In this thread I rank my favorite Beatles songs: 204-1. (2 Viewers)

[Pip's Invitation]

I maybe should have had it last, since it’s taking something out there and making it remarkably worse.  At least the ones I had below were at attempts at something new, albeit awful.

I personally can't conceive of ranking anything worse than Revolution 9. 

 

[Alex P Keaton]

I maybe should have had it last, since it’s taking something out there and making it remarkably worse.  At least the ones I had below were at attempts at something new, albeit awful.

We had a 5-minute family debate at dinner last night that was basically “if you were placed in a torture chamber and had to listen to the same song on a continuous loop, which would drive you insane faster — A Taste of Honey or Wild Honey Pie?”

My son kept asking why two of the worst songs ever both had the name honey in them.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Finished the saintsfan/Guido Merkens thread. Funny how it was the catch-all Beatles thread on this board until this one -- and ends with discussion of the plans to create this thread. 

 

[krista4]

Final album stats: Revolver your clear "winner" with both mean and median rankings 14-16 spots better than runner-up Help!

Album High Low Mean Median
---------------------- ---- --- ---- ------
Please Please Me 35 202 131 147
With the Beatles 12 194 140 149
A Hard Day’s Night 23 161 82 72
Beatles for Sale 56 185 137 149
Help! 4 157 72 64
Rubber Soul 1 158 75 77
Revolver 5 159 58 48
Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band 6 165 92 89
Magical Mystery Tour 44 197 143 160
The Beatles (aka White Album) 10 204 114 120
Yellow Submarine 31 171 114 127
Abbey Road 3 196 90 88
Let it Be 2 200 108 105
Singles, etc. 9 198 98 99


Standings by mean (average) rank:

Album High Low Mean Median
---------------------- ---- --- ---- ------
Revolver 5 159 58 48
Help! 4 157 72 64
Rubber Soul 1 158 75 77
A Hard Day’s Night 23 161 82 72
Abbey Road 3 196 90 88
Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band 6 165 92 89
Singles, etc. 9 198 98 99
Let it Be 2 200 108 105
The Beatles (aka White Album) 10 204 114 120
Yellow Submarine 31 171 114 127
Please Please Me 35 202 131 147
Beatles for Sale 56 185 137 149
With the Beatles 12 194 140 149
Magical Mystery Tour 44 197 143 160


Rubber Soul and Hard Day's Night would flip-flop based on median rank, but nothing else would change.  Abbey Road and Sgt Pepper in a near dead heat.

@Guido Merkins

 

[krista4]

I didn't want any true Beatles fans to miss out on this opportunity.

 

[Rustoleum]

I didn't want any true Beatles fans to miss out on this opportunity.

Of course the Cheeto is superimposed over Ringo.

 

[wikkidpissah]

I didn't want any true Beatles fans to miss out on this opportunity.

no thanks - i've had my fill of orange people for a while....

 

[Guido Merkins]

Back to it.  Two songs that couldn't be more different from each other.

171.  All Together Now (Yellow Submarine, 1969)

Beatles version:  Spotify  YouTube

This song, along with a few others that will come up soon-ish, is a children's song but still a blast for me.  It's also been a popular "terrace chant" at English football games - I think it was the Ron Howard documentary that had video of this (though I might be mixing that up with a different doc).  I went to see the remastered Yellow Submarine in the theater last year, and the rollicking great time people were having singing along with this one at the end might have positively affected my rating of the song.  Sure, it's a trifle, but it's just ####### fun.  Sometimes that oughta be enough.

Mr. krista:  "It’s a fun song.  It’s appropriate for a children’s movie.  [Discussion whether YS is a children's movie.]  It’s very gentle, and both a children’s song and a drinking song."

Suggested covers:  I would not argue it is "good," but the André 3000 version cracks me up.  Of course The Muppets version is recommended.

