Some of y'all are Beatles fans (I know AS & Dovey are for sure :D ) so I thought I'd just ask what some of their best songs are. But we can discuss anything else on them too.

Their 1964-66 era was influenced heavily from Elvis and other 50's rockers, and as such, sounds a bit (both lyrically and musically) like oldies. Whereas 1967-70 was their "classic rock" period, where they were more experimental, yet mainstream and rocking. Now, I like all thier stuff, but I've always preferred this era, probably 'cause I grew up listening to the White Album and Sgt. Pepper's especially.

Personally, picking a favorite song by them is choosing one from Tom Petty, Eddie Money or Van Halen. In other words, there's just too many, hehe. ;) I probably own over 100 of theirs, but if I had to pick 5, they might be:

Back in the USSR - Fast-paced and happy rocker with Paul singing in a lower voice than usual. Love the airplane fade-in and outs on this too.

Obladi Oblada - Piano-based pop/rock from Paul about working in the marketplace and a couple named Desmond and Molly. Definitely has a 'British Pop' sound to it - another happy song.

Let it Be - Medium tempo ballad mainly featuring piano and guitar (again from Paul). Pretty and slow, yet somewhat rocking - one of their last hits, in 1970.

Come Together - Slow yet hard classic rock from John. Has the classic "1 and 1 and 1 is 3" line. Aerosmith later did a great cover around 1976.

When I'm 64 - Another from Paul. Joking mid paced and lighter tune about getting older.

Whoa, why didn't I see this thread sooner? :P

I love the Beatles. I became a fan in 5th grade, but back then I pretty much only liked their pop/rock music, like from the A Hard Day's Night, Help, and Rubber Soul albums. Now I'm getting into their later stuff--I love Revolver and Abbey Road.

Like Spotty said, it's difficult to, if not impossible, to pick a favorite Beatle song. So here are my top five:

"If I Fell" -- A realistic love song by John. He didn't want anything to do with the more mushy-types of love songs that Paul was writing, like "And I Love Her," so this is how he did a love song. It's great in the movie A Hard Day's Night when the fab four play this song--John sings it to sulky Ringo. Pretty funny. :)

"Another Girl" -- Like "If I Fell," this is one of my favorites from when I was a kid and was just getting into the Beatles. The harmonies in this one are great.

"And Your Bird Can Sing" -- The guitar harmonies in this are great. I love the happy-sounding melody and the lyrics are pretty cool too.

"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" -- I just recently got into this one. It's such a cool song--kind of mellow and rocking at the same time. I also love the version Eric Clapton and others did in Concert for George.

"Golden Slumbers"/"Carry that weight"/"The End" -- I don't care if they're three different tracks on Abbey Road... they flow into each other, so I'm counting them as one song! :lol: I love this medley, and with Abbey Road being the Beatles' last album, I believe this/these song(s) are a good finale to their career as Beatles.

That was so hard! :( Oh, I can't help it... Just a few others that I think are great:
- "Can't Buy Me Love"
- "I Shoulda Known Better"
- "You Can't Do that"
- "From Me to You"
- "The Night Before"
- "Girl"
- "Run for Your Life"
- "Getting Better All the Time"
- "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (reprise)"
- "I'm Only Sleeping"
- "She Said She Said"
- "I Want to Tell You"
- "Got to Get You into My Life"
- "Something"
- "Here Comes the Sun"
- "Maxwell's Silver Hammer"
- "Sun King"/"Mean Mr. Mustard"/"Polythene Pam"/"She Came in Through the Bathroom Window"

BUMP BUMP.

Just a quick other thing to add, also to keep this from fading into history. I've recently started listening to their early period more (they have an old collection called 20 Greatest Hits, which is basically an older version of 1).

"Love Me Do" was their very first hit, a live sounding happy pop song performed on Ed Sullivan in early 1964, but, I believe, written and released in England in '62. I forgot how much I used to like it too. :)

I think the best way to look the early songs is to not expect a "Back in the USSR," etc. If I just listen to it for what it is, and not think about what else the band performing it has done, I tend to appreciate it more. The former reason is why I never used to care much for their pre-1967 era in comparison.

