Ten From the Beatles: Favorite Songs
The appearance of Sirius/XM’s channel 18, The Beatles (24/8 – that’s 24 hours a day, eight days a week of course), has been a catalyst for yet another return to the Beatles’ catalog for me. Doing so is wholly unnecessary. I know every note, every flub, every drum beat, every bass note, every guitar solo, etc. They are as ubiquitous as breathing to me. Anyone who knows me well knows this to be true.
I have about 60 books about the Beatles. My office is adorned with sports memorabilia and Beatles décor, including my pride and joy, my personally commissioned Abbey Road painting from my favorite artist Alyssa Ryann Scrimpshire. In short, no matter how much I love other music, it will always come back to the greatest band ever.
A regular feature on Channel 18 is “The Fab Four,” where a fan will introduce his or her four favorite Beatles tracks with brief comments on each. Upon hearing this segment, I first thought that this would be something I must do. This led to immediate panic, as I realized selecting just four songs as my favorites would be impossible.
I’ve been pretty steady in my top 6 or 7 for some time, but narrowing it to four would be impossible. I suppose if given the opportunity to record my intros for Sirius/XM, I would force myself to do so. But until they come knocking for my contribution, I offer this for you: My Ten Favorite Beatles Songs. (With the understanding that I will likely change my mind tomorrow on 2-3 of them.)
I offer these in no particular order, as actually ranking them would cause me to hyperventilate.
Back in the USSR
There is nothing like dropping the needle onto the White Album, hearing that jet roar, and experiencing (three of) the Beatles ripping through this great send up of both Chuck Berry and the Beach Boys. It rocks. It rolls. And, it is hilarious. Paul sings about Soviet mainstays in this parody that reminds us what the Beatles were really about: fun. It is a fun song. If you don’t love it, you probably really are a communist. Come and keep your comrade warm indeed.
Dear Prudence
I would really like to bundle this with USSR since one fades into the other, but that would be cheating as one song has nothing to do with the other. To me, this has always been John’s master work. Written in India to try to coax Mia Farrow’s sister out of her bungalow, it is the most beautiful thing the hard-edged Lennon every did. And, oh my, that bassline. Dear Prudence is absolutely perfect, and if I had ever had a daughter, Prudence would have been her name (over the extremely loud protests of my wife).
Ticket to Ride
That guitar pattern. Those bizarre drums. Those harmonies. The guitar fill at the end of the bridge (middle eight, in fab parlance). John’s extraordinary vocal. Paul’s earnest harmonies. “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “She Loves You” take the prize for the best of the early Beatles’ releases for most. Give me this one, the song John called “the first heavy metal record.” That is certainly a stretch, but it is the best song the group had done to that point, in my opinion.
Paperback Writer
It wasn’t the first non-love song the Beatles recorded (that would be “Nowhere Man”), but it was the first single they did that had nothing to do with boy meets girl. Those wonderful acapella harmonies jump out from silence and we are off. Then, that guitar riff bites through the speakers. Oh yeah! But then, it happens. That bass rolls in just before the verse and BOOM. It must have been a record like no one had ever heard before. Some find it slight and formulaic, and maybe by the group’s standards it was. But the actual recording itself? I dare you to find a better sounding record from 1966 (though flipping it over and playing “Rain” might well be a good start in your quest).
I have about 60 books about the Beatles. My office is adorned with sports memorabilia and Beatles décor, including my pride and joy, my personally commissioned Abbey Road painting from my favorite artist Alyssa Ryann Scrimpshire. In short, no matter how much I love other music, it will always come back to the greatest band ever.
A regular feature on Channel 18 is “The Fab Four,” where a fan will introduce his or her four favorite Beatles tracks with brief comments on each. Upon hearing this segment, I first thought that this would be something I must do. This led to immediate panic, as I realized selecting just four songs as my favorites would be impossible.
I’ve been pretty steady in my top 6 or 7 for some time, but narrowing it to four would be impossible. I suppose if given the opportunity to record my intros for Sirius/XM, I would force myself to do so. But until they come knocking for my contribution, I offer this for you: My Ten Favorite Beatles Songs. (With the understanding that I will likely change my mind tomorrow on 2-3 of them.)
I offer these in no particular order, as actually ranking them would cause me to hyperventilate.
