The Beatles had a formidable 28 top ten hits during their less-than-10-year reign of the music scene. And even more impressive: during the week of April 4th, 1964, The Beatles held twelve positions on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, including the top five positions. Neither of these things has ever been matched by any other musical artist.
The Beatles are one of the most influential musical groups of all time, and Beatles music has lived far past the typical life and popularity of a musical group. It’s rare to see music have an impact 40 years or more after they started, but Beatles music actually does. They evolved from their pop music roots to become a musical force to be reckoned with. The Beatles were constantly re-inventing themselves, and this led to some wonderful music.
Beatles songs mix intensive harmonies, beautiful lyrics, and the soulful voices of the talented Paul McCartney, John Lennon, and occasionally George Harrison. The Beatles music set a new standard for pop music, and it’s a standard that still survives. They put out albums with each individual song being one that you could listen to over and over again.
Any top ten list of Beatles music is purely subjective, but this is my favorites list. It might be different from your most popular Beatles songs, but I’ll bet there’s not a song on here that doesn’t make you smile. I found myself humming Yesterday the entire time I was writing this article. Which is, in fact, on my list of favorite Beatles songs.
Yesterday – According to the Guinness Book of World Records, this is the most covered song in the world. It’s a plaintive song about the past, and paradoxically, just the opening notes of this mournful song make me smile. Yesterday, Love was such an easy game to play …
Strawberry Fields Forever – This was one of the first songs to use a Mellotron, which was an early kind of synthesizer. It’s from Magical Mystery Tour, and from the era when the Lennon McCartney writing partnership was beginning to branch out and become more experimental. Coincidentally, John Lennon had just begun using a lot of LSD. Strawberry Fields, nothing is real…
All You Need Is Love - was first performed by The Beatles on Our World, the first live global television link, and was watched by 400 million people in 26 countries. The BBC had commissioned the Beatles to write a song for the United Kingdom’s contribution, and this was it. Rolling Stone magazine ranks it at #362 in their 500 greatest songs of all time. I rank it just a little higher than that.
Let It Be - Let it Be is a slow, beautiful song that Paul McCartney says a dream about his mother (who died when he was fourteen) helped inspire. When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me, Speaking words of wisdom, Let it be …
Hey Jude – evolved from a song Paul McCartney wrote to comfort John Lennon’s son Julian during his parents’ divorce. It’s a long, hypnotic song carried by the superb writing and Paul McCartney’s gorgeous voice.
Eight Days A Week – Ooh, I need your love babe, Guess you know it’s true. Hope you need my love babe, Just like I need you… ‘Nuff said.
Drive My Car – And on the same note…Baby you can drive my car, Yes, I’m gonna be a star, Baby you can drive my car, And maybe I’ll love you, Beep beep’m beep beep yeah …
Here Comes The Sun – One of the few songs written by George Harrison. In my opinion, if he could write this well, he should have done it more.
All My Loving - This is what The Beatles kicked off their famous Ed Sullivan performance with, and it’s a song that helped propel them to fame and defined their early music.
The Long and Winding Road - This song was written about the hard time The Beatles were having together, and the actual pain beneath the lyrics bleeds through. It’s a bittersweet song with great heart, and it was the last single ever released by The Beatles. The long and winding road That leads to your door Will never disappear, I’ve seen that road before …
So what are your favorite Beatles songs? There is plenty of Beatles music to choose from, and the Lennon McCartney musical partnership created so much to choose from, we could make ‘favorites’ lists forever. But not right now. I think I hear Magical Mystery Tour calling. Roll up, roll up for the mystery tour, Roll up, roll up for the mystery tour…
The songwriting duo of John Lennon and Paul McCartney is one of the most successful and productive musical partnerships in history. In less than ten years, they wrote and published about 180 songs (most of them were Beatles songs, and were recorded by The Beatles). Both John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote words and music, which is not the way most musical partnerships work, making them unusual writing partners.
They were unusual in another way, as well: Before they even formed The Beatles, Paul McCartney and John Lennon had been writing songs together. It was back when John Lennon formed The Quarrymen, their first band. Both agreed then that all songs written by either one of them, whether they were written individually or as a collaboration, would give credit to both of them. The date when they agreed on this is not really known. When John Lennon was interviewed in 1980, he mentioned an informal agreement between him and Paul McCartney when we were fifteen or sixteen. It was in effect at least by 1962. From then until John Lennon left the band, all songs were jointly credited. The only exceptions were songs written by Paul McCartney released by other artists.
And Lennon McCartney are certainly one of the best known musical writing partnerships: Lennon McCartney songs have many, many cover versions. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Yesterday has been recorded by more musicians and artists than any other song in the world.
Although Lennon and McCartney often wrote Beatles songs separately, it was rare for a song to be completely finished without some kind of input from both of them. A lot of times, one of them would have an idea, or write a small piece and then the other would finish it or polish it. They’d add a little something to the other’s verses, and this style of writing that the Lennon McCartney songwriting team used is sometimes noted as one of the reasons for The Beatles music success and popularity. Sometimes they would even put together two totally different songs that they’d been working on separately. A Day in the Life is an example of a Beatles song written this way. There are parts written by both of them, with a piece by Paul McCartney (Woke up, fell out of bed, dragged a comb across my head…) combined with a longer piece by John Lennon (I read the news today, oh boy…). They innovated, they played off each other, and they made their music better. Beatles music is still some of the most listened to in the world, and it is because of the unique and creative Lennon McCartney writing partnership.
If he had lived, The Beatles John Lennon would turn 70 on October 9th, 2010.
There are multiple celebrations around the world being planned for this day, including the release of a major new movie by the Weinstein brothers, called Nowhere Boy. It’s a biographical picture that looks into the childhood of the creative, boisterous and very curious John Lennon while he was growing up in post-war Liverpool. The film also includes the tale of John Lennon’s teenage years and the forming of his first band, The Quarrymen. Aaron Johnson is starring as John Lennon, and Kristin Scott Thomas plays the part of John’s aunt and strict guardian Mimi. The movie will be released on October 8th, one day before John Lennon’s birthday, and coinciding with many celebrations of John Lennon’s birth.
Another notable celebration is being given by Garde Arts Center in New London. They’re kicking off their 2010 and 2011 season with Happy Birthday, John: A Multi-Media Celebration of John Lennon’s 70th Birthday. The celebration will include a sneak preview of Nowhere Boy, followed by a live concert by the remaining members of The Quarrymen, the band that became The Beatles. Three of the original founding members of The Quarrymen – Rod Davis will play guitar and banjo, Len Garry will play guitar and bass guitar, and Colin Hanton will be on drums – will appear on stage in honor of The Beatles John Lennon’s 70th birthday.
The band won’t play Beatles songs, but will play “skiffle”, which is the British equivalent of jugband music, and also early rock and roll tunes. They played with John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison from about 1956 to 196, and their music will reflect that. The concert will also include some of the earliest Lennon McCartney collaboration – music and songs written for The Quarrymen by the friends who later became The Beatles. In between songs, they will also reminisce and share stories of the adventures they shared with John Lennon.
Happy Birthday, John is being presented with the assistance of Beatles scholar Martin Lewis. Mr Lewis also produced the DVD edition of A Hard Day’s Night and has been the marketing strategist for multiple Beatles projects.
Happy Birthday, John Lennon. It’s a bittersweet feeling to celebrate this day. The world was a better, more interesting place for your being here, but there’s so much sorrow at your early passing. Your bright light was snuffed out too soon.
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