4 Beatles Classics You Won’t Believe Weren’t Singles

Before The Beatles came around, singles ruled the roost in terms of rock and roll importance. The band started to change that. Their ability was such that even their non-singles rivaled or surpassed the quality of their contemporaries’ biggest hits.

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Because these four songs are so popular, you might think they were huge smashes. But The Beatles never even released them as singles.

“In My Life”

In the first half of their recording career, The Beatles, for the most part, released singles in the United Kingdom that didn’t appear on their albums. In turn, they usually reserved the albums for songs that wouldn’t get a single release. This wasn’t a hard and fast rule. But it did mostly account for brilliant songs like “In My Life” only getting exposure via LP. The song could easily have been another No. 1 for the group, as it’s one of the most beautiful, affecting ballads ever written. Of course, it wasn’t long before people who heard it realized its brilliance. It has received a ton of cover versions over the years as well. But none of them match the unaffected lead vocal of John Lennon on the original.

“A Day In The Life”

When The Beatles first began separating singles from albums, they did so as more of a commercial ploy. But by the time they got around to making Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, it became more a matter of insisting on a sense of artistic purity. They didn’t really want any of the songs off that album to be presented as something apart from the whole. In the case of “A Day In The Life”, it still works beautifully when you hear it on its own on the radio. But it’s a different story when it comes rolling in quietly after the raucous applause from the reprise of the album’s title track. Hearing that final piano chord after going through the entire journey of the album makes for a special experience.

“Back In The U.S.S.R”

While you can kind of understand why The Beatles didn’t cherry-pick singles from Sgt. Pepper’s, it was an odd stance for them to take on The White Album. After all, part of what makes that record so special is its intentional disjointedness. You really don’t know what’s coming from song to song, at least the first time you listen to it. There are many tracks from this album that easily could have been massive hits. We chose “Back In The U.S.S.R.” because it not only sounds like a hit, but it’s also become a staple of Paul McCartney’s live performances over the years. It certainly starts The White Album off in propulsive fashion.

“Here Comes The Sun”

By the time The Beatles reached Abbey Road, they loosened their strict policy on singles being released from albums. They capitulated to Capitol’s demand for a single with a double A-side in “Come Together” and “Something”. The latter song marked the first occasion that George Harrison ever wrote and sang lead on a single. But you could argue that he easily could have enjoyed two chart-toppers if the group had afforded a single release to “Here Comes The Sun”. Harrison clearly was hitting his stride with two such unforgettable songs on this record. He’d expand upon that when he released All Things Must Pass, his 1970 hit double album released in the wake of The Beatles’ breakup.

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