170.  Don't Bother Me (With the Beatles, 1963)

Beatles version:  Spotify  YouTube

Apparently I enjoy the first George-penned song on a Beatles album much more than (1) George did or (2) the rest of the Beatles did, as I've read that none of them were pleased with it looking back.    But I like the spookiness, the darker mood than most anything else they were doing at the time.  Check out some of these lyrics in comparison to the rest of what was on these early records:

Since she's been gone 
I want no one 
To talk to me 
It's not the same 
But I'm to blame 
It's plain to see 

So go away and leave me alone 
Don't bother me 

I can't believe 
That she would leave 
Me on my own 
It's just not right 
Where every night 
I'm all alone 

I've got no time for you right now 
Don't bother me

Ringo's percussion and Paul's excellent bass combine to set either a Latin or Western tone (I vacillate on which one I'm hearing) that i find pleasing.  I love the breaks just at the end of the verses, too.

Mr. krista:  "I like the Western kind of galloping.  I like this song a lot.  Might be the first time I’ve heard it.  I’m really into this.  Would make a great soundtrack song, like something where you’d say 'What the #### is that?'  'That’s the Beatles, dummy.'"

Suggested cover:  I've listened to more terrible covers of this song than any other so far.  All I can offer, again, is The Smithereens, though their version might be slightly too on the nose.

I always wonder why none of the Beatles seem to like this song.  I agree with you, this is far darker than anything else they were doing at the time and that, alone, I think makes it stand out....

 

[Guido Merkins]

Funny you should mention that.

155.  Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (White Album, 1968)

Beatles version:  Spotify  YouTube

A #1 hit in several countries, this was also voted the worst song of all time in a 2004 online poll in the UK.

Inspired by a phrase used by his Nigerian friend Jimmy Scott (full name:  Jimmy Anonmuogharan Scott Emuakpor), while in India Paul wrote this story about a fictitious couple named Desmond and Molly.  The Beatles recorded it joyfully and merrily during the White Album sessions, all agreeing it was one of their best efforts, and it became a smash hit single.

Wait, that's not quite right.  Actually the other Beatles hated it, hated all the time spent on recording and re-recording it, and this was one of the songs that inspired John to start complaining about Paul's "granny ####."   John famously and furiously acted out during one of the re-recordings, started smashing the piano keys as hard as he could and at twice the speed of prior recording, shouting "This is how the ####### song should go!"  I guess he was right, as this was the intro take that was used in the final product.  Paul's profane tirade against George Martin during later vocal re-recordings then drove away Geoff Emerick, who could no longer stand the atmosphere and vowed never to record with them again (though he did later return for Abbey Road).

Despite the fact that the atmosphere was tense (put charitably) at this point, the song somehow sounds joyous, with the other Beatles hootin' and hollerin' in the background, shouting out clever little retorts.  I think this is the ultimate love-it-or-hate-it song in the Beatles catalogue, and since I vacillate between the two, it falls in the middle of my rankings.  Sometimes I just can't bear that faux-ska sound or the inanity of the lyrics, and sometimes I get caught up in the harmless fun of it and want to dance around.  What can I say; I'm a woman.

If this is "love it or hate it," let's mark Mr. krista firmly in the latter column:  "I hate this ####### song.  I hate the stupid laughter; I hate the background noise. That’s what happens when white people try to play reggae.  It’s awful.  I’m surprised he didn’t put on a fake Jamaican accent like George Harrison did in "Gone Troppo."  All of the Beatles should feel deep shame about this song.  Every time it comes on the radio, they should feel like they just got caught masturbating.  Because they did."

Suggested covers:  Arthur Conley, with Duane Allman on guitar  The Marmalade has a #1 hit with this cover.  Desmond Dekker was the inspiration for naming the character "Desmond."  For a couple more where the videos are pure gold: Andy Williams and Don Ho ; Bing Crosby

I actually prefer the version on Anthology III.  Not sure why they changed it

 

[Guido Merkins]

  I have thoughts but would like to hear this from some of the more knowledgeable folks, too.  I know a few have mentioned in here that George is their favorite.

Hey nerds, talk to me about George Harrison and how his contributions to the Beatles rank in comparison to Lennon and McCartney (and Ringo too, I suppose). In my formative years I pigeonholed him as distinctly and firmly 3rd place, but this thread has given me pause.  His legacy sounds heavy and important.

