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In this thread I rank my favorite Beatles songs: 204-1. (4 Viewers)

krista4 said:
Help!
You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
I Need You
You're Going To Lose That Girl
Ticket To Ride
I've Just Seen A Face
Yesterday
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I had two of these in my top 25 - but looking at that list it probably should have been more (although I can't imagine what songs I would then kick out).

 
krista4 said:
98.  Come Together (Abbey Road, 1969)

  Plus, some of the lyrics were stolen from Chuck Berry, which led to an out-of-court settlement by which John agreed to record three songs for Berry's publisher.  I also am not a fan of John's vocal on this.  
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I wasn't aware of the claim by Berry and the settlement - but find it odd as it's an obvious homage to that song and not "stolen" - it doesn't add anything to the song after all, it's just one line (I think) "Here comes 'ol flat top, he comes groovin' up slowly".

 
Shaft41 said:
Musically, I like this one much better than many of John's during this period of the Beatles.  I can handle nonsense lyrics to a degree, but they get really tiresome to me after awhile, especially from John.  
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There are Beatle fans that insist that the four verses are about each Beatle.    I think it is hogwash but here it is:

(GEORGE)
Here come old flat top
He come groovin' up slowly
He got joo joo eyeballs
He one holy roller
He got hair down to his knee
Got to be a joker
He just do what he please

(RINGO)
He wear no shoeshine
He got toe jam football
He got monkey finger
He shoot Coca-Cola
He say I know you, you know me
One thing I can tell you is
You got to be free

Come together, right now
Over me

(JOHN)
He bag production
He got walrus gumboot
He got Ono sideboard
He one spinal cracker
He got feet down below his knee
Hold you in his armchair
You can feel his disease

Come together, right now
Over me

(PAUL)
He roller coaster
He got early warning
He got muddy water
He one Mojo filter
He say one and one and one is three
Got to be good looking
'Cause he's so hard to see

Come together right now
Over me

 
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timschochet said:
Come Together is just a great classic rock song. Hard to believe there are 97 Beatles songs that are better. But let’s see what you got. 
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Thinking the same thing but there are a lot of incredible Beatles songs left.   And, Come Together does start to bore me about 3/4 of the way through.   Maybe it's just worn out from hearing the cover so much by that other little band.  

 
Big fan of coming together

I don't hate Boston's bad in so many ways boys for doing what they do but anyone who plays that cover in public should be fired.  Brothers Johnson is aight. 

It's a John tune through and through, maybe not for everybody.  I wonder if he thought fans would "get" it, but we know he didn't care.  I don't get it but I dig it because it's unique and such a jam

 
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Dr. Octopus said:
I had two of these in my top 25 - but looking at that list it probably should have been more (although I can't imagine what songs I would then kick out).
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That's always the issue.  I had the same thing when at my top half, or top 100.

DocHolliday said:
Thinking the same thing but there are a lot of incredible Beatles songs left.   And, Come Together does start to bore me about 3/4 of the way through.   Maybe it's just worn out from hearing the cover so much by that other little band.  
Click to expand...


Nigel Tufnel said:
A lot of these songs can suffer from overexposure and CT could be an example of that. 
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Think what these two said are part of the reason it's not higher for me.  I'm not excited about it the way I used to be.  Then again, I've heard some songs in my top 10 just as much and yet there they are.  So really I have no idea what I'm talking about.

 
fatguyinalittlecoat said:
timschochet said:
Come Together is just a great classic rock song. Hard to believe there are 97 Beatles songs that are better. But let’s see what you got. 
Click to expand...
Yeah I wonder what those 97 songs are, it's a real mystery.
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:lmao:   :lmao:  Exactly!

Also, for the eleventy billionth time, this thread isn't about what is "best."

