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In this thread I rank my favorite Beatles songs: 204-1. (6 Viewers)

krista4 said:
In @Dr. Octopus's defense, he did not submit a list of my top 10, but instead used his own top 10 favorites and just chose one of those.

  1. simey – Abbey Road medley
  2. Mister CIA – She Said She Said
  3. timschochet – Paperback Writer
  4. pecorino – Hey Jude
  5. Binky the Doormat – In My Life
  6. wikkidpissah – Taxman
  7. Dr. Octopus – Got To Get You Into My Life
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This is how I used to feel at dodgeball. I was always the first dude out, then I’d hang out on the sideline and wait for other suckers to join me. 

Too bad Dr Octopus, you just got beaned! 

 
timschochet said:
This is how I used to feel at dodgeball. I was always the first dude out, then I’d hang out on the sideline and wait for other suckers to join me. 

Too bad Dr Octopus, you just got beaned! 
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oh tim.  You still don't know why you were the first to be jacked up in dodgeball?  

that whole self-actualization dream is still well outside of your reach gb.  

 
This cannot be stated enough:  even though my personal top 25 selections are disappearing faster than funds when Magic Alex is going to build a music studio, there's absolutely nothing wrong with ranking these songs lower and putting others higher, because they're all such insanely great songs.  "Things We Said Today" has blasted into my top 20 over the last month and a half, but it wouldn't have probably been in it a year ago, so that one hurts, but it's not as if the ones coming now are crap.  It's really an embarrassment of riches.  

 
Shaft41 said:
This cannot be stated enough:  even though my personal top 25 selections are disappearing faster than funds when Magic Alex is going to build a music studio, there's absolutely nothing wrong with ranking these songs lower and putting others higher, because they're all such insanely great songs.  "Things We Said Today" has blasted into my top 20 over the last month and a half, but it wouldn't have probably been in it a year ago, so that one hurts, but it's not as if the ones coming now are crap.  It's really an embarrassment of riches.  
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very nice shaft

SHUT YER FACE WHOLE!!!!!!!!!!!!

THIS IS GOING TO BE A MONGOLIAN CLUSTER #### WRESTLEMANIA MOTHER####ER OR GET OUT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 
Shaft41 said:
 faster than funds when Magic Alex is going to build a music studio.  
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:lmao:

And yeah...even a month ago when I started this "Things We Said Today" was probably more like #80 for me.  Constantly re-evaluating and finding something new to love.

 
krista4 said:
:lmao:

And yeah...even a month ago when I started this "Things We Said Today" was probably more like #80 for me.  Constantly re-evaluating and finding something new to love.
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give it another couple of weeks ...it'll be a lot lower.  

ETA:  like in - you'll like it even more.  

 
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Been using that last song to narrate all our movements the last hour:

"If you don't take that tra-ash out, you're gonna lose that girl...[you're gonna lose that girl]"

"If you don't pet that ca-a-at, I'm gonna make him mine...[I'm gonna make him mine]"

Not sure Mr. krista is as amused as I am.

 
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krista4 said:
60.  Got To Get You Into My Life (Revolver, 1966)

Beatles version:  Spotify  YouTube

There's Motown and there's Stax, and I'm Stax.  I love the horns, but they aren't Stax horns; with Memphis horns I'd rank it even higher.  The expansive jazzy feel of this song is phenomenal, though I wish they'd punched up the sound of the drums more in the mix.  I'm a huge fan of Paul's vocal throughout - he hits everything with extraordinary feeling - but I especially love the grittiness he gives to the chorus.  Geoff Emerick said that there was so much excitement for Paul's vocal that at one point during the recording John burst out of the control room to shout his encouragement.  George's guitar makes a brief but memorable appearance starting with the third chorus that punches everything up even more.  By the finish, the energy is off the charts. 

I always liked the lyrics to this and was disappointed to find that Paul wrote this as an ode to pot.  As an urgent plea to a lover, I like it better.

Mr. krista:  "Of course I like it.  It’s a big brassy Motown song, but still so British.  An American would never do the [singing] “I didn’t know what I would find theeere.”  Reminds me of all the good 70s theme songs.  Like Good Times.  Reminds me of the Good Times theme song.  Would be a great theme song for a comedy in the 70s that featured black people."

Suggested cover:  I didn't look for any others.   :shrug:  Earth, Wind & Fire
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🤯 

Aaaannnnddd....... there goes my #2. That's ok though - we're into about 5 albums worth of "great" now.

Paul was on a freaking roll here and I think it's the best Beatles' "Paul" song.

