Curated playlist
Songs written by Lennon–McCartney
- Here, There and EverywherePaul McCartney wrote most of "Here, There and Everywhere" beside a pool before John Lennon woke up.
- Please Please Me (song)George Martin called an early version of "Please Please Me" "very dreary" and sent the Beatles back to fix it.
- What Goes On (Beatles song)Ringo Starr said he wrote about five words of the Beatles song "What Goes On". It was his first composing credit.
- Dig a PonyThe Beatles song "Dig a Pony" opens with Ringo Starr yelling to hold it while he puts out a cigarette.
- I Am the WalrusJohn Lennon wrote "I Am the Walrus" to baffle fans who over-analyzed the Beatles.
- She Loves YouThe Beatles' "She Loves You" sold only about 1,000 copies when first released in the US.
- In My LifeThe Beatles song "In My Life" began as a list of bus stops. John Lennon later reworked it into a look back at his past.
- Help! (song)John Lennon later called the Beatles' 1965 song Help an unconscious cry for help.
- Let It Be (song)The Beatles song "Let It Be" debuted at number 6 in 1970, higher than any song before it.
- Ticket to Ride (song)John Lennon later claimed "Ticket to Ride" was the first heavy metal record ever made.
- I'm Only SleepingA Beatles song about staying in bed made pop history. "I'm Only Sleeping" used backwards lead guitar first.
- P.S. I Love You (Beatles song)A record with the same title kept "P.S. I Love You" off the A-side of the Beatles' debut single.
- She's Leaving HomeThe real girl behind the Beatles' "She's Leaving Home" once won a dance contest picked by Paul McCartney.
- A Day in the LifeThe BBC banned the Beatles song "A Day in the Life" until 1972. It said the song could encourage drug-taking.
- All You Need Is LoveThe Beatles sang "All You Need Is Love" live to over 400 million people in 1967. It linked 25 countries.
- Eleanor RigbyThe Beatles song "Eleanor Rigby" hit number one without a single Beatle playing an instrument.
- Paperback WriterPaul McCartney wrote "Paperback Writer" after his Aunt Lil asked why he never wrote about anything but love.
- The Long and Winding RoadPaul McCartney cited one Beatles song in court as a reason to end the band. It was "The Long and Winding Road."
- Two of Us (Beatles song)The Beatles song "Two of Us" began as a love letter to Linda Eastman. Paul McCartney wrote it about their road trips.
- Get BackPolice arrived mid-song as the Beatles played "Get Back" on a London rooftop. Harrison turned the amps back on.
- Helter Skelter (song)Ringo Starr screamed about blisters on the Beatles' "Helter Skelter" after throwing his drumsticks.
- Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-DaA recording engineer quit the Beatles after fights over "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da."
- Revolution (Beatles song)Was John Lennon for the revolution or against it in the Beatles song "Revolution"?
- Strawberry Fields ForeverTwo different recordings of "Strawberry Fields Forever" were spliced into one with scissors and tape machines.
- I Want to Hold Your HandA 14-year-old girl introduced the Beatles to American radio. Marsha Albert's letter got one song played.
- I've Got a FeelingThe Beatles song "I've Got a Feeling" is really two unfinished songs played at once.
- Come TogetherIn the finished recording of "Come Together" by the Beatles, John Lennon sings "Shoot me!" and most listeners catch only one of the two words. The engineer Geoff Emerick later suggested the reason. Paul McCartney's bass lands on the word…
- Hey JudeJohn Lennon told Paul McCartney that "Hey Jude" line he wanted to cut was the best in the song. McCartney kept it.
- Back in the U.S.S.R.Ringo Starr walked out while the Beatles rehearsed "Back in the U.S.S.R." The other three kept recording.
- From Me to YouFrom Me to You is a 1963 song by the Beatles, and Paul McCartney once said a milkman proved it had caught on. He was lying in bed one morning when he heard a man whistling the tune outside. That was the first time he thought the band had…
- I Want You (She's So Heavy)John Lennon ordered the tape cut mid-song, ending a Beatles track in sudden silence. It closes Abbey Road's side one.
- Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (song)The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper song began with salt and pepper on a plane.
- Tomorrow Never KnowsJohn Lennon took the words of "Tomorrow Never Knows" almost directly from a 1964 book.
- Baby, You're a Rich ManGeorge Harrison played "Baby, You're a Rich Man" in a San Francisco park and a crowd followed him.
- Dear PrudenceJohn Lennon wrote "Dear Prudence" to coax a meditating woman out of her bungalow. Prudence Farrow refused to leave.
- Love Me DoRingo Starr arrived to record the Beatles' "Love Me Do" and was handed a tambourine.
- Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)John Lennon wrote Norwegian Wood as a veiled account of an affair he was having in London.
- Penny LanePaul McCartney found the Penny Lane trumpet sound while watching Bach on television.
- Rain (Beatles song)Did John Lennon or George Martin discover the backwards vocals on the Beatles' "Rain"? Each man claimed the discovery.
- Sexy SadieThe Beatles song "Sexy Sadie" began life as "Maharishi." John Lennon wrote it in India in 1968, angry at a guru.
- Lucy in the Sky with DiamondsJohn Lennon wrote "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" after his three-year-old son showed him a drawing.
- Revolution 9The voice saying "number nine" in "Revolution 9" was an EMI engineer's test tape. John Lennon cut it up and looped it.