3 Songs That Sound Like Beatles Tracks (but They Aren’t)

If you love The Beatles, you know that the Fab Four have a signature sound that is hard to mistake for anyone else. And considering they were the biggest band of the 1960s (or possibly the whole of the 20th century, depending on who you ask), their influence stretched beyond themselves and reached musicians who came up in the 1970s and beyond. As a result, some songs that hit the charts after the Fab Four called it quits really do sound similar to The Beatles. 

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Let’s take a look at just a few songs that sound like The Beatles, shall we? You might have mistakenly thought the Fab Four produced these excellent tunes, too.

“Without You” by Badfinger

A lot of people thought this 1970 rock tune was a Beatles song when it first dropped. That includes a famous singer/songwriter who covered it, but first thought this song came straight from the Fab Four. Though, that’s understandable, since it was produced at Abbey Road Studios under The Beatles’ record label, Apple. Artist Harry Nilsson, who covered “Without You” in 1971, once said that he thought the song was a Beatles original after hearing the song for the first time at a party. And after listening to it myself, I definitely see where he’s coming from.

“New York Mining Disaster 1941” by The Bee Gees

I have to admit, this one always gets me. “New York Mining Disaster 1941” by The Bee Gees dropped in 1967 when The Beatles were still together. It features the folky pop vibe that the Fab Four were playing around with around that time. However, “New York Mining Disaster 1941” is a Bee Gees original written by the Gibbs. It’s definitely not a deep cut track from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. 

A lot of fans at the time couldn’t be convinced, though. A rumor started to circulate that Bee Gees were actually The Beatles recording under a different name. That, of course, is not true, though even George Harrison said that “New York Mining Disaster 1941” sounded like a Beatles song.

“Time Will Show The Wiser” by The Merry-Go-Round

This song from The Merry-Go-Round has the kind of sunshine harmonies, melodies, and crystalline guitar tones often associated with The Beatles. If you weren’t a massive fan of The Beatles and just liked baroque pop, you might have thought this 1967 song was a Fab Four Tune. Judging by this song’s cover, The Merry-Go-Round certainly looked the part.

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