Birthday ( Beatles song ) - wikipedia Birthday ( Beatles song ) `` Birthday '' `` Birthday '' 45 Song by the Beatles from the album The Beatles Released 22 November 1968 Recorded 18 September 1968 Genre Rock Length 2 : 42 Label Apple Records Songwriter ( s ) Lennon -- McCartney Producer ( s ) Chris Thomas `` Birthday '' is a song written by Lennon -- McCartney and performed by the Beatles on their double album The Beatles ( often known as `` the White Album '' ). It is the opening track on the third side of the LP ( or the second disc in CD versions of the record ). The song is an example of the Beatles ' return to more traditional rock and roll form, although their music had increased in complexity and it had developed more of its own characteristic style by this point. Surviving Beatles McCartney and Ringo Starr performed it for Starr 's 70th birthday at Radio City Music Hall on 7 July 2010. Contents 1 Writing 2 Personnel 3 Other versions 4 See also 5 References 6 External links Writing The song was largely written during a recording session at Abbey Road Studios on 18 September 1968 by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. McCartney : `` We thought, ' Why not make something up ? ' So we got a riff going and arranged it around this riff. So that is 50 - 50 John and me, made up on the spot and recorded all in the same evening. '' During the session, the Beatles and the recording crew made a short trip around the corner to McCartney 's house to watch the 1956 rock & roll movie The Girl Ca n't Help It which was being shown for the first time on British television. After the movie they returned to record `` Birthday ''. George Martin was away so his assistant Chris Thomas produced the session. His memory is that the song was mostly Paul 's : `` Paul was the first one in, and he was playing the ' Birthday ' riff. Eventually the others arrived, by which time Paul had literally written the song, right there in the studio. '' Everyone in the studio sang in the chorus and it was 5 am by the time the final mono mix was completed. John Lennon said in his Playboy interview in 1980 : `` ' Birthday ' was written in the studio. Just made up on the spot. I think Paul wanted to write a song like ' Happy Birthday Baby ' ( sic ), the old fifties hit. But it was sort of made up in the studio. It was a piece of garbage. '' `` Birthday '' begins with an intro drum fill, then moves directly into a blues progression in A ( in the form of a guitar riff doubled by the bass ) with McCartney singing at the top of his chest voice with Lennon on a lower harmony. After this section, a drum break lasting eight measures brings the song into the middle section, which rests entirely on the dominant. A repeat of the blues progression / guitar riff instrumental section, augmented by piano brings the song into a bridge before returning to a repeat of the first vocal section, this time with the piano accompaniment. Personnel According to Ian MacDonald : Paul McCartney -- lead vocal, piano, lead guitar, handclaps John Lennon -- lead and backing vocals, lead guitar, handclaps George Harrison -- six - string bass, handclaps Ringo Starr -- drums, tambourine, handclaps Pattie Harrison -- backing vocal, handclaps Yoko Ono -- backing vocal, handclaps Mal Evans -- handclaps Other versions `` Birthday '' Single by Paul McCartney B - side `` Good Day Sunshine '' Released 8 October 1990 ( UK ) 16 October 1990 ( US ) Genre Rock Label Parlophone ( UK ) Capitol ( US ) Songwriter ( s ) Lennon -- McCartney Paul McCartney singles chronology `` Put It There '' ( 1990 ) `` Birthday '' ( 1990 ) `` All My Trials '' ( 1990 ) McCartney released a live version on 8 October 1990 in the UK, with a US release albeit only as a cassette on 16 October. The single reached number 29 on the UK singles chart. The B - side was a live version of `` Good Day Sunshine ''. McCartney also released a 12 '' single and CD single with those songs and two more tracks, `` P.S. Love Me Do '' and `` Let ' Em In ''. `` P.S. Love Me Do '' is a combination of `` P.S. I Love You '' and `` Love Me Do ''. Underground Sunshine recorded the song as a single in 1969. Their version was a minor hit in the US, reaching # 19 on the Cash Box chart and # 26 on the Billboard Hot 100. ( ( ( cn ) ) ) Paul Weller covered the song for McCartney 's 70th birthday. This version was available for download on 18 June 2012 for one day only. Even with this limited mode of distribution, the track reached # 64 on the UK charts. See also List of birthday songs References Jump up ^ Sound & Vision, Volume 67, Issues 2 - 5. Michigan : Hachette Filipacchi Magazines. 2001. Go forward to 1968 and The Beatles ( a.k.a. The White Album ) and you get a veritable hard - rock clinic on what used to be, in the days of vinyl. Side 3 : `` Birthday, '' `` Everybody 's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey, '' `` Helter Skelter '' Jump up ^ Gibron, Bill ( 21 December 1968 ). `` An in - depth Look at the Songs on Side - Three ''. Rolling Stone. The White Album Project. Retrieved 28 October 2013. Jump up ^ Fields, Gaylord ( 8 July 2010 ). `` Paul McCartney Gives Ringo Starr ' Birthday ' Present Onstage in New York ''. spinner.com. Retrieved 14 October 2010. Jump up ^ `` Beatles Songwriting & Recording Database : The White Album ''. Beatlesinterviews.org. 22 November 1968. Retrieved 17 August 2011. Jump up ^ `` BBC2 Schedule Wednesday 18th September 1968 ''. Genome BETA Radio Times 1923 - 2009. Jump up ^ Miles, Barry ( 1997 ). Paul McCartney : Many Years From Now. New York : Henry Holt & Company. ISBN 0 - 8050 - 5249 - 6. Jump up ^ Sheff, David, p. 190. All We Are Saying. St Martin 's Griffin. 2000. ISBN 0 - 312 - 25464 - 4. Jump up ^ MacDonald, Ian ( 2005 ). Revolution in the Head : The Beatles ' Records and the Sixties ( Second Revised ed. ). London : Pimlico ( Rand ). p. 316. ISBN 1 - 84413 - 828 - 3. Jump up ^ Miles, Barry ; Badman, Keith, eds. ( 2001 ). The Beatles Diary After the Break - Up : 1970 -- 2001 ( reprint ed. ). London : Music Sales Group. ISBN 978 - 0 - 7119 - 8307 - 6. Jump up ^ `` Official Charts : Paul McCartney ''. The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 2011 - 10 - 13. Jump up ^ Paul McCartney - Birthday ( Vinyl ) at Discogs Jump up ^ Paul McCartney - Birthday ( CD ) at Discogs Jump up ^ `` Song Premiere : Paul Weller, ' Birthday ' ''. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2012 - 06 - 22. External links Alan W. Pollack 's Notes on `` Birthday '' The Beatles ( White Album ) Songs Side one `` Back in the U.S.S.R. '' `` Dear Prudence '' `` Glass Onion '' `` Ob - La - Di, Ob - La - Da '' `` Wild Honey Pie '' `` The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill '' `` While My Guitar Gently Weeps '' `` Happiness Is a Warm Gun '' Side two `` Martha My Dear '' `` I 'm So Tired '' `` Blackbird '' `` Piggies '' `` Rocky Raccoon '' `` Do n't Pass Me By '' `` Why Do n't We Do It in the Road ? '' `` I Will '' `` Julia '' Side three `` Birthday '' `` Yer Blues '' `` Mother Nature 's Son '' `` Everybody 's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey '' `` Sexy Sadie '' `` Helter Skelter '' `` Long, Long, Long '' Side four `` Revolution 1 '' `` Honey Pie '' `` Savoy Truffle '' `` Cry Baby Cry '' `` Revolution 9 '' `` Good Night '' Non-album single `` Hey Jude Revolution '' Outtakes `` A Beginning '' `` Child of Nature '' `` Circles '' `` Etcetera '' `` Junk '' `` Not Guilty '' `` Sour Milk Sea '' `` What 's the New Mary Jane '' Related articles The Beatles discography The Beatles in India Mother Nature 's Son The Grey Album 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 ( White Album ) Yellow Submarine Abbey Road Let It Be Past Masters Paul McCartney singles discography 1970s 1971 `` Another Day '' / `` Oh Woman, Oh Why '' ( with Linda McCartney ) `` Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey '' / `` Too Many People '' ( with Linda McCartney ) `` The Back Seat of My Car '' / `` Heart of the Country '' ( with