MovieChat Forums > A Hard Day's Night (1964) Discussion > Top 10 Best/ Worst Beatles Songs

Top 10 Best/ Worst Beatles Songs

posted 15 years ago by Covlat1
58 replies | jump to latest

WORST:

No covers. I'm also not including Revolution 9, because its less of a song than an experimentation with sound. Also not Wild Honey Pie, because that isn't a song.

10. I Want You (She's So Heavy)

--What saves this from being lower is the guitar riff, which is decent enough. However, the song drags for over 7 minutes, over half being that same dull monotone "She's So Heavy" riff over and over. The song also feels like it stayed back in the 60's, if you follow me. Most Beatles songs transcribe to present day well, but this doesn't. Also, the lyrics are God-Awful. Only 16 original words in the entire song.--

9. Why Don't We Do it In The Road?

--Pretty self explanatory. Would have been lower, but its a fairly fun song.--

8. Doctor Robert

7. Blue Jay Way

--"Please Don't Be Long" x 500--

6. Yer Blues

5. And I Love Her

--Some love this song. Some hate it. Im for the latter. Schmaltzy lyrics, even for an early beatles song, on top of a overly predictable guitar riff which is boring. Looking back, the lyrics also SUCK entirely.--

4. Don't Pass Me By

--Ringo...--

3. Flying

2. Honey Pie

--Take and I love her, cheese the lyrics up by 50 times, add a generic piano riff and some of the most over the top, schmaltzy as hell vocals, and you have this song. --

1. The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill/ Rocky Racoon (TIE)

--WTF is this crap??--

BEST:

This list was considerably more fun to conceive. If your looking for Hey Jude or Let It Be, prepare to be disappointed.

10. We Can Work It Out / All You Need Is Love (TIE)

9. Something

8. Nowhere Man/ Tomorrow Never Knows (TIE)

7. Here Comes The Sun

6. For No one

5. Rain/ Strawberry Fields Forever (TIE)

4. I Don't Want To Spoil The Party / I am The Walrus (TIE)

3. Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End

2. She's Leaving Home / While My Guitar Gently Weeps (TIE)

1. A Day In The Life

[–] eddie_willers 11 years ago

Great to see all you guys giving props to George (although he really didn't rank with Lennon/McCartney)....he got more accomplished as they went toward the end.

And funnily enough, his "All Things Must Pass" is the best post-Beatle album...TO THIS DAY!

[–] mikekrit62 10 years ago

Skimmed through the posts here, and a little surprised "Revolution" didn't seem to make it into any best lists. It's probably the nastiest, wake-the-F-up personification of rock and roll in history that can NEVER be played loud enough.

On the other end of the spectrum, "Yes It Is" and it's amazing, heartbreaking three part harmony is one of the Beatles most beautiful songs. I heard an interview years ago with Brian Wilson, who said when this song came out he used to play it over and over again and wish he and The Beach Boys could do something so perfect.

[–] generalusgrant 10 years ago

BEST:

If I Fell
Dear Prudence
Help!
For No One
Across the Universe
Norwegian Wood
Here Comes the Sun
Ticket to Ride

WORST: (Can't believe so many put Dr. Robert on the bad list...!)

#1: ALL of George's Indian music

Followed by:

Why Don't We Do it in the Road?
You Like Me Too Much
Piggies
Long Long Long
Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and my Monkey
Maxwell's Silver Hammer
The Benefit of Mr. Kite
Don't Pass Me By
Baby's in Black

[–] Ed in MO 10 years ago

It's funny....George didn't get enough credit for his songwriting and Paul didn't get enough credit for his bass playing. Paul had a great melodic sense of how the bass should sound, with none of the popping and slapping that untalented bass players must often resort to. Several of my favorite Beatles songs are here because of those great bass lines, for example:

1. Rain. Paul composed an Indian-style bass line that is simply brilliant. It goes perfectly with George's Indian-style guitar. The bass really makes this song come alive.
2. Something. Very creative.
3. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. Beautiful.
4. Baby You're a Rich Man. Always loved this one. A great simple bass line combined with John's clavioline and Ringo's wonderful off-beat drumming.
5. I Saw Her Standing There. Amazing that Paul could still sing the lyrics while playing this rapid bass line. The dude had some unbelievable musical chops.
6. Hello Goodbye. Another great thing about Paul was that he knew when to be silent. At several points in the song he simply let the lyrics and Ringo set the tune.

