Top Ten Songs by the Beatles

No rock band has ever inspired or influenced musicians as much as The Beatles. Though its been over thirty years since they disbanded, they continue to influence pop music and culture in general. Here’s a Top Ten list of my favorite Beatles songs.

1. “Strawberry Fields Forever” – After retiring from touring, the Beatles holed themselves up in their studio and churned out musical works that pushed the boundaries of what could be done in the studio. “Strawberry Fields Forever” is one of the songs that is known for its studio theatrics, such as editing together multiple tracks of the song to achieve its psychedelic sound. The song itself is taken from the name of a Salvation Army orphanage near John Lennon’s childhood home in Liverpool, beautifully capturing the ruminative nature of nostalgia. A great song!

2. “Eleanor Rigby” – I first heard this song in the Beatles animated feature “Yellow Submarine,” so I’ll always associate this one with that film. Paul McCartney delivers a fine musical performance here, capturing the melancholic nature of the song. Written for their “Revolver” album, “Eleanor Rigby” would herald a new and more complex sound for The Beatles, signaling their later work for “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band.” Again, like “Strawberry Fields Forever,” this song captures the melancholy of loss. Beautiful, sad, and poetic.

3. “Something” – Frank Sinatra once called this one of the greatest long songs, so who am I to disagree with the Chairman of the Board. Beautiful, but also complex, “Something” takes a more mature look at love and relationships. Written by George Harrison, it was one of the first songs that showcased his talents as a songwriter after living under the McCartney/Lennon shadow for much of his career. A very tender and lovely song.

4. “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” – Released on the The Beatles album (aka The White album), “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” is another George Harrison song that firmly established him as a great songwriter in his own right. As is often the case of Beatles songs during the latter half of their career, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” captures longing and discontent beautifully. Also features a great guitar solo by Eric Clapton. On an album that is filled with great songs, “While My Guitar” towers above the rest.

5. “I Am the Walrus” – I am convinced that if The Beatles were around today, they’d use the same technology that rappers use today. The fact that rappers like Q-Tip consider The Beatles as an influence is testament to that. Using backwards masking and other techniques to capture its psychedelic sound, “I Am the Walrus,” with Lennon’s nonsense, Lewis Carrollesque lyrics, also reveals how instrumental producer George Martin was in capturing their signature sound. A really great song.

6. “In My Life” – Released on their “Rubber Soul” album, “In My Life” showed The Beatles as they were maturing both intellectually and musically.

7. “And Your Bird Can Sing” – Another great song from “Revolver.” Distinctive for George Harrison’s great guitar lines, “And Your Bird Can Sing” also shows The Beatles as they challenge themselves with complex melodies.

8. “She Said She Said” – Inspired by a conversation Lennon had with Peter Fonda, “She Said She Said” also features some of Ringo Starr’s best work on drums. McCartney’s bass lines and Harrison’s guitar licks also give the song its early psychedelic groove.

9. “Here Comes the Sun” – One of Harrison’s best and well-known songs. A great song to have on the brain when waking up in the morning.

10. “I’m Only Sleeping” – Great song that shows how rhythmic and harmonic the Beatles truly were.