Linda McCartney ) `` Eat at Home '' / `` Smile Away '' ( with Linda McCartney ) 1979 `` Wonderful Christmastime '' 1980s 1980 `` Coming Up '' `` Waterfalls '' `` Temporary Secretary '' 1982 `` Ebony and Ivory '' ( with Stevie Wonder ) `` Take It Away '' `` Tug of War '' `` The Girl Is Mine '' ( with Michael Jackson ) `` Say Say Say '' ( with Michael Jackson ) `` Pipes of Peace '' 1984 `` No More Lonely Nights '' `` We All Stand Together '' 1985 `` Spies Like Us '' 1986 `` Press '' `` Pretty Little Head '' `` Stranglehold '' `` Only Love Remains '' `` Once Upon a Long Ago '' `` Ferry Cross the Mersey '' `` My Brave Face '' / `` Flying to My Home '' `` This One '' `` Où est le Soleil ? '' `` Figure of Eight '' `` Distractions '' ( promo ) 1990s `` Put It There '' / `` Mama 's Little Girl '' `` Birthday '' ( live ) / `` Good Day Sunshine '' ( live ) `` All My Trials '' ( live ) / `` C Moon '' ( live ) `` We Got Married '' ( promo ) 1991 `` The World You 're Coming Into '' / `` Tres Conejos '' `` Save the Child '' / `` The Drinking Song '' `` Hope of Deliverance '' `` C'Mon People '' `` Off the Ground '' `` Biker Like an Icon '' / `` Things We Said Today '' `` Transpiritual Stomp '' ( The Fireman ) 1995 `` A Leaf '' ( with Anya Alexeyev ) `` Come Together '' ( The Smokin ' Mojo Filters ) `` Young Boy '' `` The World Tonight '' `` Beautiful Night '' 1998 Rushes ( The Fireman ) 1999 Fluid ( Nitin Sawhney Remixes ) ( The Fireman ) `` No Other Baby '' / `` Brown Eyed Handsome Man '' `` Vo ! ce '' ( with Heather Mills ) `` Run Devil Run '' ( promo ) 2000s 2000 `` Free Now '' ( promo ) `` From a Lover to a Friend '' `` Freedom '' / `` From a Lover to a Friend '' `` I 'm Partial to Your Abracadabra '' ( promo ) 2002 `` Your Loving Flame '' ( promo ) `` Lonely Road '' ( promo ) `` Hello Goodbye '' ( promo ) `` Tropic Island Hum '' / `` We All Stand Together '' 2005 `` Sgt. Pepper 's Lonely Hearts Club Band '' ( with U2 ) `` Fine Line '' `` Jenny Wren '' `` Really Love You '' ( Twin Freaks ) 2006 `` This Never Happened Before '' ( promo ) 2007 `` Dance Tonight '' / `` Nod Your Head '' `` Ever Present Past '' 2008 `` Heal the Pain '' ( with George Michael ) `` Sing the Changes '' ( The Fireman ) 2009 `` Dance Til We 're High '' ( The Fireman ) `` My Soul '' ( with Nitin Sawhney ) `` Meat Free Monday '' `` Walk with You '' ( with Ringo Starr ) 2010s `` ( I Want to ) Come Home '' 2011 `` My Valentine '' 2012 `` Only Our Hearts '' Christmas Kisses : `` The Christmas Song ( Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire ) '' / `` Wonderful Christmastime '' `` He Ai n't Heavy, He 's My Brother '' ( The Justice Collective ) `` Get Yourself Another Fool '' ( promo ) 2013 `` Out of Sight '' ( The Bloody Beetroots feat. McCartney & Youth ) `` New '' `` Queenie Eye '' 2014 `` Save Us '' `` Appreciate '' `` Early Days '' `` Hope for the Future '' `` Only One '' ( with Kanye West ) 2015 `` FourFiveSeconds '' ( with Rihanna & Kanye West ) `` All Day '' ( with Kanye West ) 2016 `` Nineteen Hundred and Eighty - Five '' ( with Timo Maas & James Teej ) 2018 `` I Do n't Know '' / `` Come On To Me '' Book Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Birthday_(Beatles_song)&oldid=853216467 '' Categories : The Beatles songs Song recordings produced by George Martin 1968 songs 2012 singles Songs about birthday Songs written by Lennon -- McCartney Songs published by Northern Songs British hard rock songs Paul McCartney songs 1990 singles Live singles Parlophone singles Capitol Records singles Hidden categories : Use British English from August 2011 Use dmy dates from August 2011 Articles with hAudio microformats Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Español Français Italiano עברית ქართული Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Português Русский Svenska 5 more Edit links This page was last edited on 3 August 2018, at 05 : 54 ( UTC ). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: who wrote they say it's your birthday
Answer: John Lennon