The Beatles’s influence ranges far and wide. Almost every artist today can trace their musicality back to the foursome in one way or another. While that credit isn’t always given, there are a few artists that have made it a point to pay homage to the Fab Four. Find three such artists and their Beatles-centric songs, below.
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3 Songs That Pay Homage to the Beatles
1. “Edge of Seventeen” (Stevie Nicks)
Stevie Nicks’ “Edge of Seventeen” has transcended its original meaning. While Nicks wrote this track as an ode to John Lennon (and her uncle who’s name was also John), it now stands as Nicks’ thesis statement of sorts. It has a certain magic that only Nicks is able to deliver. Nevertheless, Nicks’ original intent was to pay homage to the former Beatles member. Because of that, it earns a worthy spot on this list.
Well, I went today
Maybe I will go again tomorrow
Yeah yeah, well, the music there
Well, it was hauntingly familiar
2. “Scenes From An Italian Restaurant” (Billy Joel)
While Nicks’ song paid homage to the Beatles by way of its lyrical content, Billy Joel’s “Scenes From An Italian Restuarant” was an attempt to replicate the Beatles’ era-defining musicality. Joel was inspired by the Fab Four’s Abbey Road album–particularly the way the foursome managed to put together different fragments to make one song. Even without that context, one could probably glean Joel’s inspiration for themselves. This track feels markedly Beatles-esque.
A bottle of whites, a bottle of red
Perhaps a bottle of rose instead
We’ll get a table near the street
In our old familiar place
You and I, face to face
3. “4th Time Around” (Bob Dylan)
While the other homage songs on this list were made with a positive outlook on the Beatles, Bob Dylan’s “4th Time Around” is less so a gushing portrait of his contemporaries. That’s not to say that Dylan was seething with anger when he wrote this track, but there is a touch of something snide in the mix. Around the time of this song’s release, the Beatles were said to be borrowing elements of Dylan’s style. In an effort to punch back at the practice, Dylan wrote this song. While it reads as Dylan playfully chiding the Beatles, he made sure to get his message across.
And, when I was through, I filled up my shoe
And brought it to you
And you, you took me in, you loved me then
You didn’t waste time
And I, I never took much, I never asked for your crutch
Now don’t ask for mine
(Photo by Les Lee/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
