Curated playlist
The Beatles songs
- Here, There and EverywherePaul McCartney wrote most of "Here, There and Everywhere" beside a pool before John Lennon woke up.
- Don't Pass Me ByRingo Starr's "Don't Pass Me By" waited about six years to be recorded. It became his first solo-written Beatles song.
- 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.
- Love You ToWho really played the sitar on the Beatles song "Love You To"? Tabla player Anil Bhagwat said George Harrison did.
- She Loves YouThe Beatles' "She Loves You" sold only about 1,000 copies when first released in the US.
- Something (Beatles song)The Beatles song "Something" once had a hole in its second line. At a rehearsal being filmed for a documentary, George Harrison could get as far as the words "Attracts me" and no further. John Lennon offered a stand-in phrase, "like a…
- 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.
- Free as a BirdPaul McCartney asked Yoko Ono if any unreleased John Lennon recordings still existed.
- I've Got a FeelingThe Beatles song "I've Got a Feeling" is really two unfinished songs played at once.
- Octopus's GardenRingo Starr ordered fish and chips in 1968 and got squid. A boat captain's octopus tale became a Beatles song.
- 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.
- Flying (Beatles instrumental)"Flying" is the only Beatles song credited to all four band members. It was recorded in September 1967.
- 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…
- Here Comes the SunIn May 2023, "Here Comes the Sun" became the first 1960s song to pass one billion Spotify plays.
- 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.
- Maggie May (folk song)In the folk song "Maggie May", a sailor wakes up with his money and clothes gone. Maggie is sentenced to Botany Bay.
- 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.
- Within You Without YouGeorge Harrison added crowd laughter to "Within You Without You" over his producer's objection.
- Act NaturallyThe Beatles gave Ringo Starr a lead vocal by covering the country song "Act Naturally."
- 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.
- Now and Then (Beatles song)George Harrison disliked the Lennon demo "Now and Then", so the Beatles shelved it in 1995.
- 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.
- Real Love (Beatles song)Jeff Lynne spent roughly a week cleaning hum, hiss and clicks off John Lennon's Real Love demo tape.