"Taxman"
Song by The Beatles
from the album Revolver
Released	August 5, 1966
Recorded	April 6-June 21, 1966
Genre	Garage Rock
Length	2.39
Label	Parlophone
Writer(s)	George Harrison
Producer(s)	George Martin
Music sample
"Taxman" ( file info) Play in browser (beta) Cover of The Beatles album Revolver. ... A song is a relatively short musical composition. ... The White Album, see The Beatles (album). ... The Beatles U.S. chronology Back cover The back cover of the original 1966 UK LP. The main photo was edited in separate parts for the booklet of the 1988 compact disc release. ... is the 217th day of the year (218th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... is the 96th day of the year (97th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 172nd day of the year (173rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that enjoyed its original period of wide success in the United States and Canada, from 1963 to 1967. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Parlophone is a record label which was founded in Germany prior to World War I by the Carl Lindstrom Company. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... George Harrison, MBE (25 February 1943[1][2] – 29 November 2001[3]) was an Academy Award and Grammy Award-winning English rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, author and sitarist best known as the lead guitarist of The Beatles. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Sir George Henry Martin CBE (born 3 January 1926 in Highbury, London, England) is sometimes referred to as the fifth Beatle—a title that he owes to his work as producer of almost all of The Beatles records. ... Image File history File links Beatles_taxman. ... Software development stages In computer programming, development stage terminology expresses how the development of a piece of software has progressed and how much further development it may require. ... Problems? See media help.
Revolver track listing
Side one "Taxman" "Eleanor Rigby" "I'm Only Sleeping" "Love You To" "Here, There and Everywhere" "Yellow Submarine" "She Said She Said" Side two "Good Day Sunshine" "And Your Bird Can Sing" "For No One" "Doctor Robert" "I Want to Tell You" "Got to Get You Into My Life" "Tomorrow Never Knows"

"Taxman" is the title of a song by The Beatles, appearing on the Revolver album, based on a common personification of tax collection agencies such as the HM Customs and Excise, the Inland Revenue or the Internal Revenue Service. The song's writer, George Harrison, performs the role of a taxman on the song in a tongue-in-cheek manner. The Beatles U.S. chronology Back cover The back cover of the original 1966 UK LP. The main photo was edited in separate parts for the booklet of the 1988 compact disc release. ... Music sample Eleanor Rigby ( file info) Problems? See media help. ... Im Only Sleeping is a song by The Beatles that appeared on their studio album Revolver (in the US on the Yesterday and Today album). ... Love You To is a song by the Beatles off of the album Revolver. ... Here, There and Everywhere is a song by Paul McCartney (though credited to Lennon-McCartney), recorded for The Beatles 1966 album Revolver. ... Music sample Yellow Submarine ( file info) Problems? See media help. ... She Said She Said is a song by the Beatles on the album Revolver. ... Good Day Sunshine is a song by The Beatles on the 1966 album Revolver. ... And Your Bird Can Sing is a song by the British rock and roll group The Beatles, released on their 1966 album Revolver (but on Yesterday. ... For No One is a song written by Paul McCartney (credited to Lennon/McCartney) that originally appeared on The Beatles seventh album, Revolver. ... Doctor Robert is a song by The Beatles on the album Revolver, recorded April 15, 1966 with vocals overdubbed April 16. ... I Want to Tell You is a song by the Beatles on the album Revolver. ... Got to Get You into My Life is a song by The Beatles on the album Revolver. ... Tomorrow Never Knows is the final track of The Beatles 1966 studio album Revolver, but it was the first to be recorded for the album. ... A tax collector is a person who collects unpaid taxes from other people or corporations. ... The White Album, see The Beatles (album). ... The Beatles U.S. chronology Back cover The back cover of the original 1966 UK LP. The main photo was edited in separate parts for the booklet of the 1988 compact disc release. ... An album or record album is a collection of related audio or music tracks distributed to the public. ... Tax rates around the world Tax revenue as % of GDP Economic policy Monetary policy Central bank   Money supply Fiscal policy Spending   Deficit   Debt Trade policy Tariff   Trade agreement Finance Financial market Financial market participants Corporate   Personal Public   Banking   Regulation        A tax is a financial charge or other levy imposed on... Her Majestys Customs and Excise (HMCE) was a department of the British Government in the UK. It was responsible for the collection of Value-added tax, Customs Duties, Excise Duties, and other indirect taxes such as Air Passenger Duty, Climate Change Levy, Insurance Premium Tax, Landfill Tax and Aggregates... The Inland Revenue was, until April 2005, a department of the British Government responsible for the collection of direct taxation, including income tax, national insurance contributions, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, corporation tax, petroleum revenue tax and stamp duty. ... Seal of the Internal Revenue Service Tax rates around the world Tax revenue as % of GDP Part of the Taxation series        “IRS” redirects here. ... George Harrison, MBE (25 February 1943[1][2] – 29 November 2001[3]) was an Academy Award and Grammy Award-winning English rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, author and sitarist best known as the lead guitarist of The Beatles. ...

