I Feel Fine

Album: Not included on an original Beatles album; released as the A-side of a single

Year: 1964

Written by: Lennon & McCartney

That electronic sound you hear at the beginning of this classic Beatles tune is the first time that feedback was included on a rock record. John had accidentally created some feedback in the studio and he liked the way it sounded. "John figured out how to do it. You hit the A (string) and get it buzzing by the amp," George said. Because the Beatles always liked to try new things, they decided to put this cool sound on the record.

I Feel Fine is a riff-based pop song. John plays the riff on an acoustic Gibson guitar, which is amplified to make it sound electric. George mirrors John's riff on his Gretsch Tennessean. John sings lead vocal, with Paul and George joining him in some of the smoothest, most beautiful, and most classic Beatles harmonies ever.

I Feel Fine was the sixth Beatles single in a row to hit #1 on the American charts in 1964 – quite a phenomenal achievement. It is also a great rock song. Enjoy!

Eight Days a Week

Album: Beatles for Sale

Year: 1964

Written by: Lennon & McCartney

Everyone knows that there are only seven days in a week, but have you ever been so tired that you felt like you have been working eight days a week? That feeling inspired the title of this fun and bouncy song. One day, as Paul was driving to John's house to write some new songs, he asked the chauffeur how he was doing. "Oh, working hard," replied the driver named Alf, "working eight days a week." Paul thought that would be a great title for a song, so he and John began composing it.

Eight Days a Week is the first time that John and Paul finished writing a song after they got into the studio. The practice of bringing partially-written tunes into the studio later became very common for the band. An interesting musical feature is the fade-in that opens the song. John sings a great lead vocal, with Paul doing the backing vocals. All four Beatles do the handclaps.

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

Album: Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Year: 1967

Written by: Lennon & McCartney

Picking up his young son Julian from pre-school one afternoon, John was impressed with a picture he had drawn. "Wow, that's really beautiful!" remarked John. "Who is that in the picture?"

"It's Lucy in the sky with diamonds," was the boy's response. Lucy was a friend of his from pre-school, and he had drawn her floating in the sky with diamonds, stars, and musical notes.

John loved the picture and he thought that the title was also beautiful, so he decided to write a song. Inspired by the word play and vivid images in Lewis Carroll's writings, especially Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, John created a very dreamy and imaginative song, with beautiful images of "the girl with kaleidoscope eyes."

John sings a double-tracked vocal, and Paul adds some harmony in the song's chorus. George plays two Indian instruments on this track–the sitar and the tambura. The very colorful video above features scenes from The Beatles' 1968 animated movie Yellow Submarine.

One After 909

Album: Let It Be

Year: 1958? (written) / 1969 (recorded) / 1970 (released)

Written by: Lennon & McCartney

No one is really sure exactly when One After 909 was first written, but John claimed he was 17 or 18 when he composed this rocker, so the best guess is about 1958. The Beatles recorded the song several times – on at least two demo records in 1960 and as a possible b-side to one of their singles in 1963. They also performed it live in 1962 when they were the main attraction at Liverpool's Cavern Club, and a recording of the band rehearsing the song was made at that time. John was never satisfied with the lyrics, though, and the band was never happy about any of the recordings, so the song was shelved until 1969.

In early 1969, with the band members drifting apart from each other, they began filming a movie. The idea was to show the band rehearsing songs in preparation for a concert. After weeks of not being able to decide where to hold the show, The Beatles finally agreed to perform live on the roof of their newly-formed company, Apple Records. On a cold day in January, 1969, the four Beatles and some friends climbed up to a London rooftop and blew away the neighborhood with their loud rock music. It was their final live performance as a band. One After 909 was the fifth song they played that day on the roof.

John sings a great live vocal, with Paul joining him in harmony. Billy Preston, a young keyboard player who played with one of the Beatles' idols, Little Richard, and who the boys had met when they were in Hamburg, Germany, plays the electric piano.

Things We Said Today

** A TOP TEN FAVORITE **

Album: A Hard Day's Night

Year: 1964

Written by: Lennon & McCartney

This fantastic little song, which is about Paul's relationship with his girlfriend Jane Asher, was written while The Beatles were "on holiday" after their first visit to America and before they started filming their first movie, A Hard Day's Night.

It's amazing, but this song was recorded in just three takes at Abbey Road Studios, two days before the boys (as they were often called) were leaving for a world tour, which would include Europe, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, and then later, the United States. Once again, it's a tribute to their artistic genius that such a beautiful song could come together so quickly.

Paul sings a lovely double-tracked lead vocal, while John's great rhythm guitar drives the song (he probably used his Gibson Jumbo). Even though they were just 22 and 23 years-old, John's and Paul's songwriting reflected a growing maturity on the A Hard Day's Night album, and Things We Said Today is a shining example... which is why it is one of my Top Ten Favorites.

I Need You

Album: Help!

Year: 1965

Written by: George Harrison

This sweet love song by George was included in The Beatles' second film, Help! The video clip from the movie shows the boys on Salisbury Plain, near the prehistoric monument called Stonehenge. George sings a double-tracked lead vocal, and he also plays lead guitar. John, who plays rhythm guitar, and Paul, who plays his usual bass, sing harmony. In an unusual turn, John also plays the snare drum. There's not much else to say about this song, except that I just love it. So, enjoy!

