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I tentatively agree. “A Day in the Life” is a very close second. I also love love love “Hello Goodbye”.

That would be my very close second, too. “Hello Goodbye” is good, but not near to being my favorite.

Some of their “classics” just irritate me, though. “Yesterday” is too sappy, for instance. “Something” is in that same category, too.

I like ‘Let it be’ and ‘Yesterday’ but ‘Paperback writer’ is also damn good.

Hey Jude
Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da
Good Day Sunshine
She Came In Through the Bathroom Window

“Hey Jude” I think is the easiest Beatles song to sing while drunk.  That should get it extra points.

That award goes to ‘Twist and shout’ i think!

‘Rain’ is another one of my faves. Love the psychedelic guitar.

Next time we’re drunk, we shall sing “Hey Jude.” And maybe “Let it Be”, which, though sappy, is still on my list of most-favored songs.

"Drive My Car”, “Yer Blues”, “Dear Prudence”, and pretty much all of Abbey Road (but especially the Mean Mr. Mustard/Polythene Pam/She Came in… medley and “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)").

Have you ever read through the Beatles’ Canon? You should, dude analyzes every single Beatles song. Lyrics, music, everything.

The really funny thing to me is that every time a radio station plays one of these songs Michael Jackson gets a nickel.

That’s a lotta nickles…

You’re telling me! Hell, I’d like to have a nickle for every time they play a Ringo song.

Okay, I just visited the Canon, and I’m impressed. Maybe a little frightened by his obsessiveness, but still impressed.

The top 12 Beatles' songs/Profanity
12. “I Want You (She's So Heavy)" 11. Asshat 10. Assclown 9. "Yer Blues" 8. Bastards 7. "Drive My Car" 6. "Dear Prudence" 5. "Hello Goodbye" 3. Motherfucker/“A Day in the Life" (tie) 2. Fuck you, fuckos! 1. "Paperback Writer"...

...Isn’t discussing the “Best Beatles Song” a little bit like talking about the best 1800s-era Public Accountant?

How so?

In that, I suppose there is one that could be considered “the best”, but I’m puzzled as to why anyone should care.

Now, the best “Woven Hands” or Mark Lanegan song, sure.  Or the best Styx song, without a doubt.

Heck, I’d rather talk about Tiffany’s “I Saw Him Standing There” rather than any Beatle’s song.

Because the Beatles are just so insignificant?

For that matter, even something like that song Ferris Beuhler lip-synched is better than anything the Beatles did.

I’d like to see a deathmatch for title of “Today’s Craziest Resurrection Song Comment”. In this corner, that last one by Nathan. In that corner, something from the Filthy Commie.

Now, if I was feeling in a contankerous mood, I might say that discussing the Beatle’s best song is silly; not because of the significance of the Beatles, but of the INsignificance of y’all’s opinions.

But I would never say that, no.

Actually I’m with Nathan. I always thought the Beatles were overrated. But I’d have to go with Elanor Rigby.

People that think the Beatles overrated drive me about as crazy as conspiracy theorists and Communists. For the same reason, too.

Excuse me while me and my comrades fake the next moon landing. 

I think Nathan is trying to drive up his comment count. 

Well, of course.  But it’s also true that I don’t really like the Beatles much (their entire career was either ultra-saccharine catchy pop or drugged-out psychadelic-influenced haze).  And I was just having a good time pulling chains.

In retrospect, the only skewer I missed was claiming a “Badfinger” song as my favorite Beatles’ tune.

Nathan, if you want to pull chains you make a statement like this...*ahem*

The Beatles were the New Kids on The Block of their time.

Deb:  I think so, too.

I think I like “Norwegian Wood” the best, if, as Nathan says, there could be a best.

Also, Z, I would play along with the A-Ha song game.

Heretics.

(Maintaining a comfortable lead in the Comments Derby.)

I think Nathan is trying to supplant us, Matt.

Because we know that no one can touch McGehee, or the Z- being it is his toy.

Hmmm, looks like I need to correct myself.  Matt is ahead of McGehee.  So, that would be that Nathan is trying to get ahead of, McGehee, Matt, and me.

No Comment.

I will add, though, that I have never once bothered to learn any part of any Beatles’ song on guitar.  It’s just not worth it.

No comment from me, either.

The Living Daylights.

What a silly topic to have 37 comments on…

Either “Locust” or “Memorial Beach.”

