One night my husband and I were watching Professor of Rock on YouTube when he turned to me and asked, “What is your number one Beatles song?” Much to his surprise I answered right away. He has been a huge fan of The Beatles since he was in middle school. He was surprised that I had such a definite answer because he finds so many of their songs incredible. We proceeded to make a list of our top Beatles songs just for fun. Below, I’ve shared my top ten favorite songs by one of the best bands in history.
10. Here Comes the Sun
Written by: George Harrison
Album: Abbey Road
Recorded: July-August 1969
Released: October 1, 1969 (US)
At the time, Apple was becoming like a school for businessmen. Harrison wrote ‘Here Comes The Sun’ during a long winter in England at Eric Clapton’s house while on a break from the band. The relief of escaping allowed him to write the song while walking around Eric’s garden with his guitar. Carl Sagan wanted to include the song in the Voyager Golden Record sent to space in 1977. The Beatles approved, but Sagan couldn’t finalize an agreement with Apple Records before the launch.
9. I Want to Hold Your Hand
Written by: John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Album: Meet The Beatles!
Recorded: October 1963
Released: December 26, 1963 (US)
The Beatles visited Abbey Road studios on October 17, 1963, to work on recording their song ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’, which was penned by Lennon and McCartney after their manager, Brian Epstein, requested a track tailored for the untapped American market. The song was so successful on pre-orders that it sold over a million copies. This achievement marked The Beatles’ first chart-topping hit in the United States and initiated the invasion of British music into America!
8. Eleanor Rigby
Written by: John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Album: Revolver
Recorded: April and June 1966
Released: August 8, 1966 (US)
McCartney wrote most of the song and named it after actress Eleanor Bron from the Beatles film Help!. He came up with the name “Rigby” while in Bristol, England, after seeing a store with the name Rigby and Evens Ltd. Wine and Spirit Shippers. He liked how the names sounded together and matched the rhythm of the song he wrote. The opening chorus of the song is about lonely people. The song’s intricate string arrangement supports the story Paul McCartney sings in three verses. The characters, Eleanor and Father McKenzie, are isolated until they meet after Eleanor’s death.
7. Revolution
Written by: John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Album: The White Album
Recorded: July 1968
Released: August 26, 1968 (US)
“I wanted to put out what I felt about revolution. I thought it was time we f*****g spoke about it, the same as I thought it was about time we stopped not answering about the Vietnamese war when we were on tour with Brian Epstein and had to tell him, ‘We’re going to talk about the war this time, and we’re not going to just waffle.’ I wanted to say what I thought about revolution.” – John Lennon to Rolling Stone Magazine, 1970
6. Come Together
Written by: John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Album: Abbey Road
Recorded: July 1969
Released: October 1, 1969 (US)
The song’s roots were linked to an unusual campaign in the US. Timothy Leary was famous for promoting LSD, leading Richard Nixon to call him “the most dangerous man in America.” Leary, similar to Lennon, understood the impact of a memorable phrase. When running for governor against Ronald Reagan in California, he requested John to create a song based on his slogan “Come together – join the party.” John quickly improvised a song on tape, which was aired on underground radio stations.
5. Don’t Let Me Down
Written by: John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Album: Let It Be
Recorded: January 1969
Released: May 5, 1969 (US)
“It was a very tense period,” McCartney told Barry Miles in 1997. “John was with Yoko and had escalated to heroin and all the accompanying paranoias and he was putting himself out on a limb. I think that as much as it excited and amused him, and [sic] the same time it secretly terrified him. So ‘Don’t Let Me Down’ was a genuine plea… It was saying to Yoko, ‘I’m really stepping out of line on this one. I’m really letting my vulnerability be seen, so you must not let me down.’ I think it was a genuine cry for help. It was a good song.”
4. Let It Be
Written by: Paul McCartney
Album: Let It Be
Recorded: January & April 1969
Released: March 11, 1970 (US)
Despite appearing cheerful in public, McCartney was actually feeling insecure and hurt by the breakdown of The Beatles. He created ‘Let It Be’ as a way to reunite the band as a creative unit. In a dream, his deceased mother Mary, who died when he was 14, visited him. Paul described it as a spiritual connection, feeling as though they were able to be physically together again. He felt comforted in the tense time as she reassured him by saying not worry too much and things will turn out okay.
3. Hey Jude
Written by: Paul McCartney & John Lennon
Album: NA
Recorded: July – August 1968
Released: August 26, 1968
“John and Cynthia were splitting up,” Paul explained in the book, Anthology “and I felt particularly sorry for Julian.” I starting singing: ‘Hey Jules – don’t make it bad, take a sad song, and make it better…’ It was optimistic, a hopeful message for Julian: ‘Come on, man, your parents got divorced. I know you’re not happy, but you’ll be OK.’ I eventually changed ‘Jules’ to ‘Jude.’ One of the characters in Oklahoma! is called Jude, and I like the name.”
‘Hey Jude’ achieved great success internationally, reaching number one in various countries while also being the top-selling single of the year in the UK, US, Australia, and Canada. It matched the record for the longest run at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968, maintaining this position for nine weeks and holding the record for nine years.
2. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Written by: George Harrison
Album: The White Album
Recorded: September 1968
Released: November 22, 1968
The song originated from an attempt to test a concept derived from the book, I Ching, during a visit by George to his parents. George elaborated, “‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ was just a simple study based on the theory that everything has some purpose for being there at that given moment. I was thinking that anything I see when I open a book, I’m going to write a song about. So I opened this book and I saw ‘gently weeps.’ I shut the book and then I started the tune.” Eric Clapton is highlighted as a guest artist and the main guitarist in the song. Despite his initial reluctance to join in the song, Clapton ultimately agreed to participate.
1. Yesterday
Writers: John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Album: Help!
Recorded: June 1965
Released: September 13, 1965
In the late months of 1964, Paul was staying with the Asher family when the famous melody came to him in a dream. He had his piano crammed into the cramped attic of their Wimpole Street home. Paul stated, “I woke up with a lovely tune in my head. I thought, That’s great, I wonder what that is? There was an upright piano next to me, to the right of the bed by the window. I got out of bed, sat at the piano, found G, found F sharp minor seventh — and that leads you through then to B to E minor, and finally back to G.” In 1986, the Guinness Book of Records announced that ‘Yesterday’ was the most widely recorded song in history, with 1600 versions at that time. Since then, the number of recorded versions has increased to over 2000, showcasing a variety of musical genres.
I surprised myself a bit by having songs from multiple albums. I thought my tastes mainly revolved around The White Album. It is undeniable that The Beatles have left an indelible mark on the music industry that will probably never be matched. What songs would be on your list?
