John Lennon’s original draft of the lyrics to the Beatles’ classic “A Day in the Life” went on sale Tuesday, the 39th anniversary of the date Lennon was inspired to compose the song after reading his morning newspaper.
The manuscript will be sold in a sealed-bid auction ending March 7, Bonhams auction house announced. The British auctioneer, with offices in New York and the West Coast, didn’t identify the seller.
The song, which begins “I read the news today, oh boy,” was inspired by the Daily Mail of Jan. 17, 1967, which included a story about the death of Tara Browne, heir to the Guinness fortune and a friend of the Beatles.
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It was recorded for the Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” album later that year, and is considered one of Lennon and Paul McCartney’s groundbreaking works of pop music.
The single sheet of handwritten lyrics includes the first two complete drafts of Lennon’s contribution to the song.
It was last sold by the estate of Beatles road manager Mal Evans for $100,000 at Sotheby’s in London in 1992, and is now being sold by the collector’s family.