Certainly not “Take on Me.”

"their entire career was either ultra-saccharine catchy pop or drugged-out psychadelic-influenced haze”

I’m sorry, but this is just uninformed idiocy.

Matt, you’re going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view.

I don’t know why I didn’t catch it before, but I love how Matt said “love love love.”

Strangely, I really like the Wings stuff.

Gah! You and Jeff Goldstein. How can you like Wings and call the Beatles saccharine?!

I think it must be people of a certain age, old enough to have heard new Wings songs on the radio but too young to remember the Beatles. Are you in your mid to late thirties?

By the way, I had no idea that A-Ha had other hit songs, to the point that they have a greatest hits record (well, as an import). I have to defend “Take On Me”. That song is a great bit of synth pop, and it had simply the greatest video ever.

Hey!  I love love love Wings.  Love. Wings.

Aren’t we all in our mid to late thirties???

Nope, I’m 28. My wife is 33, though.

Oh, Matt, I knew you weren’t in your mid-thirties.  I was referring to all us other geriatrics.

re: A-Ha

They only had a few top 20 type hits here in the US, so their “Greatest Hits” album is pretty much like most other one hit wonder type bands. There are a couple songs you’ll know and a whole ton that you’ll scratch your head at. “Take on Me” is catchy pop, no doubt, and I would agree that it was the greatest video of all time, but the music from their middle period (where they remained really gosh-darned popular in the Netherlands and Argentina) was when they made the best stuff.

I’m going to upload one of the songs in a bit. I’ll update this thread when I do it and it will be in the extended entry of this post.

re: Beatles

Nathan, I’m going to have to disagree with you on this one: the greatness of the Beatles is something that exists whether you like them or not. For example, I can’t stand Picasso’s work, but I can’t deny the greatness of it. He changed the art world (for better or worse), he had a truly unique vision, and he was quite talented. Whether I like him or not isn’t in question.

The Beatles are the same--they utterly changed the face of rock music, they did things that no one else was doing, and they were talented musicians in that pop rock sense. Like Picasso, they started in a sort of derivative direction, but grew into their own vision. The Beatles are great whether you like them or not. I hate the Rolling Stones and I’m not too fond of the Who, but I recognize that they were leaders in rock music.

That’s not to say that every artist or band can be seen in the same way. New Kids on the Block may have sold millions, but they didn’t actually do anything new, they didn’t have any real artistic vision, and existed only as a sort of corporate entity to fleece little girls out of their lunch money. There is no greatness there.

re: Geriatrics

Yep, that’s me.

That’s why I like this place:  it’s full of heretics and geriatrics.  I feel so completely comfortable.

According to Amazon A-Ha had 14 top ten hits in the UK, so most of their stuff just didn’t translate. Argentina! We’re really big in Belgium!

I think the Beatles are on a different plane than The Rolling Stones or The Who. The Rolling Stones were an R&B cover band until they realized they could write their own songs, just like… the Beatles. Seems obvious now, but until John and Paul everyone thought that songwriters write songs and bands perform them. Plus they very nearly predicted/invented every genre of rock that was to come, from prog-rock (Sgt. Pepper’s) to skronk (Helter Skelter) to folk rock (Rubber Soul). As far as importance to rock ‘n’ roll the Beatles are right up there with Elvis.

But I’d almost always rather listen to Exile on Main Street.

Hey, who ate all the doughnuts?

There is no question of the Beatles influence.  I think Nathan is just attempting to stir things up. (And to boost his comment number).

There is also no question as to the caliper of songwriting ability of John Lennon and Paul McCartney.  How many successful albums has Ringo put out? I do like George Harrison’s stuff, too, but nothing touches John and Paul.  I think they ended up being more polarizing than balancing in their working relationship.

Nathan, please don’t even try to tell us you don’t really appreciate the Stones?

This conversation would be so much better with some Pale Ale....

Nathan did.

...so I mention that I don’t like the Beatles, and now I get blamed for eating the do-nuts?

That’s hardly fair.

Trench had the last maple one.

Nathan, surely you taught your children that life isn’t fair?

And where the hell is Trench?

He said he was going down the street to, “Get more doughnuts. Oh, and I think I’ll piss on John Lennon’s grave while I’m out.” Then he never came back.

Simply put, to be “influential” is not necessarily good.  Madonna influence right into Britney Spears.  Thanks, lady.

