The title phrase was the headline of an article in the NRA magazine The American Rifleman belonging to George Martin that John Lennon found laying around the Abbey Road studios. Lennon said he reaction was immediate. “I just thought it was a fantastic, insane thing to say. A warm gun means you just shot something.” The article’s title was a repugnant takeoff on Charles Schulz’ “Happiness Is a Warm Puppy.”
This was one of the last truly collaborative efforts in the Beatles’ catalog. Many of the lyrical phrases were contributed by publicist Derek Taylor, George Harrison helped the band through the time-signature changes, and Martin stitched the song together from the 70 takes they recorded. All four Beatles named it as their favorite song on the White Album.
