Top 5 songs by The Beatles

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

Predicto, if the Beatles never did drugs where do you think their legacy is today?

That's a strange question. I guess, I need to ask if you think their songwriting and playing was enhanced by drug use. Outside of the obvious influence of LSD on Sgt Pepper, I never really though of them as a "drug" band. And, frankly, I never go the impression that Paul was particularly aided by drugs.

In fact, I think part of the genius of the Beatles was that they were among the first bands that recognized how hallucinogenics could open them up creatively...and then quickly realized how much of a dead-end that could lead to. The White Album is about as un-psychedelic as a late-60s record can be. If they had tried to make "Sgt Pepper II," it probably would have been a disaster and their legacy would have been hurt severely.

Dylan recognized this too. Blonde on Blonde is arguably the greatest album in rock history, but if he had continued writing and recording that way (and somehow managed to survive the drug use tied to it), he would have been a complete self parody by the time he turned 28.

Smile is probably the all-time great example of what happens when an artist goes too far down one particular rabbit hole. The Beach Boys were basically a nostalgia act by 1970. (Though I actually like some of the early 70s stuff. And, in fairness, Brian Wilson was probably the last person on earth who needed to experiment with drugs).

I think, generally speaking, drugs are given too much credit for the creativity of the late 60s music scene. It played a role, obviously, but it's not like mediocre artists smoked pot and were suddenly the Gershwin brothers.

It seems like you need to hit that sweet spot with drugs. I love Exile on Main Street, and I don't think Exile sounds like Exile if Keef is not a junkie at the time. But that also was pretty much it for Keith as a songwriter.

[Kilmer17]

Favorite and best could be different.

But my favorites-

A Day in the Life
While my Guitar Gently Weeps
Hard Days night
Help
Penny Lane

[hail2skins]

What, no love for Revolution 9??

Remember getting into the Beatles as a teenager, buying the two double album greatest hit sets (1962-1966 which was red, and 1967-1970 which was blue) that was probably released in the early 1970s. Playing them, remember thinking "oh yeah, heard that song many times when I was younger. My top 5, based on the ones I liked growing up before I even turned 10:

When I'm 64 (from Sgt Pepper)
Hello Goodbye (from Magical Mystery Tour)
Hey Jude (standalone single)
Something (Abbey Road)
Let It Be (album of same name)

Got free tickets from the Skins for the McCartney concert at FedEx in 2009......what an amazing show.

[Chachie]

1. Let It Be
2. Hey Jude
3. While My Guitar
4. Here Comes The Sun
5. Back in the USSR

---------- Post added February-27th-2013 at 08:44 PM ----------

What, no love for Revolution 9??

I was sooo close to making that #5.

[Forehead]

Err. I love Lonesome George. He's fun as hell. I saw him in the mid 80s in a dive bar. My friend was at the famous Nighthawks show in Georgetown in the late 70s when George and the Nighthawks guitarist came out from two different clubs and jammed out in the middle of M Street (or so my friend claims, anyway). He's a great showman.

If Dan T hadn't confirmed it, I would have mentioned that I just read this story a day ago on a completely different forum, the first I had ever heard about it, and here you were bringing it up. On the other forum, the person posting said the same thing that Dan did, not only did they jam in the street, they actually switched bands to finish the song.

Anyway, onto the topic at hand. I'm definitely a Beatles nut, own every original album and the "One" album; hell, I even bought the Beatles Rock Band game just so I could have the guitar that was in the box, made to look like the McCartney violin bass. With that being said, I'd almost prefer to do a top 5 from every album, since every album was that good, but I'll restrain myself and pick 5, with some honorable mentions.

1. In My Life
2. Something
3. Penny Lane
4. Let It Be
5. I'll Be Back
5A. Yesterday

HM: Ask Me Why, All My Loving, I Saw Her Standing There, Things We Said Today, I Should Have Known Better, No Reply, The Night Before, Norwegian Wood, Michelle, Wait, Run for Your Life, I'm Only Sleeping, Here There and Everywhere, She's Leaving Home, A Day in the Life, Fixing a Hole, I Want to Hold Your Hand, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Hey Bulldog, Here Comes the Sun, I Want You (She's So Heavy), Eight Days A Week, Don't Let Me Down, Hey Jude, The Long and Winding Road

I wound up pulling out all my albums, making an initial top 5, then going over each album and replacing songs as necessary. That's what I came up with. In My Life is just gorgeous, even if my most recent memory with it is the song being played at a funeral. Something is one of the best lvoe songs I've ever heard. Penny Lane has been mentioned a bunch of times already, but it's one of their catchiest songs. Let it Be is a nice way to tie up the end of their career, and I couldn't make a final decision on the last one. I'll be Back is one of those songs that's always stuck in my head once I've heard it, and I wanted something from an earlier part of their career. Yesterday is beautiful, and remains their most popular song (alternating with Hey Jude) according to most of those lists compiled by Oldies stations. If my arm was twisted, I'd pick I'll Be Back.

I'm generally drawn to the middle years of their work, I've always though Please Please Me/Meet The Beatles were a little too juvenile (with some exceptions) and some of their later work like Magical Mystery Tour and Yellow Submarine just a bit too drugged out an incomprehensible. I would listen to the middle albums like Revolver, Rubber Soul, and A Hard Day's Night for days. And Sgt. Pepper would probably be my favorite if I had to pick one, that album hits a homerun with almost every song.

[youngchew]

No love for Yellow Submarine?

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

No love for Yellow Submarine?

It's a fantastic karaoke song.

I like all the Ringo songs for the most part. Part of what made the Beatles the Beatles was that they were willing to throw have tunes that were more or less novelty songs on their albums. They were kind of like Johnny Cash in that way.

[Forehead]

I'm not much of a fan of Ringo's contributions, though I have a soft spot for With a Little Help from My Friends. And not that anyone cares, but I really dislike the Joe Cocker cover.

[HighOnHendrix]

Come Together
A Day In the Life
Revolution
I Want You (She's So Heavy)
Taxman

[greenspandan]

5. I am the Walrus
4. Last Train to Clarksville
3. Blue Jay Way
2. Wonderful Christmas Time
1. Daydream Believer

[HighOnHendrix]

5. I am the Walrus
4. Last Train to Clarksville
3. Blue Jay Way
2. Wonderful Christmas Time
1. Daydream Believer

Dude, those are Monkees songs.

[greenspandan]

Dude, those are Monkees songs.

oh my bad, i was confusing my pre-fab boy bands. apologies to the monkees.

[SkinsGuy]

As others have said here, there are just too many great songs by the Beatles to pick a true top 5, so I am going to go with 5 of my favorites I can think of at the moment


I Am the Walrus

A Day in the Life

Yellow Subarmine

Rocky Raccoon

Revolution


There are many, many others of, course (Hey Jude, Let it Be, I Wanna Hold Your Hand, The Ballad of John and Yoko, etc., etc.), but the five I listed are some of my favorites.

[thebluefood]

No love for Yellow Submarine?

Novelty song. Excellent novelty song that's lots of fun to sing, but still a novelty song.

[Forehead]

Novelty song. Excellent novelty song that's lots of fun to sing, but still a novelty song.

Honestly, very little of that movie/album is actually "good" but it is fun. Hey Bulldog is an exception.