I feel sorry for the people that don’t get The Beatles, though I can see how genius is somehow elusive to the commoner. It’s a silly way to go through life, Beatle-less that is.  

To live a life without any meaningful exposure to John, Paul, George and Ringo is like a life led without a taste of ice cream or the sensation of a toe in the ocean or without the wagging tail of a Labrador or a hard kiss on the lips. The very thought of such a thing makes my guitar gently weep.

So in the name of the public good—actually, it’s because I was out of work and had, well, every waking hour to consider it—I’ve ranked every Beatles song in order of awesomeness. If only the uninitiated would listen to these songs in order starting with the first, by song fifteen or sixteen they will have heard enough of the sacred canon to thank me for changing their lives. You’re welcome. After all, The Beatles are now considered a cultural happening, maybe a state of mind, but as with any musician, their soul is their songs.

My list is completely slanted. There was no scientific formula, just the songs I like most followed by those less so. And the great thing about a list is that you can make up your own that completely contradicts mine. Please do if you haven’t already, and then we can compare lists, maybe exchange dirty looks and then sit down, have a cigar and listen to the White Album.

As a wee tyke, John used to climb the fence at the Strawberry Fields Orphanage so he could play with the kids. His Aunt Mimi got mad, to which John responded, “They’re not gonna hang me for it!” Hence the line “Nothing to get hung about” in the song “Strawberry Fields Forever” … [This is a gratuitous fun fact that I share here randomly because I want you to be happy and to have learned something this day].

Anyway, peace & love and remember, with the right playlist, life can be fab.

The list: The best Beatles songs, in order (The 212 songs represent the sum of The Beatles UK album releases plus their released singles). Edited/modified December, 2017.

