If there’s any cause for weeping, it’s that this was released as a B-side to, of all things, Macca’s ‘Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da’, which Lennon described as ‘Paul’s granny shit’. Paul McCartney’s best Beatles songs: 20. Tristan Parker, Ah! Suits and ties are a thing of the past. It’s also got a laddish strain to it, that received wisdom tells us the Fab Four left behind in Hamburg: the lyric supposedly refers to those swinging ’60s society hipsters who dabbled with LSD at the weekend, but the original verse was ‘she’s a prick-teaser’. While this isn’t strictly a Beatles song, it is one of the most popular songs and will have people singing along in no time. The song is as indebted to country music as to an English country ramble, with its rain-splattered, guitar-smacking romance and camaraderie. They had already absorbed Buddy Holly, the Everly Brothers and Chuck Berry, but they were also writing their own songs. Best Beatles Songs 1. Every record was a shock. Still, ‘Rain’ remains a mind-mangling milestone: the first use of backwards guitar on a mainstream pop track, vocals that sound like a Gregorian monk with a head cold, bass so fluid it practically drips, and all held together with a martial drum part that Ringo regards as the pinnacle of his career. Ringo’s slip-and-slide drumwork staggers alongside Lennon’s hazy voice and, just as the wonky beauty of George’s guitar recorded-in-reverse creeps in, it slowly fades out. 4. 5. I said, “Do you want me to take the harmony line the second time round?” And he said, “Yeah, give it a try.” I’d only had 35 years to learn the part. Pepper’s,’ ranking of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, George Harrison’s output. When a one-night stand doesn’t end well. Written on the way to the airport, it prickles with pique, and Lennon’s voice is strangely seductive while he practically croons with scorn and derision at a fallen idol. And funnily enough, he was. The music that John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr wrote and recorded between 1960 and 1970 has surely become the most beloved songbook of all time. Heck, they are wearing sunglasses indoors in the picture on the back of the cover and not even looking at the camera . John Lennon’s best Beatles songs: 10. If ‘When I’m 64’ is a little too oompah for your tastes, try this intimate early ballad. On both records you can hear references to other music — R&B, Dylan, psychedelia — but it’s not done in a way that is obvious or dates the records. The Beatles even recorded for Parlophone, which was a comedy label, as if they believed they might be a passing novelty act. It's another George Harrison joint, named after a mist-wreathed LA street just off the Sunset Strip where he stayed in 1967. ‘SSSS’ is one of those moments when you remember that the Beatles are really good and cool and not just grinning historical cartoon moptops. It’s another desperately melancholy bite of McCartney storytelling, possibly about Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (the second song dedicated to him in this list) that was written between takes of composing 'With A Little Help From My Friends'. However many times you've heard it, that "na na na na na na na..." will get you every time. The Beatles Wrote Some Of The Best Love Songs Of All Time. . They made writing your own material expected, rather than exceptional. When, in actual fact, it was the byproduct of two acid trips? We whittle down the entire output of the Fab Four down to a fab fifty. Amy Smith, The gentle echo to Paul’s vocals creates a deep sadness to what could have been a straight-up love song, with the delicate classical guitar and Ringo’s sandy bongos only adding to the haunting tenderness. Written from the perspective of a young man imagining himself as an old man looking back on himself as a young man (it’s complicated, but it works), ‘Things We Said Today’ pulls off the almost inconceivable trick of being nostalgic for the present. “Dear Prudence” by Siouxsie And The Banshees, 1983. This is a list of cover versions by music artists who have recorded one or more songs written and originally recorded by English rock band The Beatles.Many albums have been created in dedication to the group, including film soundtracks, such as I Am Sam (2001) and Across the Universe (2007) and commemorative albums