Top 50 Beatles Songs
What is there to say about the Beatles that hasn’t been said? They restructured pop and rock music as we know it more than once during the brief seven years that they made records. They were at the center of a pop-culture revolution that’s still resonating today. And every single one of their albums — from 1963′s debut, ‘Please Please Me,’ to 1970′s swan song, ‘Let It Be’ — is a classic. You can say that about a huge chunk of their tracks too, as you’ll see in our list of the Top 50 Beatles Songs.
The Top 50 Beatles Songs: Tracks 30-11 | Tracks 10-1
‘Tomorrow Never Knows’
Once the Beatles committed to becoming a full-time studio group, they wasted no time exploring the various shapes and colors tucked away in the technological corners. On ‘Revolver”s closing cut they tripped out, with backward loops, sped-up tapes and exotic instruments buried in the mind-exploding mix.
‘The Ballad of John and Yoko’
John Lennon‘s whirlwind affair with Yoko Ono yielded a couple experimental records, a ton of controversy and unparalleled scrutiny from the media. After some of the dust on the matter settled, Lennon wrote a song about it, chronicling his yearlong misadventures with messianic, winking frustration.
‘Getting Better’
One of ‘Sgt. Pepper’s” melodically cheeriest songs rides an undercurrent of melancholy, as John Lennon and Paul McCartney trade words (and moods) on the chorus. ‘Getting Better,’ like much of the album, was spearheaded by McCartney, but everyone chips in here.
‘I Feel Fine’
Generally credited as one of the first songs to include deliberate feedback, ‘I Feel Fine’ helped shape the Beatles’ declaration of independence. Within a few months they would replace their traditional forms of songwriting to include more studio effects and audio experiments.
‘All My Loving’
When the Beatles made their first U.S. appearance on ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ on Feb. 9, 1964, this was the song they started with. The two-minute pop explosion served as a perfect intro to the group and the incoming wave of Beatlemania.
‘Hello Goodbye’
Recorded after the groundbreaking ‘Sgt. Pepper’s’ but before the fractious White Album sessions that would signal their breakup, ‘Hello Goodbye’ came during a significant period for the Beatles — still a band, but now one where Paul McCartney’s voice (both his literal and metaphorical ones) shines bright.
‘From Me to You’
One of the group’s earliest songs is as nostalgic as it is forward-looking. Borrowing songwriting cues from the Beatles’ rock ‘n’ roll heroes, ‘From Me to You’ sounds like a tribute to the music’s formative years. But the big hook driving it was a taste of things to come.
‘Drive My Car’
In the U.K., ‘Drive My Car’ opened the game-changing ‘Rubber Soul,’ steering straight into a brave new world for pop artists. Staking out a firm identity on the album, the Beatles would never be the same. ‘Rubber Soul’ was the dividing line; ‘Drive My Car’ is the opening shot.
‘You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away’
The Beatles met Bob Dylan while touring the U.S. in 1964. He introduced them to marijuana. But they were also big fans of his music, especially John Lennon, who pretty much lifted Dylan’s style and sound on ‘Help!”s acoustic centerpiece ‘You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away.’
‘Yellow Submarine’
For the most part, Ringo Starr covered old rock, country and pop hits on Beatles albums. But for ‘Yellow Submarine,’ John Lennon and Paul McCartney handed him one of their most playful songs, a singalong number loaded with sound effects and a ton of psychedelic fun.
‘Nowhere Man’
No longer content writing love songs and singing “yeah, yeah, yeah,” the Beatles got deep on ‘Rubber Soul,’ penning more personal cuts fraught with emotional baggage. John Lennon’s ‘Nowhere Man’ peeks into the soul of an everyman and discovers a dark, lonely chasm.
‘Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds’
John Lennon has always claimed that the inspiration behind one of ‘Sgt. Pepper’s” most popular cuts was a drawing by his son. But he isn’t fooling anyone. With its spaced-out imagery and kaleidoscopic soundscape, ‘Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds’ is an acid trip for your ears.
‘This Boy’
The Beatles were still finding their footing when they recorded ‘This Boy’ in 1963. Released as the B-side to ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’ (and recorded during the same sessions), the song is built on an R&B rhythm inspired by Motown legend Smokey Robinson. It also features a killer vocal by John Lennon.
