Of all the incredibly marvelous Beatles' songs, which is the best?

[ailsagirl]

Last edited Mon Mar 4, 2019, 10:50 PM - Edit history (2)

IMO, A Day in the Life

Sorry-- something is wrong with the link

[Cartoonist]

1. That one

Plus Strawberry Fields Forever

I cant choose

[ailsagirl]

4. I guess it's kind of like asking which of Shakespeare's plays is the best

Seriously

[OregonBlue]

58. For me its whichever is playing at the moment.

[ailsagirl]

61. Yep!

[Dem2theMax]

69. Best answer!

[ZZenith]

2. That, or Something

Or Eleanor Rigby
Or Here Come the Sun
Or Good Night
Or She's Leaving Home
Or In My Life
Or Golden Slumbers
Or Across The Universe
Or Blackbird
Or You Never Give Me Your Money
Or Here, There And Everywhere
Or The Fool On The Hill
Or Nowhere Man
Or...

I should probably stop,huh?

[ailsagirl]

3. I know... there are quite a few!!

Maxwell's Silver Hammer is a strange one, though-- if you don't listen to the lyrics, it's fine

But... when you do... Yikes!

[3catwoman3]

14. Great melody and instrumentals.

Creepy lyrics, to be sure.

[ailsagirl]

17. And it came from Paul, of all people

[DonaldsRump]

5. Either Hey Jude or....

...all of them!

[ailsagirl]

45. I know, right??

[MiltonBrown]

6. I'm more partial to the early Mop Top era.

My vote would go to Please Please Me.

[ailsagirl]

11. I love them all

Even the songs they covered, they sounded incredible

Twist and Shout
Shout
That'll Be the Day
Words of Love
Rock 'n Roll Music
Roll Over Beethoven

etc etc etc

And their own early compositions:

No Reply
I'll Be Back
Norwegian Wood
Don't Bother Me
I'm a Loser

ad infinitum

[Kurt V.]

7. eleanor rigby. but sooo many.

[ailsagirl]

24. Remember this?

[Kurt V.]

37. it played in prime time. thanks

[LAS14]

60. Yup, Eleanor Rigby. nt

[lkinwi]

8. Hey Jude!

[ailsagirl]

46. Oh, yes

[MuseRider]

9. The one I am listening to

at any moment is my favorite.

I long ago gave up trying to figure this one out. I do know that Sgt. Pepper's is my favorite album but mainly because of the change in their music that took place to create it. It really did change rock music in a huge way.

[ailsagirl]

13. I never would have thought they'd still sound fantastic-- even better-- 50 years later

I don't know why this is or how they did it-- I guess I should stop trying to figure it out

[MuseRider]

15. Just enjoy it and feel lucky

to have had them and this kind of music growing up or as a young adult. Really, we were so very lucky. From the very first they were unique and it just worked so very well. They were only around for such a short time but they changed the lives of so many of us. It really is something isn't it?

[ailsagirl]

16. It sure is!!

[happybird]

10. The Abbey Road medley

Yeah, that's cheating and I don't care, lol!

I Feel Fine
Lady Madonna
Tomorrow Never Knows
Eleanor Rigby

I have deep love for the softer songs on the White Album, like Martha My Dear, Sexy Sadie, Long Long Long, Cry Baby Cry ... can't call them their "best" but I can't live without them. I love that whole album.

[ailsagirl]

47. It's not cheating-- they're so good that ANY song will do quite nicely!!

[argyl]

95. That was my thought as well.

A lot of Side One really left me cold. Maxwell's Silver Hammer, Octopus's Garden, I Want You( She's So Heavy)
Substandard for them.

But Side Two. I always play the entire side. Always. It's just perfect.

[happybird]

96. From Here Comes The Sun on

is the perfect length to cook dinner to. The hubs knows I'm starting dinner when he hears HCtS

It fits so well, I sometimes wonder if I am subconsciously timing tasks so I'm done right at the end.

edit: oops, brainfart. Was listening to Here Comes Sunshine by the Dead earlier, lol!

[lpbk2713]

12. I'm sure I couldn't narrow it down to half a dozen.

They had talent and they came along at just the right point in time.
They owe a lot to Ed Sullivan. Sir Paul still puts on a hell of a show.

[ailsagirl]

48. He sure does

[mikehiggins]

18. Yesterday

I loved it from the first and now that I'm in my 70's it's even more poignant.

[ailsagirl]

32. Yesterday has been covered thousands of times!!

Yesterday,” written entirely (or almost entirely- read on) by Paul McCartney, is the most widely recorded song of all-time. To date, at least 4,000 different versions of the classic Beatles tune have been recorded by artists as diverse as Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Liberace, Tammy Wynette, Daffy Duck (!), The Mamas and the Papas, Marvin Gaye, Ray Charles and Placido Domingo.

https://www.neatorama.com/2014/06/18/Yesterday-The-Most-Recorded-Song-of-All-Time/

Daffy Duck?

