The Best Beatles Song From Every Album

Each great discography has its own shape, and that is part of what makes an exercise like this worthwhile. Some albums announce themselves immediately with a towering centerpiece. Others spread the wealth around, with the best song revealing itself only once you sit down and listen closely to the album as a whole.

In this series, we go album by album through an artist’s studio catalog and pick the single best song from each release, not just to spotlight the obvious standouts, but to trace how the artist grew, shifted, and occasionally surprised themselves along the way.

The Best Way to Introduce The Beatles
If you know someone who has never delved into The Beatles’ storied discography, these five essential Beatles songs for first-time listeners are sure to pique their interest and have them exploring the group’s albums in full.

The Fab Four of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr made some of the most important pop music of the 20th century, and their albums helped reshape both music and pop culture with every release.

But what are the best songs from each of the band’s 12 studio albums, not counting Yellow Submarine due to its dearth of original material? Put on your listening cap and let’s find out.

Please Please Me (1963) – “Please Please Me”

While many of the Beatles’ most notable early-career works came via non-album singles (“From Me to You,” “She Loves You,” “I Want to Hold Your Hand”), their debut album still delivers a steady stream of notable early classics in the group’s legendary discography.

One of the group’s best early singles is the eponymous title track from their debut album, which boasts an extremely spirited lead vocal performance from Lennon, whose voice was obliterated by the end of the Please Please Me recording process, seeing as the quartet recorded the entire album in a marathon 10-hour session. He sounds a bit raspy here, but it only adds to the natural feel and innate urgency that the song’s lyrics convey.

A potent opening salvo in the group’s career, and a clear choice as the best song from their first album, though some songs stand close beside it in terms of quality, impact, and historical significance.

Honorable Mentions: “There’s a Place,” “Twist and Shout,” “I Saw Her Standing There”

With The Beatles (1963) – “All My Loving”

The group’s second album lacks the immediate cultural impact that the first boasted, but it likely featured better all-around songcraft on it, including the group’s first all-time classic song: McCartney’s “All My Loving,” which stands as the ever-important track three from the album.

Boasting sterling musicianship throughout as well as one of Macca’s finest early-career melodies, this song still sounds incredibly fresh and sweetly innocent over 60 years after release.

Lennon’s musicianship has been questioned over the years, but his rapid-fire syncopated guitar strumming in this song is truly impressive, especially to anyone who has played guitar before. That rhythm guitar part is a major highlight of the song, along with McCartney’s double-tracked harmonizing with his own lead vocal. A spellbinding early Beatles classic.

Honorable Mentions: “It Won’t Be Long,” “All I’ve Got To Do,” “Till There Was You,” “You Really Got a Hold on Me”

A Hard Day’s Night (1964) – “If I Fell”

One thing The Beatles did better than maybe any group ever is vocal harmonies. In particular, the blending of Lennon and McCartney’s voices is nearly perfect – making songs like “If I Fell” utterly captivating due to the fact that either vocal line could be heard as the lead or the harmony at any given moment.

This was the first Beatles album that saw the entire track list built entirely from Lennon-McCartney originals, and, as such, choosing the best song therein was among the most difficult on this list.

In this writer’s opinion, “If I Fell” just beats out the exotic and seductive “And I Love Her” due to the stunning vocal harmonic interactions between John and Paul, which are arguably their finest on any Beatles song ever – high praise indeed.

Honorable Mentions: “A Hard Day’s Night,” “And I Love Her,” “I’m Happy Just to Dance with You,” “Any Time At All,” “You Can’t Do That”

Beatles for Sale (1964) – “Eight Days a Week”

Another extremely close call, this time on The Beatles’ second album of 1964, the #1 hit single “Eight Days a Week” gets the nod over the beautiful and folksy “I’ll Follow the Sun,” which was one of McCartney’s earliest compositions and still holds up as a simple and beautiful short statement with the group’s (or perhaps only McCartney’s) trademark optimism and hopefulness.

The fade-in intro guitar part was rather innovative at the time, as it made it seem as if the group were quickly appearing from out of nowhere and immediately launching into this jaunty track just for you.

Honorable Mentions: “I’ll Follow the Sun,” “No Reply,” “What You’re Doing,” Every Little Thing”

Help! (1965) – “Yesterday”

Ranked as the most-covered song of all time, as well as one of the best Beatles songs for beginners, there can only be one choice for the finest song from the group’s first of two 1965 albums, Help!: Paul McCartney’s incomparable “Yesterday.”

This utterly stunning achievement in songwriting came a long way from when McCartney sang the words “scrambled eggs” as a guide vocal before the words fell into place, as this poignant look back at a broken relationship is among the most universal songs in the Fab Four’s entire discography.

And that’s saying a lot, as the group specialized in distilling the universal human experience into concise two-to-three-minute pop songs. But nowhere does the group do it better than here, with McCartney crooning sadly backed by just a lone acoustic guitar and a weepy string section. An incredible achievement by the world’s best band.

