Thursday, October 30, 2008

Big Red's 10 Favorite Beatles songs

Note: : The Snakester and I spent the better part of our teen years listening to a lot of Beatles songs. Every few years we dust off this list to see where we rank our favorite songs. I think my list changes from time to time just because I change a little bit or I rediscover one album or another. I could of done the Top 50 favorites for this one and would not had any real problem with it. We're going to follow this up with the 10 least favorite Beatles songs. That list is a little bit harder, but even the greatest band in the world had a bad one or two. Enjoy.

10. For No One – Revolver
I love the pace of this song. They never really change it and McCartney’s voice carries through bending around notes like only he could. I think we’ve all had a few failed relationships that you can think about when you hear this one. It’s funny how people that meant so much to you during a certain period of your life can mean so little later.

9. I’ll Follow the Sun – Beatles for Sale
I think part of the reason I like this one so much was because it was one of the few Beatles songs that I didn’t over-play when I was younger. It’s a standard early ballad in terms of the Beatles, but I like the idea of always being where it’s warm.

8. Let It Be – Let It Be
I’ve said this before, but the original album version of this song it just so much more powerful than the version packaged later on some the greatest hits albums. The guitar is riff near the end is powerful. It’s a sappy song, but that doesn’t stop me from singing along about every time it comes on.

7. I Saw Her Standing There – Please, Please Me
This is my favorite of the Beatles early stuff. It’s quick, it’s catchy, it’s Rock ‘N Roll to it’s root and core. It’s amazing how fast and peppy this song is compared to so much of there later work.

6. Blackbird – White Album
Paul’s voice is soothing and calm in this little ditty that always seems to relax me. Adding the birds to the background at parts in a nice touch. This is one that often gets a little overlooked with all the other Beatle greats.

5. Here Comes the Sun – Abbey Road
While McCartney and Lennon were very good at making complex songs and sounds, Harrison was folksy kind of guy that could take an acoustic guitar and churn out a soft, steady song. I think more than any song this one hits it on the head that the world will be fine when the group breaks up after the album. Also that in fact the individual members will be happier.

4. Tomorrow Never Knows – Revolver
This is an explosion of sound and creativity. Lennon’s voice is a bit muffled. There is a solid steady drum beat, it all adds up to hippyish turn the group was going to take with the next few albums after Revolver. I love listening to this one on headphones. You pick up about a hundred more sounds spiraling around in the background.

3. Happiness is a Warm Gun – White Album
This song is sexual, it’s angry and it even has a little doo-wop in it also. This song could have popped up on a Nirvana album 30 years later and it would have fit in. I thinks it’s signifies a little bit of the bleakness the guys had entered with increased drug use.

2. Eleanor Rigby – Revolver
This may be the most striking songs Paul ever wrote. The lyrics have almost a novel or short story-like feel with each one pegging the vast loneliness of life. The image of the pastor wiping the dirt from his hands as he walked from the grave or writing the words of a sermon no one will hear are probably two of the best in the history of Rock ‘N Roll.

1. Penny Lane – Magical Mystery Tour
I’ve always loved Penny Lane. I am sure is catchiness was one of the first things to draw me in. But now that I am a little I really like how this song is wistful without seeming so. All the little scenes and people of Penny Lane played to a happy tune makes me think about all the people and places of my own personal Penny Lane. “Very strange.”

Honorable Mention: Helter Skelter, I’m Only Sleeping, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Revolution, A Day in the Life, I’ve Just Seen a Face, I’ve Got a Feeling, Across the Universe.

12 comments:

Unknown said...

Wow Penny Lane, that is surprising. I just think how much our lists change year to year and yet we love all of them. What is your old favorite that has kinda fallen off the map? I noticed I didn't even give I Am The Walrus a chance this time and back in HS that was always #1.

Dan Woessner said...

I would say maybe "Hey Jude" was one I always liked that I didn't even really consider putting on the list. It's kind of long without needing to be.

Dan Woessner said...

I would say maybe "Hey Jude" was one I always liked that I didn't even really consider putting on the list. It's kind of long without needing to be.

Dan Woessner said...

I would say maybe "Hey Jude" was one I always liked that I didn't even really consider putting on the list. It's kind of long without needing to be.

Dan Woessner said...

I would say maybe "Hey Jude" was one I always liked that I didn't even really consider putting on the list. It's kind of long without needing to be.

Dan Woessner said...

I would say maybe "Hey Jude" was one I always liked that I didn't even really consider putting on the list. It's kind of long without needing to be.

Unknown said...

I think you can delete your comments, if you want. Otherwise it just makes this topic look really popular! :) I agree Hey Jude drones on too long. Rigby is probably the eeriest in a good way song I have ever heard especially at that time in their career. Guess it missed my list.

Dan Woessner said...

Did a little reading on old Ms. Rigby (maybe I knew this and forgot), but it's one of the very few songs where all four members contributed lyrics (although that was disputed by the different members). John contributed the "face she keeps in a jar by the door." line.
Ringo came up with a line about "Father McCartney writing the words of a sermon that no one will hear." It was changed to McKenzie to avoid confusion. They looked up names of clergymen in the phone book to find one that fit the spot. George provided the "All the lonely people, where do they all come from." And Paul pieced together the rest.

Unknown said...

I think i remember about picking the preachers name out of the phone book and i am sure paul would discredit any story where this all wasnt his brain child. i dunno what happened to him anymore or maybe to me to be so jaded about his jadedness, what am i saying?

Dan Woessner said...

I don't know what you're saying. I haven't really followed and heard much about Paul lately and I didn't pay much attention to his last marriage.
I think with all these things, it's all about memory. Everyone thinks they remember things a lot better than they actually do. I can't imagine how they remember certain things about every song they conjured up. It was 30-40 years ago. They wrote hundreds of songs in a relatively short amount of time. They were on drugs. Heck, I'll find things I churned out for class that I got an A on or something I wrote on the side just for fun of it from 5-10 years ago and not have recollection of it or when or how I wrote it.
Most of what these guys say now is just stuff that's been repeated 1,000 times and not necessarily the truth.

Unknown said...

I understand but there just seemed to be a chip on Paul's shoulder there for awhile over the past 10 to 15 years that he seems to think people think less of him than John or that he wasnt as good so he felt like he had to prove his worth by wanting to change the credits on those songs to put his name first. What was stupid those is ok you claimed 13 songs out of 200, so does that mean john wrote the bulk of the othere 187? that wouldnt help your legend any

Dan Woessner said...

Paul's problem is that he's battling a martyr. There's a massive belief that Lennon died for his beliefs and music. Which really he only died from a bullet and a madman. I think subconsciously people are quicker to write off McCartney's contribution and genius just because he lived another X amount of years and on the whole hasn't done anything that spectacular. Not that he hasn't had some good music and songs, but nothing groundbreaking.
It's sort of like the Nirvana effect. Dave Grohl (sp?) will always be remembered as part of a groundbreaking, cultural iconic band – Nirvana. No matter if the Foo Fighters release 30 more albums. The Foo Fighters have had a nice string of hits and good albums, but they'll never be considered as important or good as Nirvana.
So long story short, McCartney is probably grasping, probably ineffectively, for a greater stake in the Beatles legacy.