Back in the USSR
There is nothing like dropping the needle onto the White Album, hearing that jet roar, and experiencing (three of) the Beatles ripping through this great send up of both Chuck Berry and the Beach Boys. It rocks. It rolls. And, it is hilarious. Paul sings about Soviet mainstays in this parody that reminds us what the Beatles were really about: fun. It is a fun song. If you don’t love it, you probably really are a communist. Come and keep your comrade warm indeed.
Dear Prudence
I would really like to bundle this with USSR since one fades into the other, but that would be cheating as one song has nothing to do with the other. To me, this has always been John’s master work. Written in India to try to coax Mia Farrow’s sister out of her bungalow, it is the most beautiful thing the hard-edged Lennon every did. And, oh my, that bassline. Dear Prudence is absolutely perfect, and if I had ever had a daughter, Prudence would have been her name (over the extremely loud protests of my wife).
Ticket to Ride
That guitar pattern. Those bizarre drums. Those harmonies. The guitar fill at the end of the bridge (middle eight, in fab parlance). John’s extraordinary vocal. Paul’s earnest harmonies. “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “She Loves You” take the prize for the best of the early Beatles’ releases for most. Give me this one, the song John called “the first heavy metal record.” That is certainly a stretch, but it is the best song the group had done to that point, in my opinion.
Paperback Writer
It wasn’t the first non-love song the Beatles recorded (that would be “Nowhere Man”), but it was the first single they did that had nothing to do with boy meets girl. Those wonderful acapella harmonies jump out from silence and we are off. Then, that guitar riff bites through the speakers. Oh yeah! But then, it happens. That bass rolls in just before the verse and BOOM. It must have been a record like no one had ever heard before. Some find it slight and formulaic, and maybe by the group’s standards it was. But the actual recording itself? I dare you to find a better sounding record from 1966 (though flipping it over and playing “Rain” might well be a good start in your quest).
Don’t Let Me Down
John’s “Get Back” sessions earnest cry to Yoko is as fine a song as the band ever did. I guess if you held a gun to my head, I would say this is my favorite Beatles track. I mean, just watch them perform it live on the rooftop at Saville Row (video, right). Everyone is in top form. John’s singing and rhythm guitar are spot on. Paul’s bass and harmonies are perfect as always. George’s counter-melody on that beautiful rosewood Tele during the verses? Spectacular. Ringo’s drumming, sublime. Billy Preston? Well, leave it to a Texas boy to make the greatest band in the world even better. This song, this performance, this moment… that was the pinnacle as far as I am concerned. And I just love the way that, through all the bad times, all the struggles, all the difficulties, when they are playing together they still smile and love what they are doing. Watch that clip and then tell me that wasn’t the greatest band ever. |
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I’m Only Sleeping
On an album full of nothing but songs any other artists would give their whole careers for (Revolver), this one stands out. It is a master-work. It is the best song on an album that you could legitimately argue almost any song is the best. George’s painstakingly worked out backwards guitar is the perfect foil to John’s dreamy vocal. And there are at least 4 different versions available, should you care to enjoy it in all its variations.
Happiness is a Warm Gun
The most group-oriented playing on the White Album resulted in this incredibly bizarre but wonderfully played masterpiece. Culled from too many sources to list in these brief notes, the lyric references myriad events, people and feelings and though stunning, remains secondary to the ensemble playing of the group. The most complicated piece they ever did, John called it “A sort of history of rock and roll,” and the band showed why they were most certainly equipped to lead the journey. It is a haunting listen – and it never, ever gets old.
Come Together
I can’t imagine how shocking this must have sounded when you first played your copy of Abbey Road upon its release. “Come Together” gets my vote for the coolest thing they ever recorded. Everyone is in top form- from the innovative drumming to the driving bass to the incredible vocal to the fluid guitar – it’s rock and roll, but in its most laid back, swampiest form. It still sounds fresh almost fifty years later. It amazes me that, upon placing the album on the turntable and hearing this song in 1969 every other musician didn’t just give up and go home. It is that good.