Honorable Mentions: “I’ve Just Seen a Face,” “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away,” “Help!,” “Ticket to Ride,” “You’re Going to Lose That Girl”

Rubber Soul (1965) – “In My Life”

One of the most nostalgic songs in The Beatles’ decorated catalog, this wistful song has perhaps aged better than any other track the quartet ever recorded, likely due to the nature of the song’s lyrics – which sound as timeless and powerful now as they did when the song released over 60 years ago:

There are places I’ll remember
All my life, though some have changed
Some forever, not for better;
Some have gone and some remain.

All these places had their moments
With lovers and friends I still can recall.
Some are dead and some are living,
In my life I’ve loved them all.

Written exclusively by John Lennon, the song is one of the more important in the group’s discography since it noted a very direct shift from standard, trite pop songwriting to more mature and measured musings on life itself, which is something that would help The Beatles’ music continue to expand as the 1960s went on.

As it stands, this is a perfect song from start to finish, and, as I grow older, it holds more and more importance to me. Similarly, as the world gets more and more embittered and embattled, this pensive treatise from Lennon continues to age beautifully and still manages to sound profoundly important over 60 years later.

Honorable Mentions: “Drive My Car,” “Norwegian Wood,” “Nowhere Man,” “The Word,” “Michelle,” “Girl”

Revolver (1966) – “Here, There, and Everywhere”

This is one of the greatest love songs ever and one of the best songs ever—full stop. Though Lennon was eminently prideful, even he agreed that this McCartney composition represented true musical perfection: in a 1980 Playboy interview Lennon described it as “one of my favorite songs of the Beatles”. Before that, he reportedly told McCartney that “Here, There and Everywhere” was “the best tune” on Revolver, which celebrated its 60^th anniversary in 2026.

A gorgeous melody, utterly peerless block harmonies from Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison, and pillowy soft instrumentation combine with arguably the most elegant and tender lyrics ever recorded by the group to create a perfect pop song that no group will ever be able to top. Flawless.

Honorable Mentions: “Taxman,” “Eleanor Rigby,” “Tomorrow Never Knows,” “She Said She Said,” “And Your Bird Can Sing,” “For No One”

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) – “A Day in the Life”

One of the most influential songs on this list—and, by extension, of all time due to The Beatles’ far-reaching influence on all things music—“A Day in the Life” is the perfect capstone to what is widely believed to be The Beatles’ best overall album, as well as one of the best albums of all time.

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band accolades and legacy

• Won four Grammy Awards in 1968, including Album of the Year, making it the first rock LP to win the Grammys’ top prize.
• Added to the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress in 2003 for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
• Ranked No. 1 on Rolling Stone’s original 2003 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and it retained that top spot in the magazine’s 2012 revision.
• Named Britain’s biggest-selling studio album by the Official Charts Company in 2018, with more than 5.1 million copies sold in the U.K. at that point.

Certainly, this song represents the late period pinnacle of Lennon and McCartney collaborations, as Lennon’s sharp, surrealistic lyrics and refrains contrast neatly with the true “day in the life” section by McCartney that seems to float through following the cacophony of a full symphonic band running through ascending scales in unison.

And then there’s that final ringing “E major” chord played by eight hands across three pianos (Lennon, Starr, producer George Martin, and band confidant and roadie Mal Evans), leading to a sustained chord that lasts for 42-43 seconds, depending on who you ask.

No group had the audacity to end a lengthy song suite this way before, nor has any major band had the gall to ever attempt it again. Essential listening for any discerning music fan.

Honorable Mentions: “With a Little Help from My Friends,” “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” “Getting Better,” “When I’m Sixty-Four,” “Lovely Rita”

Magical Mystery Tour (1967)– “Strawberry Fields Forever”

One of the more difficult choices on this list, as at least 3-4 songs could take the top spot from The Beatles’ second album of 1967, but, ultimately, it was a battle between the double-A side single from the album featuring “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “Penny Lane.” And, in my mind, “Strawberry Fields” is the top choice.

Written by Lennon and featuring extensive use of the famously quirky proto-synthesizer the Mellotron (perfected by keyboard wizard Mike Pinder of The Moody Blues), this song represents the pinnacle of The Beatles in their psychedelic era. With lyrical themes that echo both its album-mate “Penny Lane” and Lennon’s earlier “In My Life,” “Strawberry Fields Forever” finds Lennon delivering a powerhouse meditation on memory, personal history, and morality via a plethora of kaleidoscopic lyrics that beg multiple listens to fully iron out their distinct, deep meaning.

With Lennon altering the speed of his voice multiple times throughout the song and the instrumentation changing rapidly from verse to verse, this song keeps you on your toes, and you’ll never lack for entertainment or curiosity if you’re giving this song a truly close listen.

This is a classic for a reason, and it’s widely revered as one of the group’s finest efforts.