Maybe finally to get through to tim, I could describe it this way:  there are still three cover songs to come.  If I were doing a thread about what's best, the covers would all be near the bottom, since I don't think a cover could be a "best" Beatles song given the inherent limitations on what they can contribute to it.  But in a thread about what I like the most, some covers rank right up there.

 
krista4 said:
That's always the issue.  I had the same thing when at my top half, or top 100.

Think what these two said are part of the reason it's not higher for me.  I'm not excited about it the way I used to be.  Then again, I've heard some songs in my top 10 just as much and yet there they are.  So really I have no idea what I'm talking about.
Click to expand...
time is a flat circle.

 
krista4 said:
:lmao:   :lmao:  Exactly!

Also, for the eleventy billionth time, this thread isn't about what is "best."

Maybe finally to get through to tim, I could describe it this way:  there are still three cover songs to come.  If I were doing a thread about what's best, the covers would all be near the bottom, since I don't think a cover could be a "best" Beatles song given the inherent limitations on what they can contribute to it.  But in a thread about what I like the most, some covers rank right up there.
Click to expand...
I plan on thoroughly enjoying the ups and downs all along the way - there will be plenty of screams of joy and pain.  

 
krista4 said:
:lmao:   :lmao:  Exactly!

Also, for the eleventy billionth time, this thread isn't about what is "best."

Maybe finally to get through to tim, I could describe it this way:  there are still three cover songs to come.  If I were doing a thread about what's best, the covers would all be near the bottom, since I don't think a cover could be a "best" Beatles song given the inherent limitations on what they can contribute to it.  But in a thread about what I like the most, some covers rank right up there.
Click to expand...
Wow, that got through to me! 

I already knew what you were doing. But I don’t care. I choose to treat your list as a “best of” list because then it’s more fun to criticize your choices. 

 
Things were a bit slow in here yesterday.  I wasn't sure if that was hangovers or songs no one cared much about.  Figured "Come Together" would inspire discussion.   :thumbup:  

 
97.  I'm Happy Just to Dance With You (A Hard Day's Night, 1964)

Beatles version:  Spotify  YouTube

John and Paul wrote this one specifically for George for the A Hard Day's Night movie and album; as Paul told it later, he and John weren't interested anymore in singing the simple ones that appealed to the teenagers but could still toss out a "formula song" quickly on a "slim little premise."  This was the last song Paul and John wrote for George to sing, since after this George's songwriting was improving enough to feature his one compositions on the albums, albeit at the one-per-album pace until late in the band's existence.  It's a sweet if slight song, with highlights for me being John's excellent guitar work and Paul's countermelody bass.  I love the tom-toms or whatever Ringo is playing, but it's not his best performance as you can hear him miss some of the beats and be muddy at times.  I'm also a fan of the fast-moving chord changes on this and the way the harmonies lead back into the verses with that "Ohhhhh!" (which also ends the song).  If you're making your list of songs to vacuum to, this one is right up there - makes me want to do a little cha-cha while I'm sweeping.

Mr. krista:  "Uh, it seems very mod.  I imagine dudes on scooters.  Velvet pants.  Turtlenecks. It’s like some Brit’s version of something foreign and saucy.  Do you like it?  I don’t know. I don’t know if I like it or I like what it evokes in my imagination.  The last record had some really ####ty songs I didn’t want to listen to, and I enjoy this."

Suggested cover:  Most of the covers I listened to turned this into a ballad, which does show the beauty of this melody.  This has too much 80s(?) cheesiness for me to like it, but it's interesting to hear just that melody:  Anne Murray

 
krista4 said:
98.  Come Together (Abbey Road, 1969)

Beatles version:  Spotify  YouTube

 those drums.  I heard an interview once with Stewart Copeland, about a tribute to Ringo put on at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at which Copeland participated.  He said that they producers of the tribute asked the drummers participating which was their favorite song for Ringo's drumming, and that they all had the same answer:  "Come Together."  Copeland then waxed poetic for a while about how ground-breaking and amazing this piece was in that respect, and when I listen to it, I feel the same way.  I basically hear nothing but the drumming on this song; I'm simply fascinated with it.
Click to expand...
:goodposting:

The drums are what makes the song to me, and therefore makes it one of my favorite Beatle tunes. Ringo's best work, without question - this is a great drum track. Here's a quick clip (related to your Stewart Copeland - greatest drummer of all time - story) where some other drummers talk about Ringo.

 
krista4 said:
97.  I'm Happy Just to Dance With You (A Hard Day's Night, 1964)

Beatles version:  Spotify  YouTube

John and Paul wrote this one specifically for George for the A Hard Day's Night movie and album; as Paul told it later, he and John weren't interested anymore in singing the simple ones that appealed to the teenagers but could still toss out a "formula song" quickly on a "slim little premise."  This was the last song Paul and John wrote for George to sing, since after this George's songwriting was improving enough to feature his one compositions on the albums, albeit at the one-per-album pace until late in the band's existence.  It's a sweet if slight song, with highlights for me being John's excellent guitar work and Paul's countermelody bass.  I love the tom-toms or whatever Ringo is playing, but it's not his best performance as you can hear him miss some of the beats and be muddy at times.  I'm also a fan of the fast-moving chord changes on this and the way the harmonies lead back into the verses with that "Ohhhhh!" (which also ends the song).  If you're making your list of songs to vacuum to, this one is right up there - makes me want to do a little cha-cha while I'm sweeping.

Mr. krista:  "Uh, it seems very mod.  I imagine dudes on scooters.  Velvet pants.  Turtlenecks. It’s like some Brit’s version of something foreign and saucy.  Do you like it?  I don’t know. I don’t know if I like it or I like what it evokes in my imagination.  The last record had some really ####ty songs I didn’t want to listen to, and I enjoy this."
Click to expand...
Heh. I love this song but it doesn't crack my top twenty-five, either.  

 
krista4 said:
:lmao:   :lmao:  Exactly!

Also, for the eleventy billionth time, this thread isn't about what is "best."

Maybe finally to get through to tim, I could describe it this way:  there are still three cover songs to come.  If I were doing a thread about what's best, the covers would all be near the bottom, since I don't think a cover could be a "best" Beatles song given the inherent limitations on what they can contribute to it.  But in a thread about what I like the most, some covers rank right up there.
Click to expand...
Yeah tim, I mean seriously already. Let her do her thing here and enjoy the ride.

Wait.

Yeah, I'm gonna have to apologize for that.  The comments I made in my youth are not expressive of the person I have become over these years.  I value the opinions and rights of women the world over and would never subject them to anything like this statement might entail.

Unless they like it.

Dangnabit.

The comments I made recently are not expressive of the person I have become over these past few minutes.  I value the opinions and rights of women the world over and would never subject them to anything like this statement might entail.

 
krista4 said:
97.  I'm Happy Just to Dance With You (A Hard Day's Night, 1964)

Beatles version:  Spotify  YouTube

John and Paul wrote this one specifically for George for the A Hard Day's Night movie and album; as Paul told it later, he and John weren't interested anymore in singing the simple ones that appealed to the teenagers but could still toss out a "formula song" quickly on a "slim little premise."  This was the last song Paul and John wrote for George to sing, since after this George's songwriting was improving enough to feature his one compositions on the albums, albeit at the one-per-album pace until late in the band's existence.  It's a sweet if slight song, with highlights for me being John's excellent guitar work and Paul's countermelody bass.  I love the tom-toms or whatever Ringo is playing, but it's not his best performance as you can hear him miss some of the beats and be muddy at times.  I'm also a fan of the fast-moving chord changes on this and the way the harmonies lead back into the verses with that "Ohhhhh!" (which also ends the song).  If you're making your list of songs to vacuum to, this one is right up there - makes me want to do a little cha-cha while I'm sweeping.