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

78. Yes, Yesterday.

I don't know if I've ever heard a cover of it (you should just see how large the rock is that I live under) and I can't begin to imagine any version could begin to be a tenth as good.

[rurallib]

19. I just love the imagery of "Across the Universe"

[ailsagirl]

49. John at his dreamiest best

[Skinner]

20. So many great ones. Here's one of my faves.

While my guitar gently weeps

[ailsagirl]

22. Oh, YES

Their (George's) greatest masterpiece! One of the BEST songs on the White Album
Those searing guitar notes... (Clapton?) The harmonies... the whole thing is moving and intense.

I read that George had to practically force the others to take this song seriously. Once Clapton joined the mix, they were quite amenable.

The others (esp John & Paul) could be rather cavalier at times.

Thanks, Skinner

[Me.]

67. That Along With Blackbird Rank At The Top For Me

[Skinner]

88. I might agree with you on Blackbird.

So good.

[WheelWalker]

104. Blackbird. No question.

[ronatchig]

89. Can't believe this one

was so far down the list. The ultimate Harrison imho. And my guitar stills weeps just not as gently.

[Brother Buzz]

21. It might be easier to pick their worst song

And that's a tall order. I'm just saying.

[ailsagirl]

23. You're really right, you know

I just felt that Day in the Life was sort of in a class by itself--because it was so complex and novel-- no one had ever heard anything like it before.

It still stuns.

[GReedDiamond]

73. There are those who point at "Revolution 9" as being the worst...

...Beatles song.

I, however, like it.

[Brother Buzz]

82. "Revolution 9" is just so-so as a stand alone song

But when you play the entire Beatles Double White album, it totally works, especially if you listen to it on a well defined stereo system; there is a lot more going on then just a bunch of random sound clips glued together.

[Ferryboat]

25. So many to choose from

My guitar gently weeps, off the demo outtakes.

Paul on bass George on acoustic guitar with a few more lyrics.

But what is really telling about Beatles songs is when other artists do a cover. Never thought much about The Things We Said Today until I heard Dwight Yokum play it.
Really opened my eyes as to how great they were as lyricist.
Favorite album Abbey Road.

[ailsagirl]

27. Didn't know Dwight Yokum did a cover of it-- I'll have a listen

Always loved that song-- rather haunting, really

Thanks!

[Ferrets are Cool]

26. Very difficult question to answer, but

The Long and Winding Road

[ailsagirl]

28. Yes-- very sad song, though

Apparently Phil Specter ruined it by adding a "celestial chorus" to it without Paul's permission! Paul was furious!!

[Ferrets are Cool]

29. Thanks, I didn't know that part.

[ailsagirl]

30. I assume Paul must have had it re-mixed to exclude the background chorus...

but I'm not sure

[Denzil_DC]

31. Get hold of the album "Let It Be ... Naked".

It strips out the schmaltzy mess Spector made of that album.

YouTube seems to feature quite a few tracks from it.

Here's "The Long and Winding Road":

I was never a great fan of that song, but this version seems to me a lot more sensitive and sophisticated, and you can actually hear the cool piano part properly.

[ailsagirl]

34. Thank you!!

Beautiful in its simplicity

[Denzil_DC]

36. Yup. That seems to have been the band's original vision for that album:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_It_Be..._Naked

You nailed my choice in the OP, BTW.

[Denzil_DC]

74. Not wanting to nitpick, but John was playing bass on this.

Paul was on grand piano, Billy Preston (who probably would have ended up being the 5th/6th Beatle if they hadn't split) was on electric piano/organ, George on guitar, of course, plus a restrained drum part from Ringo.

This take was mainly recorded five days after the one Specter messed around with, which was released in a stripped-back version in the "Anthology" series (which I think I have stashed away somewhere - must dig it out).

Here's the "Naked" version of "Let It Be".

And here's "Across the Universe":

Those three were the ones they did most to strip back. The details of what they did to these and the other tracks are at the Wikipedia link I gave above.

[ailsagirl]

84. Interesting-- I did not know that

[Denzil_DC]

87. Specter claimed that John played the bass out of tune at times during the recording,

so that's why he had to go overboard with the choir etc.!

It doesn't sound out of place on the version above.

[ailsagirl]

91. No, it doesn't

[Mendocino]

33. Tomorrow Never Knows

[ailsagirl]

50. I recall reading that what sounds like birds (in the background)...

is really a tape of the Beatles laughing, played backwards

[Stargleamer]

35. She Loves You

with Please, Please Me close behind

[MiltonBrown]

41. Love the energy from these earlier songs.

[ailsagirl]

42. I'm amazed how buoyant I feel whenever I hear one of their songs

I put them on when I'm cleaning the house and get the job done in half the time!

