In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Beatles first trip to America (February 7, 1964), I wanted to take a shot at writing down my top 10 favorite Beatles songs. I will often joke that trying to pick a favorite Beatles song or album is like trying to decide which one of your children you love the most.
There are obviously a LOT of great songs to choose from. In fact there are so many that when Rolling Stone magazine compiled their own list, it included 100 songs! This is utterly astounding for a group whose recording career only spanned eight years.
Let me start by saying that I think the Beatles are the greatest group in the history of music. This wasn’t always the case, but after re-experiencing their catalog through the ears of my daughters, I’ve come to fully embrace their genius. Even though I’ve listed my top 10 favorites below, this list might change on a day-by-day basis as I continue to listen to their incredible music, especially with my two young daughters.
So, without further ado, here is my list for February 7, 2014…
Track title (Primary Songwriter / Album / Release Year)
(1) Eleanor Rigby (McCartney / Revolver / 1966)
Released in 1966 on the album Revolver, as well as a double A-side single with Yellow Submarine, Eleanor Rigby has been my favorite Beatles song for many years. I find it to be uniquely structured compared to other Beatles songs, and the combination of George Martin’s string arrangement with the lyrics is quite haunting. While Paul McCartney was the primary songwriter, many of the memorable lines were provided by other members of the Fab Four. This includes the famous hook “All the lonely people,” which was reportedly written by George Harrison.
(2) A Day in the Life (Lennon-McCartney / Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band / 1967)
The final track on Sgt. Peppers, A Day in the Life is actually the combination of two different songs. John Lennon had famously written the beginning and the ending verses, but went to Paul McCartney looking for help in coming up with a middle section. Paul offered up another song he had been working on, which was ultimately connected with John’s verses by a symphonic crescendo orchestrated by producer George Martin. The end result is a masterpiece that many consider to be the greatest Beatles song.
(3) Golden Slumbers Medley (McCartney / Abbey Road / 1969)
Most of the second side of Abbey Road is occupied by a medley of songs beginning with You Never Give Me Your Money and concluding with The End. However, even though most would consider this to be one long medley, there is a noticeable break between She Came In Through the Bathroom Window and Golden Slumbers. The tracks after the break are sometimes referred to as simply the Golden Slumbers Medly, and include Golden Slumbers, Carry that Weight, and The End. I prefer to listen to Abbey Road from beginning to end, but if I only have a short time, I will immediately go to these last three tracks. They work so well together, and come across as a single, epic song. The final track contains Ringo’s only drum solo on a Beatles song, as well as an awesome rotating guitar solo by George, Paul, and John.
(4) In My Life (Lennon / Rubber Soul / 1965)
This song stands out as the peak of the Rubber Soul album from 1965, which is otherwise packed with Beatles classics. I love the simple, but irresistible guitar part as well as the double-speed piano solo from George Martin that sounds like a harpsichord. There are different versions of who actually wrote the melody, but regardless this is a great song.
(5) You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away (Lennon / Help / 1965)
This song sounds like John Lennon channeling Bob Dylan, albeit with better vocals. Though the distinctiveness between the songwriting of Paul vs. John began to show itself as early as A Hard Day’s Night, this track really, really highlights the differences between the two.
(6) Across the Universe (Lennon / Let it Be / 1970)
While this song originally appeared on the Let it Be album from 1970, I vastly prefer the stripped down version that appears on the Let it Be…Naked release from 2003 without Phil Spector’s additional orchestration. The stripped down version highlights Lennon’s strong vocal performance, which is somewhat obscured by Spector’s original additions.
(7) Let it Be (McCartney / Let it Be / 1970)
I believe Let it Be was the first Beatles song that I became aware of as a child. It is amazing to me that when Paul McCartney first met producer George Martin in 1962, he could not play the piano. However, he went on to write some really fantastic piano driven songs for the Beatles like Lady Madonna, Hey Jude, and Let it Be. This past Christmas, my oldest daughter learned to play Let it Be on the piano as her present to me, because she knows how much I love this song.
(8) Here Comes the Sun (Harrison / Abbey Road / 1969)
The inclusion of Something and Here Comes the Sun on Abbey Road served notice that George Harrison was a formidable songwriter even when paired with the Lennon-McCartney juggernaut. The latter opened the acclaimed second side of the album with a burst of radiating optimism. It is really pretty cool that this song was written while Harrison playing hooky from the group and walking around in guitar great Eric Clapton’s garden with an acoustic guitar.
(9) Strawberry Fields Forever (Lennon / only released as a single / 1967)
Strawberry Fields Forever was the first song recorded during the Sgt. Peppers sessions, but did not appear on the album because of pressure from the record company for a new Beatles single. It ended up being released as a double A-side single along with Penny Lane. Both of these songs recalled their childhood in Liverpool, and producer George Martin has stated that this is his favorite of all Beatles songs.
(10) While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Harrison / The Beatles – [i.e. the White Album] / 1968)
The genesis of this track from The Beatles was when George Harrison committed to write a song based on the first words he saw upon opening a random book. Those words turned out to be “gently weeps,” and the rest is history. This song features an incredible, and uncredited, guitar solo from Harrison’s close friend Eric Clapton.
Well….there you have it, for what it’s worth. What are your top 10 favorite Beatles songs?
Bonus – Most Underrated Beatles Song
Hey Bulldog (Lennon / Yellow Submarine / 1969)
I almost never hear anyone talk about this song when referencing the Beatles, but Hey Bulldog contains one of the greatest riffs found in any of their music. This song was written by Lennon in response to McCartney’s famous single, Lady Madonna, but was not released until the Yellow Submarine album in 1969.