Record:Paperback Writer / Rain

Released on May 30, 1966, the 45 rpm single "Paperback Writer" / "Rain" signaled a change in the Beatles' music. Tired of traveling and afraid that it hampered their creative development, the band gave up touring after their final concert on August 29, 1966, at San Francisco's Candlestick Park. From then on, they made their music in the studio. This opened up seemingly endless possibilities for musical experimentation. They began exploring exotic instrumentation, as with the sitar in the 1965 song "Norwegian Wood," and electronic effects, such as the reversed vocal tracks on "Rain." They also began expanding the themes of popular music. In their "Paperback Writer" / "Rain" single, they shifted away from the typically romantic subjects of popular rock songs. In the mid-'60s, when this song was released, the 45 rpm single was still the vehicle of popular music success. The Beatles' retreat to the studio paved the way for such concept albums as their first full-fledged psychedelic release, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, released in 1967. Part of the wave of '60s experimentation in general, the concept album connected musical ideas to social and cultural movements.