What's the ultimate Beatle song in your mind?

I agree with you on Hey Jude.

 

A Day in the Life

 

"In My Life" seems to exemplify their reflective song writing style for me.

 

Let me be the first to nominate "Can't Buy Me Love." That opening salvo is joy, excitement, and energy all at once - pure Beatles.

 

Paperback Writer

 

"I Wanna Hold Your Hand" or "I Am The Walrus"- either one 'personifies' the average person's (as in not a member of this forum and/or a rabid Beatles fanatic) image of The Beatles, as either the "moptop Fab Four" or "those crazy psychedelic guys".

But, hell, John Lennon said it: "What is Beatles music? 'Revolution 9' or 'Walrus'? It's that diverse..."

 

But George isn't represented on "Day in ..." so I personally don't count that one. I'm sticking with She Loves You

 

"Rain"

Great vocal harmonies
Written by John
Ringo's best drumming
Paul's inventive baselines
Studio experimentation
Tape speed manipulation
Backwards vocals - first use
Fade in Fade out coda
First music video
Released as BSide to Paperback Writer

 

Hard to argue with I Want To Hold Your Hand, but And Your Bird Can Sing rises to the challenge nicely.

 

It's also the most Psychedelic song in their catalog. (Aside from TNK)

 

She Loves You
(Gene Clark thought so anyway...)

 

Plus it lacks virtually everything that made me a Beatles fan way back in 1964.
A nice McCartney ballad...but so what?

 

When Paul passes on Hey Jude will be number 1.....

 

Walrus

 

...and I'm sticking with my choice.

 

Geez tough one. for me it's Hard Day's Night

 

If I Fell

 

Revolution

 

In a book I read about him, it said he also liked Don't Let Me Down which he covered with Dillard & Clark.

 

I speak for all 20,000 members on this forum: A Day In The Life

 

I saw Gene live back in the 80's...he encored with She Loves You and spoke about how much that song changed his musical outlook. His cover of Don't Let Me Down kills.

 

It's for these same reasons I pick she loves you

 

Ticket to Ride

blew me away when I first heard it 1974/1975 and still impresses 40 years later

sean

 

No contest at all, it's "You're Going To Lose That Girl." Songs like that are the reason we listened to their music in 1964, and still do, 50 years later.

 

There isn't one. The Beatles had such a smooth and gradual transition from their first album through Abbey Road and had such great songs all along that it would require picking a best song from each two year period then boiling it down to the best one. Given their changes over their short history I don't think it is possible, because in choosing a song you would actually be choosing a period of time.
I like the early stuff, the Revolver/Rubber Soul period, and the Sgt Peppers/White/Abbey Road period for different reasons, picking one song from any one period just doesn't compute with me.