Worshiping McCartney
The best 18 Beatles-Songs by Macca

The best 18 Beatles songs ever written by Paul McCartney (in our opinion, at least)

‚Love me do‘ first UK pressing

‘Love Me Do’

It’s their debut single a-side song and the beginning of the collaboration with George Martin, who thankfully had the courage to publish both sides of the debut single of an unknown group with their own compositions on October 5 in 1962.

‘I Saw Her Standing There’

“Well she was just seventeen and you know what I mean …” The ultimate ‚boy meets girl‘ song and the first song of the first Beatles album ever: ‚Please Please me‘ from 1963.

‘All My Loving’

Lennon is reported to have said later in 1980 that the song is “a damn good piece of work”. We agree. It’s on the second album ‚With the Beatles‘ – the world conquest was at hand.

‘Can’t Buy Me Love’

The song was one of the first in pop music to start with the chorus instead of the verse – but probably no one noticed that really. Anyway, the single went straight to Number 1 in the UK and US in spring 64 because money bought a lot of these lovely little 7”.

‘Yesterday’

The best ideas come while you sleep and this song is such a good one. The problem McCartney had to face at first: he initially thought that the melody must already exist somewhere and only came back as a long-forgotten memory – similar to déjà vu.

‘We Can Work It Out’

One of the best of the best songs of Macca. Positivity, power… a blessing. No wonder that it went straight to Number 1 in 1965 in the UK and US. Six years later Stevie Wonder cut a great cover version, too, by the way.

‘I’m Looking Through You’

One of the highlights of the album ‚Rubber Soul” from December 1965. ‚ … love has a nasty habit of disappearing overnight… ‘ – disappointment has rarely sounded so self-confident.

‘Paperback Writer’

The song kicks off with so much verve and chutzpah – just pure joy. Rumour has it that the song was written in honour of the author Philip K. Dick (Blade Runner, Valis, etc.). However, it’s one of the first Beatles songs that wasn’t about love.

‘Eleanor Rigby’

The song is a very precious example of the divine collaboration between the four guys from Liverpool and George Martin. He contributed the arrangement for four violins, two violas and two cellos that made this song even more special and kind of haunting.

‘For No One’

Sweet sadness turned into a masterpiece of a song – one of the very few featuring a fabulous french horn. Beautifully simple and pure. If this song doesn’t touch you emotionally in the slightest, then you’ve lost your soul somewhere in the supermarket of your life. The cure: listen to The Beatles for a fortnight without a break.

»Life is very short, and there’s no time
… for fussing and fighting, my friend.«

‘Here There and Everywhere’

Yes, maybe it was a reaction to Wilson’s output in general and ‘God only knows’ in particular but who cares anyway. This song deserves an extra showcase in the eternal Olympus of pop music – it couldn’t get much better.

‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’

It was (more than) 50 years ago today … when this song opened the eponymous, epochal album. That’s all you need to know, really. But who is Billy Shears?

‘Magical Mystery Tour’

Another glorious opener with fantastic trumpet fanfares, a pumping bass and Ringo at it’s best. The track was first released on the soundtrack to the Beatles’ film of the same name, which was released on a double EP in the UK on 8 December 1967.

‘Hey Jude’

Want to find comfort through a song that might save your soul? Take the 18th UK-single of the Fab Four, released in August 68. Wherever more than three people join in the endless ‚Nanananaaa‘ on this planet, magic is around.

‘Blackbird’

This is Paul McCartney only. Just him, his phrasing, his guitar and the beat that is being tapped with the foot on the floor. You think you already know the song and it might seem too corny? Give it another try. What do you hear?

‘Get Back’

Play this song, sing along and let Billy Preston’s Fender-Rhodes-Piano take you away to Tucson, Arizona, or wherever you want to go. In April 69, this extremely relaxed song quite understandably went straight to No. 1 in several countries.

‘Helter Skelter’

This song is the mother of all catharic songs ever. An in-your-face-remedy. And a proof of how unbelievably versatile Macca was and still is. Please play it loud.

‘Let It Be’

Finally, the very last Beatles single is a McCartney song again – released on the 6th of march in 1970. The circle closed and the band fell apart. Paul McCartney started another journey on his own that hopefully will last for a long time to come.

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