14. I Feel Fine (1964) / non-album single

8/18 votes

 

Dropping out in 14th place is 'I Feel Fine' with the highest number of votes received in a round so far - its 8 beats the 7 votes that 'The Ballad Of John And Yoko' received in round 1. It was released as a non-album single back in 1964, after John wrote lyrics to go alongside the riff he'd previously composed and concluded that it "sounded like an A-side". Its release was the first time that a Beatles single had an almost concurrent release in both the UK and US. It was out on 23rd November in the States and the 27th here. It peaked at #1 in the UK and spent five weeks there. It of course was a #1 single in the U.S. too. Much like other early Beatles records, it's a short composition (coming in at around 2 minutes 20 seconds) that revolves around love - with the man in question being happy about where his love life is currently at. But this song has other elements to it too. It has a memorable riff, latin style drumming inspired by a Ray Charles song and one of the earliest examples ever of feedback being used on a record. It had previously been done live, but The Beatles were perhaps the first ever to put it on record. The feedback opens the song and was created due to a guitar leaning against an amp. They were intrigued by the sound and wanted to add it to the record. So the song begins with that and closes with a fade-out. The accompanying promo video features three of the members playing the guitar while Ringo is riding an exercise bike the whole time. The video was originally even more laidback and silly than that, with parts of it showing the group eating their fish and chips on a lunch break, but Brian Epstein insisted that this was cut out. 'I Feel Fine' was backed by the b-side 'She's a Woman' in the UK.

 

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 13 above!

I do really enjoy the riff of 'I Feel Fine' in particular but it would've been next in line for me after 'We Can Work It Out'. I have of course voted for that again!

Again, great track but dwarfed by much of that list. Maybe a few spots too low but not top 10 material. Quite surprised it picked up nearly half the votes from goin under the radar somewhat previously.

 

I'm still on Hello, Goodbye.

There's one been quietly spending it's time being ignored by all - so I'm voting Paperback Writer. It's not as good as the B side Rain - should have been a double A really. When The Fabs reissued all their singles in one go with the same designed generic picture sleeves in 1976, plus Yesterday for the first time in the UK, it was Yesterday top 10, Hey Jude top 20, Paperback Writer and Get Back top 30, Help! & Strawberry Fields top 50 in actual sales. How times have changed! Get Back gone already! Paperback Writer only really charted because it was the theme tune to a late night TV book review show Read All About It presented by Melvyn Bragg in the early 70's so it was played every week for a few years and built up demand for it. I'm guessing it won't be the 4th-most-popular Beatles tune this time round!

Again, We Can Work It Out

Of the remaining tracks, Penny Lane, Help! and Paperback Writer are the ones that aren't quite up there with the others so I'll probably alternate between them. I'll go with the latter, I'm nowhere near as familiar with this than I am the rest.

Swapping to 'We Can Work It Out' now that 'I Feel Fine' is finally gone. Will be a tougher choice for what to switch to next!

I voted for Paperback Writer before I scrolled down to the comments. I thought I might be alone as it has only received one vote so far (in round 4) but it already has a few votes.

Having listened to them all over the past few days, I'm going for All You Need Is Love. It wasn't as good as I remembered it being.

 

Paperback Writer was one of the standouts for me, sad to see it getting votes now.

All You Need is Love (again)

Eleanor Rigby.

All You Need Is Love.

 

But stop voting out the best tracks - grr

Sorry that there’s been such a wait for the next round - I’ve been really busy since Friday! Shall finally lock this, new one tonight ^_^