This is not my top Beatles songs in order. But it will give you some idea of the Beatles music I like. Here’s what currently on my playlist:
- A Day in the Life
- Across the Universe (two versions, plus a Rufus Wainwright cover)
- Because
- Day Tripper (plus a Jimi Hendrix cover and a ripping Oasis/Paul Weller cover)
- Don’t Let me Down (plus a Black Crowes cover)
- Fixing a Hole
- Get Back (two versions)
- Getting Better
- Golden Slumbers (the Ben Folds cover)
- Helter Skelter (the Aerosmith cover)
- Hey Jude
- I am the Walrus
- I Feel Fine
- I Should Have Known Better
- I Want to Hold Your Hand
- I’m so Tired
- I’ve Got a Feeling
- In my Life
- Let it Be
- Mean Mr. Mustard
- Norwegian Wood
- Penny Lane
- Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band (reprise)
- She Came in Through the Bathroom Window
- She Loves You
- Something (plus a George Harrison/Eric Clapton live version)
- Strawberry Fields Forever (Ben Harper version)
- Ticket to Ride
- Two of Us (soon to be deleted, plus an Aimee Mann/Michael Penn version)
- When I’m Sixty Four
- With a Little Help From my Friends
- Yesterday (plus a Michael Hedges cover)
- You Never Give me Your Money
Monty – You’ve never heard Golden Slumbers!? Get outta here.
Matt – Excellent commentary. Agree with most of it. I am actually getting more into the Joe Cocker version as time goes by. It helps to hear it in high fidelity. Because it’s a jam song, if you can’t hear the parts well you just hear mush instead of musicians interacting. I don’t know where my copy of Help went, I didn’t notice until you mentioned it. Help should be in there!
Nice list. Reminds me there are plenty of Beatles songs I still have never heard amazingly enough (Mr. Mustard?, Golden Slumbers?).
Plus, props for giving mention to Rufus Wainwright’s cover of Across the Universe, which totally re-envisions the song but still does it justice…
I see you’re just a bit of a fan of Sgt Peppers and Mystery Tour, huh? lol. I’m a huge fan of those, myself. Actually, it seems like you lean toward the slower/softer stuff, which is very cool. And I’m impressed, having the Ben Folds cover in there (love his stuff!) and Michael Hedges, of whom I actually still two cassette tapes (all 4 sides)!
Here are my Beatles awards, based on your superlative list…
Best opening guitar lick: I Feel Fine
Best Ringo, ohhh, Rinnngoo?: Hey Jude
Best canned laugh track: Sgt Peppers
Trippiest ending: Strawberry Fields
Most “Playtone” (in a good way!) (tie): She Loves You and Ticket to Ride
Best harmony: She Loves You (don’t know what it is, but it’s great in this oldie)
Most meaningful line: “I once had a girl, or should I say, she once had me.”
Cover that I’m sick of (sorry): Joe Cocker’s Little Help From My Friends
Missing Beatles song from your list: HELP!
Missing Michael Hedges Beatles cover: Come Together
Missing Michael Hedges non-Beatles cover: Pinball Wizard
Best Michael Hedges song (wait, a bit off-topic?): The Funky Avocado!
And lastly…
Scariest Beatles song: When I’m Sixty Four (shiver)
No ranking of the top Beatles songs is going to be perfect, but that list isn’t bad. I thought about it a few minutes and came up with my top 10. Four of the top 5 in the list were in my top 10, including the same #1 (A Day in the Life, of course). I have a lot of overlap with the Muttrox list too.
Besides the obvious ones (A Day in the Life, Hey Jude, etc.), some cuts I particularly like from the Muttrox list are Sgt Pepper reprise, I’m so Tired, Because, and Mean Mr. Mustard. But where’s Happiness is a Warm Gun and The End? Gotta have The End in there…