Top 101 Beatles related songs of all time

 

Based on UK & USA chart performance

 

Background; I first started preparing this when the site was offline over a few days a few months ago and finished this week. I have used the UK chart runs from Polyhex & US chart runs from Hanboo chart histories on UKMix.

 

Any entry that is eligible in this countdown is as follows:

 

1. A Beatles single

2. Songs released by former members of The Beatles

3. Covers of songs written by members of The Beatles; or from their solo careers

4. Songs produced by members of The Beatles

 

The points system I have used is weighted towards the larger US market to reflect bigger record sales.

 

For each week spent in the charts the entries accumulated the following points if they finished on or above the chart positions below:

 

UK Pts US Pts

1 20 1 30

2 15 2 25

3 12 3 20

5 10 5 15

7 9 7 12

10 8 10 10

15 7 15 8

20 6 20 7

25 5 25 6

30 4 30 5

40 3 40 4

50 2 50 3

75 1 75 2

-- - 100 1

 

Lastly, due to chart rules; in the USA two sided singles were counted separately up until the week ending November 29, 1969, this rule was altered; if both sides received significant airplay, they were listed together. Hence if the respective (pre Nov69) UK single was double sided then I split the points by 50% each way; if the single was only listed as an A side then 100% of the UK points were added to the equivalent US hit. Whilst if two sides of a separate single (post Nov69), had two different dominant tracks (example Paul McCartney - Pipes Of Peace (UK) / So Bad (USA) in the respective charts then the points were combined for this countdown.

 

* Please note there are a couple more quirks due to chart eligibility rules: (UK EPs were ineligible for the UK Official Chart (which meant Twist & Shout scored 0 UK points despite being the lead track of an EP that sold circa 500,000 copies in the UK) & (In the USA Christmas/seasonal themed singles were excluded from the main Billboard Top 100 chart which meant John & Yoko's Happy Christmas (War Is Over) & to a much lesser extent Paul McCartney's Wonderful Christmastime scored 0 US points despite selling well; strangely George Harrison's Ding Dong was not ineligible but never mind).

 

The Results will be updated in this post:

 

11 Imagine (John Lennon)

12 Hello Goodbye (Beatles)

13 I Feel Fine (Beatles)

14 Coming Up (Paul McCartney/Wings)

15 Help! (Beatles)

16 Woman (John Lennon)

17 Something/Come Together (Beatles)

18 Can't Buy Me Love (Beatles)

19 A Hard Day's Night (Beatles)

20 Let It Be (Beatles)

 

21 Got My Mind Set On You (George Harrison)

22 All You Need Is Love (Beatles)

23 My Love (Paul McCartney/Wings)

24 Stars On 45 Vol 1 (Starsound)

25 Love Me Do (Beatles)

26 Please Please Me (Beatles)

27 We Can Work It Out (Beatles)

28 Paperback Writer (Beatles)

29 A World Without Love (Peter & Gordon)

30 Ticket To Ride (Beatles)

31 Mull Of Kintyre / Girl's School (Paul McCartney/Wings)

32 From Me To You (Beatles)

33 The Girl Is Mine (Michael Jackson & Paul McCartney)

34 You're Sixteen (Ringo Starr)

35 Let 'Em In (Paul McCartney/Wings)

36 Live And Let Die (Paul McCartney/Wings)

37 Band On The Run (Paul McCartney/Wings)

38 With A Little Luck (Paul McCartney/Wings)

39 Fame (David Bowie)

40 Yesterday (Beatles)

 

41 Instant Karma (John Lennon)

42 Photograph (Ringo Starr)

43 Twist and Shout (Beatles) *

44 Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (Elton John)

45 No More Lonely Nights (Paul McCartney)

46 Another Day (Paul McCartney)

47 The Ballad Of John And Yoko (Beatles)

48 It Don't Come Easy (Ringo Starr)

49 Listen To What The Man Said (Paul McCartney/Wings)

50 Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth) (George Harrison)

51 Bad To Me (Billy J Kramer & The Dakotas)

52 All Those Years Ago (George Harrison)

53 Lady Madonna (Beatles)

54 Goodnight Tonight (Paul McCartney/Wings)

55 Yellow Submarine (Beatles) *

56 Goodbye (Mary Hopkin)

57 Penny Lane (Beatles) *

58 Day After Day (Badfinger)

59 Come And Get It (Badfinger)

60 Junior's Farm (Paul McCartney/Wings)

 

61 Give Peace A Chance (John Lennon)

62 Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da (Marmalade)

63 Day Tripper (Beatles)*

64 Back Off Boogaloo (Ringo Starr)

65 Pipes Of Peace / So Bad (Paul McCartney)

66 Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey (Paul & Linda McCartney)

67 Jet (Paul McCartney/Wings)

68 Spies Like Us (Paul McCartney)

69 Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (John & Yoko)*

70 Hi Hi Hi/C Moon (Paul McCartney/Wings)

71 Take It Away (Paul McCartney)

72 Something (Shirley Bassey)

73 The Long and Winding Road / For You Blue (Beatles)

74 Helen Wheels (Paul McCartney/Wings)

75 Eight Days A Week (Beatles)

76 Nobody Told Me (John Lennon)

77 Do You Want To Know A Secret? (Beatles)

78 Whatever Gets You Thru The Night (John Lennon)

79 With A Little Help From My Friends (Wet Wet Wet)

80 Do You Want To Know A Secret? (Billy J Kramer & The Dakotas)

 

81 Only You (Ringo Starr)

82 I Saw Him Standing There (Tiffany)

83 With A Little Help From My Friends (Joe Cocker)

84 Eleanor Rigby (Beatles)*

85 No No Song (Ringo Starr)

86 Strawberry Fields Forever (Beatles)*

87 Nobody I Know (Peter & Gordon)

88 Magical Mystery Tour (Beatles)

89 Power To The People (John Lennon)

90 We All Stand Together (Paul McCartney)

91 Got To Get You Into My Life (The Beatles)

92 Jealous Guy (Roxy Music)

93 The Beatles Movie Medley (The Beatles)

94 Nowhere Man (The Beatles)

95 I'm The Urban Spaceman (Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band)

96 Michelle (Overlanders)

97 I'll Keep You Satisfied (Billy J Kramer & The Dakotas)

98 No 9 Dream (John Lennon)

99 Watching The Wheels (John Lennon)

100 Free As A Bird (The Beatles)

101 Maybe I'm Amazed (Paul McCartney/Wings)

101 Maybe I'm Amazed (Paul McCartney & Wings) 94 Pts

 

Maybe I'm Amazed (Wings Over America Live album USA#10 UK#28)

 

"Maybe I'm Amazed" is a song written by Paul McCartney that was first released on his McCartney album on 17 April 1970. Although the studio version from the album was never released as a single, it still remains one of McCartney's most treasured songs. Originally, McCartney dedicated the song to his wife, Linda, who had helped him during the break-up of The Beatles. Later, McCartney's band Wings released a single of a live performance of the song from the band's 1976 tour of America, which became a top-ten hit in the United States.

 

100 Free As A Bird (Beatles) 94 Pts

 

Free As A Bird (Anthology 1 USA#6 UK#2)

 

"Free as a Bird" is a song performed by The Beatles. The single was released on 4 December 1995, as part of the promotion for the release of The Beatles Anthology video documentary and the band's Anthology 1 compilation album.

 

The song had been written and recorded as a demo by John Lennon in 1977. Paul McCartney asked Lennon's widow Yoko Ono for any unreleased material by Lennon, and "Free as a Bird" was chosen as being the song all three remaining Beatles could be involved in, as they could finish the arrangement and write extra lyrics. Jeff Lynne of Electric Light Orchestra was asked to co-produce the record as he had worked with George Harrison as part of The Traveling Wilburys.

 

The music video for "Free as a Bird" was produced by Vincent Joliet and directed by Joe Pytka (Space Jam) and depicts, from the point of view of a bird in flight, many references to The Beatles songs, such as "Strawberry Fields Forever," "Penny Lane", "Paperback Writer", "A Day in the Life", "Eleanor Rigby" and "Helter Skelter". "Free as a Bird" later won the 1997 Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, and was The Beatles' 34th Top 10 single in America. It was the first of two singles by the group to become a Top 40 hit in the 1990s [the other being "Real Love" in 1996].

99 Watching The Wheels (John Lennon) 95 Pts

 

Watching The Wheels (Double Fantasy USA#10 UK#30)

 

"Watching the Wheels" is a 1981 single by John Lennon, released posthumously after his assassination the year before. It was the third and final single released from Lennon and Yoko Ono's Double Fantasy album, and reached #10 in the U.S and #30 in the UK.

 

"Watching the Wheels" concerns Lennon's dismissal of those who were confounded by his "househusband" years, 1975-1980. During this period, he stayed away from the music industry and raised his son Sean with Yoko. The song's second verse seems to contain an allusion to Plato's "Allegory of the cave".

 

98 Number 9 Dream (John Lennon) 95 Pts

 

John Lennon - #9 Dream (Walls & Bridges USA#9 UK#23)

 

"#9 Dream" is a song written and performed by John Lennon and featured as the seventh track on his 1974 album Walls and Bridges. In January 1975, it was released as the second single from that album backed by another album track, "What You Got". It continues Lennon's fascination with the number nine (he was born on 9 October, and, coincidentally, the track also peaked at number nine in the U.S. charts when it was released). The backing vocal is provided by May Pang, Lennon's partner at the time.

 

According to Pang's website, two working titles for the song were "So Long Ago" and "Walls & Bridges". Pang also states that the phrase repeated in the chorus, "Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé", came to Lennon in a dream and has no specific meaning. Lennon then wrote and arranged the song around his dream, hence the title and the atmospheric, dreamlike feel of the song including the use of cellos in the hook.

 

Lennon liked the string arrangement he wrote for Harry Nilsson's rendition of Many Rivers to Cross (from Nilsson's p*ssy Cats which Lennon produced) so much that he decided to incorporate it into the song.

 

97 I'll Keep You Satisfied (Billy J Kramer & The Dakotas) 96 Pts

 

I'll Keep You Satisfied (Billy J Kramer & The Dakotas single USA#30 UK#4)

 

"I'll Keep You Satisfied" is a song written mainly by Paul McCartney but credited to Lennon/McCartney. It was one of the few Lennon/McCartney compositions to be performed by an artist other than The Beatles, Paul McCartney or John Lennon. It was released by Billy J. Kramer on 1 November 1963. It reached number 4 and spent 13 weeks in the UK charts - kept off the top spot by "She Loves You" (another Lennon/McCartney composition - for The Beatles) and "You'll Never Walk Alone". The song hit #30 in the 1964 US charts

 

The song was recorded on 14 October 1963 at Abbey Road Studios. John Lennon was present at the recording.

96 Michelle (Overlanders) 97 Pts

 

Michelle (Overlanders single UK#1)

 

Originally playing folk songs, the band found success hard to come by during the beat era and so converted to a more mainstream sound. Their only major hit was a cover version of The Beatles' McCartney penned Rubber Soul song, "Michelle". It reached number one in the UK Singles Chart in January 1966, and featured arrangements by Tony Hatch.

 

"Michelle" was also covered by David and Jonathan, who scored a Top 20 hit on both sides of the Atlantic with it in 1966.

 

"Michelle" won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1967.

 

95 I'm The Urban Spaceman (Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band) 98 Pts

 

I'm The Urban Spaceman (Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band single UK#5)

 

"I'm the Urban Spaceman" was the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band's most successful single, released in 1968. It reached #5 in the UK charts.

 

The song was written by Neil Innes and produced by Paul McCartney and Gus Dudgeon under the pseudonym "Apollo C. Vermouth".

 

Innes won an Ivor Novello Award in 1968 for writing "I'm the Urban Spaceman". He later became famous writing the songs of the spoof Beatles act The Rutles; and famously (an hilariously) successively won songwriting royalties from Oasis' Noel Gallagher for the similarities between the latter's Whatever to the former 1973 track "How Sweet To Be An Idiot".

 

94 Nowhere Man (The Beatles US only release) 99 Pts

 

Nowhere Man (Rubber Soul USA#3)

 

"Nowhere Man" is a song by The Beatles, from their hit album Rubber Soul (in the U.S. on the Yesterday ... and Today album). Though the songwriting credit is Lennon/McCartney, it was actually penned almost entirely by John Lennon (Paul McCartney helped to "polish off the rough edges"). It was recorded on October 21 and 22, 1965. "Nowhere Man" is among the very first Beatles songs to be entirely unrelated to romance or love, and marks a notable instance of Lennon's philosophically-oriented songwriting. It was released as a single (although not in the UK) on February 15 and reached #1 in Canada and #3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

93 The Beatles Movie Medley (The Beatles) 101 Pts

 

The Beatles Movie Medley (mash up single USA#12 UK#10)

 

"The Beatles Movie Medley" is a compilation of snippets from various Beatles songs. It remains the only Beatles single not released on CD. The single peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #10 on the British charts in 1982. The songs were chosen from the four Beatles movies (A Hard Day's Night, Help!, Yellow Submarine, and Let It Be) and the TV special, Magical Mystery Tour. The songs included in the medley are "Magical Mystery Tour", "All You Need Is Love", "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away", "I Should Have Known Better", "A Hard Day's Night", "Ticket to Ride", and "Get Back". The medley was the first of two singles charting in the 1980s credited to the group (the other being a recharting of "Twist And Shout" in 1986).

 

Capitol Records first issued the single in conjunction with the album Reel Music and was inspired by the success of the "Stars On 45 Medley", a recording which included numerous Beatles songs sung by a John Lennon soundalike. The song was released in the US as Capitol B-5107.

 

Parlophone Records initially refused to issue the single in the UK, regarding the medley as "tacky" (they were right IMHO). But after the import demand for the U.S. release grew, it was finally issued as Parlophone R6055.

92 Jealous Guy (Roxy Music) 101 Pts

 

Jealous Guy (Roxy Music tribute single UK#1)

 

"Jealous Guy" is a song written and performed by John Lennon which first appeared on his 1971 album Imagine. It is one of the most commonly covered Lennon songs, with at least ninety-two recorded cover versions, the most notable being Roxy Music's version, which reached number one in several countries directly after John Lennon's death.

91 Got To Get You Into My Life (Beatles US single) 102 Pts

 

Got To Get You Into My Life (Revolver USA#7)

 

"Got to Get You into My Life" is a song by The Beatles, first released in 1966 on the album Revolver. It was released as a single in the US in 1976, a decade after its initial release and six years after The Beatles split up. This was the single that was released as a promo for the Rock 'n' Roll Music compilation album. It hit #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, The Beatles' last top ten hit there until their 1995 release "Free as a Bird".

 

 

 

90 We All Stand Together (Paul McCartney & The Frog Chorus) 105 Pts

 

We All Stand Together (Paul McCartney's (in)famous animation classic UK#3)

 

"We All Stand Together" (sometimes referred to as the Frog Song or the Frog Chorus) is a song by Paul McCartney and the Frog Chorus. It was from the animated film Rupert and the Frog Song and reached number three in the UK Singles Chart in 1984. Originally released June 1983, McCartney re-released the single on the Christmas charts in 1984.

 

The song re-entered the UK Singles Chart one year later in 1985, one of three hits to do so, that originally charted in December 1984 ("Do They Know It's Christmas" by Band Aid and "Last Christmas" by Wham! were the other two). It went on to sell over 750,000 copies in the UK.

 

Despite its relative success, the song attracted criticism for its light subject matter, and is sometimes cited as a sign of the decline of McCartney's talents after The Beatles.

 

The "Frog Chorus" backing on the song was provided by the King's Singers choral group and the choir of St Paul's Cathedral.

89 Power To The People (John Lennon) 106 Pts

 

Power To The People (single USA#11 UK#7)

 

"Power to the People" is a song recorded by John Lennon at Ascot Sound Studios in London, England and released on 12 March 1971 in the United Kingdom and 22 March 1971 in the United States. The song was written by Lennon in response to an interview he gave to Tariq Ali and Robin Blackburn, published in Red Mole (8-22 March 1971). As Lennon explained, "I just felt inspired by what they said, although a lot of it is gobbledygook. So I wrote 'Power to the People' the same way I wrote 'Give Peace a Chance,' as something for the people to sing. I make singles like broadsheets. It was another quickie, done at Ascot."

 

It entered the charts on 20 March 1971, and remained there for nine weeks. It was Lennon's fourth solo single and it was credited to John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, which on this occasion comprised Lennon, Klaus Voormann, Alan White, Bobby Keys and Billy Preston.

 

88 Magical Mystery Tour (Beatles) 107 Pts

 

Magical Mystery Tour (lead track of UK EP UK#2)

 

"Magical Mystery Tour" is a song by The Beatles, the opening track and theme song for the album and TV film of the same name. Richie Unterberger of Allmusic called it "a pleasant, get-up-and-go tune, but not one of the Beatles' very best songs." Unlike the theme songs for their four primary film projects, it was not released as a single in the USA.

 

The song is credited to Lennon/McCartney, and Paul McCartney said it was co-written. John Lennon said, "Paul's song. Maybe I did part of it, but it was his concept."

 

McCartney said the "Roll up! Roll up!" introduction was inspired by a barker. The remaining lyrics explain in a general way the premise of the film: a mystery tour of the type that was popular in Britain when the Beatles were young. Lennon and McCartney expanded the tour to make it magical, which allowed it to be "a little more surreal than the real ones.

 

"Magical Mystery Tour" was released on a six-song EP in the UK on 8 December 1967. In the U.S., the EP was stretched to an LP by including five songs previously released as singles.

 

87 Nobody I Know (Peter & Gordon) 109 Pts

 

Nobody I Know (Peter & Gordon single USA#12 UK#10)

 

Nobody I Know is a song by Paul McCartney (attributed to Lennon/McCartney), recorded by Peter and Gordon in 1964.

86 Strawberry Fields Forever (Beatles) 110.5 Pts

 

Strawerry Fields Forever (Beatles single USA#8 UK#2 (UK points split with Penny Lane))

 

"Strawberry Fields Forever" is a song by the English rock band The Beatles. Recorded at the end of 1966, the song was written by John Lennon during the filming of How I Won The War and is formally credited to the Lennon/McCartney songwriting team. It is named after a Salvation Army house in Beaconsfield Road, Woolton, Liverpool where Lennon played as a child.

 

"Strawberry Fields Forever" was originally recorded for the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), but was instead released in February 1967 as a double A-side single backed with Paul McCartney's "Penny Lane". "Strawberry Fields Forever" reached number eight in the US, with numerous critics describing it as one of the group's best recordings. It is one of the defining works of the psychedelic rock genre and has been covered by many other artists. The song was later included on the Magical Mystery Tour LP (1967). The Strawberry Fields memorial in New York City's Central Park (near the site of Lennon's murder at The Dakota apartment building) was named after the song.

 

85 No No Song (Ringo Starr) 112 Pts

 

No No Song (Goodnight Vienna USA#3)

 

Ringo Starr's cover of Hoyt Axton and David Jackson's "No No Song" was included on his 1974 album Goodnight Vienna. It was a number-three hit in the US. The song describes progressive attempts to sell Colombian marijuana, Spanish cocaine and Tennessean moonshine to a recovered addict who refuses it all.

 

The song itself was not related to the movie of the same name; rather, it is likely a reference to the album Goodnight Vienna, the cover of which reproduces an iconic scene from the film, with Ringo Starr replacing Michael Rennie as the alien Klaatu standing alongside the robot Gort.

84 Eleanor Rigby (Beatles) 113.5 Pts

 

Eleanor Rigby (Revolver USA#11 UK#1 (UK points split with Yellow Submarine))

 

"Eleanor Rigby" is a song by The Beatles, originally released on the 1966 album Revolver. The song was primarily written by Paul McCartney. With a double string quartet arrangement by George Martin, and striking lyrics about loneliness, the song continued the transformation of the group, started in Rubber Soul, from a mainly pop-oriented act to a more serious and experimental studio band.

 

As is true of many of McCartney's songs, the melody and first line of the song came to him as he was playing around on his piano. The name that came to him, though, was not Eleanor Rigby but Miss Daisy Hawkins.

 

McCartney said he came up with the name Eleanor from actress Eleanor Bron, who had starred with the Beatles in the film Help!. Rigby came from the name of a store in Bristol, Rigby & Evens Ltd, Wine & Spirit Shippers, that he noticed while seeing his then-girlfriend Jane Asher act in The Happiest Days Of Your Life. He recalled in 1984, "I just liked the name. I was looking for a name that sounded natural. Eleanor Rigby sounded natural."

 

The Beatles finished the song in the music room of John Lennon's home at Kenwood. John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, and their friend Pete Shotton all listened to McCartney play his song through and contributed ideas. Starr contributed the line "writing the words of a sermon that no one will hear " and suggested making "Father McCartney" darn his socks, which McCartney liked. Shotton then suggested that McCartney change the name of the priest, in case listeners mistook the fictional character in the song for McCartney's own father.

 

The song is often described as a lament for lonely people or a commentary on post-war life in Britain.

 

McCartney couldn't decide how to end the song, and Shotton finally suggested that the two lonely people come together too late as Father McKenzie conducts Eleanor Rigby's funeral. At the time, Lennon rejected the idea out of hand, but McCartney said nothing and used the idea to finish off the song, later acknowledging Shotton's help.

 

The song was nominated for three Grammys and won the 1966 Grammy for Best Contemporary (R&R) Vocal Performance, Male or Female for McCartney.

83 With A Little Help From My Friends (Joe Cocker) 114 Pts

 

With A Little Help From My Friends (album off same name USA#68 UK#1)

 

Joe Cocker's version was a radical re-arrangement of the original Ringo Starr sung Sgt Peppers' album track, in a slower, 6/8 meter, in a different key, using different chords in the middle eight, and a lengthy instrumental introduction (featuring drums by Procol Harum's B.J. Wilson and guitar lines from Jimmy Page). It was used as the opening theme song of the American television series The Wonder Years and is one of Joe Cocker's most famous songs. Cocker can be seen performing the song at Woodstock in 1969 and can be seen in the related documentary film, "3 Days of Peace and Music". The cover was ranked #2 in UpVenue's top 10 best music covers of all time in 2009. The version heard in the film Across the Universe segues from the original to Joe Cocker's arrangement at the end of the song.