Other than that, no one should have to apologize for their taste.

I think the Monkee’s have better songs than the Beatles, to tell the truth.

I think much of my opinion is that I didn’t really like the British invasion much.  Clapton doesn’t move me.  Didn’t like Zep, the Stones, the Who.

I did like Jeff Beck, but couldn’t stand Rod Stewart.

By the way, if you want to talk about influential musicians and can’t speak intelligently about Jeff Beck, well, you should expand your knowledge.

I was just having fun...but the biggest influence the Beatles had was a negative result: trying to write smash hits, regardless of quality.

Sure, the Beatles did some quality stuff.  They had extreme song-writing talent.

But the Wings added the songwriting talents (and vastly superior technical talents) of two more guitarists and a drummer.  Different stuff, and more sophisticated music.  “Sophisticated” isn’t necessarily better, but I like it better.

There is very little in the music of the 70s, 80s, or 90s that you can point to and say, “That came from the Beatles”, actually.  The songs/albums you cite as being influential were not the first or best examples of any of those genres.

The impact of the Beatles was their song- and lyric-writing.  That was talent that can’t be taught.  Other than that, the biggest influence was Paul McCartney’s melodic bass playing (he was the most influential musician of the bunch).  Everyone else was mediocre, at best.

Which isn’t to diminish their popularity, nor to insult anyone who does like the Beatles.

Heck, I don’t like Mozart, either (for many of the same reasons).  I love Bach and Brahams.  For what it’s worth.

Well since I pissed on Lennon’s tomb I was going to post all the sick John Lennon jokes I know but decided aginst it.

ANd here I thought you were heading out to piss on Lenin’s grave…

PS-- I’ve put three a-ha songs up there for y’all to enjoy. Or not.

They’ll be up for a day or so, they are all 128kbps mp3s, I believe. They all represent the hallowed a-ha Middle Period.

Mock at will.

Nathan, feel that strong poke in your ribs....

:D You know we love you.

I wrote a big long post about Helter Skelter, but then got distracted by work and lost it. Needless to say, I think it’s a very important song and was very nearly first, having been beat out only by the Velvet’s first album and beating out the Stooges by a year.

"Very nearly first in skronk”, that was supposed to say.

OMG- I haven’t laughed this much this late in the A.M. in I don’t know when…

Hey, and what about Squeeze?

I’d like to note that a serious discussion of A-Ha’s underappreciated middle period is not what I signed on for.

I’m saving Lenin’s grave for a special occasion.

Matt, you must stop.  I can’t keep choking on my coffee.  It tastes better in my mouth that my nose....

re: “I’d like to note that a serious discussion of A-Ha’s underappreciated middle period is not what I signed on for.”

Poopy head.

Hey, and what about Squeeze?

They were tempted.

Poopy head.

O.K. O.M.G. Z- you got the loudest laugh so far…

It helps to be seriously acquainted with your inner child.

Ok, I write a great sentence, without a misplaced or unnecessary word, loaded with irony, and Z gets the big laugh for “Poopy head.” I give up.

Matt, I have children, so potty humor of any kind can still elicit a good, hard, long, laugh from me.

C (my nine year-old) asked why I was laughing so hard, so I told her.  She then laughed.  In fact, she just walked by me, giggled, and said, “Poppy head.”

I first admonished you, remember?  There’s enough love for everyone

I’ll have to admit, I’ve never in my life heard the term “skronk” before, so I’m at a disadvantage on that score.

I’ve had people insist that “Helter Skelter” was the first example of “Heavy Metal”, so take that for what it’s worth.

I’m also more an instrumentalist...maybe that has an influence on my opinion?  I’ve never heard anyone say, “Wow, I want to play guitar just like John Lennon.” And you’ve got to admit, the guitar work on Wings’ albums was far superior to anything the Beatles did.

I’m old enough to have heard both the Beatles’ and Elvis’ new songs on the radio.  I remember the Beatles breaking up.  Even then I wondered what the big deal was.

Look, bottom line: Because of the Beatles, we got “Oasis”.  I’ll never forgive them for that.

Because we had the Beatles, we got Wings.  What’cha gotta say ‘bout THAT, Nathan Poopy Head?

Ticket to Ride is the one that popped into my head as most catchy but I’m with Matt; there are just too many to choose from.

Oh, and for the record, I’m FORTY.  ~ LOLLLL!!