The cover you chose is the other I mentioned yesterday.

 
krista4 said:
A little bit of advice from someone who has now sorted through thousands of covers of Beatles songs:  if you decide to start a Beatles cover band and want a pun or play on words involving "Beatles" or the title to one of their songs or a lyric from one of their songs, sorry but they're all already taken.
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A Girl With Colitis Goes By? :shrug:

 
Uruk-Hai said:
🤯

Aaaannnnddd....... there goes my #2. That's ok though - we're into about 5 albums worth of "great" now.

Paul was on a freaking roll here and I think it's the best Beatles' "Paul" song.

The cover you chose is the other I mentioned yesterday.
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I was certain this one would hit your top 25.

 
krista4 said:
62.  We Can Work It Out (single, 1965)

Beatles version:  Spotify  YouTube

This whole thing was a bad idea.  Whose idea was this?  I don't mean the song; I mean ranking the songs.  Killing me.  

Anyway, love this song.  Always a big fan of songs where Paul and John each contributed significantly, and in this one George also made a major impact.  It's no surprise that Paul wrote the optimistic verses as he tried to work through his relationship with Jane Asher, a relationship that will also be at the heart of, and treated more negatively in, "You Won't See Me" and "I'm Looking Through You."  John contributed the more downbeat bridge, but it was George's idea to put the bridge in waltz time.  Nifty thought that raises the song to a whole new level.   As usual in these collaborative songs, the verses show their optimism in sunny major chords, while the bridge falls into a minor key to emphasize the pessimism.  Both Paul and John are in excellent voice on this song, but I think Paul's the standout with that pure vocal sound and those high harmonies; it's one of my favorite Beatles performances from him.  This was the first song in which the Beatles used the harmonium that would later show up more frequently, and I love the use of the volume pedal on it by whoever was playing it.  

This was a double-a-side single along with "Day Tripper," still to come, the first double-a-sided single released in the UK.  In the US, the popularity was tracked separately, with this song hitting #1 but "Day Tripper" only reaching #5.  Probably not at the level of Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields for "best double-a-single ever," but should be in the conversation. 

Mr. krista:  "Pretty good single.  The lyrics are funny to me.  It’s about working it out, but it’s all about hectoring the other people into agreeing with your point of view.  And time will tell you that I’m right.  Those are really bad arguing tactics, Sir Paul.  I still think it’s a really good song; it just makes me laugh.  It’s a song about cooperation, but it’s so not."

Suggested cover:  Here we have it, my favorite cover of any Beatles song:  Stevie Wonder
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Wow.  Thought this would be higher than 62.   Started out as a Paul song with considerable input from John and George Martin as pointed out by Krista.  There is an absolutely beautiful demo of this on bootlegs (also available on Youtube) that lasts for only 40 seconds.   The remainder,  now lost forever, was recorded over by John reciting "Lucy from Littletown".     Never can forgive John for that!

John pointed out in an interview that you had Paul's optimistic "we can work it out" coupled with John's impatience "life is very short and there's no time".    An example of this in Paul's solo work is the track "You Want Her Too" with Elvis Costello on the "Flowers in the Dust" LP.    It is too bad they only did a handful of songs together.

 
krista4 said:
Sorry, Binks and others.

59.  Things We Said Today (A Hard Day's Night, 1964)

Beatles version:  Spotify  YouTube

From that first triple-strum on John's guitar, this song anticipates pulling you into its melancholy, slightly eerie mood.  That state of mind is enhanced by the slightly flat harmonies and yearning lyrics; here Paul is describing what he called "future nostalgia," picturing a time in the future when he and Jane Asher - or any couple, actually - would look back at the feelings they're experiencing right now.  Although I've stated my position as firmly anti-nostalgia, this wistful future nostalgia has a depth and complexity that charms me.  Just as the song lulls you into this tranquil, pensive state, though, it changes from the minor key into a major key for that bridge, suddenly imbuing the song with an optimism and urgency not present in the verses.  Just when it builds to a turbulence that sounds on the verge of breaking, the song dramatically shifts back into the minor key for another calming verse.  After a repeat of the bridge and verse, it then trails off into the ether...  That song structure is familiar, but those changes and chords are not, and they're brilliant.  And Paul gives a typically outstanding vocal performance as well, with some guitar support from John that, while not complex, is fundamental to the structure of the song.

We've discussed some other songs with these major-minor switches, usually from an optimistic Paul "major" section to a downbeat John "minor" section.  In this case, Paul manages all of it himself, taking us through his emotions in a way that to me is preferable to some of his "made-up people" songs.  It's dazzling.

Mr. krista:  "It’s dreamy.  I liked the dark, folky-sounding, creepy Peter Paul & Mary thing. Isn't this The Hollies's 'Bus Stop'?  [plays song]  Yeah."  [Editor's note:  "Bus Stop" was released after this song.]