Couple years late...Sorry.  George started off very much as the lead guitar player in the Beatles and not a song writer. John and Paul wrote all their bad songs before anybody knew who they were. George learned in the public eye.  By the time the Beatles broke up, George could write songs as well as John and Paul but, IMO, was not as prolific.  The tons of great material on All Things Must Pass is the direct result of him emptying his backlog.  

His solo career was, IMO, similar to Lennon, but not quite as good as McCartney although out the gate, he was probably better than both because of the sheer amount of great songs he already had.

I think of it like this.  What other band has a 3rd banana the level of George Harrison??.....party of one IMO.  George is the leader of a lot of bands if he didn't happen to be a member of the Beatles

 

[Guido Merkins]

I don't know why this is such an amazing thread, but I think part of it is the personality that you have conveyed here over the years which shines through in both humor and serious when necessary.  The topic is one that invites debate because whatever you call their top 50 songs won't match other people and no one is wrong because of the massive amount of greatness they had.  It's fun, the world sucks generally speaking right now, and there are probably other reasons.

Overall, this is without question a top FFA thread.  All time.  And it's not even done yet.  Sure, I don't agree with what you've done to some songs, but that is the point.  This isn't you claiming to be the definitive ranker of Beatles' lore, but just sharing your opinion, mixed with some musical fact and backbone that makes it hard to disagree with you.  Had you just said, Let It Be isn't a top song because the first time I heard it I had bad gas and it always reminds me of that - then you deserve mockery.

No one else is as interesting within this thread.  I wasn't kidding at the beginning that it made me think I really should do a Billy Joel one mainly because I can probably name every song in album order from start to finish off the top of my head so the knowledge base is there.  But Billy isn't a 10th as important as the Beatles, you've set a bar so high here that any similar thread is likely going to suffer as a result, and the amount of work you have put into this (which shows, and if you are faking it, even better) just might be a slight too much for me to want to undertake.  The President thread thing I did was enough work to last a lifetime on internet message board discussion of no real consequence in the real world bucket of things you measure a life by.

Your top 25 isn't going to match mine so much.  That has made this more entertaining.  Carry on.  Take your time.  The ride has been a blast. 

This is well said.  I am in awe of what you have done here krista.  I have about 30-something songs left to read about and I can't wait

 

[Zegras11]

  I have about 30-something songs left to read about and I can't wait

Better send me your Top 25 list then ASAP.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

What other band has a 3rd banana the level of George Harrison??

Raymond McGinley of Teenage Fanclub is the only one I can even remotely think of. (He's now 2nd banana after Gerard Love left in 2018.)

 

[krista4]

Raymond McGinley of Teenage Fanclub is the only one I can even remotely think of. (He's now 2nd banana after Gerard Love left in 2018.)

Ummmm...no. 

 

[wikkidpissah]

Ahem................Susan Dey? nufced

and dont get me started on Danny Bonaduce v Ringo Starr

 

[Binky The Doormat]

has this little tidbit appeared anywhere in a Beatles thread? 

there appear to be several variations to how it's told ...but seems to check out.

love the George.  

 

[krista4]

has this little tidbit appeared anywhere in a Beatles thread? 

there appear to be several variations to how it's told ...but seems to check out.

love the George.  

You can find reference and links to it - twice - in my solo Beatles thread.

 

[Binky The Doormat]

You can find reference and links to it - twice - in my solo Beatles thread.

 ...sorry, it's like trying remember everything in a set of encyclopedias.  

 

[krista4]

 ...sorry, it's like trying remember everything in a set of encyclopedias.  

I was just coming back in to edit my post to say it's ok, it's a great story that can be retold as much as we want.  Seriously.

 

[heckmanm]

has this little tidbit appeared anywhere in a Beatles thread? 

there appear to be several variations to how it's told ...but seems to check out.

love the George.  

x 100

 

[rockaction]

x 100

You've gotta be kidding me. That's unreal.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

You've gotta be kidding me. That's unreal.

Given what we know about George's sense of humor, I have no problem believing that that or something like it actually happened. 

 

[krista4]

I guess this is some Twitter thing today.  Ex-mr. krista showed up for a dinner we had this evening and asked me if I'd seen the thing about George.  I informed him that I'd posted about this multiple times before.    He said he'd seen something on Twitter about it.  Don't know why it's become new info somehow, but I don't twit/tweet.    