Honorable Mentions: “Penny Lane,” “I Am the Walrus,” “All You Need Is Love,” “Your Mother Should Know”

The Beatles (aka The White Album) (1968) – “Happiness Is a Warm Gun”

The Beatles were always able to play with genre better than almost any group of their era (or any band ever, frankly) and nowhere is that more apparent than on The White Album, which sees the group deliver a plethora of intriguing genre exercises across the vast scope of the band’s only double album.

While all the members get at least one writing credit (even Ringo), the best song on The Beatles is this mini-song suite featuring four discrete sections (“she’s not a girl,” “I need a fix,” “mother superior,” and “happiness”) that closes out side one of the album with a bang… literally.

Each discrete section blends together perfectly, though the desolate sigh of the gently phased guitar chords from the first part are this writer’s favorite aspect of the song, though of course the doo-wop pastiche that ends the track—as well as plays host to the song’s title phrase—is the most singable of, perhaps, the entire album.

This is a song you will definitely want to replay the second you finish listening to it.

Honorable Mentions: “Dear Prudence,” “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” “I Will,” “Sexy Sadie,” “Honey Pie”

Abbey Road (1969) – “Something”

In a discography chock-full of some of the finest love songs ever recorded, George Harrison’s first and only A-side single in his Beatles’ career might just take the cake as the most important (and most beautiful) love song the group ever recorded.

Of course, after “Yesterday,” “Something” is widely revered and has been widely covered, including by Frank Sinatra, who famously and mistakenly called the song his “favorite Lennon-McCartney song,” as well as “the greatest love song of the last 50 years.” High praise coming from such a decorated crooning balladeer.

Written for Patti Boyd, who also inspired Harrison’s “I Need You” and “For You Blue” during his Beatles career, this sentimental and gorgeous song boasts a sterling bass part from McCartney, the group’s trademark stunning harmonies, and one of the most hummable guitar solos in the history of recorded music. You’re probably singing along to it in your head right now without even thinking…

A perfect song for weddings, anniversaries, or just as a way to say “I love you” to that special someone, this song continues to age like fine wine.

Honorable Mentions: “Octopus’s Garden,” “I Want You (She’s So Heavy),” “The End,” “Here Comes the Sun,” “Because,” “Sun King”

Let It Be (1970) – “Let It Be” (Let It Be… Naked version)

Note: I prefer the 2003 rerelease Let It Be… Naked because it strips out the unnecessary Phil Spector string sections, which allows the album to more closely represent what the band wanted from the project in the first place.

The original version of this album and song were sullied by Phil Spector’s post-production meddling, which flew in the face of the stripped-down style the band were going for with the Get Back project, as the idea was to “get back” to their rockier, live-recorded roots.

Whether it was Lennon reacting against McCartney’s increasingly dictatorial behavior in the studio at the time (a somewhat apocryphal reading of the situation) after the fact or just Lennon attempting to improve the music they recorded for the project in a drug-addled haze, either way, the results were not great. As such, when McCartney opted to “improve” the original album with a 2003 rerelease that hewed closer to his original intent, I was all about it.

I’d argue that wholeheartedly embracing the … Naked version of Let It Be was the right call by Macca, as almost every single song is superior on the updated version of the album, with the title track leading the charge.

It simplifies the original fussy string parts and uses a different, superior take of Harrison’s Leslie organ-augmented guitar solo. The best part of the rereleased version, however, is the foregrounding of the truly spiritual harmonies sung by Lennon, McCartney and Harrison in unison – giving the song a singularly religious feel. Fitting for the song’s beautifully moving lyrics and as a representative of the group’s original final send-off.

Honorable Mentions: “Across the Universe,” “I Me Mine,” “Two of Us,” “The Long and Winding Road,” “One After 909”

Bonus: Yellow Submarine (1969) – “Hey Bulldog”

Note: Because this album features only a handful of new tracks and is mostly a showcase for producer George Martin’s arranging and composing skills, it is not included in the “official rankings.”

With only four new tracks on it alongside two rereleases (the title track and “All You Need Is Love”) and seven songs showcasing Sir George Martin’s instrumental compositions, the easy choice for best song on the album is the acerbic, hard-edged and irreverent “Hey Bulldog” by Lennon.

A banger piano intro leads to a powerhouse rocker featuring an eminently bouncy bass line from McCartney, as well as strong guitar licks and a raucous solo courtesy of Harrison.

“And in the End, the Love You Take Is Equal to the Love You Make”

The Beatles are the greatest band of all time, and the group’s incredibly diverse discography still feels as alive as ever. These songs have never really left the culture, and even now, the band continues to make headlines, find devoted new listeners, and hit new milestones. Case in point: the so-called final Beatles single, “Now and Then,” hit #1 in 2023, more than half a century after the band split. Now that’s longevity.

Looking at a discography this way is a reminder that albums still matter. The best song is not always the most popular one, and the deepest cut is not automatically the smartest pick either. Sometimes the right answer is obvious. Sometimes it takes a closer listen. Either way, going album by album gives the full catalog the attention it deserves.

^{Header Photo Courtesy Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain}