Beatles Songs A to Z: A Fact for Every Beatles Song (2024)

Beatles Songs A to Z: A Fact for Every Beatles Song (1)

Music

Find a fact for every Beatles song from A to Z released by the band on the 14 albums from their core catalog.

byMatt Moore

Published on

14 min read

The Beatles’ songs from A to Z are a study of how the band changed the course of pop music. The songwriting, melodies, instrumentals, and recording technqiues established the band as among the most influential in music history. But for all their success, The Beatles remained active for a relatively short period of time.

In 10 years, The Beatles released 14 albums in what’s considered their core catalog. It includes just over 200 songs from John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. Some are much more memorable than others, but every Beatles song from A to Z has its own story and interesting facts to keep listeners entertained even when the music stops.

Beatles songs starting with ‘A’

  • “Across the Universe”
    • The song holds a Guinness World Record that involves outer space.
  • “Act Naturally”
    • It replaced a “weird” Ringo Starr song initially meant for the album.
  • “All I’ve Got to Do”
    • John Lennon attempted his Smokey Robinson impression with this song.
  • “All My Loving”
    • Paul McCartney conceived “All My Loving” as a country song.
  • “All You Need Is Love”
    • The song includes elements from “La Marseillaise” and the 1939 song “In the Mood.”
  • “And I Love Her”
    • Lana Del Rey reuses part of the song for her tune “West Coast.”
  • “And Your Bird Can Sing”
    • John Lennon called it a “throwaway,” and the Beatles never performed it live.
  • “Anna (Go to Him)”
    • Billie Eilish listed it among her favorite Beatles songs.
  • “Another Girl”
    • The song is allegedly about Paul McCartney’s first love, Jane Asher.
  • “Any Time at All”
    • An auction sold John Lennon’s handwritten lyrics for £6,000 in 1988.
  • “Ask Me Why”
    • Elvis Costello considers the song a turning point in the Beatles’ maturity as songwriters.

Beatles songs starting with ‘B’

  • “Baby It’s You”
    • A Shirelles cover, the song became a surprise hit in the ‘90s.
  • “Baby, You’re a Rich Man”
    • The song used a cutting-edge instrument at the time.
  • “Baby’s In Black”
    • Paul and John wrote the song because they wanted something in waltz time.
  • “Back in the U.S.S.R.”
    • The Chuck Berry/Beach Boys-inspired song led to accusations that the Beatles were communist sympathizers.
  • “Bad Boy”
    • It’s a cover of R&B singer Larry Williams’ 1958 original.
  • “The Ballad of John and Yoko”
    • The song includes a shoutout to John’s best man.
  • “Because”
    • George Martin plays harpsichord on the song inspired by Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata.”
  • “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!”
    • The BBC banned the song over an alleged heroin reference.
  • “Birthday”
    • John Lennon called the song “a piece of garbage.”
  • “Blackbird”
    • Charles Manson thought “Blackbird” was about an impending race war.
  • “Blue Jay Way”
    • The name comes from the Los Angeles street where George Harrison once lived.
  • “Boys”
    • The Beatles recorded the cover song in a single take.

Beatles songs starting with ‘C’

  • “Can’t Buy Me Love”
    • Paul pushed back against interpretations that the song is about a prostitute.
  • “Carry That Weight”
    • John said that Paul and George overshadowed him on guitar in the song.
  • “Chains”
    • It’s a cover of the girl group The Cookies’ 1962 original.
  • “Come Together”
    • Paul prevented John from ripping off Chuck Berry in the lyrics.
  • “The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill”
    • The song was inspired by a tiger shooting in India.
  • “Cry Baby Cry”
    • George Harrison recorded with a Gibson Les Paul borrowed from Eric Clapton.

Beatles songs starting with ‘D’

  • “A Day In the Life”
    • George Martin nixed Paul’s idea to hire a full orchestra for the song and instead recorded a 40-musician ensemble four times.
  • “Day Tripper”
    • Some interpretations suggest the song is a dig at Paul for being the only Beatle abstaining from LSD at the time.
  • “Dear Prudence”
    • The real Prudence was Prudence Farrow, sister of Mia Farrow, who said the song captured the spirit of the ‘60s.
  • “Devil in Her Heart”
    • It’s a cover of “Devil in His Heart” by the girl group the Donays.
  • “Dig a Pony”
    • John called it a “nonsense” song, but it may contain a swipe at the Rolling Stones.
  • “Dig It”
    • A 6-year-old Heather Eastman provided vocals on the full version.
  • “Dizzy Miss Lizzy”
    • It’s a cover of the 1958 song by Larry Williams.
  • “Do You Want to Know a Secret”
    • Snow White inspired John to write the song and give it to George to sing.
  • “Doctor Robert”
    • Multiple interpretations suggest the song is about Dr. Robert Freymann, who supplied amphetamines to his wealthy patients including Jackie Kennedy.
  • “Don’t Bother Me”
    • The song was George’s experiment to see if he could write a Beatles song.
  • “Don’t Let Me Down”
    • Paul called it John’s “cry for help” while in a relationship with Yoko Ono and using heroin.
  • Don’t Pass Me By”
    • It’s the first solo songwriting credit for Ringo Starr.
  • “Drive My Car”
    • George drew inspiration from the Otis Redding song “Respect” for his guitar part.

Beatles songs starting with ‘E’

  • “Eight Days a Week”
    • Paul said the song reflected the sexual revolution of the 1960s.
  • “Eleanor Rigby”
    • The song’s strings section drew inspiration from the movie Psycho.
  • “The End”
    • Paul doesn’t remember coming up with the song’s iconic line.
  • “Every Little Thing”
    • Ringo uses timpani on the track, an early example of the Beatles’ songs experimenting with instruments.
  • “Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey”
    • John claimed the song was about hiding his true self in public.
  • “Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby”
    • It’s a cover of a song dating to the 1930s made famous by Carl Perkins in 1957.

Beatles songs starting with ‘F’

  • “Fixing a Hole”
    • Paul revealed that the song celebrates creativity and freedom and is not a heroin reference.
  • “Flying”
    • The instrumental song is one of the few Beatles songs credited to all four members.
  • “The Fool on the Hill”
    • Tarot cards inspired Paul to pen the song.
  • “For No One”
    • It’s Elvis Costello’s favorite composition from Paul McCartney.
  • “For You Blue”
    • Newspaper on the piano strings helped Paul get a unique sound in his solo.
  • “From Me to You”
    • John Lennon never forgot a review calling the song “below-par Beatles.”

Beatles songs starting with ‘G’

  • “Get Back”
    • Ringo Starr said his drumming was the hook and that John played slide guitar “like an amateur.”
  • “Getting Better”
    • Lennon accidentally took LSD during a recording session for the song, leading George Martin to take John to the roof for fresh air and alarming Paul and George.
  • “Girl”
    • John said the song contains lyrics criticizing Christianity’s teachings on suffering as the path to heaven.
  • “Glass Onion”
    • John intentionally wanted to confuse fans who overanalyzed Beatles lyrics.
  • “Golden Slumbers”
    • Paul based the song on the poem “Cradle Song” from a 17th-century play by Thomas Dekker.
  • “Good Day Sunshine”
    • McCartney played the song live to the International Space Station crew in 2005, making it the first-ever concert link up to the ISS.
  • “Good Morning Good Morning”
    • The lyrics reference the 1960s British sitcom Meet the Wife.
  • “Good Night”
    • Lennon wrote it as a lullaby for his 5-year-old son Julian.
  • “Got to Get You Into My Life”
    • The song is an ode to pot, according to Paul McCartney.

Beatles songs starting with ‘H’

  • “Happiness Is a Warm Gun”
    • The “Mother Superior” line refers to Yoko Ono.
  • “A Hard Day’s Night”
    • The title comes from a malapropism uttered by Ringo Starr.
  • “Hello, Goodbye”
    • A songwriting lesson from Paul McCartney resulted in the song’s creation.
  • “Help!”
    • John added lyrics intended to impress a journalist; it didn’t work.
  • “Helter Skelter”
    • Paul based the song on verses in the Mock Turtle’s song from Alice in Wonderland.
  • “Her Majesty”
    • At 23 seconds long, it’s the shortest Beatles song.
  • “Here Comes the Sun”
    • George Harrison thought it was “OK” and not much better than his other Beatles songs.
  • “Here, There and Everywhere”
    • In a 2015 book, Paul said it was his favorite song he’d done.
  • “Hey Bulldog”
    • John Lennon called it a cool-sounding song that ultimately meant nothing.
  • “Hey Jude”
    • John’s son Julian admitted that the song sometimes annoys him.
  • “Hold Me Tight”
    • Paul called it a failed attempt at a single, while John said it was a poor song.
  • “Honey Don’t”
    • It’s a cover of a 1956 song by Carl Perkins.
  • “Honey Pie”
    • Charles Manson thought the song was the Beatles asking to join the Manson Family.

Beatles songs starting with ‘I’

  • “I Am the Walrus”
    • John Lennon accidentally wrote it about the villain from an Alice in Wonderland poem.
  • “I Call Your Name”
    • It was the first Beatles song to draw influence from Jamaican music and used a ska section.
  • “I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party”
    • Paul and John specifically wrote the country-inspired track for Ringo.
  • “I Feel Fine”
    • The song is among the first in pop music to use feedback as a recording effect.
  • “I Me Mine”
    • It was the last Beatles song recorded by the band before their 1970 breakup.
  • “I Need You”
    • It’s the first use of a guitar volume pedal by the Beatles.
  • “I Saw Her Standing There”
    • The original lyrics made Paul McCartney cringe.
  • “I Should Have Known Better”
    • A harmonica is used in the intro for the last time in the Beatles catalog.
  • “I Wanna Be Your Man”
    • Lennon and McCartney wrote the song and first gave it to The Rolling Stones to record and release as a single.
  • “I Want to Hold Your Hand”
    • Bob Dylan named it his favorite Beatles song.

  • “I Want to Tell You”
    • George Harrison claimed he invented a chord for the song.
  • “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)”
    • There are only 15 words in the song.
  • “I Will”
    • Paul ranks it among his favorite melodies.
  • “If I Fell”
    • According to Paul, the song proves John had a warm, tender side.
  • “If I Needed Someone”
    • George Harrison bashed a cover version released by the Hollies despite the song’s success on the charts.
  • “I’ll Be Back”
    • The song’s odd structure includes two bridges and lacks a chorus.
  • “I’ll Cry Instead”
    • John said the lyrics reflected his frustration with fame by 1964.
  • “I’ll Follow the Sun”
    • The Sopranos wanted to use the song in an episode but decided it would be too expensive.
  • “I’ll Get You”
    • Paul claims there is a secret chord in the song.
  • “I’m a Loser”
    • John said the song reflects his “[Bob] Dylan period.”
  • “I’m Down”
    • It’s the first Beatles song to use a Vox Continental electric organ.
  • “I’m Happy Just to Dance With You”
    • John and Paul wrote it specifically for George to give him “a piece of the action.”
  • “I’m Looking Through You”
    • Paul wrote the song about then-girlfriend Jane Asher and how she put her career ahead of their relationship.
  • “I’m Only Sleeping”
    • George Harrison recorded a backward lead guitar part for the song.
  • “I’m So Tired”
    • The mumbling heard at the end of the song flammed the “Paul is dead” conspiracy theory.
  • “I’ve Got a Feeling”
    • In 2022, McCartney played the song live as a virtual duet with Lennon using isolated vocals from the Get Back documentary.
  • “I’ve Just Seen a Face”
    • The original title was “Auntie Gin’s Theme,” after Paul’s aunt.
  • “In My Life”
    • George Martin wrote and recorded the piano solo.
  • “The Inner Light”
    • George Harrison took inspiration from a book given to him by a Sanskrit professor at Cambridge University.
  • “It Won’t Be Long”
    • John called it an attempt to write a single that “never quite made it.”
  • “It’s All Too Much”
    • George Harrison wrote the song as an ode to his LSD usage.
  • “It’s Only Love”
    • John considered it a terrible Beatles song with “abysmal” lyrics.

Beatles songs starting with ‘J’

  • “Julia”
    • Scottish musician Donovan helped John come up with Alice in Wonderland-inspired lyrics.

Beatles songs starting with ‘K’

  • “Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey”
    • It’s a cover of a 1955 song by Little Richard, itself a cover of a Little Willie Littlefield song released in 1952.

Beatles songs starting with ‘L’

  • “Lady Madonna”
    • Paul’s favorite line in the song comes from a nursery rhyme.
  • “Let It Be”
    • Aretha Franklin’s version was released first after the song came to her through producer Jerry Wexler.
  • “Little Child”
    • Paul revealed it was a filler song with the melody borrowed from singer Elton Hayes.
  • “The Long and Winding Road”
    • Critics initially hated the strings Phil Spector added to the song.
  • “Long Tall Sally”
    • It’s a cover of a Little Richard song originally released in 1956.
  • “Long, Long, Long”
    • George revealed the song is about God and drew inspiration from a Bob Dylan tune.
  • “Love Me Do”
    • Three versions of the song have been released, each with a different drummer: Pete Best, Ringo Starr, and Andy White.
  • “Love You To”
    • The traditional Indian instruments sitar and tabla feature prominently in the song.
  • “Lovely Rita”
    • Paul debunked claims that Rita was a real person.
  • “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds”
    • John loved Elton John’s cover and encouraged more artists to cover Beatles songs.

Beatles songs starting with ‘M’

  • “Maggie Mae”
    • The cover is the second-shortest song among the official releases from the Beatles, coming in at 39 seconds.
  • “Magical Mystery Tour”
    • In addition to drug references, the song also has a nod to the Tibetan Book of the Dead.
  • “Martha My Dear”
    • “Martha” refers to Paul’s pet sheepdog.
  • “Matchbox”
    • It’s a cover of a 1957 song by Carl Perkins.
  • “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer”
    • John, George, and Ringo all reported having a miserable experience recording the song.
  • “Mean Mr. Mustard”
    • The title character was a real person John read about in the newspaper.
  • “Michelle”
    • A French teacher named Jan Vaughan helped Paul write the song, but she isn’t credited.
  • “Misery”
    • Kenny Lynch’s 1963 version became the first cover of a Beatles song.
  • “Money (That’s What I Want)”
    • It’s a cover of a 1959 song by Barrett Strong.
  • “Mother Nature’s Son”
    • Paul’s decision to record the song solo didn’t go over well with Ringo and John.
  • “Mr. Moonlight”
    • It’s a cover of a 1962 song by Dr. Feelgood and the Interns.

Beatles songs starting with ‘N’

  • “The Night Before”
    • It’s the first Beatles song to use an electric piano.
  • “No Reply”
    • John Lennon considered it his first song that told a “complete story.”
  • “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)”
    • Bob Dylan satirized the song in one of his own after feeling like the Beatles ripped off his style.
  • “Not a Second Time”
    • John was trying to write a song like Smokey Robinson.
  • “Nowhere Man”
    • The song ended the Beatles’ streak of six consecutive No. 1 hits.

Beatles songs starting with ‘O’

  • “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”
    • John wasn’t a fan of the song, calling it “more of Paul’s granny music.”
  • “Octopus’s Garden”
    • Ringo tried but failed to get real bubble noises on the track.
  • “Oh! Darling”
    • John didn’t think Paul sang too well on the track and suggested he would have done a better job.
  • “Old Brown Shoe”
    • George originally composed the song on piano, not guitar.
  • “One After 909”
    • George Martin hated the song, calling it “silly stuff.”
  • “Only a Northern Song”
    • The song reflects George’s frustration with the Beatles’ publishing company Northern Songs for how it retained copyrights on his compositions.

