Da almeno due anni vagheggiavo l’idea di pubblicare una classifica sulle migliori canzoni dei Beatles, dalla più bella (secondo me) a quella che reputo più brutta. Qualche tempo fa – su un sito ora non più disponibile – ho scoperto uno più matto di me, che ha proposto un’eccellente (e argomentatissima) lista sulle sue preferenze beatlesiane. E allora metto in pratica quella vecchia idea e provo anch’io ad elencare le canzoni dei Beatles secondo il mio gradimento.
Adotto lo stesso metodo, vale a dire includere tutte le canzoni ufficiali edite dai Beatles fra il 1962 e il 1970, tralasciando quindi gli anni pre-EMI e gli inediti emersi dopo lo scioglimento, anche quelli ufficiali pubblicati nella serie “Anthology” (1995-96): sarebbe tutto più complicato, anche se l’idea mi stuzzica e magari questo post sarà la base di partenza per un post futuro più completo e argomentato. Le canzoni non sono proposte in ordine decrescente – dall’ultima alla prima, come mi sarebbe piaciuto – perché, lo ammetto, non sono capace di applicare quest’opzione al post.
Devo aggiungere che è stato difficilissimo scegliere le più belle, mentre ben più facile è stato individuare le più brutte: questo perché di brani ‘brutti’ nel canzoniere dei Beatles se ne trovano davvero pochi, mentre, al contrario, di capolavori ce ne sono parecchi. Per molti aspetti, le prime venti canzoni della mia lista potrebbero stare tutte sullo stesso piano (del resto, come si fa a dire che Strawberry Fields Forever è più bella di Hey Jude?); di fronte a canzoni che ritenevo ugualmente belle mi sono così affidato alle mie emozioni, mettendo per prima la canzone che più mi dicesse in termini emozionali & affettivi. Anche così, tuttavia, non sono sicurissimo del risultato finale… ma tant’è… ecco la lista (fra parentesi l’autore e l’anno di prima edizione EMI)…
1) Strawberry Fields Forever (Lennon, 1967)
2) Let It Be (McCartney, 1970)
3) Hello Goodbye (McCartney, 1967)
4) Yesterday (McCartney, 1965)
5) A Day In The Life (Lennon-McCartney, 1967)
6) The Long And Winding Road (McCartney, 1970)
7) Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight (McCartney, 1969)
8) We Can Work It Out (McCartney-Lennon, 1965)
9) Help! (Lennon, 1965)
10) Penny Lane (McCartney, 1967)
11) Hey Jude (McCartney, 1968)
12) In My Life (Lennon-McCartney, 1965)
13) A Hard Day’s Night (Lennon, 1964)
14) Ticket To Ride (Lennon, 1965)
15) Something (Harrison, 1969)
16) She’s Leaving Home (McCartney, 1967)
17) Julia (Lennon, 1968)
18) With A Little Help From My Friends (McCartney-Lennon, 1967)
19) Eleanor Rigby (McCartney, 1966)
20) I Feel Fine (Lennon, 1964)
21) She Loves You (Lennon-McCartney, 1963)
22) I Want To Hold Your Hand (Lennon-McCartney, 1963)
23) I Am The Walrus (Lennon, 1967)
24) Tomorrow Never Knows (Lennon, 1966)
25) Yellow Submarine (McCartney, 1966)
26) If I Fell (Lennon, 1964)
27) Can’t Buy Me Love (McCartney, 1964)
28) Nowhere Man (Lennon, 1965)
29) From Me To You (McCartney-Lennon, 1963)
30) Eight Days A Week (McCartney, 1964)
31) I’m Only Sleeping (Lennon, 1966)
32) All You Need Is Love (Lennon, 1967)
33) You Never Give Me Your Money (McCartney, 1969)
34) Here Comes The Sun (Harrison, 1969)
35) Getting Better (McCartney-Lennon, 1967)
36) Come Together (Lennon, 1969)
37) Here, There And Everywhere (McCartney, 1966)
38) Don’t Let Me Down (Lennon, 1969)
39) Yes It Is (Lennon, 1965)
40) Two Of Us (McCartney, 1970)