You can dismiss most bands because of crap bands they inspired. Rolling Stones --> Black Crowes. Jeff Beck/Eric Clapton --> Yngwie Malstrom/Eddie Van Halen. Kraftwerk --> An ungodly ammount of techno.

Yes, the Beatles were not master instrumentalists, except Paul. George and Ringo are underrated, though. But the Beatles are good because of songwriting and singing, not because they’re virtuousos.

Well, I’d say Cream were the first metal group. The Beatles didn’t do much along those lines. Skronk is basically a punk genre. No melodies, out of tune, usually just noise. Pussy Galore, Royal Trux, early Sonic Youth.

I love love love maple donuts.  Not that I ate them all.

All RIGHT!  You dragged it out of me!  I ate all the donuts.  They were so delicious, I couldn’t help myself.  *sob*sob*

Best Beach Boys song
What's your favorite Beach Boys' song? Mine would have to be "Good Vibrations", followed closely by "Wouldn't it be Nice?", "God Only Knows", and "I Know There's an Answer." Of course, almost everything on Pet Sounds is pure pop perfection....

I’m just trying to test poting here because I tried to register but it said I was not allowed. I wanted to comment about some of the ignorant misperceptions some of your posters have about The Beatles.

I just wanted to correct some of the myths and ignorant inaccurate comments that were made about The Beatles by some posters here. To Nathan’s ridiculous comments that he thinks the TV manufactured group The Monkees had better songs,and he never heard anyone say,Wow I want to play guitar just like John Lennon. Well,first of all Eric Clapton said John Lennon was a great guitar player he played with him in concert in John’s Plastic Ono Band in 1969. Also brilliant classical composer and conducter Leonard Bernstein said John Lennon and Paul McCartney were the 2 most brilliant song composers of the 20th century. Brian Wilson and Elton John also said this on TV interviews.

The Rolling Stone Album Guide calls Paul McCartney a remarkable bass player and John and Paul the greatest song writers in rock. They also George Harrison is always a fine guitarist. Eric Clapton said in a 1992 interview that’s online,when he and George toured Japan,that George is a fantastic slide guitar player. George Martin The Beatles producer who is a talented classicaly trained musician from the Guild Hall Music School in England, said that there is no doubt John and Paul were very good musicians. He said they had great musical brains and they could all play their instruments very well.

Also the totally ignorant comment Trench made compairing The Beatles to a manufactured superficial boy band like New Kids on The Block,The Beatles were a true *ROCK* band from the begginig! They played 8 hours a night in sleazy strip clubs in Hamburg Germany for 2 years straight wearing tight black leather pants and jackets,cursing,eating,smoking and hitting each other on stage. And they went to bed with many young women groupies Their cleaned up image was a fake image created by their manager Brian Epstein.John Lennon resented this the most.

Also most music and rock critics and music stores accurately classify The Beatles as a *rock* band. As John Lennon always said,he really loves rock n roll. All of their idols were the early rock pioneers Chuck Berry who John especially loved,Buddy Holy,Little Richard and Elvis.

I also have to add,that there are at least 6 music professors at good universities teaching music courses on The Beatles. Dr.Gary Kendal’s Beatles course at North Western University is the most requested course at the university and in Finland a music professor with the last name of Heinonen at JYVASKYLA university also teaches a Beatles course as does University of Sothern California and Dr.Glen Gass at Indiania University who is an award winning music professor and classical composer. He’s been teaching a course on rock music since 1982.

The Rolling Stones were also good friends with and fans of The Beatles and Mick Jagger was at 4 Beatles recording sessions and Keith Richards was at 2 with him.Charlie Watts in an online interview from a 1973 Magazine called,Zig Zag said what made The Beatles so great is that they made one great record after the next.He also said that they are a lot alike as people. Pete Townsend,John Paul Jones,John Bonham and David Gilmore all played on 2 songs on the last Wings album,Back To The Egg in 1979. they also played in the last Wings concert in December 1979. Pete Townsend along with Phil Colins who is a big Beatles fan,alsom played on Paul’s 1986 album Press To Play.

In a 2001 online Bender Magazine interview,Ozzy Osbourne says that the Beatles are the greatest band to ever walk this earth! He’s been a big Beatles fan since he was a teenager and She Loves You was the first record he ever bought. He says they are his favorite band of all time. And besides Trench making cruel ignorant comments about John Lennon’s grave and stopping himself from making some sick cruel ignorant John jokes,he was cremated not burried!And John the genuis was killed at only age 40 by a total crazy
fan!

