My Fifteen Favorite Beatles Songs

Since Apple announced that The Beatles' catalog is now available on iTunes, there's a new meme going round the Internet (started by Ann Powers, picked up by Alex Ross, where I found it): name your fifteen favorite Fab Four songs. I will submit my list with pleasure but with the caveat that The Beatles produced such a voluminous amount of high-quality music during their heyday that separating fifteen songs as 'favorites' is a difficult task. I could name fifty Beatles songs off the top of my head that I love and there is little difference in my feelings about #1 and #50. That stated, here goes, and in no particular order:

1. "I Saw Her Standing There": Paul McCartney kicks off the revolution with his marvelous "One, Two, Three, Fah!!"


2. "There's A Place": The Beatles were accused of being lightweights due to the beauty of their melodies and vocals, but even that can't hide the sophistication of this song, both musically and lyrically ahead of its time. Perhaps their finest song?


3. "Twist And Shout": The greatest scream in rock and roll history.


4. "It Won't Be Long": Nothing to say, it's just great.


5. "Money": Greil Marcus called it perhaps the toughest piece of rock and roll ever recorded, The Beatles answer to The Stones.


6. "You've Really Got A Hold On Me": The only song on my list not written by a Beatle, a tribute to Smokey Robinson, one of the few people in rock and roll whose songwriting ability approached theirs. Smokey's version is fabulous; The Beatles' is better.


7. "What You're Doing": An answer, in my opinion, to "Be My Baby", another tribute, this one to Phil Spector. Another contender for their best song.


8. "If I Fell": Gorgeous, and the inspiration to Diane Keaton's finest moment as an actress.


9. "Ticket To Ride": Ringo's finest moment.


10. "I've Just Seen A Face": The intro to their best record, Rubber Soul, a tune impossible to get out of your head - not that you'd want to.


11. "In My Life": Their finest love song, and sophisticated beyond just about any rock and roll up til then.


12. "Nowhere Man": Scintillating vocal harmonies.


13. "It's Only Love": My oh my.


14. "I Should Have Known Better": My favorite song when I was eight years old, and I still love it. Reminds me of those days when we were so excited about the music.


15. "Don't Let Me Down": The only post-Sgt Pepper song on my list, a great, bluesy triumph.  Another statement ala "Money", in my opinion, from John Lennon, telling everyone that The Beatles could do anything they wanted when they wanted, and better than anyone else.

Again, I could go on and on with this list but I the songs above are probably the ones I listen to most, along with a hand full of others. Feel free to agree or disagree.

Oh, you're wondering about the Diane Keaton moment I mentioned above? See below, from the great, under-appreciated movie Shoot The Moon:

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