Back in the USSR

Album: The Beatles (aka The White Album)

Year: 1968

Written by: Lennon & McCartney

Like the previous post, this upbeat song was written while The Beatles were studying Transcendental Meditation (TM) in Rishikesh, India at the beginning of 1968. Inspired by Chuck Berry's Back in the USA and the Beach Boys' California Girls, Paul wanted the song to "sound" like the USSR.

The country that we now know as Russia was once part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (the USSR), a nation that existed from 1922 until 1991. Unfortunately, it was not a very free country, so Paul's intent was to add a little fun for the Beatles' fans in the USSR.

Paul sings a double-tracked lead vocal, with John and George joining him on the very Beach Boys-sounding backing vocals. Back in the USSR is one of the very few Beatles songs in which Ringo does not play drums. He had become angry during one of the recording sessions and walked out, leaving Paul, John, and George to share the drumming duties.

Mother Nature's Son

**A Top Ten Favorite**

Album: The Beatles (aka The White Album)

Year: 1968

Written by: Lennon & McCartney

This beautiful song was one of many that The Beatles wrote around the time they visited Rishikesh, India to study Transcendental Meditation (TM) with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in early 1968. After listening to the Maharishi give a lecture about nature and after learning the finger-picking guitar style from fellow musician and TM student Donovan, Paul went home and wrote most of this lovely song (John helped him with some lyrics). The video above, which was made by a Beatles fan, features photos of the band's time in India.

Paul is the only Beatle who appears on the song, playing acoustic guitar, timpani, and bass drum, and also singing a double-tracked vocal. Producer George Martin arranged the two trumpets and trombones. Mother Nature's Son seems a simple song, but it is profoundly beautiful... which is why it is one of my Top Ten Favorite Beatles Songs.

Oh! Darling

** A TOP TEN FAVORITE **

Album: Abbey Road

Year: 1969

Written by: Lennon & McCartney

Oh! Darling is a classically great rocker from the last album recorded by the band, Abbey Road. Going back to their r&b roots, The Beatles had fun recording this song. Paul practiced his vocals in the studio every day for more than a week until he got the sound he wanted, while John enjoyed playing the old time rock & roll-style piano.

Paul's explosive lead vocal, along with John, Paul, and George's beautiful oohs and aahs in the doo-wop style backing, make for a very memorable performance. The amazing vocals and the good time retro feel of this song are only some of the reasons that Oh! Darling is one of my Top Ten Favorite Beatles songs.

Ticket to Ride

Album: Released as the a-side of a single; not included on an original Beatles album

Year: 1965

Written by: Lennon & McCartney

In the spring of 1965, The Beatles began working on their second film, a fun and silly comedy called Help! Director Richard Lester was given a larger budget to make the movie, so the boys traveled with him to Austria and the Bahamas to make their film adventures more exciting.

The video above is a scene from the movie showing John, Paul, George, and Ringo romping about and having fun learning how to ski in the Austrian Alps. It is often considered a prototype of the music video genre.

John sings a double-tracked lead vocal, with Paul joining him in the harmony. Ticket to Ride is a guitar-heavy song and is one of the rare instances in which Paul plays both bass and lead guitar. (He usually played just the bass, while George was the usual lead guitarist.) John and George both play rhythm guitar, with George probably using his iconic 12-string Rickenbacker.

All My Loving

Album: With the Beatles

Year: 1963

Written by: Lennon & McCartney

Fifty years ago, on Sunday, February 9, 1964, The Beatles changed American culture forever when they first played on the Ed Sullivan Show. Over 73 million people huddled around their television sets that night, watching as the "long haired" lads from Liverpool charmed an entire nation. (Can you believe people were shocked by the length of their hair?)

All My Loving was the first song the band played, providing America with its first glimpse of the future of popular music. There was something magical about them, and almost immediately after they played, young people all over the country were captivated. Girls swooned over them, and boys wanted to look like them and start bands of their own. The Beatle "mop top" hairstyle became all the rage... and it remains popular even today! Their influence over music and popular culture cannot be overstated. They helped change everything!

The video above comes from the first night that they played on the Ed Sullivan Show. Paul sings lead on this happy and energetic track, with John and George providing the backing vocals. John plays really fast triplets on rhythm guitar, providing the song with its distinctive sound.

A Hard Day's Night

Album: A Hard Day's Night

Year: 1964

Written by: Lennon & McCartney

"The mighty opening chord" of A Hard Day's Night is one of the most iconic sounds in the history of rock music. Only recently—almost 50 years after it was recorded—have musicians finally figured out how to re-create it correctly.

Upon returning home to England after their first trip to America, where they played on The Ed Sullivan Show to a record-breaking audience of more than 73 million people, The Beatles began production on their first film. Once they had decided on the title A Hard Day's Night, after "one of Ringo's malapropisms," John went home one evening and wrote the tune to open the film, scribbling the lyrics on a birthday card for his one year-old son Julian. He went into the studio the next day and the band worked together to record the song in one afternoon session. Just like that, a Beatles classic was born.

This video is actually the opening sequence of the movie. John, George, and Ringo are being chased by fans as they try to board a train at London's Marylebone Station (notice how George falls down and Ringo then falls over him), while Paul waits for them inside, wearing a fake beard and moustache as a disguise. This scene—and the whole film, in fact—depicts their daily lives during the early years of "Beatlemania."

John sings a powerful double-tracked lead on this rocker, with Paul singing harmony and also taking the lead briefly in the song's middle eight ("when I'm home..."). George once again plays his ultra cool 12-string Rickenbacker guitar.