Mr. krista:  "Uh, it seems very mod.  I imagine dudes on scooters.  Velvet pants.  Turtlenecks. It’s like some Brit’s version of something foreign and saucy.  Do you like it?  I don’t know. I don’t know if I like it or I like what it evokes in my imagination.  The last record had some really ####ty songs I didn’t want to listen to, and I enjoy this."

Suggested cover:  Most of the covers I listened to turned this into a ballad, which does show the beauty of this melody.  This has too much 80s(?) cheesiness for me to like it, but it's interesting to hear just that melody:  Anne Murray
Click to expand...
Solid tune.  

 
Let's just rip the bandaid off for @Binky The Doormat.   :(  

96.  Long, Long, Long (White Album, 1968)

Beatles version:  Spotify  YouTube

Binky, it makes you feel better, this is my highest ranked of the three Beatles songs beginning with the word "long"!  It took me a long time (no pun intended) to get into this song, but I've grown to love it.  When in the right mood for it, there's probably nothing much better.  Sounds like it could be a love song but was actually written by George about God (which I guess could be a love song, too).  This is one of the times where I might find listening to a White Album song in isolation improves it; coming right after "Helter Skelter" on the album, this seems too jarring.  As a stand-alone piece, the ethereal sound of George's delicate voice, punctuated by those crashing drums (often pausing one beat behind where i expect them), is stunningly beautiful.  I find this one nearly impossible to rank.  In the "is it a great song" rankings, it would be higher since I think that, for what it is, it's nearly perfect and it sounds like something that could still be put on an album today.  In the "what do I want to listen to when I choose something on Spotify," this is where it goes.

Mr. krista:  [After I mention that it seems modern enough to fit on an alternative record right now...]  "A million times better.  Have you heard…the Killers?  I love that Ringo’s drums sound like they were recorded at the bottom of the stairwell.  It’s like when the levee breaks.  Sounds like Sad Eyed Lady, the Dylan song."*

*George has acknowledged this inspiration for the chord progressions.

Suggested cover:  Low  Elliott Smith (again)

 
Yankee23Fan said:
Yeah tim, I mean seriously already. Let her do her thing here and enjoy the ride.

Wait.

Yeah, I'm gonna have to apologize for that.  The comments I made in my youth are not expressive of the person I have become over these years.  I value the opinions and rights of women the world over and would never subject them to anything like this statement might entail.

Unless they like it.

Dangnabit.

The comments I made recently are not expressive of the person I have become over these past few minutes.  I value the opinions and rights of women the world over and would never subject them to anything like this statement might entail.
Click to expand...
:lol:   I think you recovered here nicely.

 
krista4 said:
98.  Come Together (Abbey Road, 1969)

Beatles version:  Spotify  YouTube

I might manage to piss off everyone in one feel swoop with this one!  I know many people would have it very high, top 10 even, and then the likes of @Mister CIA, @shuke, @Dinsy Ejotuz, and @Shaft41 might have it much lower.

It's middle-ish to me because there are some aspects of it that are outstanding, but overall I find my mind wandering a little by the end.  On the negative side, the lyrics...I"m OK with non-sensical lyrics as evidenced by some future rankings, but if I'm going to be listening to gibberish I'd rather be sitting on a cornflake.  Plus, some of the lyrics were stolen from Chuck Berry, which led to an out-of-court settlement by which John agreed to record three songs for Berry's publisher.  I also am not a fan of John's vocal on this.  Like, at all.  And I think if you're going to make this song, go all-in and make it more menacing than it sounds.  The song makes me a little sad for showing some of the splits in the group, too - Paul has expressed how much he would have loved to sing harmonies on it, but he was too embarrassed and maybe a bit angry to ask.  Likewise, John shut Paul out of the piano part, which Paul actually composed and would have done masterfully (not that there was anything wrong with John's version).

