5 Underrated Beatles Tracks You Need to Revisit ASAP!
We explore five underrated Beatles tracks that are worth a revisit, from the Fab Four's early years to their last album.
During their relatively short tenure as one of the most popular bands of all time, the Beatles released countless chart-topping tracks that ranged from pop to doo-wop to psychedelic to good, olâ fashioned rock ânâ roll. But some of these songs fell by the wayside, either because the public wasnât quite ready for something that weird or, more often, a different songâs popularity eclipsed the others. Indeed, itâs hard to beat the ubiquity of songs like âI Wanna Hold Your Handâ or âCome Togetherâ or âHard Dayâs Night.â
However, the Fab Four was far more than their hits. We revisit some of the best underrated Beatles tracks that are worth a revisit (or two).
While we often associate Sgt. Pepperâs Lonely Hearts Club Band with trippy, jangly psychedelia, the album also has one of the most tender, bittersweet ballads Paul McCartney ever wrote tucked away toward the end of the albumâs A-side. âSheâs Leaving Homeâ is a heartstring-tugging song about a girl moving out of her parentsâ home in the early hours of the morning. McCartney pairs her perspective with that of the parents with devastating lines like, Daddy, our babyâs gone. Why would she treat us so thoughtlessly? A masterclass in McCartneyâs songwriting prowess, the song can be liberating and heartbreaking, depending on which character you relate to.
An underrated Beatles track that tends to be more popular among guitarists than the average Fab Four fan, âIâm Only Sleepingâ was a highly influential track from Revolver that featured the bandâs first time reversing guitar parts to create something that feels a bit askew and unsettled. The tongue-in-cheek ode to bed rotting also implements a modulation from the verseâs Eb minor feel to its relative major, Gb major, in the chorus. Itâs not the most pop-sensible song they ever wrote, but itâs a fun insight into their future psychedelic dabbling.
âI Call Your Nameâ is such an early Beatles throwback that other covers, like the Mamas and the Papasâ classic 1966 version, can sometimes overshadow the original. John Lennon and Paul McCartney (mostly Lennon) wrote the song before the Beatles were an established group in their own right. So, Lennon ended up giving the song to Billy J. Kramer for the Dakotas to perform. But as the old adage goes, if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. Unhappy with the Dakotasâ version, the Beatles released their own on their 1964 U.S. album The Beatlesâ Second Album.
The Beatlesâ eponymous 1968 âWhite Albumâ is chock full of hits. From âWhile My Guitar Gently Weepsâ to âBlackbirdâ to âHelter Skelterâ to âRevolution,â all four sides have songs that came to define the bandâs decade together. But weâd argue that the A-side opener, âBack in the U.S.S.R.,â is an oft-underrated Beatles trackâperhaps because it seems like such an obvious choice. However, we dare you to revisit the track McCartney wrote as a pseudo-parody of the Beach Boys. Itâs not just a music history relic. Itâs a bop.
Rounding out our list of underrated Beatles tracks is a two-parter: âGolden Slumbersâ into âCarry That Weightâ from their iconic album Abbey Road. Songs like âCome Togetherâ and âOh! Darlingâ can sometimes overshadow the recordâs other fantastic offerings, and this back-to-back song pairing is no exception. From the lullaby offerings of âGolden Slumbersâ to the more raucous âCarry That Weight,â these songs usher in the end of their 1969 album. (âThe Endâ and âHer Majestyâ probably deserve to be on the list, too.)
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