‘The Long and Winding Road’
The Beatles’ last single released as a group, and their final No. 1, was recorded during the tumultuous sessions that spawned the ‘Let It Be’ album. It’s one of Paul McCartney’s most gorgeous songs, buoyed by Phil Spector’s majestic, and controversial, strings.
‘We Can Work It Out’
Recorded during the ‘Rubber Soul’ sessions (and released as a single the same day as, but not included on, the album), ‘We Can Work It Out’ is stuffed with the wide-eyed wonderment that graced Beatles recordings during this fertile period. It’s one of the few songs John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote together after they hit it big.
‘Taxman’
George Harrison‘s bitter screed against British tax laws (and the people who enforce them) opened one of their most adventurous albums on a tough, sparring note. In addition to unveiling the magical mysteries of ‘Revolver,’ ‘Taxman’ ushered in a new era of creativity for the so-called Quiet Beatle.
‘Revolution’
The Beatles reworked ‘Revolution’ so many times during the troubled White Album sessions that three versions appeared in 1968: a bluesy, acoustic crawl found on ‘The Beatles,’ a messy sound collage also on the LP and this plugged-in electric version, which was released as a single as the B-side of ‘Hey Jude.’
‘Paperback Writer’
‘Paperback Writer’ was the only Beatles song to reach No. 1 in 1966. But Beatlemania was far from over. The group was stretching its sound — check out the fatter bass anchoring the track — and boundaries during the era, recording the mesmerizing ‘Revolver’ before moving on to the colorful popscape of ‘Sgt. Pepper’s.’
‘Here Comes the Sun’
‘Abbey Road”s second side is mostly dominated by a multi-song suite orchestrated by Paul McCartney. But this lovely George Harrison song opens the side with a beam of sunshine that carries in with it the Beatles’ glorious final notes.
‘Helter Skelter’
One of the Beatles’ toughest tracks is all raging guitars, scarred vocal cords and blistered fingers. Its abrasive tone rocks the tranquility found elsewhere on the White Album, while still being an integral part of that LP’s sturdy-but-crumbling structure.
Top 50 Beatles Songs: 30-11
The Top 50 Beatles Songs: Tracks 50-31 | Tracks 10-1
‘Day Tripper’
Released the same day as the career-shifting ‘Rubber Soul’ album (as part of the double A-side single with ‘We Can Work It Out’), ‘Day Tripper’ signaled the start of a new era of Beatles records, one that explored wild new musical frontiers. It was also one of the last songs John Lennon and Paul McCartney worked on together.
‘Get Back’
Like ‘Let It Be,’ ‘Get Back’ was released in two different versions: a 1969 single mix and a rougher take that appears on the ‘Let It Be’ album. ‘Get Back’ was the original working title of the LP the Beatles planned to make after the White Album split them apart. The sessions ended disastrously, but this song was a hopeful indication of where things were heading before the collapse.
‘Eight Days a Week’
‘Eight Days a Week’ was the first Beatles song to be composed in the studio. Prior to its recording near the end of 1964, the group always had complete songs ready to play; starting with ‘Eight Days a Week,’ they began fleshing out skeletal ideas for songs as they recorded. John Lennon reportedly hated the final version.
‘I Am the Walrus’
Released as the flip side to ‘Hello Goodbye,’ ‘I Am the Walrus’ reflected the growing distance between John Lennon and Paul McCartney as songwriters. Where the A-side was basically a pop song shaded with some Summer of Love colors, ‘I Am the Walrus’ is a full-on freak-out, complete with bits of rambling dialogue, stray swatches of swaying strings and a fiercely distorted lead vocal from Lennon.
‘Got to Get You Into My Life’
The Beatles always absorbed the music around them, whether it was music-hall ballads from their youths, pioneering rock ‘n’ roll or the R&B that swept in from the U.S. The brass-tastic ‘Got to Get You Into My Life’ was hugely influenced by Motown and helped make ‘Revolver’ one of the group’s most ear-popping, and -opening, albums.
