Aww, 'A Hard Day's Night' was just outside my votes - the opening chord is iconic, I just prefer the melodies to some of their unchallenging songs from the year before. I think I voted for everything else in the top 20 ('Norwegian Wood' 19th in my vote as well as the result).

Oops didn't mean to fall so behind, looks like I've lost a handful from my top 15 since I last commented:

 

'Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)' (+48)

'I Want You (She’s So Heavy)' (+46)

'Across The Universe' (+40)

'I Am The Walrus' (+38)

 

:wub: a real mix of sounds there, from the nonsensical thrills of 'I Am The Walrus' to the intense hard rock of 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)' - albeit, with a casual Latin style section thrown in. Love how much of a sonic shift 'Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)' is when you do a full discography listen - what a beauty that is.

Norwegian Wood is really very special for me as it holds some very specific memories, as well as being a gorgeous piece.

 

I will never understand how We Can Work it Out is so high, though. I'm clearly in the minority but I just find it so bland and ordinary.

16th: 480 points

Penny Lane

 

 

Double A side chart run: 5-{2}-2-2-5-10-8-12-23-36-50->11

 

Bjork 48

popchartfreak 46

King Rollo 40

ben08 39

gooddelta 34

Severin 32

danG 28

steve201 28

Jade 27

WhoOdyssey 27

Brer 27

Notorious D.O.T. 25

JulianT 23

…ready for it 18

Chez Wombat 14

jimwatts 14

Roba. 6

dandy* 4

 

This had originally been planned for the “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club” album, but instead was released as part of a double A side single with “Strawberry Fields Forever” in early 1967 to satisfy the demand for a new release. It did top the Melody Maker chart but on the Record Retailer chart was blocked by Engelbert Humperdinck’s “Release Me”, leading to claims that the Beatles’ bubble had finally burst as it was their first official release since “Please Please Me” to miss #1.

 

It’s a Paul song about his Liverpool childhood, referring to real places and was the more commercial and favourably received of the double A side tracks at the time. This is the 2nd of 6 tracks that received points from every voter.

As if that double-A was blocked from #1 by that dreary old codshit.

 

The other half is naturally my favourite given my votes but Penny Lane is also excellent in its own way.

Norwegian Wood is just gorgeous and very "John", fell in love with it off the Red album in 1976 when I got it for christmas. Hard Days's Night brings back memories of Chesham-living and seeing the film at the pictures. Chesham hasn't changed at all since 1964/5 (OK a few new minor housing estates, but not much else, I still found my way round the old neighbourhood no problems at all last year), and the record still sounds great. Penny Lane, and I'm on the rural Isle Of Anglesey and adoring this Beatles record. Penny Lane was already well-known in Liverpool, where we'd just moved from and I no doubt would still have had my Scouse accent. Still one of my all-time fave Beatles records love it.

15th: 491 points

In My Life

 

 

JulianT 49

…ready for it 46

jimwatts 40

ben08 38

Roba. 37

Notorious D.O.T. 37

danG 34

dandy* 34

King Rollo 33

Chez Wombat 32

Jade 30

WhoOdyssey 29

Bjork 21

gooddelta 17

Severin 14

popchartfreak 0

steve201 0

Brer 0

 

This is a “Rubber Soul” song written by both John and Paul. George Martin played the distinctive piano solo, which was sped up to sound more like a harpsichord.

 

Thiis was named the greatest song of all time by “Mojo” magazine, and has appeared in the Top 100 songs ever created by “Rolling Stone” magazine both times they have run the poll of experts. Of course it’s simple musically (yet beautiful), but it’s the lyrics that for me are so incredibly special and encapsulate the feelings you might have for someone special in your life, whether it’s a significant other, a parent, child or a good friend.

I loved In My Life when I was younger - I first heard it covered by Twiggy of all people on some TV show or other - and the lyrics are incredibly sad. Which is why I can't bear to listen to it now I'm older and the number of people who have died that I love gets larger and larger with each passing year. I have the same response to Imagine - played at funerals, don't want to be reminded of that. In My Life is a very mature song for someone so young though, much like Jackson Browne's song These Days, 17 when he wrote it, it works best when covered by someone much older (like Glen Campbell).