On the plus side, and this is why it gets to be so high, it's a great funky rock song with George's stunning guitar work, Paul's fantastic bass riff and, far more important than anything else in the song, those drums.  I heard an interview once with Stewart Copeland, about a tribute to Ringo put on at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at which Copeland participated.  He said that they producers of the tribute asked the drummers participating which was their favorite song for Ringo's drumming, and that they all had the same answer:  "Come Together."  Copeland then waxed poetic for a while about how ground-breaking and amazing this piece was in that respect, and when I listen to it, I feel the same way.  I basically hear nothing but the drumming on this song; I'm simply fascinated with it.

 The song was originally composed at the request of Timothy Leary, who had attended John and Yoko's second "bed-in" (even joining in on the singing of "Give Peace a Chance") and asked John if he could help with a campaign song for Leary's candidacy against incumbent Ronald Reagan for governor of California, a campaign the slogan of which was "Come together, join the party."  Leary used an early rough demo of the song in alternative radio campaign ads for a short time - a demo that bears no resemblance to the finished product - before his arrest for marijuana possession derailed his candidacy (isn't that quaint?), since he was kept in jail until the election was over.  The final version also doesn't bear so much resemblance to the version John brought into the studio for the band, as, among other things, it was later slowed down considerably to make it "swampy," at the suggestion of Paul.

Mr. krista:  "The organ is awesome, and of course it takes a genius like Ringo Starr to write that drum fill.  It’s so inventive.  Only someone who’s forced to play and therefore think backwards could come up with that.  A right-handed drummer just doesn’t play like that.  It’s not supposed to be music.  Ringo taking everybody to drum school.  If you don't like Ringo, why don't you just throw yourself in a volcano.  Or shoot yourself directly into the center of the Earth."

Suggested covers:  I'm not posting "that one cover" despite its being a favorite of @timschochet and probably others.  I like a cover either to take the best parts of a song (in this case the rhythm section) and expand around them, or do more of a reimagining of it.  That cover does neither.   Here are several I'd suggest instead:  Cassandra Wilson   The Meters   The Brothers Johnson   Arctic Monkeys   Ike & Tina   Michael Jackson  Nevermind, I could go on...
Click to expand...
I think the best thing to do is ignore the lyrics and treat the vocal melody as another instrument of the record's groove. I do this with a ton of Elton John songs where the lyric is literal gibberish (like, not even real words). As a groove record, "Come Together" is fine. Not in my top 25, either.

By the way, Paul would have been a much better choice to sing lead on this.

 
All Together Now - Yellow Submarine

One two three four
Can I have a little more
Five six seven eight nine ten
I love you

A B C D
Can I bring my friend to tea
E F G H I J
I love you

Bom bom bom bompa bom
Sail the ship Bompa bom
Chop the tree bompa bom
Skip the rope bompa bom
Look at me

All together now
All together now
All together now
All together now
All together now
All together now
All together now
All together now

Black white green red
Can I take my friend to bed
Pink brown yellow orange and blue
I love you

All together now
All together now
All together now
All together now
All together now
All together now
All together now
All together now
All together now
All together now
All together now
All together now
All together now
All together now
All together now
All together now
Bom bom bom bompa bom
Sail the…

more genius !   :towelwave:

 
Krista’s last two picks have already proved my assertion that there are not 97 Beatles songs better than “Come Together”. 

Are there 95? I doubt that as well. We will find out. 

 
Uruk-Hai said:
I think the best thing to do is ignore the lyrics and treat the vocal melody as another instrument of the record's groove. I do this with a ton of Elton John songs where the lyric is literal gibberish (like, not even real words). As a groove record, "Come Together" is fine. Not in my top 25, either.

By the way, Paul would have been a much better choice to sing lead on this.
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That's an interesting idea, and I think I agree.

Getzlaf15 said:
You cant talk about having a top 25 if you have not sent it to me.   House rules.  
Click to expand...
BOOM!

 
timschochet said:
Krista’s last two picks have already proved my assertion that there are not 97 Beatles songs better than “Come Together”. 

