The Beatles’ catalog, decorated as it is, includes a few songs that just don’t get a ton of attention. Diehard fans know their entire output inside and out. But those who only dabble in Beatle fandom, or those who are maybe just learning about the group, might have missed a few gems. These five songs won’t appear on too many greatest hits compilations by the Fab Four. But we’re here to tell you that they’re wonderful Beatles deep cuts that should be praised to the utmost.
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“I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party” from ‘Beatles For Sale’ (1964)
It makes sense that one of the songs on this list would come from Beatles For Sale. That LP doesn’t get a lot of attention as a whole. The record came at a point where John Lennon and Paul McCartney were starting to stretch their songwriting boundaries, both in terms of topics and styles. “I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party” came from John Lennon, and it finds him trying out a subtle country and western vibe. But it’s the lyrics that truly stand out, as the narrator struggles with insecurity over a girl he can’t seem to corral.
“Yes It Is” B-side (1965)
B-sides also tend to fall below the radar when it comes to rating Beatles songs. At least “Yes It Is” snuck onto an LP in America (Beatles VI). Other B-sides of British singles couldn’t be found on American albums until the Past Masters series in the 80s. “Yes It Is” also wasn’t helped out much by its main composer, as John Lennon denigrated the song’s quality in interviews. Lennon felt like it was too derivative of “This Boy”, another harmony-drenched song of his. But “Yes It Is” stands tall on its own sorrowful terms.
“I Need You” from ‘Help!’
George Harrison laid low as a songwriter in the early years of The Beatles. From 1962 through 1964, Harrison garnered just one songwriting credit for the group. That was with the song “Don’t Bother Me”, a somewhat nondescript piece of work. When The Beatles released Help! in 1965, Harrison was once again writing songs for the group. His first truly great one, “I Need You”, appears on that record. Some nifty guitar effects add embellishment to a lovely tune. Harrison’s vocal performance is also excellent, as he captures the urgency of his protagonist.
“You Won’t See Me” from ‘Rubber Soul’ (1965)
There are so many wonderful songs on Rubber Soul that it’s understandable that one or two might escape the attention of the mainstream. “You Won’t See Me” is one of several Beatles’ songs that refer to one of the rough patches in the romance of Paul McCartney and his longtime 60s girlfriend Jane Asher. Macca gets downright prickly at times in the lyrics as he upbraids his beloved for her inattention. Beyond that, this example of Beatles deep cuts boasts a melody that will be happily spinning about in your head from the moment you first hear it.
“Mother Nature’s Son” from The White Album (1968)
As famous as it is, The White Album is so vast that there’s no way every song can command the public’s attention on the same level. The second album, in particular, feels a bit unloved compared to the first, which is full of well-known Beatles evergreens. “Mother Nature’s Son”, found on the second disc, deserves to be on any playlist of bucolic songs. It’s a Paul McCartney tour de force where he speaks of his love for the outdoors. He’d return to that topic often in his solo career, although rarely with the same sense of wonder that he evokes here.
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