Tax Lawyer's Blog

For a Fab Four-o-phile it’s nearly impossible to choose just ten of your favorite Beatle songs, but I’ll attempt it anyway:

1. Hey Jude - Written by McCartney, probably the most popular Beatles’ song… and one of the longest.
2. Eleanor Rigby - McCartney wrote this one. Amazingly trenchant lyrics for a 28 year old. Perhaps he knew a thing or two about loneliness having lost his mother as a teenager.
3. Come Together - Lennon wrote this one. Great riffs and hand claps
4. A Day in the Life  – Critics rated this one the best Beatles song of all time. One of the few true collaborations of McCartney and Lennon.¹ The slower, “I read the news today, oh boy, the English army had just won the war” parts were written by Lennon. The faster, “grabbed my coat and grabbed my hat, made the bus in seconds flat” parts were written by McCartney. Way ahead of its time.
5. In My Life - Another Lennon tour de force. Shows John’s nostalgic side and perhaps a glimpse into his soul.
6. She’s Leaving Home - McCartney once again. This is one of the most underrated of Beatles songs. It’s hard to believe that a man in his mid-20′s who had never been married and never had children could understand so well the pain of filial love.
7. Blackbird - A McCartney masterpiece showing Paul’s softer, more spiritual side.
8. Here, There and Everywhere - Another beauty from McCartney, the romantic Beatle. No wonder the girls loved him most.
9. All My Loving - McCartney wrote this one, too. The Fab Four performed it on the Ed Sullivan show in ’64 and teenaged American girls lost their minds… among ther things.
10. Let it Be - McCartney once again. The “mother Mary” mentioned in the song is not the Virgin Mary, but Paul’s mother whom he lost when he was 16 years old.

What do you think about my list? Which songs should be on the list that aren’t? Which are on the list that shouldn’t be?

Help us get a friendly debate going on what is, with the sole exception of William Shakespeare, my favorite topic.

Footnotes:

¹  Contrary to popular belief, with only a handful of exceptions all of the Beatles songs that have been attributed to McCartney and Lennon were written either by McCartney or Lennon. The two made an agreement early in their careers that songs written by either of them would be attributed to both of them.

Bookmark & Share: