DISQUS

Randall · 2 months ago

Top 40

Rain
She's Leaving Home
You Never Give Me Your Money
She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
Carry That Weight
Polythene Pam
Mean Mr. Mustard
In My Life
Strawberry Fields Forever
Blackbird
Yesterday
Penny Lane
Hey Jude
Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!
Ticket To Ride
Drive My Car
Something
The Fool on the Hill
Here Comes the Sun
Oh! Darling
I Feel Fine
I Want to Hold Your Hand
Let It Be
Eleanor Rigby
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
A Day in the Life
Revolution (White Album)
Two of Us
Norwegian Wood
The Word
Taxman
I'm Only Sleeping
Good Day Sunshine
And Your Bird Can Sing
I Want to Tell You
Getting Better
Because
Sun King
Golden Slumbers
The End

kshane · 2 months ago

I just looked at my list and it seems kind of random in part. I think I could post an altogether different list today.

EightE1 · 2 months ago

No - you must never change it. It is written in stone (and HTML). You shall live with your list FOREVER! BWAH-HAHAHAHA!

Actually, I feel the same about a couple of mine. I actually forgot "I'm Only Sleeping" and "Paperback Writer." How? Who knows? Yet, I'd probably only wind up extending my list; can't imagine not mentioning any of the ten I mentioned.

jefito · 2 months ago

Same here. I didn't think too deeply about mine for the very same reason -- it's just impossible to pin down my all-time Beatles favorites.

JonCummings · 2 months ago

I'm relatively confident about the songs in my top 50, if not my top 10 ("We Can Work It Out" may be too high). I put "Yesterday" at #50 just so I could rag on it, which made me sad that I was leaving off "Drive My Car" and "I'll Follow the Sun." And on some days I might replace "Something" with a George song that I actually prefer, like "Love You To" or "The Inner Light."

Arthur2sheds · 2 months ago

A "top" list is almost impossible to compile, but some that come to mind....


I'm Only Sleeping
Daytripper
I've Got a Feeling
Back in the USSR
Something
In My Life
And Your Bird Can Sing
Money (not technically a Beatles song, I know, but Lennon makes it his own)
Here Comes the Sun
Octopus' Garden (We all need a little whimsy in our life)
Got to Get You Into My Life
Birthday

Elaine · 2 months ago

So far, only one lone person has even mentioned my favorite Beatles song. Scott Malchus, I saw you staaaanding there. Let's dance!

TheCloneRanger · 2 months ago

I'm once more puzzled that Dear Prudence hardly ever gets mentioned whenever the Beatles' catalog gets reviewed. It may not be a milestone in rock or pop history but it's a well crafted song that really sort of shines in its original spot between Back in the USSR and Glass Onion...

Just wanted to say thanks to Ben & Ken for agreeing on DP at #14 of their lists.

aleccumming · 2 months ago

What? Next to no songs that predate 1965 on any of these lists?? I thought the EW list was bad in ignoring the first three years but this is ridiculous. To counterbalance, here's 15 from that apparently forgettable era:

'There's A Place - existential, haunting; the Beatles "In My Room" with weird harmonies
Things We Said Today - ancient English folk melody with a Ringo beat
Twist and Shout - explodes out of the speakers; a one-take shredded-larynx-stomper
Money - "I Wanna Be FREE!!"
I'll Be Back - Paul and John toying with the major/minor dichotomy; gorgeous
You Can't Do That - Lennon does Wilson Pickett; the lads at their funkiest
Misery - Lennon's first words to the world: "The world is treating me bad/MISERY!"
It Won't Be Long - 1st track on MEET THE BEATLES; a gauntlet thrown down; America surrenders
You Really Got A Hold On Me - pure Smokey soul, arguably better than the original
All I Got To Do - John takes Smokey's soul into his own and adds drama, tension, brilliance
A Hard Day's Night - from the opening chord to the closing jangle: Mastery.
I Should've Known Better - the innocent and sexy joy of a G going to a D and back to a G and back to a D and...
Baby It's You - vulnerable, sweet, soulful, perfect; Beatles meet Bacharach!
From Me To You - *especially* the first chord (G minor) of the bridge
I Feel Fine - Bmmmm. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrhp. (i.e. the lads say hello to psychedelic accidents)

JonCummings · 2 months ago

You're absolutely right that there are a number of early-Beatles songs that deserve consideration. Of the 15 you listed, the ones I wish I had been able to include (in addition to the four I DID find room for) are "There's a Place" and "I'll Be Back." There are a couple of other John-sad-sack songs I was also sad to leave out: "I'll Cry Instead" and "I Don't Want to Spoil the Party."

Here's a theory: The Beatles' early records suffer (in our collective memory) in comparison to their later-periods output, largely because their biggest 1963-64 singles were significantly less mature (as songwriting feats) than the best pop & soul of the early '60s (Roy Orbison, Smokey Robinson, etc.). The great album tracks on A Hard Day's Night, Beatles for Sale...even With the Beatles...are downgraded because they come from the era when the kids were screaming for "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "Can't Buy Me Love." Discuss!

aleccumming · 2 months ago

I will! I have a whole article/editorial I'm writing for Popdose on this issue... stay tuned!

aleccumming · 2 months ago

Not to mention "She Loves You" (Hiroshima) or "I Want To Hold Your Hand" (Nagasaki). Both atomic-powered pure-pop perfection, both mercilessly designed to take over the world and change it forever. It's incredibly hard to hear either with fresh ears; they don't even seem like they were made by a band of Liverpool boys, they're just THERE, inevitable like "God Bless America" or "Danny Boy" or something.

And, oh yeah - "I Saw Her Standing There". One-Two-Three-Fuck!

jefito · 2 months ago

I'm telling you, Alec, you need to write an editorial. Beatles Week is still young! There's plenty of time!

aleccumming · 2 months ago

Editorial about what...? My take on this week's Beatlemania?

jefito · 2 months ago

Sure! Or why we're all a bunch of tasteless goons for neglecting the Beatles' pre-'65 output.

aleccumming · 2 months ago

Hmmm... maybe I will. How's the pay?

jefito · 2 months ago

We pay in gratitude vouchers. They're kind of like food stamps, only you can't actually buy food with them.

EightE1 · 2 months ago

THAT'S why the cashier always looks at me funny when I try to use them! I wondered ...

bagman27 · 2 months ago

Trying to pick your top 40 beatles songs i hard.....let alone just your favorite five. Here are mine:
1) Revolution
2) A Day in the life
3) Twist N Shout
4) Here comes the Sun
5) Eight Days a week