A non-psychedelic top 4 then x (Well, I guess you could count one). Love Strawberry Fields Forever, incredible production and works brilliantly as the moodier, darker cousin to its double A-side in reflection on John's hometown.

 

I really hope my 50 can win here, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's out next. Certainly can't begrudge the other three despite being a bit more overexposed.

ohhh only 5 for Strawberry Fields is too low!!!

Let it be is just fantastic just a culturally important song. I actually used to think it was a cover of a classic ancient song it’s so legendary!

 

Can I ask a lot of posters have said how some Beatles songs they didn’t hear as they weren’t on the Red/Blue albums or released as singles. Other than Sgt Peppers did the other Beatles long players not get many sales when initially released?

 

Before The Beatles album sales were mostly Middle Of The Road crooners, Cliff & Elvis and soundtrack albums - they were hideously expensive relative to income (even new singles were pushing 10 shillings, the equivalent of 4 or 5 cinema tickets then, or something like 40 packets of crisps. I'm guessing maybe £20 in today's money, so EP's were a good inbetweener for thos that couldnt afford albums). But The Beatles albums sold in bucketloads, and some album tracks got radio and TV exposure - but it was a bit restricted to "suitable for families" on specific programmes until the pirate Radio ships took off and pop music at long last got dedicated all-day-long outlets for those that lived within broadcast range of the North Sea.

 

Radio 1 and Radio 2 tended to have playlists, again family-friendly, apart from the evenings on Radio 1 which was when the more avant-garde Beatles tracks might have got some airplay - but not during the daytime till the 70's album show rundown on mid-week lunchtimes, when a track off the number one would get played. There just weren't the outlets to hear them mostly, though, and all bar one pirate ship got closed down by the government from 1967 onwards.

It's a classic, by 1976 it was "officially" the A side for charting purposes on the re-pushed singles collection, and getting airplay on Radio 1, but it was still Penny Lane for me. I don't recall ever hearing the track in the 60's (and I'm pretty sure I would have remembered like I remember Magical Mystery Tour, Revolution and others) but it grew on me with the years, Classic.

Before The Beatles album sales were mostly Middle Of The Road crooners, Cliff & Elvis and soundtrack albums - they were hideously expensive relative to income (even new singles were pushing 10 shillings, the equivalent of 4 or 5 cinema tickets then, or something like 40 packets of crisps. I'm guessing maybe £20 in today's money, so EP's were a good inbetweener for thos that couldnt afford albums). But The Beatles albums sold in bucketloads, and some album tracks got radio and TV exposure - but it was a bit restricted to "suitable for families" on specific programmes until the pirate Radio ships took off and pop music at long last got dedicated all-day-long outlets for those that lived within broadcast range of the North Sea.

 

Radio 1 and Radio 2 tended to have playlists, again family-friendly, apart from the evenings on Radio 1 which was when the more avant-garde Beatles tracks might have got some airplay - but not during the daytime till the 70's album show rundown on mid-week lunchtimes, when a track off the number one would get played. There just weren't the outlets to hear them mostly, though, and all bar one pirate ship got closed down by the government from 1967 onwards.

 

Thanks - Radio 1 really was quite a late starter when you think about it!

I was well and truly obsessed with 'Tomorrow Never Knows' when I first came across it, I think some of the lyrics even made it to Facebook as a profile picture caption :lol: it immediately blew my mind - so creative and ahead of its time, can't imagine what a first listen in the 60s must have felt like. 7th is a really strong result for it!