Taxation leads to inspiration

Harrison was inspired to write "Taxman" when he discovered how much he was earning after accounting for taxes. As Harrison said, "'Taxman' was when I first realised that even though we had started earning money, we were actually giving most of it away in taxes. It was and still is typical." The reason for this was that due to how much The Beatles were earning, they were in one of the top tax brackets in the United Kingdom. In a 1984 interview with Playboy magazine, fellow Beatle Paul McCartney agreed with Harrison's depiction of the circumstances surrounding the writing of "Taxman": "George wrote that and I played guitar on it. He wrote it in anger at finding out what the taxman did. He had never known before then what he'll do with your money." Tax rates around the world Tax revenue as % of GDP Economic policy Monetary policy Central bank   Money supply Fiscal policy Spending   Deficit   Debt Trade policy Tariff   Trade agreement Finance Financial market Financial market participants Corporate   Personal Public   Banking   Regulation        A tax is a financial charge or other levy imposed on... Tax brackets are the divisions at which tax rates change in a progressive tax system (or an explicitly regressive tax system, although this is much rarer). ... Classic Playboy logo. ... Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE (born 18 June 1942) is an Academy Award- and Grammy Award-winning English singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who first gained worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...

Harrison got some assistance in the lyrics from fellow Beatle John Lennon, who wrote a few one-liners on the song for him. In 1980, Lennon recalled in an interview with Playboy magazine, "I remember the day he [Harrison] called to ask for help on 'Taxman', one of his first songs. I threw in a few one-liners to help the song along because that's what he asked for. He came to me because he couldn't go to Paul [McCartney]. Paul wouldn't have helped him at that period. I didn't want to do it. I just sort of bit my tongue and said OK. It had been John and Paul for so long, he'd been left out because he hadn't been a songwriter up until then." John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980), (born John Winston Lennon, known as John Ono Lennon) was an iconic English 20th century rock and roll songwriter and singer, best known as the founding member of The Beatles. ...

One quirk in the lyrics was Lennon's throwing in the names of the then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Harold Wilson and Edward Heath (a future Prime Minister). Harrison pulled no punches in his bipartisan bashing — Wilson and Heath were the leaders of the British Labour Party and British Conservative Party respectively. The garage rock group The Music Machine's cover version of Taxman replaced Wilson and Heath with President Lyndon Johnson and then-U.S. Secretary of State Dean Rusk respectively. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is, in practice, the political leader of the United Kingdom. ... James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, PC (11 March 1916 – 24 May 1995) was one of the most prominent British politicians of the 20th century. ... Sir Edward Richard George Heath, KG, OBE (9 July 1916 – 17 July 2005) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 to 1975. ... The Labour Party is a centre-left or social democratic political party in Britain (see British politics), and one of the United Kingdoms three main political parties. ... The new logo of the Conservative Party The Conservative Party is the largest centre right political party in the United Kingdom. ... Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that enjoyed its original period of wide success in the United States and Canada, from 1963 to 1967. ... The Music Machine (1965 - 1969) was an American garage rock and psychedelic (sometimes referred to as garage punk) band from the late 1960s, headed by singer-songwriter Sean Bonniwell and based in Los Angeles. ... Lyndon Baines Johnson (August 27, 1908–January 22, 1973), often referred to as LBJ, was an American politician. ... David Dean Rusk (February 9, 1909 – December 20, 1994) was the United States Secretary of State from 1961 to 1969 under presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. ...

In 1987, Harrison stated that he had been pleased McCartney agreed to play the guitar on "Taxman". In reference to McCartney's guitar solo, Harrison said, "I was pleased to have Paul play that bit on 'Taxman'. If you notice, he did like a little Indian bit on it for me."

