The Beatles had their fair share of up-tempo rockers. They could (and did) excite rooms full of fainting fans with power chords and a floor-filling beat. But, elsewhere in their vast catalog are more subdued numbers. Though they may not be as audacious, their ballads hold an immense amount of weight. They commented on everything from Civil Rights, to the afterlife, to loneliness, and more.
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We rounded up some of the Beatles’ best ballads throughout their storied career. Revisit these down-tempo gems below.
1. “And I Love Her”
Starting with an early Beatles offering, “And I Love Her” appears on the group’s third album, A Hard Day’s Night. It’s a simple ballad, evocative of Paul McCartney’s songwriting style in the early days of the Beatles’ career.
Though McCartney would go on to make more weighty ballads during the Beatles’ tenure, this song started him down his path as an expert balladeer.
2. “Something”
George Harrison wasn’t given many opportunities to flex his songwriting ability while with the Beatles, but when he did, he well surpassed expectations. One of his latter songwriting efforts with the group, “Something,” is as good a ballad as anything the Lennon/McCartney partnership produced.
Harrison’s haunting vocals and equally stunning guitar line will have you sinking into your seat, hypnotized by the magic he infused into this song’s production.
3. “Eleanor Rigby”
When you dig into the lyrics, “Eleanor Rigby” is one of the most poignant Beatles songs. McCartney creates a simple, yet impactful vignette of loneliness through a duo of characters: Eleanor Rigby and Father McKenzie.
McCartney’s lead vocal line is only backed up by a swell of strings and the occasional harmony from his bandmates. Few Beatles songs hit as hard.
4. “In My Life”
Speaking of poignant Beatles songs: next up is “In My Life.” Though Lennon and McCartney wrote the song with an optimistic point of view on change, there is still an air of sadness in the lyrics.
All these places had their moments / With lovers and friends, I still can recall / Some are dead and some are living / In my life, I’ve loved them all, the first chorus reads.
5. “Let It Be”
The last few songs on this list were all helmed by McCartney – the resident Beatles balladeer. “Let It Be” is one of the most famous songs in music history, let alone the Beatles’ catalog. McCartney issues a statement of peace amid hard times with this song, which has proven to be a timeless sentiment.
6. “Blackbird”
Despite the tender musical direction of “Blackbird,” the song is quite politically charged. McCartney wrote it in response to the Little Rock Nine taking the first steps to desegregating schools in Arkansas.
“I was sitting around with my acoustic guitar and I’d heard about the civil rights troubles that were happening in the ’60s in Alabama, Mississippi, Little Rock in particular,” McCartney once told GQ. “I just thought it would be really good if I could write something that if it ever reached any of the people going through those problems, it might give them a little bit of hope. So, I wrote ‘Blackbird.'”
7. “Yesterday”
Sometimes it’s the simplest of songs that have a lasting impact. By all standards, there isn’t much to “Yesterday.” McCartney opts for simple lyrics and an easy-breezy guitar line for this song. It’s a relatively short number (especially compared to some of the group’s more experimental turns) and yet it has remained one of their most iconic songs decades after its release.
“Yesterday” proves that you don’t need anything flashy to create a powerful song.
(Photo by David Redfern/Redferns)