  1. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
  2. A Day in the Life 
  3. I’m Only Sleeping
  4. I Call Your Name
  5. Not a Second Time
  6. Don’t Bother Me
  7. You Can’t Do That
  8. Devil in Her Heart
  9. No Reply
  10. All I’ve Got to Do
  11. Till There Was You
  12. I’ve Just Seen a Face
  13. There’s a Place
  14. If I Fell
  15. And Your Bird Can Sing
  16. Because 
  17. She Loves You
  18. In My Life
  19. Julia
  20. Dig a Pony
  21. I’m Happy Just to Dance With You
  22. I’m So Tired
  23. Nowhere Man
  24. Eleanor Rigby
  25. Mother Nature’s Son
  26. I Saw Her Standing There
  27. Penny Lane
  28. When I’m Sixty-Four
  29. Piggies
  30. I’ll Cry Instead
  31. Across the Universe 
  32. Baby It’s You 
  33.  I Should Have Known Better 
  34. It Won’t Be Long 
  35. Sun King 
  36. Act Naturally 
  37. I’ll Be Back 
  38. And I Love Her 
  39. I Will 
  40. When I Get Home
  41. Good Night
  42. If I Needed Someone 
  43. Mr. Moonlight 
  44. Golden Slumbers 
  45. Hello Goodbye 
  46. I’ll Get You
  47. Let It Be 
  48. Blackbird 
  49. Misery 
  50. You’re Going to Lose That Girl 
  51. Yes It Is 
  52. From Me to You 
  53. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da 
  54. Happiness Is a Warm Gun
  55. Strawberry Fields Forever
  56. Here Comes the Sun 
  57. Rocky Raccoon 
  58. You Know My Name
  59. Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite
  60. Norwegian Wood
  61. Octopus’s Garden 
  62. She’s Leaving Home 
  63. Paperback Writer
  64. Here, There and Everywhere 
  65. Honey Don’t 
  66. P.S. I Love You 
  67. Tell Me What You See 
  68. Honey Pie 
  69. For No One 
  70. Fixing a Hole 
  71. It’s Only Love 
  72. Cry Baby Cry 
  73. The Ballad of John and Yoko
  74. Her Majesty
  75. The Fool on the Hill
  76. I’ll Follow the Sun 
  77. I’m Looking Through You 
  78. The End 
  79. Yesterday
  80. Hey Jude
  81. You Never Give Me Your Money 
  82. Revolution 1 
  83. Can’t Buy Me Love 
  84. All My Loving 
  85. I Am the Walrus 
  86. Maggie Mae 
  87. Please Please Me 
  88. Something 
  89. What You’re Doing 
  90. Baby’s in Black 
  91. A Hard Day’s Night 
  92. Chains 
  93. Do You Want to Know a Secret 
  94. Every Little Thing 
  95. I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party 
  96. Maxwell’s Silver Hammer 
  97. I Want to Tell You 
  98. You Like Me Too Much 
  99. I Want to Hold Your Hand 
  100. Come Together
  101. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band 
  102. Ticket to Ride
  103. Twist and Shout 
  104. Mean Mr. Mustard 
  105. Oh! Darling 
  106. Sexy Sadie 
  107. Michelle 
  108. The Night Before 
  109. All You Need Is Love
  110. Two of Us 
  111. Day Tripper 
  112. Martha My Dear 
  113. Don’t Pass Me By 
  114. Getting Better 
  115. Dear Prudence 
  116. Things We Said Today 
  117. This Boy 
  118. Eight Days a Week 
  119. Revolution
  120. Love Me Do 
  121. Magical Mystery Tour 
  122. Polythene Pam 
  123. Help 
  124. I Feel Fine 
  125. Hold Me Tight 
  126. Your Mother Should Know 
  127. Bad Boy
  128. Good Morning, Good Morning 
  129. Any Time at All 
  130. I Need You 
  131. The Word 
  132. You Won’t See Me 
  133. Another Girl 
  134. She Said She Said 
  135. I Me Mine 
  136. Good Day Sunshine 
  137. I’ve Got a Feeling 
  138. Girl 
  139. Anna 
  140. Boys 
  141. Ask Me Why 
  142. A Taste of Honey 
  143. What Goes On 
  144. I’m a Loser 
  145. Tell Me Why  
  146. Thank You Girl 
  147. You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away 
  148. Drive My Car 
  149. Long, Long, Long 
  150. Old Brown Shoe 
  151. Yer Blues 
  152. We Can Work It Out 
  153. Run for Your Life 
  154. She Came in Through the Bathroom Window 
  155. Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds 
  156. The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill 
  157. Lovely Rita 
  158. Lady Madonna 
  159. Slow Down
  160. Savoy Truffle 
  161. Carry That Weight 
  162. For You Blue 
  163. Rain 
  164. All Together Now
  165. Think for Yourself 
  166. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (reprise) 
  167. Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey 
  168. Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby 
  169. Taxman 
  170. Got to Get You Into My Life 
  171. Matchbox
  172. Wait 
  173. I’m Down 
  174. I Want to Be Your Man 
  175. Only a Northern Song
  176. I Want You (She’s So Heavy) 
  177. Little Child 
  178. She’s a Woman 
  179. Why Don’t We Do It in the Road 
  180. With a Little Help From My Friends 
  181. Dig It 
  182. Tomorrow Never Knows 
  183. The Inner Light 
  184. Hey Bulldog
  185. Wild Honey Pie
  186. Baby You’re a Rich Man 
  187. Blue Jay Way
  188. Please Mr. Postman 
  189. You Really Gotta Hold of Me 
  190. It’s All Too Much
  191. The Long and Winding Road 
  192. Yellow Submarine
  193. Can You Take Me Back
  194. Within You, Without You 
  195. Don’t Let Me Down 
  196. Flying 
  197. Love You To 
  198. Words of Love 
  199. Rock & roll Music 
  200. Roll Over Beethoven 
  201. One After 909 
  202. Long Tall Sally
  203. Kansas City 
  204. Dizzy Miss Lizzy 
  205. Money 
  206. Glass Onion 
  207. Dr. Robert 
  208. Get Back
  209. Revolution 9 
  210. Helter Skelter 
  211. Back in the U.S.S.R.
  212. Birthday