The release, and after

The song was eventually released on Revolver; although Lennon and McCartney had always been the more prolific songwriters, they made allowance for a few Harrison songs on each album The Beatles released, in much the same way they would attempt to ensure at least one album track always featured drummer Ringo Starr's singing. Because it was the first track, a fake count-in was added at the beginning. A heavily distorted voice counts along with George Harrison; if you listen closely, you can hear McCartney shouting the actual count-in underneath the distorted one (In the stereo version, McCartney's count-in is in the left speaker). There are minor differences in the stereo and mono versions, particularly the entry points for the cowbell and tambourine. The Beatles U.S. chronology Back cover The back cover of the original 1966 UK LP. The main photo was edited in separate parts for the booklet of the 1988 compact disc release. ... John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980), (born John Winston Lennon, known as John Ono Lennon) was an iconic English 20th century rock and roll songwriter and singer, best known as the founding member of The Beatles. ... Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE (born 18 June 1942) is an Academy Award- and Grammy Award-winning English singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who first gained worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles. ... A drummer in Action A drummer is a person who plays the drums, particularly the drum kit, marching percussion, or hand drums. ... Richard Starkey Jr, MBE (born 7 July 1940), known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an Academy Award and Grammy Award winning English musician, singer, songwriter and actor, best known as the drummer of The Beatles. ...

On the song, Harrison sings as if he is the taxman, who is depicted as a malicious man looking for ways to rob people of their money, with lines like "If you try to sit, I'll tax your seat". The taxman tells the listener to appreciate that he is not left empty-handed: "Should five percent appear too small / Be thankful I don't take it all" and "one for you, nineteen for me" (referring to the 95% top tax rate at the time in the UK). He even goes as far as advising those who die to "declare the pennies on your eyes." The song closes with the taxman declaring that the listeners are enslaved by him: "And you're working for no one but me."

"Taxman" featured in Harrison's concert repertoire even after The Beatles had dissolved; on his tour of Japan in 1991 with Eric Clapton, "Taxman" was on the set list. "It's a song that goes regardless if it's the sixties, seventies, eighties or nineties," Harrison declared. "There's always a taxman." Eric Patrick Clapton CBE (born 30 March 1945), nicknamed Slowhand, is a Grammy Award winning British guitarist, singer, songwriter and composer. ... Set List by The Frames was recorded live in Dublin in November 2002. ...

In the U.S., radio disc jockeys and TV news reporters annually feature the song in the days leading up to April 15 (or one to three days after the 15th due to weekends and holidays), the date by which U.S. income tax returns must be filed. Some post offices have even been known to sardonically play the song on in-house audio systems for the long lines of bemused last-minute tax filers. In 2002, tax preparation service H&R Block used the song in television commercials. For other meanings of DJ, see DJ (disambiguation). ... is the 105th day of the year (106th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Tax rates around the world Tax revenue as % of GDP Economic policy Monetary policy Central bank   Money supply Fiscal policy Spending   Deficit   Debt Trade policy Tariff   Trade agreement Finance Financial market Financial market participants Corporate   Personal Public   Banking   Regulation        An income tax is a tax levied on the financial income... Small-town post office and town hall in Lockhart, Alabama A post office is a facility (in most countries, a government one) where the public can purchase postage stamps for mailing correspondence or merchandise, and also drop off or pick up packages or other special-delivery items. ... H&R Block (NYSE: HRB) is a tax preparation and personal finance management company founded by brothers Henry W. and Richard Bloch in Kansas City in 1955 (they changed the name of the company to prevent mispronunciation). ...