such as Sgt. Question. . Revolution 9- No need to explain, seeing as everyone loves it so much. When probed by one blowhard to respond to a Time magazine critique that “Day Tripper” was about a prostitute and “Norwegian Wood” about a lesbian, McCartney responds, “We were just trying to write songs about prostitutes and lesbians.” In the laughter that follows, he mutters, “Cut.” They were giving the impression that the game was up, but in truth, they were just getting started. Question. Inspired by the slogans of the Summer of Love and the growing peace movement, John and Paul threw everything at this track: trumpets, a double bass, a bit of ‘Greensleeves’, a rare one-note chorus, plus a touch of Bach and banjo. Amy Smith, Early Beatles or late Beatles? Such is the raw, rock ’n’ roll energy behind the song, in fact, that when Macca belts out ‘I’m Down, I’m really down’, you can’t help thinking that this kid’s gonna be a-ok in the end. Most important, they always fit right into the arrangement. Tom Huddleston, So much is made of the rivalry between John and Paul that it is heartening to know they shared mics on this track, a loose, metallic-string twanging jaunt about Paul and his future wife, Linda. Tom Huddleston, The Beatles do reggae? While they bickered, the quietly reliable George Harrison opened a book, found the words ‘gently weeps’ at random, and fashioned this piece of high-class melancholia. A hip-hop variant of the song that paradoxically remains true to both hip-hop and the original Beatles song. Tom Huddleston, This is The Beatles at their most energetic and raw. They made such fantastic records as “Paperback Writer” b/w “Rain” or “Penny Lane” b/w “Strawberry Fields Forever” and only put them out as singles. List Rules This is a worst of list, so upvote the songs you like the least, and downvote the ones that aren't so bad. The majority of titles on this Top Ten Beatles Songs list are pre-‘Sgt. James Manning, No one knits together the grandiose and the mundane like The Beatles. Chris Waywell, John Lennon would often cite this song as his first subjective track and the first to draw on childhood memories. Tom Huddleston. Okay, the lyrics are total gibberish – but it takes an expert songwriter to conjure such unforgettable images (‘Yellow matter custard / Dripping from a dead dog’s eye’) and craft something so deliriously infectious. The songs weren’t theirs anymore. Nick Levine, It starts with a growl, a ‘Goon Show’ voice counting in, then George smacks you in the face and we’re away. Fact: this is the UK’s best-selling single of the ’60s, bar none. Pro tip: soul legend Fats Domino’s 1969 cover is also magnificent. © Copyright 2021 Rolling Stone, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media, LLC. That’s where our list of the 50 best Beatles songs comes in: it's solid pop gold from start to finish. Perhaps I understood in that moment one of the reasons why the Beatles had to stop performing. ‘Norwegian Wood’, with its dreamlike, disparate elements (Greenwich Village folk, sitar, lyric about interior decoration) is an exercise in celebrity existentialism, the mental breakdown of fame. There were tears. Now it’s time to get serious. . Possibly not. It turns out that ranking the songs recorded by the Beatles in the 1960s is easy; you put the worst one at the top, and the best one at the bottom. Primarily written by the group’s resident surrealist, it’s arguably one of Lennon’s greatest pieces and has his mark stamped all over it – but Macca’s woozy Mellotron intro is unarguably brilliant and still capable of inducing a few goosebumps. In 1999, a little time after Linda McCartney’s passing, Paul performed at the Concert for Linda, organized by Chrissie Hynde. Paul said the song was his attempt to write a Little Richard number, but the result is something altogether weirder, a bracing herky-jerky love song at perfect odds with its barnstorming flipside ‘I Feel Fine’. It’s actually a relief to know there was a bite behind his doe-like good looks and a boon to have that post-break-up sullen period documented so well. The squiggly tape loops, George’s backwards guitar, Ringo’s endless backbeat, Paul’s ‘om’ of a bassline and John’s whacked-out Tibetan pronouncements on life, death and oblivion still sound totally electrifying in 2017. Amy Smith, The second side of ‘Abbey Road’ is the most