Rock & Roll: History & Analysis

This paper examines the similarities and differences between “Paperback Writers” by The Beatles and “the “19th Nervous Breakdown” by Rolling Stones.

Running head: ROCK & ROLL: HISTORY & ANALYSIS 1
Rock & Roll: History & Analysis
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ROCK & ROLL: HISTORY & ANALYSIS 2
Rock & Roll: History & Analysis
Introduction
The Beatles is one of the most influential music bands in history. The group comprised of
four members including Ringo Starr, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, and John Lennon: and is
mainly known for its highly creative and commercial art, including songs like “Day Tripper”,
“Norwegian Wood”, “Penny Lane”, and “Yesterday.” However, their most prominent work is
“Paperback Writer” - the song utilized a variety of artistic and creative elements.
On the other hand, the “19th Nervous Breakdown” was produced by Rolling Stones. The
English rock band consisted of five members, including Mick Jagger, Ronnie Wood, Brian
Jones, and Keith Richards. This paper examines the similarities and differences between
“Paperback Writers” and “the “19th Nervous Breakdown”.
Similarities
One similarity between the “19th Nervous Breakdown and paperback writers is that both
songs dominated pop charts after their release. The songs were played across Europe with
paperback writers retaining the number one spot in the US Billboard Hot songs for more than
two weeks (Garvey, 2016). Another similarity is sounding. In Paperback writers, the Beatles play
a melody backed by one static chord. Additionally, the song uses a bass sound from the start to
the end. Garvey (2016) suggests that the bass sound was used partially before the 1960’s. By
fully using the sound, the Beatles lay the foundation for contemporary music (Kruse, 2017).
Similarly, the 19thNervous Breakdown utilizes a melodic guitar chord. The chord breakdown
shows a high percentage of similarity, however, slight variations appear.

ROCK & ROLL: HISTORY & ANALYSIS 3
Another similarity is that both bands released the songs in mono sound; however, the
recording studios later produced alternate sounds such as the stereo mix.
Differences
One difference between the two songs is the composition and recording. The “Paperback
Writers” was written by Paul McCartney after helping his friends open a printing store. In
contrast, the Rolling Stones recorded the "19th Nervous Breakdown" after completing their
North American tour. During composition, the 19th Nervous Breakdown utilized an opening
guitar and a bass-note during the verses (Nehring, 2015). After the verbose lyrics, the group
played long blues chords. On the other hand, paperback writers used a continuous bass guitar
played throughout the song to back the harmony vocals. Socolow (2018) explains that one of the
unique features of the "Paperback Writers" is that the Beatles utilized slow and contrapuntal
sounds to form the Frere Jacques rhyme.
Another difference is the equipment used. The Beatles used drums, rhythm guitars, lead
guitars, bass and tambourine to record paperback writers. In contrast, the Rolling Stones used
drums, bass guitars and electric guitars to produce the 19th Nervous Breakdown.
References

ROCK & ROLL: HISTORY & ANALYSIS 4
Garvey, M. (2016). Politics and Power in the Record Industry: The Beatles, the Beach Boys, and
the Album as Art Form. Musicology Australia, 38(2), 153-171.
Kruse, R. (2017). The Geography of the Beatles: Approaching Concepts of Human Geography.
Journal of Geography, 103(1), 2-7.
Nehring, N. (2015). Introduction: The Rolling Stones. Rock Music Studies, 2(3), 221-225.
Socolow, M. (2018). Rolling Stone: Stories from the Edge. Journal of American History, 105(1),
236–238.