Yeah Yeah Yeah, My Top 20 Favorite Beatles Songs Oct 03 '05 (Updated Oct 05 '05)    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet Popular Products in Music The Dirtchamber Sessions, Vol. 1 by The Prodigy From $11 Jersey Boys [Original Broadway Cast Recording] by Original Broadway Cast From $8 The Bottom Line alexdg1's 20 Fave Fab Four Songs Write-Off Join this w/o here: http://www.epinions.com/content_4507476100#ow The Beatles have not changed my perception of rock music and I don't remember ever becoming a fan. The reason being is because there was never a time when I haven't been listening to The Beatles. Even in the womb I was shaking my head in Beatle-fashion to the music that has become the ultimate mainstay in my musical life. The order of these songs usually fluctuate from week to week, this order is how I feel presently: 20. Across The Universe written by John Lennon. The main reason why I find this song special is the lyric. The music is pretty typical of Lennon, especially at this point of the Beatle timeline, but the lyric Nothing's gonna change my world is more of a mantra for me than John's "Jai guru deva, om". 19. I've Just Seen A Face written by Paul McCartney from the Help! CD. This soundtrack was really a big leap forward in the rapid maturity of The Beatles music. This song has a wonderful unplugged feel, a big acoustic strum fest to a great melody that is so fun to sing along to. Paul really showcases his different style to guitar, and his mastery of the acoustic. One song that is a little bit earlier than this, yet somewhat similar is Paul's I'll Follow The Sun from the Beatles For Sale CD. Maybe these two songs are tied for the number 19 position. 18. She's Leaving Home from the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band CD. This song was written by Paul, with some help from John. The first thing that stands out in this song is the lyrics. It's a story about a girl running away from home, and the thoughts of her parents because of it. What brings me back to this song time and again is the violin melody in the last chorus. The counter melody of the voices, the harp, and the violins is truly genius. 17. You Know My Name (Look Up The Number) written by John Lennon. This avant-garde piece was originally intended for a Plastic Ono Band release. The song's beginnings date back to 1967 when the basic track was recorded. Non-Beatles appear on this track, like Mal Evans and the late Brian Jones from the Rolling Stones on sax. The song was finished off in 1969 with just Paul and John, (George and Ringo were not at either of the sessions for this track), and it finally saw its release in the form of a b-side for Let It Be in March of 1970. The single is a tad over 4 minutes, but I find myself listening to the Anthology 2 version which has extended the song to about 6 minutes. The song is probably the oddest song ever released by The Beatles. 16. It's All Too Much from the Yellow Submarine soundtrack or songtrack. This song is written by George Harrison. This is one of the few Beatle songs that rival the length of Revolution 9 or Hey Jude, since it clocks in at 6:25. This, in my opinion is the most upbeat contribution from George to the Beatles collective catalogue. The harmonies provided by John and Paul really spruce up the hook of this song. 15. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, written by Paul McCartney. This song is originally found on the White Album, but the version I am more fond of is the alternate version found on Anthology 3. This version has session musicians instead of the Beatles, and it sounds more jubilant than the original, and a lot slicker. 14. Lady Madonna written by Paul. Originally only found on a single, but now can be found on Past Masters 2 CD and of course the 1967-1970 greatest hits anthology CD. This song shows the superior piano playing from Paul. Paul beefed up his piano chops in the Hamburg days, as most nights he played piano as well as guitar and bass. The amazing thing about this song is that both The Beatles and a session jazz band can be heard at the same time on this track. If you turn your balance on your receiver to the left you hear one band, turn the balance to the right you hear the other band, center it and you have the perfect marriage. The jazz session players were a last minute idea of Paul's, and as usual he comes up with the magic. 13. A Day In The Life from the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band CD. This song will probably end up on everybody's list of favorite Beatle songs. Written by John and Paul, the song is sort of epic, and it would have to be to close out such an amazing album. John's voice is haunting and mesmerizing, while Paul's contribution is at the opposite end of the spectrum, yet it seems to work. 12. Goodnight from The White Album. This song was written by John and given to Ringo to sing. I must say that part in due to this song getting included on my top 20 Beatles songs list, is the fact that I have sort of just discovered this song. Now believe me when I say that, I don't mean I had never heard this song before, I had heard it lots and lots in my life, but I haven't really listened, and would often just dismiss it. Now that I listen to this song, I hear how it is really one of Lennon's shining moments as a songwriter. The orchestral arrangement is brilliant on George Martin's part, it actually rivals Eleanor Rigby's arrangement. The song is gentle and is truly unmistakable for what is was written to be; a lullaby. 