14th: 492 points

Something

 

 

Double A side chart run: 15-6-{4}-6-8-11-18-21-21-18-40-45->12

 

gooddelta 50

JulianT 47

Jade 44

Chez Wombat 44

Notorious D.O.T. 43

Roba. 41

danG 38

Brer 37

Bjork 32

jimwatts 27

ben08 23

King Rollo 22

dandy* 20

popchartfreak 14

WhoOdyssey 7

…ready for it 3

Severin 0

steve201 0

 

Unusually for them this was included both on a double A side single, alongside “Come Together”, and on a studio album, namely “Abbey Road”. Its presence on the album weakened the single’s performance in the UK where it peaked at #4, but it was a US #1.

 

It was the first time a George written and led song was an A side single, and is thought to mark the point where he really emerged as a songwriter of Lennon And McCartney’s calibre. It’s an incredibly powerful ballad and the “I don’t know” climax on the bridge is my favourite part.

 

Here gooddelta becomes only the 2nd voter to lose their 50 pointer, after …ready for it’s, “Hey Bulldog”, went out very early.

 

Gosh, I wouldn't have expected Something to miss the top ten, an incredible piece of music. That unmistakeable guitar, the verses, the chorus - all magic.

 

George was definitely showing his strengths by this point, I would agree that he was matching Lennon and McCartney's contributions toe to toe by the late 60s.

Edited May 13, 20241 yr by gooddelta

'Something' is gorgeous, one of my favourite ever love songs :wub: Pattie Boyd had some incredible tunes written about her as 'Layla' is right up there for me too.

 

'Penny Lane' and 'In My Life' are good recent dropouts also - the latter always makes me think of the first time I saw The Bootleg Beatles live, as it was played as a tribute to George Martin who had very recently passed away at the time. It also showed up at my cousin's wedding a couple of months ago so happy memories there!

Listening to this rate there’s so many songs I wish I’d voted for which simply shows the genius of this band. ‘In My Life’ is beautiful I mean how did a person in their twenties like Lennon write such a mature song at his age, pure genius. You do take a lot for granted with the Beatles but we should be thankful they have left so many great pieces of music for the people to listen to during the centuries!

 

Also interesting in the voter divide between pre 65 songs and post 65 - I for one love the pure pop of 63 as much as the experimental stuff of 67! Enjoyable in their own ways!

I kinda missed Something a bit when it came out - newly in Singapore and we'd just moved into out first house, started new school and hadn't really got our stuff from the UK that we shipped over (not much, clothes and an old record player/radio) so I just caught occasional plays of it here and there and it was very nice but not eye-catching, a bit too MOR for my then-tastes, but it grew over the years once I'd gotten over all the millions of not-Beatles covers. No cover has ever been as good. It was My Sweet Lord that made me into a George songwriter fan - though I liked all of his songs I wasnt aware they were his songs until later on.

13th: 506 points

While My Guitar Gently Weeps

 

 

Brer 47

steve201 44

Notorious D.O.T. 44

JulianT 43

dandy* 42

Chez Wombat 39

danG 39

Roba. 38

Jade 37

Severin 23

King Rollo 23

popchartfreak 20

jimwatts 18

Bjork 18

ben08 18

gooddelta 13

…ready for it 0

WhoOdyssey 0

 

It’s back to back George as this song from the “White Album” lands here. The plaintive ballad was written after the group’s return from India and might be thought to lament the disharmony within the group or the state of the world generally. George’s friend Eric Clapton contributed to the recording. Originally it was going to be a simple acoustic track but in the end it was given a much heavier rock style production.

 

This received chartjack2’s belated 50 points, and the scores for the next few are so close that this would have come 8th with his votes counted. :o It’s certainly a beautiful and mesmerising track.

'Something' was one of the many I wasn't as familiar whilst listening to the songs but a great record. 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' I bumped up a bit more on another listen. Done very well to make it 13th best here!

Love, love, love both of those.

In My Life is a very mature song for someone so young though, much like Jackson Browne's song These Days, 17 when he wrote it, it works best when covered by someone much older (like Glen Campbell).

 

 

Johnny Cash's version is particularly good.

Something is one of those songs that is obviously briiliant from whichever angle I look at it but yet it somehow leaves me completely cold.

The Clapton version never really did much for me, never a favourite, didn't really need Eric on it apart from calming band tensions. I was very much a fan of the Love Album alternate take version, though, a highlight of that project and a chart-topper for me, I think it gave the song more of a spotlight rather than God Clapton's (as he was revered at the time with Layla still on the way) guitar sound.

 

 

I think everything that's left made my top 30 except my +1 and +9 pointers - both #1s although I'm a little surprised they've got this far.