When a one-night stand doesn’t end well. James Manning, Don't allow yourself to overlook this song because of its sheer ubiquity (these days, it feels as though Macca is wheeled out to perform it at every major national event). Engineers like Geoff Emerick invented techniques that we now take for granted, in response to the group’s imagination. Tom Huddleston. Amy Smith, Has there ever been a more perfect marriage of tripped-out psychedelia with pure, perfect pop? Best Beatles songs to dance to. One of the last songs the Beatles ever recorded is also one of the most nakedly emotional, as Lennon lays himself bare and delivers a gut-wrenchingly intense vocal. Lennon, McCartney and Harrison had stunningly high standards as writers. Good night, boys. Bizarrely, serial killer Charles Manson built an entire warped world theory around the lyrics. A hip-hop variant of the song that paradoxically remains true to both hip-hop and the original Beatles song. That tasty distortion was created by plugging the guitar signal directly into the mixing console. 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. Lennon’s urgent harmonica meets the skipping, skiffle beat and crashing tambourine for an earnest plea to just be loved back. We whittle down the entire output of the Fab Four down to a fab fifty. There were tears. The song certainly isn’t the most complex piece of music you’ll ever hear but Lennon’s inner … We want to hear from you! The Beatles’ most popular song has a rather endearing origin story, one that centers on grief, coping, and hope — particularly for John Lennon’s son, Julian. The best Paul McCartney songs reveal that, as a solo artist, he has always … . 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. I was exactly the right age to be hit by them full-on. . The songs, stories, influences and legacy of the Beatles – 24/8! 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. Ringo Starr played the drums with an incredibly unique feel that nobody can really copy, although many fine drummers have tried and failed. These records were events, and not just advance notice of an album. Time Out is a registered trademark of Time Out Digital Limited. "Something" was part of the Beatles last recording sessions when they put together the album Abbey Road. Compared to rabid R&B evangelists like the Rolling Stones, the Beatles arrived sounding like nothing else. The songs weren’t theirs anymore. The track has been covered more times by other artists than any Beatles song but "Yesterday." Nick Levine, It starts with a growl, a ‘Goon Show’ voice counting in, then George smacks you in the face and we’re away. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You hear them in Harry Nilsson’s melodies; in Prince’s Around the World in a Day; in the hits of ELO and Crowded House and in Ron Sexsmith’s ballads. It’s all kind of cobbled together. Amy Smith, Paul McCartney describes this song as a ‘genuine plea’ from John to Yoko, and it’s easy to see what he means. Inspired storytelling. 14. That’s where our list of the 50 best Beatles songs comes in: it's solid pop gold from start to finish. Matt Breen, For all his youthful goofiness, Macca never had a problem imagining old age. Lyrically, ‘A Day in the Life’ is pure poetic banality: John goes to the pictures and worries about holes in the road while Paul gets startled by his alarm clock and smokes a joint on the bus. Want more Rolling Stone? The way he fills every part of every note with a glorious fury is so satisfying. Wanna die’. Well not exactly, partly because the form wasn’t quite invented yet in 1964 and partly because that’d be bloody horrible. The Beatles were an English rock band from Liverpool who recorded hundreds of songs during their career. Amy Smith, Producer George Martin’s classical experience comes to the fore with this beautiful-yet-tragic tale of loneliness. 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. You’ve seen part one of our list of the best ever Beatles songs. My absolute favorite albums are Rubber Soul and Revolver. The only criteria being that it could be easily understood. But "Yes It Is" features some of the most intricate vocals of any Beatles song; like "This Boy," it was an... 'Long, Long, Long'. John, Paul, George, and Ringo changed music forever. Remember I’ll always be true. 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. . Staring down a series of dismal attempts at provocation from the press corps, they look exhausted and disenchanted. The band were all massive fans of the Motown sound and, along with manager Brian Epstein, would raid vinyl stores for new US releases. At the show, it was very different. 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. Matt Breen, Dow dow dow-dow dow dowwww… ‘She said / I know what it’s like to be dead’. However many times you've heard it, that "na na na na na na na..." will get you every time. 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. Déjà vu! The song is as indebted to country music as to an English country ramble, with its rain-splattered, guitar-smacking romance and camaraderie. Unbelievably, they only played it live once – for an episode of ‘Top Gear’ (not that one, it was a radio show) in 1964. A list of the Top 50 Beatles songs. 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. . Revolution 9- No need to explain, seeing as everyone loves it so much. Nick Levine, The Beatles try their hand at contemporary folk in this mournful ode to a secret or unrequited love – the inspiration is still the subject of endless speculation. The word “Beatlesque” has been in the dictionary for quite a while now. Choosing the “best” Beatles song is impossible, but Abbey Road’s finale medley—soothing and surprising, elegiac and hopeful—feels like a last, grand thesis statement from the band. Fact: this is the UK’s best-selling single of the ’60s, bar none. No matter how much Lennon hams up his Dylan-esque twang, the sense of melancholy is both dense and devastating, aided by a whisper of maracas, splash of tambourine and a rather beautiful flute interlude. Someone recently gave me an assembly of newsreel footage, which illustrates how swiftly the band was drained of the bright and joyful wit presented as a public face. I left with a melancholy feeling. Best Beatles songs to dance to. But on this eight-minute ‘Abbey Road’ wig-out they went even further, laying the foundations for stoner rock with the relentlessly spiralling outro. Piggies- The loadspeaker part is fun and the references are everywhere. This was 1962 or ’63, before they came to America. This is an updated version of an essay that appeared in RS 946. Close. I’m interested is lesser known songs especially. 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. Now it’s time to get serious. Imagine releasing a song like “Ask Me Why” or “Things We Said Today” as a B side. 2. 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, Why is John Lennon’s madcap oddity so often written off as the naff byproduct of an acid trip? 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