After The Beatles broke up, each member faced the colossal task of making music under the shadow of the biggest band in history. Paul McCartney took a lot of heat and his early solo albums were not well received by critics. Looking back, the McCartney I and McCartney II home recordings are pretty special.
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John Lennon wanted peace and George Harrison wanted a different kind of peace. The quiet kind. Ringo Starr is beloved but he won’t break this Top 10 list.
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“Handle with Care” could have been a solo George Harrison song. Instead, the session featuring Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, and Roy Orbison resulted in a new band, Traveling Wilburys. Otherwise, “Handle with Care” is most definitely on this list. “Got My Mind Set on You” almost made the cut. Alas, it’s a cover.
The Beatles were a supergroup formed in reverse. Here are the top 10 solo songs by a Beatle.
10. “Jenny Wren” by Paul McCartney (2005)
McCartney approached George Martin to produce Chaos and Creation in the Backyard. Martin was retired and suggested Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich. Godrich provided a much-needed foil to McCartney. He convinced McCartney to play all the instruments. And speaking of instruments, they knocked the dust off the old Beatles’ guitars to record Chaos. “Jenny Wren” echoes “Blackbird” and it’s beautiful. The song features Pedro Eustache on the duduk, an Armenian woodwind instrument.
9. “All Things Must Pass” by George Harrison (1970)
Harrison had been in New York jamming with Bob Dylan and The Band. The Band’s Music from Big Pink (1968) inspired Harrison to return to the guitar after years of dedication to the sitar. “All Things Must Pass” is a reflection on the ephemeral nature of time and existence. The Beatles attempted “All Things Must Pass” during the Get Back sessions but it was eventually set aside.
8. “Jet” by Paul McCartney and Wings (1973)
On the lead single from Band on the Run, McCartney uses his pet’s name to create power pop that sounds right at home alongside David Bowie’s glam rock gem “Suffragette City.” The story of the title’s origin has shifted over the years from McCartney’s dog to his pony. He admitted to the BBC, “I make up so much stuff.” And Jet, you know, I thought you was a little Lady Suffragette.
7. “Woman” by John Lennon (1980)
From Double Fantasy, “Woman” was released as a single following Lennon’s murder. It’s an ode to women. Lennon wrote it in second person. “You” is probably Yoko Ono. But the universal nature of the lyric directs “you” to any listener. Lennon opens with the words, For the other half of the sky, referencing Mao Zedong. It wasn’t the first time Lennon echoed a Marxist. See “Imagine” below.
6. “What Is Life” by George Harrison (1970)
George Harrison wrote “What Is Life” for Billy Preston. Thinking it didn’t fit Preston’s sound, Harrison added it to a growing pile of songs. He chose to withhold it from The Beatles’ Abbey Road sessions, too. Harrison produced All Things Must Pass with Phil Spector. This one sounds like classic Wall of Sound soul and thank goodness Harrison decided to pick up the guitar again.
5. “Band on the Run” by Paul McCartney and Wings (1973)
The lyric If we ever get outta here was inspired by something George Harrison said at a Beatles’ meeting with their record label. A three-part medley, “Band on the Run” was recorded across multiple sessions in Lagos, Nigeria and London. While working in Nigeria, the band was mugged and lost the original tapes. They had to re-record part of “Band on the Run” from memory. Curious if anyone repeated the above lyric during the mugging.
4. “Working Class Hero” by John Lennon (1970)
A revolutionary anthem about class struggle, “Working Class Hero” echoes Bob Dylan’s “Masters of War.” Plastic Ono Band was Lennon’s first album after The Beatles split up. The final mix for “Working Class Hero” splices multiple studio takes together. Lennon’s strident political song predates the softer, though no-less radical, “Imagine.”
3. “My Sweet Lord” by George Harrison (1970)
The quiet Beatle had the first No. 1 single by an ex-member of the band with “My Sweet Lord.” It’s not only a song dedicated to a higher power, but Harrison was also reaching for pluralism. He blends Hindu and Judeo-Christian prayers to illustrate his call for harmony. Eric Clapton joins in on acoustic guitar with Ringo Starr on drums.
2. “Maybe I’m Amazed” by Paul McCartney (1970)
McCartney was still a Beatle when he wrote “Maybe I’m Amazed.” But he was depressed, the band was ending, and wife Linda helped him through a difficult time. The song appeared on his debut solo album, McCartney. A live version recorded by Wings was released as a single in 1977. McCartney plays all the instruments and each section of the song has everything there is to love about Macca.
1. “Imagine” by John Lennon (1971)
With pieces of Yoko Ono’s poetry, John Lennon wrote “Imagine.” It’s a timeless anthem imagining a utopia of peace, borderless nation-states, no religion to fight wars over, and, generally, a world without consumerism. Lennon, channeling that other Lenin, composed a Marxist anthem now recognized universally as a symbol of peace. Lennon and Ono produced the song beautifully with Phil Spector.
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