 

[Pip's Invitation]

I guess this is some Twitter thing today.  Ex-mr. krista showed up for a dinner we had this evening and asked me if I'd seen the thing about George.  I informed him that I'd posted about this multiple times before.    He said he'd seen something on Twitter about it.  Don't know why it's become new info somehow, but I don't twit/tweet.    

It's the musical-anecdote equivalent of "RIP" threads for someone who died 5 years ago, because someone tweeted an article without looking at the date and a bunch of people retweeted it without looking at the date either. 

 

[krista4]

It's the musical-anecdote equivalent of "RIP" threads for someone who died 5 years ago, because someone tweeted an article without looking at the date and a bunch of people retweeted it without looking at the date either. 

OMG you're saying Abe Vigoda died?

 

[Guido Merkins]

has this little tidbit appeared anywhere in a Beatles thread? 

there appear to be several variations to how it's told ...but seems to check out.

love the George.  

This is $$$

 

[Zegras11]

You can find reference and links to it - twice - in my solo Beatles thread.

There's a joke here. I wish I could find it .  

 

[Zegras11]

This is well said.  I am in awe of what you have done here krista.  I have about 30-something songs left to read about and I can't wait

What did she say?   None of us read her posts. TIA.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

The Beatles meet Super Mario:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=m0Jz3BgNWTc

 

[Shaft41]

I just spent the last couple of weeks re-reading through this thread again.  Just wanted to say hello to everyone, since I don't post too much in other, lesser threads.  And I want to change my top 25 again.  I did it all wrong.  

 

[krista4]

I just spent the last couple of weeks re-reading through this thread again.  Just wanted to say hello to everyone, since I don't post too much in other, lesser threads.  And I want to change my top 25 again.  I did it all wrong.  

Me too!!

Also, hi!

 

[Shaft41]

Biggest risers for me in the last year:  "I'll Be Back", "Lovely Rita", and successfully hitting the low note at the end of each verse on "I'm a Loser."  

Biggest fallers for me:  "We Can Work It Out", "All You Need Is Love" and Meg Griffin's value as an announcer, which was low to begin with.  

 

[Zegras11]

I just spent the last couple of weeks re-reading through this thread again.  Just wanted to say hello to everyone, since I don't post too much in other, lesser threads.  And I want to change my top 25 again.  I did it all wrong.  

I'll allow it.

 

[heckmanm]

The Beatles meet Super Mario:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=m0Jz3BgNWTc

This sure Beatles Super Mario Brothers!

 

[krista4]

Biggest risers for me in the last year:  "I'll Be Back", "Lovely Rita", and successfully hitting the low note at the end of each verse on "I'm a Loser."  

Biggest fallers for me:  "We Can Work It Out", "All You Need Is Love" and Meg Griffin's value as an announcer, which was low to begin with.  

I turn her off now every time I hear her voice, and I actually used to like her.  They just inundated us with her.

 

[krista4]

Biggest risers for me in the last year:  "I'll Be Back", "Lovely Rita", and successfully hitting the low note at the end of each verse on "I'm a Loser."  

Biggest fallers for me:  "We Can Work It Out", "All You Need Is Love" and Meg Griffin's value as an announcer, which was low to begin with.  

And happy birthday!!!

 

[simsarge]

Forgot this came out Wednesday.  The 2021 Coverville's Annual Beatles Show.

Some good ones in this year's edition. I especially like the Ryan Shaw cover of Yesterday a song that I don't care much for because everybody and their sister has done it. Almost always with lukewarm, at best, results. This is an exception to the rule.

 

[krista4]

Forgot this came out Wednesday.  The 2021 Coverville's Annual Beatles Show.

Some good ones in this year's edition. I especially like the Ryan Shaw cover of Yesterday a song that I don't care much for because everybody and their sister has done it. Almost always with lukewarm, at best, results. This is an exception to the rule.

Cool, I look forward to checking this out!   