41) Across The Universe (Lennon, 1969)
42) Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) (Lennon-McCartney, 1965)
43) Lady Madonna (McCartney, 1968)
44) Rain (Lennon, 1966)
45) Please Mister Postman (*, 1963)
46) Taxman (Harrison, 1966)
47) Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (McCartney, 1967)
48) Back In The U.S.S.R. (McCartney, 1968)
49) All My Loving (McCartney, 1963)
50) Get Back (McCartney, 1969)
51) Michelle (McCartney, 1965)
52) Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (McCartney, 1968)
53) Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (Lennon, 1967)
54) While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Harrison, 1968)
55) The Ballad Of John And Yoko (Lennon, 1969)
56) Dear Prudence (Lennon, 1968)
57) Twist And Shout (*, 1963)
58) You Really Got A Hold On Me (*, 1963)
59) Baby’s In Black (Lennon-McCartney, 1964)
60) Baby It’s You (*, 1963)
61) Dig A Pony (Lennon, 1970)
62) Helter Skelter (McCartney, 1968)
63) I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party (Lennon, 1964)
64) I Saw Her Standing There (McCartney, 1963)
65) Anna (Go To Him) (*, 1963)
66) This Boy (Lennon, 1963)
67) Revolution (Lennon, 1968)
68) Not A Second Time (Lennon, 1963)
69) For No One (McCartney, 1966)
70) Paperback Writer (McCartney, 1966)
71) The Fool On The Hill (McCartney, 1967)
72) I’ve Just Seen A Face (McCartney, 1965)
73) Lovely Rita (McCartney, 1967)
74) I’ll Be Back (Lennon, 1964)
75) Please Please Me (Lennon-McCartney, 1963)
76) Fixing A Hole (McCartney, 1967)
77) There’s A Place (Lennon, 1963)
78) I’ll Follow The Sun (McCartney, 1964)
79) Hey Bulldog (Lennon, 1969)
80) I Want You (She’s So Heavy) (Lennon, 1969)
81) Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) (McCartney, 1967)
82) You Know My Name (Look Up The Number) (Lennon-McCartney, 1970)
83) The End (McCartney, 1969)
84) Love Me Do (McCartney, 1962)
85) I’ll Cry Instead (Lennon, 1964)
86) Girl (Lennon, 1965)
87) And I Love Her (McCartney, 1964)
88) You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away (Lennon, 1965)
89) Blackbird (McCartney, 1968)
90) What You’re Doing (McCartney, 1964)
91) She Said She Said (Lennon, 1966)
92) You Won’t See Me (McCartney, 1965)
93) Sexy Sadie (Lennon, 1968)
94) Within You Without You (Harrison, 1967)
95) Martha My Dear (McCartney, 1968)
96) It’s Only Love (Lennon, 1965)
97) Glass Onion (Lennon, 1968)
98) Long Tall Sally (*, 1964)
99) Good Night (Lennon, 1968)
100) Don’t Pass Me By (Starr, 1968)
101) Day Tripper (Lennon-McCartney, 1965)
102) I Should Have Known Better (Lennon, 1964)
103) I’m A Loser (Lennon, 1964)
104) Cry Baby Cry (Lennon, 1968)
105) Oh! Darling (McCartney, 1969)
106) Octopus’s Garden (Starr, 1969)
107) I’ve Got A Feeling (McCartney-Lennon, 1970)
108) Happiness Is A Warm Gun (Lennon, 1968)
109) I’m Looking Through You (McCartney, 1965)
110) She Came In Through The Bathroom Window (McCartney, 1969)
111) I Me Mine (Harrison, 1970)
112) Birthday (McCartney, 1968)
113) I’m So Tired (Lennon, 1968)
114) Love You To (Harrison, 1966)
115) Magical Mystery Tour (McCartney, 1967)
116) You’re Going To Lose That Girl (Lennon, 1965)
117) And Your Bird Can Sing (Lennon, 1966)
118) All I’ve Got To Do (Lennon, 1963)
119) Misery (Lennon-McCartney, 1963)
120) Doctor Robert (Lennon, 1966)
121) Got To Get You Into My Life (McCartney, 1966)
122) Baby You’re A Rich Man (Lennon, 1967)
123) Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite! (Lennon, 1967)
124) Good Day Sunshine (McCartney, 1966)
125) Dizzy Miss Lizzy (*, 1965)
126) Ask Me Why (Lennon-McCartney, 1963)
127) It Won’t Be Long (Lennon-McCartney, 1963)
128) No Reply (Lennon, 1964)
129) I Wanna Be Your Man (McCartney-Lennon, 1963)
130) Any Time At All (Lennon, 1964)
131) When I’m Sixty-Four (McCartney, 1967)
132) If I Needed Someone (Harrison, 1965)
133) Act Naturally (*, 1965)
134) You Like Me Too Much (Harrison, 1965)
135) I Will (McCartney, 1968)
136) Wait (Lennon-McCartney, 1965)
137) Revolution 1 (Lennon, 1968)
138) Things We Said Today (McCartney, 1964)
139) Long, Long, Long (Harrison, 1968)
140) For You Blue (Harrison, 1970)
141) Good Morning, Good Morning (Lennon, 1967)
142) The One After 909 (Lennon, 1970)
143) Drive My Car (McCartney-Lennon, 1965)
144) I Need You (Harrison, 1965)
145) Only A Northern Song (Harrison, 1969)
146) Mean Mr. Mustard/Polythene Pam (Lennon, 1969)
147) Honey Pie (McCartney, 1968)
148) The Inner Light (Harrison, 1968)
149) I’m Down (McCartney, 1965)
150) Mother Nature’s Son (McCartney, 1968)
151) Rocky Raccoon (McCartney, 1968)
152) Tell Me What You See (McCartney, 1965)
153) Your Mother Should Know (McCartney, 1967)
154) Another Girl (McCartney, 1965)
155) Everybody’s Got Something To Hide… (Lennon, 1968)
156) Honey Don’t (*, 1964)
157) Kansas City / Hey Hey Hey Hey (*, 1964)
158) Rock And Roll Music (*, 1964)
159) Tell Me Why (Lennon, 1964)
160) Devil In Her Heart (*, 1963)
161) Sun King (Lennon, 1969)
162) I Want To Tell You (Harrison, 1966)
163) When I Get Home (Lennon, 1964)
164) Roll Over Beethoven (*, 1963)
165) Piggies (Harrison, 1968)
166) What Goes On (Lennon-McCartney, 1965)
167) The Night Before (McCartney, 1965)
168) Words Of Love (*, 1964)
169) Boys (*, 1963)
170) Old Brown Shoe (Harrison, 1968)
171) Bad Boy (*, 1966)
172) A Taste Of Honey (*, 1963)
173) I’ll Get You (McCartney-Lennon, 1963)
174) Money (That’s What I Want) (*, 1963)
175) Till There Was You (*, 1963)
176) The Word (Lennon-McCartney, 1965)
177) I’m Happy Just To Dance With You (Lennon, 1964)
178) The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill (Lennon, 1968)
179) All Together Now (McCartney, 1969)
180) Do You Want To Know A Secret (Lennon, 1963)
181) Hold Me Tight (McCartney, 1963)
182) Maxwell’s Silver Hammer (McCartney, 1969)
183) You Can’t Do That (Lennon, 1964)
184) P.S. I Love You (McCartney, 1962)
185) Because (Lennon, 1969)
186) Chains (*, 1963)
187) Yer Blues (Lennon, 1968)
188) Blue Jay Way (Harrison, 1967)
189) I Call Your Name (Lennon, 1964)
190) Mr. Moonlight (*, 1964)
191) Matchbox (*, 1964)
192) It’s All Too Much (Harrison, 1969)
193) Every Little Thing (Lennon-McCartney, 1964)
194) Why Don’t We Do It In The Road? (McCartney, 1968)
195) Little Child (Lennon-McCartney, 1963)
196) Don’t Bother Me (Harrison, 1963)
197) She’s A Woman (McCartney, 1965)
198) Slow Down (*, 1964)
199) Everybody’s Trying To Be My Baby (*, 1964)
200) Thank You Girl (McCartney-Lennon, 1963)
201) Think For Yourself (Harrison, 1965)
202) Revolution 9 (Lennon/Ono, 1968)
203) Run For Your Life (Lennon, 1965)
204) Dig It (Lennon, 1970)
205) Her Majesty (McCartney, 1969)
206) Flying (Lennon-McCartney-Harrison-Starr, 1967)
207) Savoy Truffle (Harrison, 1968)
208) Maggie Mae (Traditional, 1970)
209) Wild Honey Pie (McCartney, 1968)
(*) canzone scritta da altri, proposta dai Beatles come cover