
"Eleanor Rigby" (August 1966)Īs the Beatles transitioned from live performers to an experimental studio band they repeatedly broke new ground. Musically the song breaks new ground with the introduction of George Harrison's sitar. Sweet and sardonic, this chronicle of a brief affair with an apparent stranger moves Lennon further from his early teenage love songs toward writing about the complexity of adult life and relationships. ?Yesterday? set a new standard in ballad writing for the singer-songwriter, one that may only have been equaled six years hence when Lennon penned "Imagine." "Norwegian Wood" (December 1965)Įven though it begins with the lyric, ?I once had a girl,? this song exhibits the continuing maturation of John Lennon as a songwriter. Paul McCartney's graceful and haunting ballad of regret and melancholy is simultaneously complex and approachable, soft and searing. Both Willie Nelson and Boys II Men recorded versions of it. "Yesterday" is the most covered song of all time.

The introduction of ?Revolution? with Lennon's voice screaming over his blistering guitar work informs the world that rock and roll just became political, setting the stage for artists from John Fogerty to Rage Against the Machine. Protest songs were already part of popular culture but were associated mostly with folk/rock artists like Bob Dylan, Donovan, and Buffalo Springfield.
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The 1960's were in full swing when this angry, John Lennon screed hit the airwaves. From this point on, the Beatles were an honest-to-goodness, three-headed songwriting monster. The musical artistry, the heart-aching lyrics and the outstanding solo work from Eric Clapton make this one of the best guitar songs of all time. Prior to the release of ?While My Guitar Gently Weeps,? George Harrison had already logged a few songwriting credits for the Beatles, notably ?Taxman? from the Revolver album, but it was this song from the White Album that finally solidified Harrison as a true peer to Lennon and McCartney. "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (November 1968) This was the dawn of album-oriented rock, and the dual structure of ?A Day in the Life? ended forever the need for conventional structure in pop/rock songs. for 15 weeks yet it did not produce a No. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band held the top spot in album sales in the U.S. What should be remembered is that ?A Day in the Life? is the seminal song on the Beatles' seminal album.

"A Day in the Life" (June 1967)įorget about ?the chord.? Much has been made about the final note of this masterpiece, a chord simultaneously struck on four pianos that many still consider the most memorable?and mesmerizing?song ending in pop music. The performance moved the epicenter of rock and roll across the pond and inspired English boys named Clapton, Page, Richards, Townsend, Beck and Waters to pick up their guitars and play. The Beatles played ?I Want to Hold Your Hand? on their Ed Sullivan Show debut in February 1964, paving the way for everything that came after in pop music. It was the band's first No.1 hit in the U.S.

"I Want to Hold Your Hand" (February 1964) Here's Infoplease's list with rationalizations. But what does influential mean in the context of popular music? Is it songs that have influenced other artists? Does it refer to songs that changed the direction of the music industry as a whole? Or could it speak to the music's influence on the broader spectrum of culture? Certainly in the case of the Beatles, all of the above are applicable.

Trying to compile a list of the top ten most influential Beatles songs is not exactly uncharted territory.