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Uruk-Hai and I were among about 4,000 people to vote on WXPN's greatest albums of all time, and they just finished revealing the top 2,021. Here is where the Beatles albums landed (US and UK albums were eligible):

1. Abbey Road

4. Sgt. Pepper

11. Revolver

23. Rubber Soul

28. Meet the Beatles

41. The White Album

49. Let It Be

266. A Hard Day's Night

277. Magical Mystery Tour

453. Help!

1053. Introducing the Beatles

1056. Beatles '65

1735. Yesterday and Today

1992. Please Please Me 

Paul/Wings:

197. Band on the Run 

531. McCartney

534. Ram

1089. Flaming Pie

John:

436. Imagine

891. Plastic Ono Band

1656. Double Fantasy

George:

62. All Things Must Pass

The Traveling Wilburys:

258. Vol. 1

(No Ringo albums on the list, unsurprisingly)

I think I used one of my 10 votes on Abbey Road, but I don't remember my entire ballot. 

 

[Dr. Octopus]

I love the Beatles as much as anyone but seems a bit Beatles-heavy. 4 of the top 25 of all time?

 

[Pip's Invitation]

I love the Beatles as much as anyone but seems a bit Beatles-heavy. 4 of the top 25 of all time?

Very few music fans hate the Beatles. There's a consensus about them that doesn't really exist with other artists. 

 

[Dr. Octopus]

Very few music fans hate the Beatles. There's a consensus about them that doesn't really exist with other artists. 

Yes, and obviously they’re all great albums.

 

[wikkidpissah]

as many have warned, the discrimination against the White deepens every year....

 

[krista4]

453. Help!

Criminally underrated.

Paul/Wings:

197. Band on the Run 

531. McCartney

534. Ram

1089. Flaming Pie

McCartney at 531, and above Ram, is shocking.  WTG, Flaming Pie!   

John:

436. Imagine

891. Plastic Ono Band

Also criminal.

 

[DocHolliday]

Criminally underrated.

I know that I love Help! more than most but ranking it at 453 is just silly.  

 

[BobbyLayne]

50.  I've Got A Feeling (Let It Be, 1970)

Beatles version:  Spotify  YouTube

Love these Paul/John mishmosh songs, linking a song fragment from each of them, and I think this is one of their most successful fusions.  As was often (always?) the case, the Paul portion is generally upbeat, this time reflecting his love for Linda.  Despite this being written at a particularly tough time for John, though - coming on the heels of his drug bust, Yoko's miscarriage, his divorce, and more - I don't hear the usual pessimism or cynicism from John in his portion.  If anything, he sounds more laid-back, maybe detached and resigned to circumstances.  

The best part of this song for me is that, unlike the other similar collaborations, this one doesn't simply go Paul-John-Paul or John-Paul-John, but late in the song merges the two song parts together, one on top of the other.  Interlaying John's mellow sound on top of Paul's more aggressive rock part works beautifully.   The song rocks, thanks to...well, everyone involved.  Paul contributes a passionate rock vocal, though perhaps tending too far into a "cookie monster" feel for my taste, and John and George wail on the guitars after an understated opening riff.  Billy Preston adds another level of groove on the electric piano, and Ringo's fills connect everything together perfectly.  It's great rock, but also playful and fun; the rooftop concert evidences how much they enjoyed this one.

Mr. krista:  "It’s a really good rock song.  It’s like they did The Faces as good or better than The Faces. And I love The Faces."

Suggested covers:  I feel like Eddie Vedder overplays the vocal, but Pearl Jam . Found several live versions by Robyn Hitchcock; this had the best sound quality but not great.

2.667 years later I’m still being blessed by your magnum opus, @krista4

Really fun reading through the LIB songs after viewing Get Back

 

[krista4]

2.667 years later I’m still being blessed by your magnum opus, @krista4

Really fun reading through the LIB songs after viewing Get Back

Thanks so much, my dear friend.  I hope you're doing well.

I actually think my magnum opus was the next thread, the post-Beatles one.    Poke your head in there sometime, as we missed you during that thread!  

 

[Ilov80s]

2.667 years later I’m still being blessed by your magnum opus, @krista4

Really fun reading through the LIB songs after viewing Get Back

It is really an impressive thread (obviously, she got on the radio!)

 

[krista4]

It is really an impressive thread (obviously, she got on the radio!)

Twice.    

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Twice.    

Hey! It's Beatle Fan Krista!