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13. We Can Work It Out (1965) / non-album single
5/17 votes

Exiting in 13th place is 'We Can Work It Out'! The release of this song in 1965 marked the first time in Britain that a double A-side format was released. 'Day Tripper' was the other half of this double A-side in question. It outlasts 'We Can Work It Out' in the poll - something that John Lennon would greatly approve of! The double A-side decision came about because most of the band wanted the softer, arguably more commercial 'We Can Work It Out' to be released as a single, whereas Lennon argued for the rocky 'Day Tripper'. EMI announced that the A-side would be 'We Can Work It Out' - only for Lennon to publicly contradict this a couple of days later! So the 'Day Tripper' / 'We Can Work It Out' release was born to stop the confusion. The release was a success as it went to #1 in both the U.K. and U.S. - with 5 weeks at the top in the former. Paul McCartney was the band member who began composing 'We Can Work It Out' but Lennon would later finish it off. The tones of both Paul and John's lyrics are often compared - with the former's demonstrating positivity (such as the titular lyric) and the latter's being impatient and less optimistic ("life is very short, and there's no time for fussing and fighting, my friend") - however, the bigger picture soon shows that some of Paul's lyrical contributions aren't so sunny - for instance "do I have to keep on talking until I can't go on?". Ultimately, the optimistic title prevails amongst all the tensions in life. This is also demonstrated by the structure of the song. Most of it is in 4/4 time, but the middle section is overhauled by a slower rhythm, supposedly to represent tiresome struggle. The Beatles' now famous promotional clips were born with the release of 'Day Tripper' and 'We Can Work It Out' - these were a way to get the group's music out on television (including to international audiences) without having to appear for performances. On 23rd November 1965 they filmed these two clips for their new singles, but also some for previous releases 'I Feel Fine', 'Ticket To Ride' and 'Help!'.

13. We Can Work It Out | 5/17 votes
14. I Feel Fine | 8/18 votes
15. A Hard Day's Night | 5/20 votes
16. Can't Buy Me Love | 5/22 votes
17. Come Together | 4/19 votes
18. Something | 4/19 votes
19. Love Me Do | 4/18 votes
20. Yellow Submarine | 5/20 votes

21. Eight Days A Week | 5/17 votes
22. From Me To You | 4/21 votes (original vote) / 10/16 votes (tie-break round)
23. Get Back | 5/17 votes
24. The Long And Winding Road | 4/20 votes
25. She Loves You | 6/21 votes
26. Lady Madonna | 6/21 votes
27. The Ballad Of John And Yoko | 7/25 votes

Please vote for your least favourite single from the 12 above!