Credits

• John Lennon – tambourine, harmony vocal
• Paul McCartney – bass, lead guitar, harmony vocal
• George Harrison – double-tracked lead vocal, rhythm guitar
• Ringo Starr – drums, maracas, cowbell

Other versions

The song has also been played and recorded by Junior Parker, Black Oak Arkansas, The (Bonniwell) Music Machine, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Nickel Creek, Garrison Starr, and Mutual Admiration Society. Junior Parkers style influenced early rockabilly artists, such as Elvis Presley. ... Black Oak Arkansas, 1972 Black Oak Arkansas is an American Southern rock band named after the bands hometown of Black Oak, Arkansas. ... The Music Machine (1965 - 1969) was an American garage rock and psychedelic (sometimes referred to as garage punk) band from the late 1960s, headed by singer-songwriter Sean Bonniwell and based in Los Angeles. ... Stephen Stevie Ray Vaughan (October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990), born in Dallas, Texas, was an American blues guitarist. ... Nickel Creek is a Grammy Award-winning American acoustic music trio with roots in bluegrass, which is now sometimes described as progressive bluegrass or progressive acoustic. ... Garrison Starr is a singer-songwriter who originally hails from Hernando, Mississippi; a suburb of Memphis, TN. She was born on April 29, 1975. ... Mutual Admiration Society can refer to: Mutual Admiration Society, album by the Joe Locke and David Hazeltine Quartet. ...

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers played the song in tribute to Harrison at 2002's Concert For George. Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (born October 20, 1953 in Gainesville, Florida) is an American musician. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... DVD Cover For the released album, see Concert for George (album). ...

In the show Love, the guitar solo was sampled in the piece Drive My Car/The Word/What You're Doing, being primarily in the key of D major, like the rest of the song. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Drive My Car is a song written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon (credited to Lennon/McCartney) and first released performed by The Beatles on the UK version of the 1965 album Rubber Soul; it also appeared in the US on the Yesterday . ... The Word is a song by The Beatles first released on their 1965 album Rubber Soul. ... What Youre Doing is a song credited to Lennon/McCartney by Paul McCartney, one of eight originals of fourteen songs on the 1964 album Beatles for Sale (see 1964 in music) by the group; it also appeared on the 1965 American release Beatles VI (see 1965 in music). ... Also see: D minor, or D-flat major. ...

Cultural references

"Weird Al" Yankovic recorded a parody of this song in late 1981 called "Pac-Man", during the height of the game's popularity. The song has not yet seen a major release, but can be found on the compilation Dr. Demento's Basement Tapes No. 4. This article is about the musician himself. ... Pac-Man is an arcade game developed by Namco and licensed for distribution by Midway Games in 1979. ...

The Beatallica recorded a parody called "Sandman", which also was a parody of one of the most popular Metallica songs "Enter Sandman". The logo of Beatallica. ... Metallica is a Grammy Award-winning American heavy metal/thrash metal band formed in 1981[1] and has become one of the most commercially successful musical acts of recent decades. ... Enter Sandman is a song performed by the heavy metal band Metallica on their eponymous 1991 album Metallica (commonly called The Black Album by fans and the band themselves). ...

British indie band the Stone Roses' song "I Am The Resurrection" was inspired by the song's bassline; guitarist John Squire said that bassist Mani used to play it backwards and Squire would improvise over the top. This was a "joke" song they played in rehearsals, then they realised that it was strong enough to flesh out into a full song. Similarly, "Seagull" a song by another British shoegazer band, Ride, is also based on a bass riff very similar to the bass line in "Taxman". In popular music, indie music (from independent) is any of a number of genres, scenes, subcultures and stylistic and cultural attributes, characterised by perceived independence from commercial pop music and mainstream culture and an autonomous, do-it-yourself (DIY) approach. ... The Stone Roses were an influential English rock band from Manchester formed in 1984. ... John Squire (born John Thomas Squire on 24th November, 1962) is an English songwriter, guitarist and artist. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Shoegazing is a style of music that emerged in Britain in the late 1980s. ... Look up ride in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

The songs "To Be Someone" and "Start!" by British Mod revival band The Jam have similar basslines to the intro of "Taxman". This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...

The British band Mansun has a song called "Taxloss". It's clearly inspired by "Taxman", referring to the same backing vocals on both songs. Also the meaning of the song is quite similar. Mansun were a rock music band formed in Chester in 1995 by vocalist/rhythm guitarist Paul Draper, lead guitarist/back vocalist Dominic Chad, and bassist Stove King, with drummer Andie Rathbone, and disbanded in May, 2003. ...

References

• Fricke, David (2001-12-05). George's Greatest Moments. Rolling Stone.
• "Taxman" entry. Songfacts.
• Robb, John. The Stone Roses and the Resurrection of British Pop. 
• Strong, Martin C. The Essential Rock Discography, 548. 

This article is about the magazine. ...

External links

• Alan W. Pollack's Notes on "Taxman"