[Lunabell]

38. I can't pick just one!!!

There are just so many. But if you twisted my arm, Let It Be or A Day In the Life. Sigh, I miss John and George.

[ailsagirl]

51. I miss them too

[rickford66]

39. Here Comes The Sun

[ailsagirl]

44. Especially relevant here in California, since it's been raining forever!

[rickford66]

75. I spent a year in Antarctica so this song was very relevant also.

[Va Lefty]

59. My choice!

[akraven]

40. In My Life.

[ailsagirl]

43. Beautiful song-- and sad, since John sings it

Miss that man so much

[rampartc]

52. norwegian wood

day tripper, here comes the sun, nowhere man. there are a lot of choices.

[ailsagirl]

55. So many choices!!!!!

[DFW]

53. My favorite is Fixing a Hole

So complex and sounding so simple. It seems to get lost among all the great songs, but that one always fascinated me.

[ailsagirl]

54. Anything that's part of Sergeant Pepper I like!

[Guilded Lilly]

56. It's impossible for me! Their songs play my life.

[ailsagirl]

62. Well-put. Mine, too

[BigmanPigman]

57. Impossible to answer.

[ailsagirl]

63. Maybe I should have asked which are the worst Beatle songs, but that's not really any fun

There are so few

[BigmanPigman]

66. I feel the same way about the Doors and Pink Floyd too.

[bmbmd]

64. Can't be done.

You can only pick the one that has personal meaning. For us, it’s “I Will”.

[GrannyW]

65. Impossible to choose. Is there another musical artist with so many (all?) good/great songs?

I honestly will not switch off ANY Beatles song. I can't even think of one that I dislike.
Back then, singles were used to sell albums. Only on their LPs, every song was a hit - or became one.

[DownFromTheMountain]

68. To Play at a Party:

I've Just Seen a Face.. everybody sings!

[fNord]

70. Any, as long as Joe Cocker is preforming it......

That being said.....I do love the way I feel when I hear Accross the Universe.....

[ailsagirl]

79. Also THIS

[GReedDiamond]

72. "And Your Bird Can Sing"...

...is my favorite Beatles song today.

[ailsagirl]

80. At the moment, it's mine too

[CanonRay]

76. Yeaterday

[NNadir]

77. While My Guitar Gently Weeps. n/t

[fierywoman]

81. Yes to all the above (of course!) but then you hear A Hard Day's Night

and it just carries you away ...

[ailsagirl]

83. Definitely

Another marvelous song! So many...

And the harmonies always knocked me out! So beautiful

[LastDemocratInSC]

85. Martha My Dear (no text)

[ailsagirl]

93. I always thought how sweet that was-- writing a song for his sheepdog

[mr_lebowski]

86. Absolutely zero freaking chance I can pick just one. Fact, I would have a hard time picking 25 ...

But I'll throw this one on the thread cause I love it and nobody else did ... it's an alternate version ... Beatles seem to frown pretty hard on the released material being on Youtube ... still this one is pretty close ... and of course, you've all heard it

[ailsagirl]

94. Dig it!!

[OxQQme]

90. Paul McCartney Breaks Down His Most Iconic Songs

[ailsagirl]

92. He's so straightforward and unpretentious

Thanks for posting!

[LibDemAlways]

97. Yes, "A Day in the Life" Runner up: "Hey Jude"

[red dog 1]

98. "A day In the Life", I guess.

I've asked this question before on DU, and have even done polls.

Today, "A Day in the Life" would be the one.
Tomorrow, it might be a different one, like "Here Comes The Sun"

[I also love "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" and "All You Need Is Love"]

[ailsagirl]

99. Every time I hear it, I am dumbfounded

Amazing I should feel this way, after... 50 years!!

[edbermac]

100. Strawberry Fields Forever.

[redstateblues]

101. Here Comes The Sun-when Apple put the Beatle's songs on line

It was the top seller

[Hoyt]

102. Rocky Raccoon is good, but there are better ones. I'll need to think a bit more.

[Dave in VA]

103. They are the sound track of my youth.

How could I possibly pick just one???????????

I can remember exactly what was happening in my life every time I hear one of their songs.

[ailsagirl]

107. Same here

I can't imagine how things would have been had not they taken over the scene!
Such enrichment!!

[trackfan]

105. I can't really choose a favorite, but I want to give a shout to "I'm Only Sleeping"

since I don't see it mentioned here yet.

[ailsagirl]

110. Everything about that song conjures up delicious sleep

Everything about it makes me want to start dreaming myself!

[pressbox69]

106. In My Life

Because that's what it's about for all of us.

[ailsagirl]

109. Yes-- who can't relate to that beautiful song?

[akraven]

108. In My Life (hands down).