Suggested cover:  I screened covers from everyone from Iggy Pop to Dwight Yoakam to Heart to Nanci Griffith and more, and I didn't like any of them.
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One of the most underrated Beatles song IMO.

I love Bob Dylan but this is awful

 
Godsbrother said:
Wow.  Thought this would be higher than 62.   Started out as a Paul song with considerable input from John and George Martin as pointed out by Krista.  There is an absolutely beautiful demo of this on bootlegs (also available on Youtube) that lasts for only 40 seconds.   The remainder,  now lost forever, was recorded over by John reciting "Lucy from Littletown".     Never can forgive John for that!

John pointed out in an interview that you had Paul's optimistic "we can work it out" coupled with John's impatience "life is very short and there's no time".    An example of this in Paul's solo work is the track "You Want Her Too" with Elvis Costello on the "Flowers in the Dust" LP.    It is too bad they only did a handful of songs together.
Click to expand...
Another paul & costello song I like.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=e_Vh1xFbPXc

 
krista4 said:
60.  Got To Get You Into My Life (Revolver, 1966)

Beatles version:  Spotify  YouTube

There's Motown and there's Stax, and I'm Stax.  I love the horns, but they aren't Stax horns; with Memphis horns I'd rank it even higher.  The expansive jazzy feel of this song is phenomenal, though I wish they'd punched up the sound of the drums more in the mix.  I'm a huge fan of Paul's vocal throughout - he hits everything with extraordinary feeling - but I especially love the grittiness he gives to the chorus.  Geoff Emerick said that there was so much excitement for Paul's vocal that at one point during the recording John burst out of the control room to shout his encouragement.  George's guitar makes a brief but memorable appearance starting with the third chorus that punches everything up even more.  By the finish, the energy is off the charts. 

I always liked the lyrics to this and was disappointed to find that Paul wrote this as an ode to pot.  As an urgent plea to a lover, I like it better.

Mr. krista:  "Of course I like it.  It’s a big brassy Motown song, but still so British.  An American would never do the [singing] “I didn’t know what I would find theeere.”  Reminds me of all the good 70s theme songs.  Like Good Times.  Reminds me of the Good Times theme song.  Would be a great theme song for a comedy in the 70s that featured black people."

Suggested cover:  I didn't look for any others.   :shrug:  Earth, Wind & Fire
Click to expand...
Daniel Johnson

I like this.. better?

There's a Paste list out there with some interesting Beatles covers, I just remembered this from that

Here's another pretty kewl one

And here's the list! (I think)

 
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Couple weeks ago was the anniversary of their rooftop show. A local band recreated it. It was so amazing. 

https://youtu.be/_l4LKZAEaIY

All word of mouth to locals. No advertisements at all. It's the roof of a brewer by the beach. I looked forward to this for weeks more than anything I can remember. "free Got a Feeling' jumped my rankings big time after this. Really sucks they never toured with their later stuff. #laterbeatlesguy

Ha. I just rewatched it. I'm in the last crowd scan shot. Also, that version of One After 909 is fantastic. Consider it for your cover when you post it unless you already did in which case it's too low and why are you so wrong all the time!? 

 
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Listening to "Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite" on the way into work this morning, let's just say that all of John's references to "Mr. K" take on a new meaning after reading all of Mr. Krista's fascinating insight on these songs.  

 
58.  Can't Buy Me Love (A Hard Day's Night, 1964)

Beatles version:  Spotify  YouTube

Composed and recorded while on their Paris tour in January/February 1964, this is one of the six straight #1 songs that the Beatles had in 1964.  Amazingly, that streak also included a date in March in which the top five songs on the charts were all Beatles songs (this one, "Twist And Shout," "She Loves You," "I Want To Hold Your Hand," and "Please Please Me"), which is a record that's never been broken, and a date in April on which they held 14 of the top 100 spots.  

The song was composed entirely by Paul, using a piano they'd had brought to their hotel room so they could work in between shows.  The recording session in Paris, where they also recorded the German versions of "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and "She Loves You," was the group's only recording session outside of London.  Paul has said he intended do bluesy song, and originally he conceived of his lead being joined by George and John with backing vocals to sound like the Motown girl groups.  In fact, such backing vocals were recorded but didn't make the final cut of the record.  As a result, this became the first song released as a Beatles single that featured only one singer, as the song includes only Paul's voice double-tracked.  Once again, George Martin contributed a crucial idea to the song, which was to start with the chorus in order to catch the listener immediately. 

