From ABBA to Led Zeppelin: using music to teach economics
From ABBA to Led Zeppelin: using music to teach economics

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Paperback Writer - The Beatles

JEL: j       

Dear Sir or Madam, will you read my book?
It took me years to write, will you take a look?
Based on a novel by a man named Lear
and I need a job, so I want to be a paperback writer,
paperback writer.

Click to Listen

Assignment:

The subject of the song states that he wants to be a paperback writer but he "needs a job." How would you classify his employment status? Is he unemployed? Actively seeking new work? Do you think self-employment creates a measurement problem for the Bureau of Labor Statistics? Also if it took him "years to write," does this suggest anything about the opportunity cost of his time?

[Provided by Xilong Zhu - Beloit College]

Full Lyrics


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