[–] ciscothekid 9 years ago

The ten best in no peculiar otter:

A Day In The Life
You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
In My Life
Something
This Boy
Norwegian Wood
Strawberry Fields Forever
Here Comes The Sun
Girl
I Want You (She's So Heavy)
Because
Sun King
Help!
Paperback Writer
Blue Jay Way
Please Please Me
Across The Universe
Blackbird
Dear Prudence
Mother Nature's Son
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
The Fool On The Hill
All You Need Is Love
Magical Mystery Tour
I'm Only Sleeping
Got To Get You Into My Life
I've Just Seen A Face
A Hard Day's Night
Anna (Go To Him Though You Are Not a Lennon/McCartney)
Ticket To Ride
Come Together

And the five worst:

1. Maxwell Silver Hammer
2. Yellow Submarine
3. Piggies
4. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
5. Wait

[–] 9 years ago

[deleted]

[–] louiseculmer 9 years ago

My favourites:
Twist and Shout
she Loves you
i want to Hold your Hand
Love Me Do
A hard day's Night
Money can't buy Me Love
I Should have Known Better
penny lane
Strawberry fields
when i'm sixty four

I don't like
Eleanor Rigby
why Don't we Do It in the Road
piggies
I Want You
Because
sexy sadie
Helter skelter
Maxwell's Silver Hammer
Everybody's Got Something to Hide
Glass Onion

[–] joakes-17128 9 years ago

Favorites: (mostly Lennon songs, but Paul and George wrote a lot of great stuff too)

1. A Day in the Life
2. Strawberry Fields Forever
3. Tomorrow Never Knows
4. I am the Walrus
5. We Can Work It Out
6. Ticket to Ride
7. Happiness is a Warm Gun
8. Rain
9. I Feel Fine
10. Wait

Least Favorites: (mostly late career stuff)

1. Hey Jude
2. Obla Di Obla Da
3. Let it Be (Aretha Franklin is much more powerful. Paul just sounds out of his element here)
4. Ballad of John and Yoko
5. Long and Winding Road
6. Lady Madonna
7. Love Me Do

I'm just gonna stop right there because there aren't many Beatles songs I dislike

[–] shepardjessica-1 9 years ago

There are no worst.

Best:

A Day In The Life
Eleanor Rigby
Strawberry Fields Forever
In My Life
If I Fell
I Want To Hold Your Hand
Norwegian Wood
I Am The Walrus
Help!
I'm So Tired

[–] ATG6 (3000) 4 years ago

Way too hard to pick only a top 10, but here goes:

1. Let it Be -- timeless
2. Here Comes the Sun -- always a pick-me-up
3. Yesterday -- maybe the greatest song ever, and I rank it third....
4. I'm Looking Through You -- the real Beatles
5. And Your Bird Can Sing -- 2 minutes of music no one has matched since
6. I Feel Fine -- another pick-me-up
7. You Won't See Me -- great harmony, the first Beatles song I remember hearing
8. A Hard Day's Night -- an early rock classic
9. While My Guitar Gently Weeps -- still a classic
10. Taxman -- the Beatles were... libertarians?

(I guess I like Harrison -- in a group with two musical geniuses, he wrote some of their best songs.)

Honorable Mention:

We Can Work it Out -- positive energy
For No One -- haunting and aching
Get Back -- Lennon rocks that lead guitar
Rain -- stunning
Paperback Writer -- no one else writes songs like this, ever
Got to Get You Into My Life -- Chicago before Chicago was Chicago

Bottom 10:

I usually just skip the ones I don't like or don't get.
Bungalow Bill has to be the worst though.

[–] ATG6 (3000) 4 years ago

Dr. Robert was rocking.