Both eras are nice. It's just that if we listen to the 50's-inspired, innocent sounding pop of "I Wanna Hold Your Hand," it's hard to imagine that the very same band would be singing psychedelic hard rock like "Helter Skelter" less than half a decade later.

In fact, their first couple albums sound a bit 50's in a way, so it now reminds me of BTTF.:D

Actually, Elvis only really influenced their 1959 to '62 period. Then they broke away. John's songs were influenced by Bob Dylan in the period you mentioned :)

I've been a huuuuuge Beatles fan for years and years and years and years.
As for favourite songs, in order-

"I am the Walrus " This is the greatest song ever written, there's nothing else like it. It's so crazy, yet it goes together so well. I played this song at my last High school assembly.

"Wake up in the Morning" Not yet released. But I think there is a practice version on the let it be naked album. It's a cool song where John and Paul's vocies sing so happily together.

"A Hard Days Night" Obviously, a classic, and when thinking about classic early 60's Beatles, you can't do much better then this and I want to Hold your hand.

"Thinking of linking" Only one verse, but what a great song. Available on the anthology special, it was one of their first songs.

"Early practice version of Paul's 'I Will'. I doubt anyone else has heard it, it took me forever to get, it sounds like a totally different song. "You came along one windy day, I heard you say, that I want to love you but I love you, just the way you look tonight . . " It's cool that the Beatles' early drafts are better then any other bands' final installments.

"You know my name, look up the number", Paul said this song was his favourite Beatles song ever! His reason, because it captures the essence of the groups comedy and also it's nothing like any other song.
I like the version on the "Past Masters" album, but I guess you guys haven't heard of that either.

"Watching Rainbows" A cool song that never made it onto the abbey road album. John lead vocals, it's very 70's, showing that the Beatles were ahead of their time.
". . .Instead of watching rainbows, I'm ganna reach the sun . ."

And every other song. I love them all. The thing I love most about the Beatles is every single one of there songs is at least good.

Here's me with the authentic magical Mystery Tour parked outside the Hard Rock cafe in Florida-

That's interesting, mate. But it makes sense.

Even if they didn't explode worldwide until February 1964, I know they'd been together for awhile. John & Paul, at least, had been playing in bands since they were 15 or so, in the mid-late 50's.

I did a little research and found out their first single, "Love Me Do" came out in September, 1962, and their Please Please Me full-length album followed in early '63. Also in that year, the British Beatlemania exploded.

I found this interesting because, that would mean the UK was a good year & a half ahead of us in terms of rock & roll, LOL. From the songs I've heard and all I know about this stuff (I've always been somewhat of a cultural historian!), the musical climate of 1962 was kinda like a softer version of the 50's - still very doo-wop and alot of ballads & pop songs.

It would be cool to know what kind of impact they had in that year-and-a-half in the UK compared to the US. But it would fit that "Love Me Do" still had a 50's influence.

(I think the very first rocker type song that would come to define the 60's was "Louie Louie" - and that didn't come out till around late 1963. It's often called the first garage rock song--I love it, but gosh knows, I still can't understand the words. That's one song you could just mumble stuff and it would fit fine, LOL!) :lol:

Okay...favourite Beatles songs:


I am the Walrus - fantastic song. As Shandy said, it's crazy, but it's wonderful. Didn't John Lennon write in another song "The walrus was Paul."

She Said, She Said - Another somewhat strange song, but I like it.

Tomorrow Never Knows

A Day in the Life

Strawberry Fields

Penny Lane

Magical Mystery Tour

Ticket to Ride

Nowhere Man

In my Life

Norwegian Wood

If I Needed Someone

Here Comes the Sun

Something

I'm Only Sleeping

She Loves You

I Wanna Hold Your Hand


There are more, but I think I've listed more than enough for the time being. :)

Yeah. He sang that line in 'Glass Onion' (Greeeat song by the way).
At that time, John was singing aloooot of songs about Yoko. So this line was his way of giving Paul credit for keeping the band together.