‘Twist and Shout’
The Beatles covered a fair amount of songs on their first few albums, and because they were pretty much great songs to begin with, the band’s versions rarely topped the originals (as solid as they were). Their scorching take on the Isley Brothers’ ‘Twist and Shout,’ recorded at one of their earliest sessions, is one of the times they totally owned a song not bearing the Lennon-McCartney songwriting credit.
‘Rain’
Like the single it supported (‘Paperback Writer’), the Beatles’ best B-side comes from the productive ‘Revolver’ sessions. But ‘Rain’ is more than a mere flip-side castoff; loaded with backward tape loops, massive overdubs and a studio-as-a-playground ethos that would consume the Beatles going forward, ‘Rain’ is a masterpiece of controlled chaos.
‘All You Need Is Love’
‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ was a little more than a month old when the Beatles released this song, which was originally commissioned by the BBC for the planet’s first live global satellite television special. It couldn’t have come at a better time, with the Summer of Love marching forward in all its paisley-colored, patchouli-scented glory.
‘With a Little Help From My Friends’
The second half of one of the most celebrated album intros ever recorded, ‘With a Little Help From My Friends’ was given to Ringo Starr by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, who envisioned it as the drummer’s showcase number on the LP. And with his down-home vocal and shuffling delivery, it’s one of Starr’s most enduring numbers.
‘Can’t Buy Me Love’
By mid 1964, just as Beatlemania was reaching its apex, John Lennon and Paul McCartney were hitting their stride as songwriters. No longer satisfied with singing other people’s songs, they began writing their own at a feverish pace. ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ was a highlight of a marathon period that yielded much of the ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ album.
‘Come Together’
The opening track on the last album the Beatles recorded, ‘Come Together’ serves as the perfect intro to ‘Abbey Road.’ With its slithery rhythm and slightly menacing and sinister vibe, the song leaves a burning scar on some of the album’s sunnier songs. It reached No. 1 — the last Beatles chart-topper penned by John Lennon.
‘Please Please Me’
Recorded at one of the Beatles’ earliest sessions and released as their second single, ‘Please Please Me’ helped prove that their debut, ‘Love Me Do,’ was no fluke. The song topped the U.K. charts and later made it to No. 3 in the U.S. The band liked the song so much, it named its first album after it.
‘A Hard Day’s Night’
‘A Hard Day’s Night’ was more than just the title of the Beatles’ first movie and third album; it was the first time they showed some muscle on record. Written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon, based on something Ringo Starr had said, ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ is the sound of a group heading toward its inevitable immortality.
‘I Saw Her Standing There’
In a way, ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ helped launch Beatlemania in the States. Even though it was released in the U.K. in 1963, it showed up on the B-side of the Beatles’ breakthrough U.S. single, ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand,’ almost a year later, setting in motion a musical revolution that’s still reverberating today.
‘Eleanor Rigby’
‘Eleanor Rigby’ wasn’t the first pop song to use only a string section as its musical base, but it was one of the most effective up to that point (and still is, for that matter). More importantly, Paul McCartney was just 23 years old when he wrote this look at infinite loneliness and the hopelessness that springs from it.
‘Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)’
John Lennon wrote ‘Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)’ as a confession to his wife, whom he had cheated on. It helped uncover a brand new level of the Beatles’ songwriting: personal introspection, rather than the universal themes of love that had marked their first couple of years. George Harrison‘s use of the sitar was also revolutionary, introducing a thoroughly exotic instrument to pop music.
‘She Loves You’
The “yeah, yeah, yeah” refrain is legendary, and it was at the time too. But ‘She Loves You’ storms out of the gate unlike very few songs before or since. Kicking off with the chorus (how many songs did that in 1963?) and featuring some of the young band’s finest playing and harmonies, ‘She Loves You’ is the sound of Beatlemania wrapped in 2:18.
‘Help!’
The demands of fortune and fame were barreling down hard on the Beatles, especially John Lennon, when they wrote and recorded ‘Help!’ in 1965. Stepping into more personal songwriting, the song was a literal cry for help from Lennon, who was the most uncomfortable with the Beatles’ ballooning success.
‘Yesterday’
Paul McCartney wrote ‘Yesterday’ when he was 22 years old. Within a few years, it became one of the most recorded songs in pop history, with everyone from Frank Sinatra to Elvis Presley to Bob Dylan covering it. All these years later, it sounds like it’s been with us forever. No surprise that it shot to the top of the chart.
