My Top Ten Beatles Songs

I’ve been a huge fan of The Beatles since February 9, 1964, when they first appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show. Sure, I was only six (and a half!), but I have two older siblings who were very excited, so I knew it was Something Big. My admiration for The Beatles has only grown over the years and decades. 

Like many drummers who came of age in the sixties, Ringo is the reason I play drums. He just looked like he was having a lot of fun back there. Not much later, I realized that being a drummer attracted attention from girls as well. There was no turning back. I have been drumming every since. My admiration for Ringo has also only grown over the decades.

A while back, I heard a live version of Help! on the radio, performed in August of ‘65, right at the height of the maelstrom that was Beatlemania. Despite that, the lads still played like that had something to prove. I mused that, while not my favorite Beatles tune, Help! was certainly in the top-ten, which got me to thinking; what are my top-ten Beatles songs? 

My only criterion: Does it evoke a visceral reaction; am I going to turn up the volume and sing along  when it comes on? (That’s really the case with all just about all Beatles songs, but you know what I mean.) For example: I didn’t attempt to choose one song from each of the 13 studio albums, or only lyrics written in the first person, etc. 

So here they are, in chronological order, as ranking them proved impossible.  

Your results may vary.

I Saw Her Standing There: Please Please Me. Recorded live February 11, 1963.  This song is dripping with the sheer exuberance of young lust. From the moment of Paul’s enthusiastic count-off, one can feel the Lads’ excitement as the first rush of Beatlemania was setting in. 

All My Loving: With The Beatles:  Recorded July 30, 1963.  Don’t think of it. Don’t start singing it in your head. It will be stuck there for a looooong time. On the other hand, if you have an annoying “ear-worm,” All my Loving is the nuclear option; it will knock out any other song in your head and then settle in for a nice extended stay.  And there are worse things to have stuck in your head. That third verse with John’s harmony part above Paul’s lead just kills. 

Help!: Help!: Recorded April 13, 1965. As noted above, this is the one that got me thinking about this list. Lennon/McCartney established a pretty high bar for well-crafted pop tunes, but this one easily flies right over. It. Is. Perfect. Two minutes and twenty seconds of pure pop pleasure. Yet it’s hardly formulaic; the introduction is not repeated in any form, and it ends on a slightly dissonant note (a sixth-chord for you musician types). 

Drive My Car: Rubber Soul: Recorded October 13, 1965. Despite being known as the more sentimental one, Sir Paul rocks this tune hard, with a heavy nod to R&B. “Beep Beep, Beep Beep, Yay” is right! Sure, the cowbell is too-hot in the mix, but I wouldn’t change a thing.

In My Life: Rubber Soul: Recorded October 18, 1965. John further bares his soul after Help! Ringo’s part is easily overlooked, but it is sublime in its creativity and simplicity -- like the song itself.

Rain: Single B-side of Paperback Writer (Revolver era): Recorded April 14-16, 1966. Ringo has often cited this as his favorite Beatles song. And if Sir Richard thinks it’s worthy, who am I to disagree? Paul and Ringo made up a grossly under-rated rhythm section as all the other elements of the band tended to hog the spotlight, but they both stepped out and let loose on John’s fledgling flight into psychedelia. 

Sgt Pepper reprise: Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band: Recorded April 1, 1967. At 1:18, this is the second shortest of all Beatles songs (do you know the shortest?). I know it’s a strange choice to include, but I love this track for much the same reason as I Saw Her Standing There;  it’s counted-off by Paul and the unbridled joy of making rock and roll comes through loud and clear; it was recorded nearly live by the whole band (just like the old days!). Over 50 years later those first two bars of just Ringo laying down the groove still make me want to mosh like Wayne and Garth from Wayne’s World. Much has been written about the album (which had no singles), so I needn’t add to all that spilled ink. Any of the other 12 tracks could easily have made this list on another day.

Hey Bulldog: Yellow Submarine: Recorded February 11, 1968. The album Yellow Submarine was a disappointment. It was the first time the Beatles didn’t over-deliver. Only side one was the Beatles (Side two being George Martin incidental music for the film of the same name), and there were only four new songs. One stands out, Hey Bulldog. And it really stands out. John playfully rocking out to his now trademark nonsensical lyrics. I guess I’m not alone as this song has been covered by dozens of bands. If it’s flown under your radar, give it another listen.

While My Guitar Gently Weeps: The Beatles (the “White Album”): Recorded September 5-6, 1968. George finally steps out from the shadow. Can you imagine being a talented song-writer, but always being in the shadow of the greatest song-writing team ever? It must have been hugely intimidating. But George persisted (and took notes). With this one, he finally reached that lofty height, and continued up from there. And he had the benefit of a pretty decent backing band. An uncredited Eric Clapton on lead-guitar didn’t hurt either.

Happiness is a Warm Gun: The Beatles (the “White Album”): Recorded September 24-26, 1968. Pure John doing his best Lewis Carroll-esqe silliness. I love the rhythmic twists and turns (Ringo makes it sound easy, but try and count it yourself). 

Oh! Darling: Abbey Road: Recorded April 20, 1969. Sir Paul sure can sing! (He’s a pretty darn good bass player, too.) I  literally still get goose-bumps when he throws in those touches of growl and Little-Richard-ish falsetto (particularly on the bridges). A few brave artists have attempted to cover this song, but it’s really pointless. There is nothing anyone can bring to this song that Paul didn’t already do better.  John said he thought the song was better suited to him rather than Paul. I hate to contradict Mr. Lennon, but he was wrong. This is a Paul tour-de-force. 

Something: Abbey Road: May-August, 1969. George is intimidated no more! Even John and Paul acknowledged that this is a great song, no matter how you slice it. It’s George’s first number one single, and the second most covered Beatles song (can you guess the first?), performed by artists as diverse as Frank Sinatra and James Brown. 

In no way does this list imply that there aren’t dozens of other Beatles songs that I absolutely adore, and stand head and shoulders above any music from just about any other artists. An “Honorable Mentions” list would pretty much be “and the rest of them.”

Let’s Analyze! 

Okay, it’s actually twelve songs. I couldn’t bear to cut two more songs. 

• Five Paul Songs. Five John songs. Two George songs. 
• The list spans their entire career yet is only six years. The stylistic changes are head-spinning. Steely Dan would take that long to decide what bass-drum microphone to use. 
• John has long been my favorite Beatle (Sorry, Ringo), so I’m a bit surprised to see a tie with Paul. If the list were twice as long, John would likely come out ahead. I’m particularly fond of his lyrical nonsense: I am the Walrus, Strawberry Fields, etc. 
• Only three were number one hits (though they had seventeen, all of which are deserving).
• Even though “The White Album” is my favorite, only two songs from it are on the list -- tied with Abbey Road. Again, if the list were longer, “The White Album” would probably come out ahead. 
• I certainly love Paul’s sentimental side (I Will stands out), even more so as I age, but I apparently like it even better when he rocks out. 
• All of these songs have endings. No fade-outs.  It’s a songwriting pet-peeve of mine. It seems lazy. “How should we end it, Walt?” “I dunno, Don, just fade it, like all the others.”  Sometimes there’s a call for a fade-out -- and The Beatles use it sparingly -- but usually not. All things in moderation, including fade-outs. 

I encourage comments. Have your own favorites? Let’s hear it! It was illuminating to create this list. I learned a few things about myself as a fan (does it show that I'm a fan?).