By the way,I have been a huge highly impressed Beatles fan(especially John and Paul fan) since I was 9,I got my first Beatles book for my 11th birthday and I had every Beatles album by the age of 13. I was also born in 1965 during the middle of their recording career.I also found an interesting online interview with musician Frank Marino of the heavy metal band Mahogany Rush where he says he can’t stand The Rolling Stones and calls them the worst hoax ever! In a recent interview with Frank in Blogcritics.org he says he likes and listens to The Beatles,The Doors,The Allman Brothers,and Jimi Hendrix.

I would also like to suggest,to anyone who believes The Beatles are overrated,to read The Beatles recording sessions by Mark Lewisohn. It’s a very thorough detailed musical diary of their amazing 8 year recording career.It documents how truly brilliant,creative and innovative especially John and Paul were in the recording studio. Many of their recording engineers are interviewd and are all impressed with them to.

Many of their engineers went on to work with other well known music artists,Norman Smith who was one of The Beatles early engineers went on to work with Pink Floyd,Ken Scot went on to work with David Bowie and Alan Parsons who was a highly impressed Beatles fan,was one of their engineers on their last two albums,Let it Be and Abbey Road. A reviewer of this book on Amazon.com said when he first saw this book in a used college book store said to himself,Oh another garbarge Beatles book but he ended up reading some of it there, and bought the book. He now says he thinks The Beatles are brilliant and spent all of New Years Eve playing their albums and he now appreciates the music even more after learning all of the details of how they made it.

Another reviewer titled the review Inside The Workings of A Ground Breaking Band. He said,as a musician he finds Mark Lewisohns description of The Beatles genuis especially of John Lennon and Paul McCartney thoroughly accurate and insightful.I also found 40 former Beatles haters online who are now big Beatles fans! They had a lot of the same ignorant inaccurate myths and misperceptions about them as some of you do!

I just noticed I made some typing mistakes.

I’m sorry but I have to add some more. Songs like John’s beautiful If I Fell,I’ll Be Back,etc and Paul’s beautiful And I Love Her,Things We Said Today etc are great songs with beautiful melodies and harmonies and great singing. Songs like Paul’s great blues rocker,She’s A Woman from late 1964,his screaming hard rocker(especially for 1965)I’m Down,Back in The USSR,Birthday, Helter Skelter which has been called the first real heavy metal/punk rock song, John’s Yer Blues,Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey, I Want You She’s so Heavy which has also been called one of the first heavy metal songs,his great hard rocker Revolution,George’s While My Guitar Gently Weeps,most of The White album,a lot on Abbey Road,some on Revolver and many more are all great *rock* songs.

Songs like John’s great Strawberry Fields Forever,Paul’s Penny Lane,the excellent John and Paul song A Day in The Life,most of the Sgt Pepper album are timeless classics not drugged out hippie music. Also just about all groups in the 1960’s and 1970’s used drugs.I also want to point out that The Beatles recording technology was very primitive compaired with today’s technology and they recorded everything on only 2,4 and at the end 8 track tape. Today’s groups have modern technology so they can use devices to cover up if they are not good musicians. I have a very good ear for music and I can pick up on the slightest things and even their early albums sound great on the limited technology.

The Beatles wouldn’t still be as popular and critically acclaimed as they still are by most rock critics,other well known musicians,and millions of people if they didn’t play very good and make great sounding albums. I just saw on a guy’s blog where he posted about the recent Amazon.com’s Hall of Fame best selling artists and The Beatles are at # 1. He said it’s plausible because The Beatles are the greatest rock band of all time. U2 are # 2 and The Rolling Stones are # 10. But these groups are still together The Beatles broke up in 1970. It’s because they made so much great timeless music of all different styles in only a 7 year recording career.

Brian Wilson said on a 1995 Nightline Beatles tribute show,that when he first heard The Beatles great Rubber Soul album he was blown away by it. He said it was pop music but folk rock at the same time and this is what he said he couldn’t believe. This album inspired him to make his Pet Sounds album.There is also a great eb site called,The Evolution of Rock Bass Playing MCCartney Style. Stanley Clarke,Will Lee,Sting,and Billy Sheehan all say what a great influential bass player Paul has always been.