‘Hey Jude’
‘Hey Jude’ was one of the few times the Beatles pulled themselves together and worked as a unit during the troubled
White Album sessions. Written by Paul McCartney for John Lennon’s son, the seven-minute single became the group’s biggest U.S. hit. The singalong chorus that dominates the second half of the song amounts to one last unified rallying cry by the splintering band.
The Top 50 Beatles Songs: Tracks 50-31 | Tracks 30-11
‘Ticket to Ride’
After four albums in which they redefined 1950s American rock ‘n’ roll as they saw it from across the ocean, the Beatles catapulted into a brand new era on ‘Help!’ ‘Rubber Soul’ and ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ are better and more significant albums, but ‘Help!’ planted the seeds for their growth. ‘Ticket to Ride,’ a No. 1 single, is the highlight.
‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’
The Beatles would make more sophisticated and musically audacious music over the next several years, but their breakthrough U.S. hit is one of their most joyous and unpretentious tunes. No wonder it kicked off Beatlemania here and around the world. And no wonder it still bursts out of speakers with world-dominating authority nearly 50 years after its release.
‘Penny Lane’
At the start of the ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ sessions, Paul McCartney and John Lennon each wrote a song about their childhoods. They were released as a double A-side single that came out four months before the album (and eventually ended up on ‘Magical Mystery Tour’). While Lennon’s ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ is No. 2 on our list of the Top 10 Beatles Songs, McCartney’s ‘Penny Lane’ offers a loving drive-by portrait of an idyllic community that shaped his formative years.
‘Something’
George Harrison‘s elegant ‘Abbey Road’ cut ranks right next to ‘Yesterday’ as one of the Beatles’ most popular ballads. As Harrison developed as a songwriter over the years, he struggled to place more of his songs on Beatles albums. Shockingly, ‘Something’ was his only Beatles song released as the A-side of a single.
‘Let It Be’
The Beatles’ final album was actually recorded before ‘Abbey Road’ but sat on the shelf for a year before producer Phil Spector cobbled together a record from the hours of tangled tapes the band left behind. It’s a complicated and often cluttered LP, but it contains some real gems, including McCartney’s elegiac title track, which serves as a perfect requiem for the group.
‘In My Life’
By late-1965, the Beatles had grown tired of Beatlemania, yeah-yeah-yeah and all that pop stuff. So their songwriting became sharper and more individually and personally focused. ‘Rubber Soul’ marks the first full leap in this direction, and Lennon’s ‘In My Life,’ a wistful recollection of the people and places he cherished most, sounds like it was penned by an aged old soul, not a 25-year-old star.
‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’
The Beatles’ relationships had deteriorated so much by the time they started working on ‘The White Album’ that they basically played backing band to each other’s solo songs. Depending on whom you talk to, it’s either a masterpiece or a mess. We think it’s a fascinating but fractured work. Harrison’s ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps,’ with a guitar solo by Harrison’s pal Eric Clapton, rises above the chaos.
‘Abbey Road’ Medley
The 16-minute suite that takes up the majority of side two of the last album the Beatles recorded together (see No. 6 on our list of the Top 10 Beatles Songs) is made up of eight songs, most of them written and arranged by McCartney. The piece stands as one of the group’s greatest works, an explosion of compositions stitched together as a sprawling, career-defining summation.
‘Strawberry Fields Forever’
The Beatles were in the middle of their most ambitious period when they recorded ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ and ‘Penny Lane,’ a pair of nostalgic songs about growing up in Liverpool (see No. 8 on our list of the Top 10 Beatles Songs). Lennon’s weird, wonderful track falls together in a blizzard of sound effects, cozy recollection and the kaleidoscopic blur of life-altering memories.
‘A Day in the Life’
Lennon and McCartney hadn’t really written a song together since they started composing separately around the time of the ‘Help!’ sessions. ‘A Day in the Life’ was the closest they got during their final stages. Lennon penned the frame of the song; McCartney added the middle interlude. And these two separate pieces add up to one glorious whole, a grand masterpiece that closes, with a striking and definitive single piano chord, their best album. It’s about life, death and everything in between. And it’s the Beatles at their most monumental.
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