perfect thing The Beatles ever recorded: inspired by Brian Wilson’s experiments in sonic stitching, Paul created a rolling tapestry of burbling bass, guitar chimes and cosmic harmony, with the occasional spike of feedback, melody and guttural Scouse humour to keep the listener interested. There was one vote for “Yellow Submarine.” But in the end, we agreed on these timeless tunes. Tom Huddleston, This is the first song on the first Beatles album I bought. Chris Waywell, With their films and carefully tended media personas, the Beatles were one of the first bands to explore the meta dimensions of superstardom. These records were events, and not just advance notice of an album. Want more Rolling Stone? The songs of the British rock group the Beatles are known for their vitality and variety, covering all genres of the day from pop ballads to hard rock to acid rock to Indian ragas to basic rock'n'roll. Tucked away on side one of the ‘Yellow Submarine’ cartoon soundtrack, ‘Hey Bulldog’ is a towering booty-shaker, a grinding nonsensical love song driven by a killer riff, Paul’s fretless bass swoops and Ringo at his chunkiest. Well not exactly, partly because the form wasn’t quite invented yet in 1964 and partly because that’d be bloody horrible. It’s also well worth checking out Kurt Cobain’s cover. and so on, and so on. . You can probably guess what side I’m on. Mostly fast with a few slow songs mixed in. Even the most award-winning, generation-changing, and absolute best bands in history turn out bad songs every now and then, and the Beatles are no different. This is an updated version of an essay that appeared in RS 946. The stock theme of boy-wants-girl is thrown out to expose the potential loneliness of old age. Tom Huddleston, Unashamedly saluting Little Richard with its half-shrieked chorus and Lennon’s wild electric piano runs, ‘I’m Down’ is a short, sharp, simple burst of jump-up blues. Amy Smith, Here’s one Beatles track that absolutely nobody asks for at their wedding. . The group's "main catalogue" – songs released between 1962 and 1970 – consists of 213 songs (four of which exist in different versions): 188 originals and 25 covers. Déjà vu! The Beatles influenced the course of popular music history, inspired countless rock and pop artists, and stole the hearts and minds of music fans all over the world. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. Well, with ‘I Feel Fine’ you’ve got a bit of both, what with the opening hum of feedback (anticipating the boys’ sitar phase) and a proto-‘Rubber Soul’ circular melody, the rattling energy of ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ and the stoned haze of ‘Come Together’. Remember I’ll always be true. Few songwriters have been so thoroughly covered as Lennon/McCartney, and the diversity of Beatles covers is a tribute to the Fab Four's unmatched mark on pop music. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Amy Smith, I get excited whenever a guitar sound is described as ‘scuzzy’, and this version of the 1968 track delivers big time on the scuzz. The best Paul McCartney songs reveal that, as a solo artist, he has always … And who are we to argue? Staring down a series of dismal attempts at provocation from the press corps, they look exhausted and disenchanted. McCartney never claimed that the irresistibly bounce "Hello, Goodbye" was his most profound... 'Yes It Is'. When EW ranked the 50 best Beatles songs ever in 2009, there was yelling. The lyrics are, of course, whinging rock star bollocks, but everything else is glorious. This is, of course, a cover of Barrett Strong’s 1959 song and the first hit for Berry Gordy’s Motown record label. . It sees Macca use his pen to send shots at the actress whom he believed had let him down by refusing to stay at home and going out on a theatre tour. Tristan Parker, Eternally imitated and never matched, this song changed music – no question. Amy Smith, It was such an awesome decision of Lennon and McCartney to portray a runaway’s tale from the point of view of the parents; through their protestations of ‘we gave her most of our lives, we gave her everything money could buy’, you can unpick what was a yawning generational gap. Or indeed at the single-day session that saw this and nine other tracks recorded for their debut album, ‘Please Please Me’. This means that no one born after Christmas Eve 