Listen to a playlist of Haruki Murakami’s favourite Beatles covers
Revered Japanese author Haruki Murakami has frequently been described as “among the world’s greatest living novelists,” finding international popularity due to his unique use of humour, first-person narrative, and ambiguous style of writing.
Some of his most notable works include The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Kafka on the Shore, 1Q84, and Norwegian Wood. The latter was, of course, named after The Beatles’ track ‘Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)’, from their phenomenal sixth album Rubber Soul. But that’s not the only instance where Murakami dedicated one of his works to a Beatles track.
Murakami’s 2014 short story collection Men Without Women features Drive My Car, which has recently been adapted into a film of the same name by Ryusuke Hamaguchi that took home the Oscar for Best International Feature Film. The title is, of course, in reference to Rubber Soul‘s marvellous opening track.
Furthermore, a 2020 short story published in The New Yorker entitled Meet the Beatles, named after their hit album from 1964, is just another example of Murakami taking inspiration from the Fab Four. Therefore, you would think that the writer has been a lifelong superfan of the band, yet he revealed in his Murakami Radio series that he was initially indifferent to the band’s existence.
Despite coming of age when The Beatles were at their peak, it wasn’t until Murakami was in his 30s that he discovered the brilliance of the band. During a stay in Greece, the author began listening to a tape of The White Album on his Walkman, which inspired him to write Norwegian Wood. He soon realised the band’s importance and has frequently sprinkled references to the Liverpudlians throughout his oeuvre.
In one of his Murakami Radio broadcasts, which spawned from a one-off DJ session on Tokyo FM, the writer shared his favourite covers of Beatles tracks. The self-proclaimed music lover, who boasts a 10,000-strong record collection, compiled some obscure covers of early Beatles tracks, spanning French-language pop to Motown to rockabilly.
He begins with Petula Clark’s cover of ‘Please Please Me’, sang in French as ‘Tu Perds ton Temps’, as well as including Marianne Faithfull’s cover of ‘Yesterday’, a Brazilian rock cover of ‘She Loves You’ by Rita Lee of Os Mutantes, and Sarah Vaughan’s rendition of ‘And I Love Her’.
Both The Beatles and Murakami have transcended borders and cultures with their art, finding international appeal and relatability. It’s a good job Murakami took The White Album with him to Greece, as Norwegian Wood remains, to this day, one of his best-selling novels.
Haruki Murakami’s favourite Beatles covers:
- ‘Tu Perds ton Temps’ – Petula Clark
- ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ – Little Richard
- ‘All My Loving’ – Chet Atkins & Suzy Bogguss
- ‘And I Love Her’ Sarah Vaughan
- ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ – Johnny Rivers
- ‘You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away’ – John Pizzarelli
- ‘Yesterday’ – Marianne Faithfull
- ‘Norwegian Wood’ Gary Burton
Stream the playlist in full below.
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