Song · The Beatles
“Maxwell's Silver Hammer” by The Beatles
Released 1969
“Maxwell's Silver Hammer” by The Beatles appears on 9 radio countdowns from 5 stations between 2002 and 2023. It was first released in 1969. Its best result is #582 on the KZOK Top 1025 of 2019. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #1,943 classic rock song of all time.
Paul McCartney wrote "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" for the Beatles' 1969 album Abbey Road, credited to Lennon–McCartney, and it's a murder ballad dressed up as a singalong: a bouncy tune about Maxwell Edison, a student who does people in with a hammer. McCartney saw it as a parable for the way life clobbers you out of nowhere.
The band first ran it down at the Get Back rehearsals that January, then sank four sessions into finishing it during the Abbey Road dates in July and August, McCartney driving the others hard while they made no secret of disliking it; Ringo Starr, looking back in 2008, called it the worst session ever. McCartney sings lead and plays piano and Moog, Starr drums and strikes an anvil, George Harrison takes bass and electric guitar, and producer George Martin adds Hammond organ.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Classic Rock
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 797 | 92.3 KGON | KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2002) | 923 |
| 2004 | 785 | 92.3 KGON | KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2004) | 923 |
| 2012 | 929 | 100.7 WZLX | 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) | 1200 |
| 2013 | 928 | 100.7 WZLX | 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) | 1000 |
| 2014 | 938 | Big 100 | BIG 1000 New Year's Countdown (2014) | 1000 |
| 2014 | 857 | 100.7 WZLX | 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) | 1000 |
| 2015 | 937 | 100.7 WZLX | 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) | 1007 |
| 2019 | 582 | 102.5 KZOK | KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 | 1025 |
| 2023 | 968 | Q104.3 | Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2023) | 1043 |
Also listed as: Maxwell's Silver Hamme.
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