It's a buoyant, bouncy, bubbly song with enormous energy.  To my ear the song has a lighter touch than the bluesy song Paul first intended; in addition to scrapping the backing vocals, by the final version Paul's vocal doesn't have the bluesy inflection that he had originally contemplated.  Most of all I hear an infectious pop song.  Love George's guitar solo; the sound of the overdubbing with the quiet solo in back was actually a mistake based on technical limitations at the time, but i think it adds a nice feel.  

Speaking of mistakes, for many years there were questions surrounding an unnamed mystery drummer that had, according to EMI records, been paid for one session of the Can't Buy Me Love overdub tapings back in London.  In Geoff Emerick's book, he cleared up the mystery.  After the master tape was brought from Paris to London, "perhaps because it had been spooled incorrectly, the tape had a ripple in it, resulting in the intermittent loss of treble on Ringo’s hi-hat cymbal.  There was tremendous time pressure to get the track mixed and delivered to the pressing plant, and due to touring commitments The Beatles themselves were unavailable..."  So George Martin enlisted the help of the engineer, Norman Smith, who "headed down into the studio to overdub a hastily set-up hi-hat onto a few bars of the song, simultaneously doing a two-track to two-track dub."  All of this was done without ever telling the Beatles themselves!  

Mr. krista:  "I love Beatles rave-ups, especially John Lennon. [Narrator:  I tell him this is a Paul song.]  They’re all really good when they play 12-bar blues really fast.  And they’re such good lyricists that there will also be a good turn of phrase.  And they put it right up front with the chorus so you know what the song’s about."

Suggested cover:  Ella Fitzgerald

 
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krista4 said:
57.  Can't Buy Me Love (A Hard Day's Night, 1964)

Beatles version:  Spotify  YouTube

Composed and recorded while on their Paris tour in January/February 1964, this is one of the six straight #1 songs that the Beatles had in 1964.  Amazingly, that streak also included a date in March in which the top five songs on the charts were all Beatles songs (this one, "Twist And Shout," "She Loves You," "I Want To Hold Your Hand," and "Please Please Me"), which is a record that's never been broken, and a date in April on which they held 14 of the top 100 spots.  

The song was composed entirely by Paul, using a piano they'd had brought to their hotel room so they could work in between shows.  The recording session in Paris, where they also recorded the German versions of "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and "She Loves You," was the group's only recording session outside of London.  Paul has said he intended do bluesy song, and originally he conceived of his lead being joined by George and John with backing vocals to sound like the Motown girl groups.  In fact, such backing vocals were recorded but didn't make the final cut of the record.  As a result, this became the first song released as a Beatles single that featured only one singer, as the song includes only Paul's voice double-tracked.  Once again, George Martin contributed a crucial idea to the song, which was to start with the chorus in order to catch the listener immediately. 

It's a buoyant, bouncy, bubbly song with enormous energy.  To my ear the song has a lighter touch than the bluesy song Paul first intended; in addition to scrapping the backing vocals, by the final version Paul's vocal doesn't have the bluesy inflection that he had originally contemplated.  Most of all I hear an infectious pop song.  Love George's guitar solo; the sound of the overdubbing with the quiet solo in back was actually a mistake based on technical limitations at the time, but i think it adds a nice feel.  

Speaking of mistakes, for many years there were questions surrounding an unnamed mystery drummer that had, according to EMI records, been paid for one session of the Can't Buy Me Love overdub tapings back in London.  In Geoff Emerick's book, he cleared up the mystery.  After the master tape was brought from Paris to London, "perhaps because it had been spooled incorrectly, the tape had a ripple in it, resulting in the intermittent loss of treble on Ringo’s hi-hat cymbal.  There was tremendous time pressure to get the track mixed and delivered to the pressing plant, and due to touring commitments The Beatles themselves were unavailable..."  So George Martin enlisted the help of the engineer, Norman Smith, who "headed down into the studio to overdub a hastily set-up hi-hat onto a few bars of the song, simultaneously doing a two-track to two-track dub."  All of this was done without ever telling the Beatles themselves!  

Mr. krista:  "I love Beatles rave-ups, especially John Lennon. [Narrator:  I tell him this is a Paul song.]  They’re all really good when they play 12-bar blues really fast.  And they’re such good lyricists that there will also be a good turn of phrase.  And they put it right up front with the chorus so you know what the song’s about."

Suggested cover:  Ella Fitzgerald
Click to expand...
I did my duty and clicked the Spotify link, then just let it keep right on running.  Hard Day’s Night is such a freaking good album.  Apex Beatlemania era, and you can just feel the joy bursting out of all of these songs.

 
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I personally can't believe I left "She Loves You" out of my top twenty-five. 

But enough about me. Can't Buy Me Love is, as Mr. Krista says, a great rave-up. Kind of convenient that he (Paul) also wants the girl not to want material possessions though, no? Always easier to have things that way.  

 
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