortly thereafter, eventually inviting his friend George Harrison to audition for the band. After finally impressing John with his guitar skills, George was asked to join—but this juncture would be short-lived as John’s departure to college signaled the other quarrymen to go their separate ways.

By 1960, Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison had re-branded from ‘Johnny & the Moondogs’ to ‘The Silver Beetles’ at the behest of their new bass player, Stuart Sutcliffe. The name would eventually evolve into ‘The Silver Beatles’ by July of that year, before settling on ‘The Beatles’ come August—just in time for their trip to Hamburg with new drummer, Pete Best. Though club residencies in Germany would prove fundamental to the group’s progress as a whole, the tour turned out to be a blessing and a curse, following the deportation of a then-seventeen-year-old George Harrison, and the eventual tragic death of Stuart Sutcliffe.

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