What You’re Doing
Venturing deep into the catalog on the second side of Beatles For Sale, you will find this little Paul gem that has always been one of my favorites. Unless you are more than a casual Beatles fan, you probably don’t know this song. It features my favorite sound in the world, that glorious, ringing Rickenbacker guitar, and a nice driving drum part from Ringo as the Beatles make a Phil Spector-style song long before the eccentric genius would actually work with the various members of the band. If anyone else – anyone at all – had recorded this track, it would be hailed as one of the sixties’ greatest songs. Of course, in the Beatles’ catalog, it is just album filler. Look it up if you don’t know it, and take a listen to “Every Little Thing” while you are there. I don’t have it on this list, and I regret that, so I snuck it in here.
Abbey Road Medley
Maybe I am cheating to list a multi-song medley that takes up most of the second side of an album, but it is so good I have to include it. Abbey Road is quite possibly the finest pop album anyone ever made, and this cleverly done stringing together of song snippets with a unifying theme (“You Never Give Me Your Money”) and a triple-threat guitar solo (“The End”) is its crown jewel. Listen to it loud, and be amazed.
There they are, my ten favorite Beatles songs, at least as of today. Now, what are some of your favorites? I’d like to know which Beatles songs speak to you or that you find personally appealing. Please add them in the comments and do not feel the need to expound as much as I have, though I certainly won’t be upset if you do. I enjoy so much when others are passionate about music – check out Rosanne Cash’s essay on “No Reply” for a fine effort at explaining what the Beatles’ music means to people.
And as Ringo would say (a thousand times), PEACE AND LOVE to you all.
#beatles
#fabfour
On an album full of nothing but songs any other artists would give their whole careers for (Revolver), this one stands out. It is a master-work. It is the best song on an album that you could legitimately argue almost any song is the best. George’s painstakingly worked out backwards guitar is the perfect foil to John’s dreamy vocal. And there are at least 4 different versions available, should you care to enjoy it in all its variations.
Happiness is a Warm Gun
The most group-oriented playing on the White Album resulted in this incredibly bizarre but wonderfully played masterpiece. Culled from too many sources to list in these brief notes, the lyric references myriad events, people and feelings and though stunning, remains secondary to the ensemble playing of the group. The most complicated piece they ever did, John called it “A sort of history of rock and roll,” and the band showed why they were most certainly equipped to lead the journey. It is a haunting listen – and it never, ever gets old.
Come Together
I can’t imagine how shocking this must have sounded when you first played your copy of Abbey Road upon its release. “Come Together” gets my vote for the coolest thing they ever recorded. Everyone is in top form- from the innovative drumming to the driving bass to the incredible vocal to the fluid guitar – it’s rock and roll, but in its most laid back, swampiest form. It still sounds fresh almost fifty years later. It amazes me that, upon placing the album on the turntable and hearing this song in 1969 every other musician didn’t just give up and go home. It is that good.
What You’re Doing
Venturing deep into the catalog on the second side of Beatles For Sale, you will find this little Paul gem that has always been one of my favorites. Unless you are more than a casual Beatles fan, you probably don’t know this song. It features my favorite sound in the world, that glorious, ringing Rickenbacker guitar, and a nice driving drum part from Ringo as the Beatles make a Phil Spector-style song long before the eccentric genius would actually work with the various members of the band. If anyone else – anyone at all – had recorded this track, it would be hailed as one of the sixties’ greatest songs. Of course, in the Beatles’ catalog, it is just album filler. Look it up if you don’t know it, and take a listen to “Every Little Thing” while you are there. I don’t have it on this list, and I regret that, so I snuck it in here.
Abbey Road Medley
Maybe I am cheating to list a multi-song medley that takes up most of the second side of an album, but it is so good I have to include it. Abbey Road is quite possibly the finest pop album anyone ever made, and this cleverly done stringing together of song snippets with a unifying theme (“You Never Give Me Your Money”) and a triple-threat guitar solo (“The End”) is its crown jewel. Listen to it loud, and be amazed.
There they are, my ten favorite Beatles songs, at least as of today. Now, what are some of your favorites? I’d like to know which Beatles songs speak to you or that you find personally appealing. Please add them in the comments and do not feel the need to expound as much as I have, though I certainly won’t be upset if you do. I enjoy so much when others are passionate about music – check out Rosanne Cash’s essay on “No Reply” for a fine effort at explaining what the Beatles’ music means to people.
And as Ringo would say (a thousand times), PEACE AND LOVE to you all.
#beatles
#fabfour
“After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.”
Aldous Huxley
Aldous Huxley
©2015-2020 Joshua V. Best
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