Are there 95? I doubt that as well. We will find out. 
Click to expand...
Private message to everyone but tim:

 See title change.
 
krista4 said:
Let's just rip the bandaid off for @Binky The Doormat.   :(  

96.  Long, Long, Long (White Album, 1968)

Beatles version:  Spotify  YouTube

Binky, it makes you feel better, this is my highest ranked of the three Beatles songs beginning with the word "long"!  It took me a long time (no pun intended) to get into this song, but I've grown to love it.  When in the right mood for it, there's probably nothing much better.  Sounds like it could be a love song but was actually written by George about God (which I guess could be a love song, too).  This is one of the times where I might find listening to a White Album song in isolation improves it; coming right after "Helter Skelter" on the album, this seems too jarring.  As a stand-alone piece, the ethereal sound of George's delicate voice, punctuated by those crashing drums (often pausing one beat behind where i expect them), is stunningly beautiful.  I find this one nearly impossible to rank.  In the "is it a great song" rankings, it would be higher since I think that, for what it is, it's nearly perfect and it sounds like something that could still be put on an album today.  In the "what do I want to listen to when I choose something on Spotify," this is where it goes.

Mr. krista:  [After I mention that it seems modern enough to fit on an alternative record right now...]  "A million times better.  Have you heard…the Killers?  I love that Ringo’s drums sound like they were recorded at the bottom of the stairwell.  It’s like when the levee breaks.  Sounds like Sad Eyed Lady, the Dylan song."*

*George has acknowledged this inspiration for the chord progressions.

Suggested cover:  Low  Elliott Smith (again)
Click to expand...
I love this quiet song. 

#27 on the Binky Beatles Hit List!!!

 
here's #95:

i'm soooo tired, of genius timschochet

i'm soooo tired he hasn't got it yet

couldn't see past his take to win a million dollar bet, no no no

i'm soooo tired of arguments of taste

i'm so-o-o-o tired of folks who "know" where songs are placed

why does krista bother, thru all this drive-by haste?!

 
Last edited by a moderator:
krista4 said:
Let's just rip the bandaid off for @Binky The Doormat.   :(  

96.  Long, Long, Long (White Album, 1968)

Beatles version:  Spotify  YouTube

Binky, it makes you feel better, this is my highest ranked of the three Beatles songs beginning with the word "long"!  It took me a long time (no pun intended) to get into this song, but I've grown to love it.  When in the right mood for it, there's probably nothing much better.  Sounds like it could be a love song but was actually written by George about God (which I guess could be a love song, too).  This is one of the times where I might find listening to a White Album song in isolation improves it; coming right after "Helter Skelter" on the album, this seems too jarring.  As a stand-alone piece, the ethereal sound of George's delicate voice, punctuated by those crashing drums (often pausing one beat behind where i expect them), is stunningly beautiful.  I find this one nearly impossible to rank.  In the "is it a great song" rankings, it would be higher since I think that, for what it is, it's nearly perfect and it sounds like something that could still be put on an album today.  In the "what do I want to listen to when I choose something on Spotify," this is where it goes.

Mr. krista:  [After I mention that it seems modern enough to fit on an alternative record right now...]  "A million times better.  Have you heard…the Killers?  I love that Ringo’s drums sound like they were recorded at the bottom of the stairwell.  It’s like when the levee breaks.  Sounds like Sad Eyed Lady, the Dylan song."*

*George has acknowledged this inspiration for the chord progressions.

Suggested cover:  Low  Elliott Smith (again)
Click to expand...
Great drum fills by Ringo here.    Very underrated. 

Also a nod to the bottle of Blue Nun wine on the leslie (rotating) speaker that vibrated and made noise when Paul played certain notes on the organ.  The Beatles always put little mistakes like this to good use!

Also John does not appear on this track, which happened quite a bit on Harrison songs from here on out.  A lot was made about the argument that Paul & George had in the Let It Be movie but George and John had bigger issues.   If you look at John's contributions on Harrison's post 1967 songs they were either minimal, non-audible or nothing at all.  

 
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