He also mentions our great song hero in 'Come Together'-
"He bag production he got Walrus gumboot".

In a later Lennon solo song, 'GOD', John sung quite sadly, "I was the Walrus but now I'm John".

i'm not a big beatles fan(my dad has alot of cds so i've heard their songs) but here are the songs i like

i saw her standing there
lucy in the sky with diamonds
the fool on the hill
your mother should know
i am the walrus
hello goodbye
penny lane
baby youre a rich man
hey jude
i want to hold your hand

The Louie, Louie lyrics! Good question! Check out this link; http://www.xs4all.nl/~tdg/lyrics.html :D

My favourite Beatles songs are the simpler ones; I Wanna Hold Your Hand, She Loves You and Daytripper.

I love the way the instruments build up in Daytripper and the groovy guitar! Excellent! :D

My Mum loved the Beatles and had every single they released on vinyl, most from when they came out. My brother has those now.

Here's a cool pic I found recently-



I love how Paul has a John framed photo :) :( :) :)

John would have been 64 this year :( :unsure:

^ I agree whole heartedly, mate.

I got back into the Beatles big time while drawing my latest comic.

And my new favourite song is 'I don't want to Spoil the party so I'll go.'
From 'Beatles for sale.'

"I Still Love her" is such a cool line in the song and John and paul's harmony is great!!

I feel kind of happy I got alot of people on this board into the Beatles ;)

^ Well, even though I've been into them my whole life anyway, the fact you're into 'em makes it that much cooler. :)

BTW, just now, in listening to Sgt Pepper, I got reminded of something I wondered if any of you ever noticed.

If you listen at the very end, after "A Day in the Life" finishes (that, like 1-minute long ending note, LOL!), at about 5:15, there's several seconds of weird studio sounds and voices.

It sounds like a woman's voice saying something on the realm of "Never to see any other way, never to see any other way". I always got a kick out of that!

PS: The first time I heard it, it scared me - that's not on the tape version, so when we started buying CD's in, I believe '87, I thought something was up with the disc, hehe. ;)

^ Yes, it was on the vinyl records too.

You have to play it backwards to hear it normally.

But that doesn't help much in decoding the voices. Many fans can't agree as to what they are saying. But many think it's a refrence to the Paul's dead theory.

^ Yeah, I know the "Paul is dead" theory is all over that album too, with lines like "he blew his mind out in a car" and in "Lovely Rita".

I think (going by my faded memory) the theory basically said Paul was in a major car accident in '67 and the rest of the band, panicking, found a "lookalike" replacement for him to do interviews and sing his songs in concert. Correct me if this is wrong. ;)

Of course I don't believe it, but it's an interesting "myth".

BTW, since this is an all Beatles discussion, I thought I'd ask:
What are your favorite solo songs from each bandmember?

I haven't heard much of John's, but I like his 1980 "comeback" hit (on the album just before his death) called "Just Like Starting Over". The big hit "Imagine" is also a pretty, antiwar song which I happen to agree with.

George went right to #1 in 1987 with "I Got My Mind Set on You" - a classic rock number with a little 80's pop catchiness thrown in. Loved the video too, with the singing books and stuff on the walls. It featured George in a lounge chair who did a backflip and a dance on the bridge! B)

I need to get Ringo's solo 1973 album some time, but I've always loved his buggest solo hit, the pop/rocker "It Don't Come Easy" - which doesn't sound too unlike the Beatles themselves. In fact, if they stayed together, I think this would've been the next logical step in their aound after Let it Be and Abbey Road.

Paul is the one I by far know the best as for his solo career, so I'll pick 5:

1. "Band on the Run" (1973) - Opening up with a couple minutes of strange studio noises, it kicks into a typical 'happy' pop/rocker. He did this with Wings, but I still overall consider it solo work.

2. "Coming Up" (1980) - Like an even more upbeat take on "Band on the Run". The trends of the time (disco - which was going out, and new wave - on its way in) are prevalent, along with some horns, but that only adds to its coolness.