 

Happy to see a psychedelic start to the top 5 with 'Strawberry Fields Forever'. Love how John took the innocence of childhood memories and turned them into something that sounds very dark and haunting, yet still totally accessible. So original and brilliant. Although the "cranberry sauce" outro did freak me out a bit when I was younger :lol:

4th: 659 points

Here Comes The Sun

 

 

Chart run for 2010 download: 64-{58}R(73)->2

 

Jade 50

danG 49

Roba. 48

WhoOdyssey 47

dandy* 47

steve201 45

JulianT 45

Brer 45

gooddelta 44

ben08 43

Chez Wombat 41

Bjork 41

Severin 39

King Rollo 35

jimwatts 21

popchartfreak 18

…ready for it 1

Notorious D.O.T. 0

 

This is George’s best performing song here and his most famous, written in 1969 and appearing on “Abbey Road”. It reflects joy and relief on the arrival of spring, which at the time might have brought him some respite from the troubles in the band. The track is unusual for having several time signature changes, and was an early user of a Moog synthesiser.

 

In 2010 it was the 3rd highest chart entry when the group’s catalogue became available to download, behind “Hey Jude” and “Let It Be”. It is the group’s most streamed track on Spotify, currently with nearly 1.3 billion plays.

 

This received Top 10 scores from a whopping 12 voters and a maximum from Jade. chartjack2’s votes would have pushed it into bronze position.

Happy for George that one of his songs has built up such a momentous legacy, which it didn't seem to have when I first heard it on the blue album in 1997. My +50 and +48 are still to come!

Awwww was hoping that would make the top 3 out of what was left. Lovely song and rightly one of their most popular these days

 

Hoping that the next one out is the one that didn’t make my top 10

Such a joyous song and hugely uplifting, don’t understand how anyone wouldn’t point this!

was gonna say I don't super love but I see I gave it 41 points :D

Here Comes the Sun seems to be one of those tracks that nearly everybody likes.

It captures a mood perfectly and whilst there are a number of sunshine hits, every year when the first sunny days arrive it's always this sing that enters my head

This one got radio spins while I lived in Singapore and it was always a very "nice" track, and one I liked a lot when I got the Blue album in 1975 - and preferred to the 1976 Steve Harley hit cover (but I rated that one too). But I'm still amazed to see how global it went in the 21st century! I guess "nice" uplifting positive songs really do have legs in the long run!

3rd: 675 points

Yesterday

 

 

1976 chart run: 41-17-10-{8}-9-13-18->7

 

Bjork 50

steve201 50

Chez Wombat 47

gooddelta 46

King Rollo 45

dandy* 45

ben08 44

Roba. 43

Brer 43

jimwatts 41

WhoOdyssey 39

Jade 33

danG 31

JulianT 31

popchartfreak 30

Notorious D.O.T. 26

…ready for it 22

Severin 9

 

This was included on the “Help!” album in 1965, but in the US it was released as a single and reached #1. In the UK there was later a “Yesterday” EP released in the UK with 3 other tracks which topped the EP chart. A later single release in 1976 reached #8.

 

Paul is the only band member on this track. He has said that the tune to “Yesterday” came to him in a dream, and he rushed to the piano upon waking to avoid forgetting it. Initially the words were “Scrambled eggs: oh my baby how I love your legs” until more suitable words were written. It is one of the most covered songs of all time, with over 2,200 known versions.

 

Here it gained points from all voters, including 10 top 10s and 2 maximums.

Battle of the names for top 2 then. Both 'Here Comes The Sun' and 'Yesterday' are fantastic!

Never got the love for Yesterday. I find it rather soppy and dull. Good but dull.

 

Judging by the votes I'm clearly alone in this

One cute little stat:

 

The first vote way back on 31 December from popchartfreak gave 50 to “Eleanor Rigby” and 49 to “Hey Jude”.

 

The last vote before the deadline in April from Brer gave 50 to “Hey Jude” and 49 to “Eleanor Rigby”.

'Yesterday' is one I don't think I'd have called being top 3 when this started, but aside from the whole legend of it coming to him in a dream, "scrambled eggs..." and becoming the most covered song, the strings only accompaniment and the simple clarity of the music and lyrics elevates it.

‘Yesterday’ is one of the greatest songs ever written for me.

oh what a disappointment, really thought Yesterday would be #1, much much better than the 2 left imo