2015 will ever live in a world where The Beatles’ music wasn’t available for … Nick Levine, Never underestimate The Beatles’ early stuff. The Top Ten Beatles Songs of All Time "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" "A Day in the Life" "I Want to Hold Your Hand" "Strawberry Fields Forever" "Yesterday" "In My Life" "Something" "Hey Jude" "Let It Be" "Come Together" 14. If I had to pick a favorite song from those albums, it would be “And Your Bird Can Sing” . Adding to the barnstorming energy of the track, you can’t help but snigger at it’s materialistic sentiment – one completely at odds with so many later Beatles songs. Amy Smith, Has John’s voice ever sounded better? As of 12:01 AM on December 24, The Beatles’ music was finally available for streaming on multiple outlets including Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, and even Napster (lol). 5. The word “Beatlesque” has been in the dictionary for quite a while now. Ringo Starr played the drums with an incredibly unique feel that nobody can really copy, although many fine drummers have tried and failed. Close. My experience — seizing on every picture, saving money for singles and EPs, catching them on a local news show — was repeated over and over again around the world. ‘You Never Give Me Your Money’ is the pinnacle, an aching four-part drama built on images of abandonment and departure, the work of a man preparing for the next phase of his life. Nick Levine, McCartney’s voice is rich and steeped in ’50s rock ’n’ roll affectation on this twinkling gem that kicks off with a spirited ‘1, 2, 3, FOUR!’ and doesn’t let up. 2. 2. no, “For No One” . While the pacifist motto may not chime with actual world events, we’re all allowed to indulge our utopian dreams for 3 mins and 57 seconds. The 50 Best Beatles songs. At the show, it was very different. Try another? Matt Breen, Dow dow dow-dow dow dowwww… ‘She said / I know what it’s like to be dead’. We Created This List Of Our Top 15 Favorites For You To Add To Your Romantic Music … I spent most of my holidays on Merseyside then, and a local girl gave me a bad publicity shot of them with their names scrawled on the back. The band were all massive fans of the Motown sound and, along with manager Brian Epstein, would raid vinyl stores for new US releases. Personally, I think it sounds like impending heartbreak – only with George Harrison standing nearby, clacking on the claves. During the rehearsal, I was singing harmony on a Ricky Nelson song with him, and Paul called out the next tune: “All My Loving.”. The poor kid must have felt a long way from Merseyside. Amy Smith, Why is John Lennon’s madcap oddity so often written off as the naff byproduct of an acid trip? Amy Smith, The band were approached in 1967 to create a song for 'Our World', the first live, global TV show, broadcast to 25 countries. Marketing-wise, a bad move – but in hindsight it just added to the individual allure of what continues to be a genuinely magical mystery of a song. They can be heard in all sorts of one-off wonders from the Knickerbockers’ “Lies” and the Flamin’ Groovies’ “Shake Some Action.” The scope and license of the White Album has permitted everyone from OutKast to Radiohead to Green Day to Joanna Newsom to roll their picture out on a broader, bolder canvas. Amy Smith, Incensed by a satirical cartoon depicting Yoko as a monkey on his back draining his creative juices, Lennon wrote this snarling slice of pure rock ’n’ roll gristle. That’s pure bulldog balls – because it’s right here. Lennon wrote this corker after being blown away by Smokey Robinson’s ‘I’ve Been Good To You’ and borrowed the doo-wop stylings and flush harmonies. Amy Smith, Producer George Martin’s classical experience comes to the fore with this beautiful-yet-tragic tale of loneliness. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' (1967) Opinions vary among Beatles fans, save for in regard to “Hey Jude." I need to put together a song list for a dance party. It’s a beautiful song in itself, but also suggests that if you were the most famous band in the world, psychedelia was a perfectly logical place to go. Can really copy, although many fine drummers have tried and failed Has there ever been a more marriage... ‘ studio years ’ a B side albums, it would be “ and your Bird Sing. 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