11. Something, written by George Harrison and from the Abbey Road album. Abbey Road is the greatest Beatles album, and George's two contributions have a lot to do with that. This power ballad was written for George's first wife Patti. The emotion in the song is very overt, and in my opinion, that's a rare element for a Beatles song. The song's amazing hook is when Paul's high harmony chimes in at the bridge of the song. 10. Come Together written by John Lennon, also from the Abbey Road album. I love this song probably mostly for the reason that it so so un-Beatle-like, but it's also pop rock. Paul said that when John came in with the song, it was a bit faster in tempo and sounded exactly like Chuck Berry's song, You Can't Catch Me, even the first lyric, Here Come Old Flat Top is lifted from the Berry song. Paul had a vision that would change the feel and sound of the song, so he came up with the "swampy" bass riff that is now the famous version we know. 9. If I Fell from the Hard Day's Night album, written by John. The song is simple and beautiful in melody, lyric and musically. But the amazing genius hook in this song is the harmonies sung by John and Paul throughout most of the track. Paul and John do not sing the normal melody where, someone sings a third higher that the main vocal. Here, they devised two separate melody lines, singing the same words, and the result is without a doubt, the best harmonies sung by The Beatles. 8. Martha My Dear written by Paul and from The White Album. Paul again showcases his wonderful piano skills and his marvelous melody lines. This is basically a quiet upbeat number with some lovely orchestral accents from George Martin. 7. Sgt Pepper/With A Little Help From My Friends these are the two opening tracks from the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album. Both songs were mainly written by Paul with a little help from John. The title song just rocks, and really changed the whole sound for the Beatles. The two songs have a nice live atmosphere. Ringo takes the lead vocals for With A Little Help, as he takes the role of Billy Shears. 6. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds is actually the third song on Sgt Pepper, it immediately follows With A Little Help From My Friends with hardly any silence. This is surely one of John's most haunting sounding songs vocal wise, and hands down the winner for most psychedelic. The word pictures that John, (and a little help from Paul), comes up with. Newspaper taxis and looking glass ties are two examples of this. 5. Ticket To Ride is written by John and taken from the Help! album. This song always reminded me of The Monkees sound, of course they weren't even a TV show yet at this point. John, with the help of Ringo's drumming changed the Beatles sound again. Ticket To Ride was a giant leap in the pop rock genre for the Beatles, I mean compare this song with something like I Want To Hold Your Hand or Can't Buy Me Love, it just sounds like two totally different bands. It just goes to show that so early on in their career, were The Beatles maturing and bettering themselves and their craft with each new song. 4. Here Comes The Sun written by George Harrison from the Abbey Road album. This song is my absolute favorite from George; this song is surely his greatest composition. The acoustic guitar surely conjures up feelings of a Summer morning. This song could have fit beautifully on his All Things Must Pass album easily, but not as perfect as on Abbey Road. The picking and strumming of this song is a bit complicated, it took me a long time to learn to play if effectively. 3. It Won't Be Long was written by John and taken from the With The Beatles album. In my opinion, this is the loudest and heaviest song from the very early Beatles catalog. John's voice sounds so perfectly powerful, and the answering vocals by George and Paul are just as loud and boisterous. Also, tied with number 3 is I Am The Walrus. Everytime I hear a comedian or some movie utter the words "Goo Goo G'Joob", to give an effect of some "intellictual" reference comedy, it makes me smile. I know that not everyone, especially the younger audience will know what that phrase is in reference to. I think that some of that younger audience will investigate and discover that the phrase comes from John's amazing song I Am The Walrus from the 1967 soundtrack release, Magical Mystery Tour. This song was John's only contribution to the album if you don't count the instrumental Flying credited to all four. 2. I Want You (She's So Heavy) written by John and from the Abbey Road album. I love this song for many reasons, the fact that the band was so harmonious with each other instrumentally, even at the end of their career as a band here. This is another one of those long Beatles tracks that lasts almost eight minutes. The tempo changes, and different styles played throughout this one song is amazing. 1. The Abbey Road Medley that includes eight of the nine last songs of the Abbey Road CD is the best thing the Beatles had done, in my opinion. From the opening piano chords of You Never Give Me Your Money by Paul, which segues into John's Sun King, which segues into Mean Mister Mustard, right into Polythene Pam, both from John which seamlessly blends into Paul's She Came Into The Bathroom Window. A miniscule pause, and then the second part of the medley picks up with three songs written by Paul; Golden Slumbers, Carry That Weight and The End. The last three songs really sound like one song, but if it works for them, it works for me. I read in interviews that as late as May of 1969, when John Lennon was interviewed, he would talk excitedly about this medley that he and Paul were putting together. Sure, he was very proud at the time, but of course a year later, he would be quoted in interviews that he hated the medley. In my opinion, all of the Beatles should be proud; they seemed to reinvent themselves not only with each album, but practically with each new song.

Read all comments (2)|Write your own comment

Write an essay on this topic.