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.
- While My Guitar Gently Weeps
- A Day in the Life
- I’m Only Sleeping
- I Call Your Name
- Not a Second Time
- Don’t Bother Me
- You Can’t Do That
- Devil in Her Heart
- No Reply
- All I’ve Got to Do
- Till There Was You
- I’ve Just Seen a Face
- There’s a Place
- If I Fell
- And Your Bird Can Sing
- Because
- She Loves You
- In My Life
- Julia
- Dig a Pony
- I’m Happy Just to Dance With You
- I’m So Tired
- Nowhere Man
- Eleanor Rigby
- Mother Nature’s Son
- I Saw Her Standing There
- Penny Lane
- When I’m Sixty-Four
- Piggies
- I’ll Cry Instead
- Across the Universe
- Baby It’s You
- I Should Have Known Better
- It Won’t Be Long
- Sun King
- Act Naturally
- I’ll Be Back
- And I Love Her
- I Will
- When I Get Home
- Good Night
- If I Needed Someone
- Mr. Moonlight
- Golden Slumbers
- Hello Goodbye
- I’ll Get You
- Let It Be
- Blackbird
- Misery
- You’re Going to Lose That Girl
- Yes It Is
- From Me to You
- Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
- Happiness Is a Warm Gun
- Strawberry Fields Forever
- Here Comes the Sun
- Rocky Raccoon
- You Know My Name
- Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite
- Norwegian Wood
- Octopus’s Garden
- She’s Leaving Home
- Paperback Writer
- Here, There and Everywhere
- Honey Don’t
- P.S. I Love You
- Tell Me What You See
- Honey Pie
- For No One
- Fixing a Hole
- It’s Only Love
- Cry Baby Cry
- The Ballad of John and Yoko
- Her Majesty
- The Fool on the Hill
- I’ll Follow the Sun
- I’m Looking Through You
- The End
- Yesterday
- Hey Jude
- You Never Give Me Your Money
- Revolution 1
- Can’t Buy Me Love
- All My Loving
- I Am the Walrus
- Maggie Mae
- Please Please Me
- Something
- What You’re Doing
- Baby’s in Black
- A Hard Day’s Night
- Chains
- Do You Want to Know a Secret
- Every Little Thing
- I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party
- Maxwell’s Silver Hammer
- I Want to Tell You
- You Like Me Too Much
- I Want to Hold Your Hand
- Come Together
- Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
- Ticket to Ride
- Twist and Shout
- Mean Mr. Mustard
- Oh! Darling
- Sexy Sadie
- Michelle
- The Night Before
- All You Need Is Love
- Two of Us
- Day Tripper
- Martha My Dear
- Don’t Pass Me By
- Getting Better
- Dear Prudence
- Things We Said Today
- This Boy
- Eight Days a Week
- Revolution
- Love Me Do
- Magical Mystery Tour
- Polythene Pam
- Help
- I Feel Fine
- Hold Me Tight
- Your Mother Should Know
- Bad Boy
- Good Morning, Good Morning
- Any Time at All
- I Need You
- The Word
- You Won’t See Me
- Another Girl
- She Said She Said
- I Me Mine
- Good Day Sunshine
- I’ve Got a Feeling
- Girl
- Anna
- Boys
- Ask Me Why
- A Taste of Honey
- What Goes On
- I’m a Loser
- Tell Me Why
- Thank You Girl
- You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away
- Drive My Car
- Long, Long, Long
- Old Brown Shoe
- Yer Blues
- We Can Work It Out
- Run for Your Life
- She Came in Through the Bathroom Window
- Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds
- The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill
- Lovely Rita
- Lady Madonna
- Slow Down
- Savoy Truffle
- Carry That Weight
- For You Blue
- Rain
- All Together Now
- Think for Yourself
- Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (reprise)
- Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey
- Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby
- Taxman
- Got to Get You Into My Life
- Matchbox
- Wait
- I’m Down
- I Want to Be Your Man
- Only a Northern Song
- I Want You (She’s So Heavy)
- Little Child
- She’s a Woman
- Why Don’t We Do It in the Road
- With a Little Help From My Friends
- Dig It
- Tomorrow Never Knows
- The Inner Light
- Hey Bulldog
- Wild Honey Pie
- Baby You’re a Rich Man
- Blue Jay Way
- Please Mr. Postman
- You Really Gotta Hold of Me
- It’s All Too Much
- The Long and Winding Road
- Yellow Submarine
- Can You Take Me Back
- Within You, Without You
- Don’t Let Me Down
- Flying
- Love You To
- Words of Love
- Rock & roll Music
- Roll Over Beethoven
- One After 909
- Long Tall Sally
- Kansas City
- Dizzy Miss Lizzy
- Money
- Glass Onion
- Dr. Robert
- Get Back
- Revolution 9
- Helter Skelter
- Back in the U.S.S.R.
- Birthday