5 Beatles Songs that Borrow from Other ’60s Bands and Artists

The Beatles influenced countless artists in the ’60s and beyond. But the Fab Four never shied away from being huge music fans themselves. And they had no qualms about taking a sound or an idea that they’d heard in the music of others and incorporating it into something they were doing.

It was all fair game, anyway. After all, the word Beatlesque wouldn’t exist if artists hadn’t nicked from them time and again. Here are five examples of The Beatles wearing influences on their sleeves, whether through direct references or subtle callbacks.

“You Can’t Do That” (Influence: Motown)

The Beatles’ love of Motown is obvious, most notably shown through the various songs from the label they covered in the early years. But there are also numerous original songs of theirs where the group clearly had a Motown sound in mind when they recorded them. “You Can’t Do That,” which appeared on their 1964 album A Hard Day’s Night, might be the one that owes the biggest debt to the label created by Berry Gordy. The swinging groove copped by the band is a dead giveaway, as are the call-and-response backing vocals offered by Paul McCartney and George Harrison in support of John Lennon’s lead vocal.

“You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away” (Influence: Bob Dylan)

The artistic relationship between The Beatles and Bob Dylan could best be described as mutual admiration. The Beatles were wowed by Dylan’s ability to express complex emotions in his songs, while Dylan was impressed by how the Fab Four rocked. John Lennon, in particular, sought to go deeper in his lyrics and adopt a folkier approach in direct response to hearing early Dylan discs like The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan. This track from Help! is one of the most clear-cut examples of this phase of Lennon’s writing. Its plainspoken lyrics pack an incredible punch.

“Back in the U.S.S.R.” (Influence: The Beach Boys)

It actually might be more accurate to say this one is influenced by The Beach Boys by way of Chuck Berry, since the rocking framework of Berry is something Brian Wilson and company adopted in early hits like “Surfin’ U.S.A.” In this case, the main similarity is the backing vocals, which are meant to ape the kind of vocal give-and-take The Beach Boys used so often. What’s interesting in this case is that Paul McCartney started writing “Back in the U.S.S.R.” while The Beatles were in India, where they were joined by The Beach Boys’ Mike Love.

“Helter Skelter” (Influence: The Who)

OK, this one comes with a bit of an asterisk, in that The Beatles weren’t technically influenced by a Who song. Instead, “Helter Skelter” was created in response to something The Who said. In particular, Pete Townshend was quoted in a music publication as bragging that his band had just recorded a song that couldn’t be matched in terms of its raw, heavy atmosphere. (He was talking about “I Can See for Miles.”) Paul McCartney read that as a gauntlet being thrown down, and responded by writing “Helter Skelter,” which represented The Fab Four’s effort to take the raucousness throne.

“Sun King” (Influence: Fleetwood Mac)

George Harrison, perhaps more than his bandmates, was often pretty direct in the way he borrowed from other acts. Bits of lyrics from other songs of the era appeared in his originals “It’s All Too Much” and “Something.” In the case of “Sun King,” Harrison didn’t write it, but his reverb-drenched guitar gave the song much of its musical vibe. That idea came from hearing the song “Albatross” by Fleetwood Mac, who, at that time, were led by guitarist Peter Green. Play “Albatross” and “Sun King” back to back, and you’ll be able to spot the similarities pretty easily.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Photo by David McEnery/Shutterstock