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A Beatles song based on a single chord topped the charts

Sir Paul McCartney performs
Paul McCartney performs January 27, 2014 in Los Angeles, California.
Larry Busacca | Getty Images for NARAS 2014

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Today's Morning Edition music is "Paperback Writer" by the Beatles, which was at the top of the Billboard pop chart 50 years ago today.

Paul McCartney wrote the lyrics after reading an article in the Daily Mail about an aspiring author. When writing the music, he challenged himself to see if he could write an entire melody based on a single chord.

John Lennon also had his own demands. He insisted that the engineers boost the bass part so it would sound like a Wilson Pickett record he had been listening to.