Beatles songs starting with ‘P’

  • “Paperback Writer”
    • Paul’s aunt challenged him to write about something other than love, leading him to come up with “Paperback Writer.”
  • “Penny Lane”
    • The third verse features a raunchy lyric added by Paul.
  • “Piggies
    • George Harrison’s mother added a lyric to the song.
  • “Please Mr. Postman”
    • It’s a cover of a 1961 song by the Marvelettes.
  • “Please Please Me”
    • John called it his attempt to write a Roy Orbison song.
  • “Polythene Pam”
    • George Martin and the band convinced Paul to leave in a mistake he made on bass.
  • “P.S. I Love You”
    • Paul denied that it was about then-girlfriend Dot Rhone.

Beatles songs starting with ‘R’

  • “Rain”
    • John claims he was the first to use reversed sounds on a track with this song.
  • “Revolution”
    • After initially saying the Chairman Mao lyric was the most important in the song, John regretted it.
  • “Revolution 1”
    • George and Paul argued the song was too slow to be released as a single.
  • “Revolution 9”
    • It’s the longest Beatles song among the band’s official releases at 8:22 long.
  • “Rock and Roll Music”
    • It’s a cover of a 1957 song by Chuck Berry.
  • “Rocky Raccoon”
    • The song was inspired by Paul’s moped accident and a drunk doctor.
  • “Roll Over Beethoven”
    • It’s a cover of a 1956 Chuck Berry song.
  • “Run for Your Life”
    • The lyrics take a line from the song “Baby, Let’s Play House” made famous by Elvis Presley.

Beatles songs starting with ‘S’

  • “Savoy Truffle”
    • George Harrison wrote it for Eric Clapton, inspired by Clapton’s sweet tooth.
  • “Sexy Sadie”
    • George came up with the title for the diss track, which John wrote in response to the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s advances on Mia Farrow.
  • “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”
    • The Beatles never played the song live, but Paul, George, and Ringo, and Eric Clapton performed it at Clapton’s wedding party.
  • “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)”
    • Beatles’ road manager Neil Aspinall came up with the idea to include a reprise.
  • “She Came In Through the Bathroom Window”
    • The song is about a fan who broke into Paul McCartney’s home.
  • “She Loves You”
    • Paul’s father thought the song was “too American” because of one particular word and wanted the Beatles to change it.
  • “She Said She Said”
    • The lyrics came from things Peter Fonda said while tripping on acid with George Harrison and John Lennon.
  • “She’s a Woman”
    • It’s the first Beatles song to contain a drug reference.
  • “She’s Leaving Home”
    • Paul based the song on a story of a runaway girl whom he had actually met years earlier.
  • “Slow Down”
    • It’s a cover of a 1957 song by Larry Williams.
  • “Something”
    • George nixed Paul’s idea to include an elaborate bass line, taking full control of the song.
  • “Strawberry Fields Forever”
    • The Moody Blues’ Steve Pinder introduced John Lennon to the Mellotron instrument featured in the song.
  • “Sun King”
    • The song includes Liverpool slang terms for profanities.

Beatles songs starting with ‘T’

  • “A Taste of Honey”
    • It’s a cover of a song recorded by Lenny Welch.
  • “Taxman”
    • John initially didn’t want to help George write the song, having already felt overwhelmed with his own music.
  • “Tell Me What You See”
    • Paul dismissed it as a filler track that wasn’t especially good.
  • “Tell Me Why”
    • John said it sounded like a girl group song from the ‘60s.
  • “Thank You Girl”
    • The song is an ode to the band’s female fans.
  • “There’s a Place”
    • John said it was his attempt at Motown, while Paul cited the West Side Story soundtrack as inspiring the song.
  • “Things We Said Today”
    • Paul wrote the song while on vacation in the Virgin Islands with girlfriend Jane Asher, Ringo, and Ringo’s girlfriend Maureen Cox.
  • “Think For Yourself”
    • It’s the first song where a bass guitar had been recorded using a fuzzbox.
  • “This Boy”
    • George Martin cut George Harrison’s guitar solo, calling it “particularly uninspired.”
  • “Ticket to Ride”
    • Paul considered the fade-out at the end of the song to be “radical” for the times.
  • “Till There Was You”
    • It’s a cover of a show tune written by Meredith Willson.
  • “Tomorrow Never Knows”
    • John admitted he didn’t know what he was saying when he wrote the lyrics.
  • “Twist and Shout”
    • It’s a cover of a song made popular by the Isley Brothers in 1962.
  • “Two of Us”
    • Paul wrote the song in the woods during a date with Linda McCartney.

Beatles songs starting with ‘W’

  • “Wait”
    • The song was originally intended for Help!, but didn’t make the cut.
  • “We Can Work It Out”
    • John described his lyrical contributions as “impatient” while calling Paul’s “optimistic.”
  • “What Goes On”
    • It’s the only Beatles song credited to Lennon-McCartney-Starkey.
  • “What You’re Doing”
    • The Beatles never performed it live, and Paul called it a “filler” song.
  • “When I Get Home”
    • The song features unusual chord progressions favored by Lennon in the mid-1960s.
  • “When I’m Sixty-Four”
    • Paul came up with the melody when he was a teenager.
  • “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”
    • George asked Eric Clapton to do the guitar solo in an effort to get John and Paul to take the song seriously.
  • “Why Don’t We Do It in the Road?”
    • Watching monkeys reproduce in India inspired Paul to write the song.
  • “Wild Honey Pie”
    • Paul called it an experimental song; no other Beatles contributed to the track.
  • “With a Little Help From My Friends”
    • Ringo made the band rewrite a line to avoid potentially having tomatoes thrown at him.
  • “Within You Without You”
    • The placement of the song’s lyrics “Without You” on the back cover next to McCartney’s head added to the “Paul Is Dead” conspiracy.
  • “The Word”
    • It’s the first Beatles song written about the concept of love.
  • “Words of Love”
    • It’s a cover of a Buddy Holly song released in 1957.

Beatles songs starting with ‘Y’

Related

4 Beatles Songs That Foreshadowed the End of the Band

  • “Yellow Submarine”
    • The famous echo effect was created by shouting down the halls of Abbey Road studios.
  • “Yer Blues”
    • John used the song to parody English blues music.
  • “Yesterday”
    • The melody came to Paul in a dream, and he spent a month making sure he didn’t plagiarize it.
  • “You Can’t Do That”
    • George used a Rickenbacker 360 Deluxe electric 12-string guitar that cost a hefty $900 at the time, marking the instrument’s first-ever recording.
  • “You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)”
    • The song became a running joke for the band, and Paul listed it among his favorite songs because of the fun they had recording it.
  • “You Like Me Too Much”
    • Paul McCartney, George Martin, and John Lennon all play piano on the track.
  • “You Never Give Me Your Money”
    • The otherwise dour song includes an optimistic reference to Linda McCartney.
  • “You Really Got a Hold on Me”
    • It’s a cover of a 1962 song by Smokey Robinson.
  • “You Won’t See Me”
    • Anne Murray’s cover became one of the biggest hits of her career.
  • “Your Mother Should Know”
    • Paul wrote the song to lament parents and children who don’t understand each other, revealing his dislike of generation gaps.
  • “You’re Going to Lose That Girl”
    • George’s original guitar solo was erased from the initial recording.
  • “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away”
    • Paul called it John’s attempt at a Bob Dylan impression.
Beatles Songs A to Z: A Fact for Every Beatles Song (2024)

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