3. "Say Say Say" (1983) - He duets with the then-black Michael Jackson (LOL) for this. Pure 80's upbeat pop - this is also likely how Paul's Beatles material would've sounded in 1983 if the band had stayed together. It even doesn't sound to different from Michael's Thriller, of which Paul would return the favor and do backup vocals on his hit "The Girl is Mine".

4. "No More Lonely Nights" (1984) - Paul was often the one who sang the more ballad-oriented songs with the Fab 4. Well, he continues that with an 80's pop sound here flawlessly with a bit of an upbeat groove, especially with help of guitarist David Gilmour (of Pink Floyd). Pretty but with a rockier edge, his best song, IMO. :jen1:

5. "Hope of Deliverance" (1993) - I believe this was his last major commercial hit, to date. Another in the line of catchy pop/rock - this one is timeless, as he wasn't trying too hard to follow the trends of the time (i.e. grunge, rap) LUCKILY! ;)

I will post my fav solo songs when I have a bit more time in a couple of hours.

Just thought you might like to know George Harrison wrote 'It don't come easy'. That might be why you feel it's like a Beatles song.
I also have a version Of George singing that song. Much better by the way :)

^ Cool, matey, I didn't know that (it's always cool to learn new info about stuff you like!). :)

It seems to me that George & Ringo didn't sing nearly as many Beatles songs as John & Paul did, but the ones they did do were always great! ;)

Okay, First the very best of each-

"Beautiful Boy" 1980 John Lennon's song sort of inspired my name because of the closing line. So I love it for many reasons. But mainly because of the tune.

"Take it Away" 1982 Paul McCartney's up beat song was off 'Tug of war' his first big splash into the 80s (so to speak). I love it because of the tune and the layed back lyrics.

"When We was Fab" 1988 george Harrison's great great song about the beatles, with Ringo and Paul on very brief backing vocals. It is just great that the Threetles got together for such a cool song. It reminds me very much of I am the Walrus.

"Never Without You" 2003, Ringo Starr's great song about George from his album 'Ringorama'. Its sad and happy, but most of all, very Ringo.

Now the best of the best-


John's Solo-

Give Peace a Chance
Imagine,
Oh My Love,
Many Rivers to Cross,
Starting Over,
Stand By Me,
GOD,
Serve Yourself,
I'm Losing you,
Instant Karma,
Woman,
Happy Xmas (war is over)


George Solo-

All Those Years Ago (with Paul, Ringo and Elton John)
Blow Away,
That's the way it goes,
Got my mind set on you,
What is Life,
My Sweet Lord,
Dark Horse,
Give me Love,
You,
Beware of Darkness,
Isn't it a Pity,

Paul Solo-

Here Today (song about John)
Take it Away
Say say say (with Michael Jackson)
Another Day,
Live and Let Die (James Bond theme)
My Love,
Jet,
Band on the Run,
Bluebird,
Mrs Vanderbilt,
Young Boy,
Uncle Albert /Admiral Halsey,
Maybe I'm Amazed,
Junk,

Ringo Solo-

Photograph,
I'm the greatest,
Six O'clock,
It Don't Come Easy,

Well, both songs were recorded at the same time, and Paul did a bit more then "backup vocals" of the Girl is mine. It was a duet. They even spoke to each other during the instrumental bridge (middle of the song).

By the way matey, I'm not having a go at you or anything, but did you copy some of your information from books or internet sites?
I ask because it sounds very familiar, but then again, information is information, no matter who says it :)

^ Nah, no offense taken at all, mate. :)

It's just that I've read Amazon and so many other sites in the last 7 years, that sometimes when I write about these things, they tend to kinda have an "informational/review-ish" tone. I guess I've gotten so used to that kind of wording now. :lol:

I like the spoken word part of "The Girl is Mine" too - especially Michael's "I'm a lover, not a fighter" line, LOL!

I know the singles from Thriller came out in '83 (but the album itself might've been very late '82), as did "Say Say Say", so I wasn't sure which came first.