Showing posts with label Rubber Soul. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rubber Soul. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 19, 2025

Pop Vortex: The 100 Greatest Albums of All Time

Pop Vortex:

The 100 Greatest Albums of All Time

PopVortex.com first created a best-of list in 2011, saying, “There have been plenty list available that rank the top 100 greatest albums of all time. What makes this list different is that it compiles and aggregates data from other best of lists, including both critics lists such as Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums books and fan polls such as Q magazine’s 100 Greatest Albums Ever poll. The goal of this list to find not only the greatest albums of all time but also the most influential and culturally significant albums as well, so in addition to just the opinions of critics and fans to compile the list other metrics where used as well such as Billboard chart statistics, RIAA sales figures and several others to help determine the final rankings of the best albums.”

“In all 236 different albums were eligible for the list of greatest albums…and they span from the earliest days of rock in the 1950s through today, covering many different genres and styles of music. In the end these are the must have albums that every serious music fan should have in their vinyl, CD or mp3 collection.”

The list was updated in 2025. Albums new to the 2025 list are marked with an asterisk (*). Albums bumped from the list are indicated after the top 100 list.

Check out other publications and organizations’ best-of album lists here.

The Top 100 Albums: The 2025 Version

1. The Beatles Abbey Road (1969)
2. Michael Jackson Thriller (1982)
3. The Beatles Revolver (1966)
4. Nirvana Nevermind (1991)
5. Fleetwood Mac Rumours (1977)
6. The Beach Boys Pet Sounds (1966)
7. Marvin Gaye What’s Going On (1971)
8. The Beatles The Beatles (aka “The White Album”) (1968)
9. Bob Dylan Highway 61 Revisited (1965)
10. The Beatles Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

11. Joni Mitchell Blue (1971)
12. The Rolling Stones Exile on Main Street (1972)
13. The Clash London Calling (1979)
14. Bruce Springsteen Born to Run (1975)
15. Stevie Wonder Songs in the Key of Life (1976)
16. Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
17. Bob Dylan Blood on the Tracks (1975)
18. Prince & the Revolution Purple Rain (soundtrack, 1984)
19. Velvet Underground & Nico Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)
20. The Beatles Rubber Soul (1965)

21. U2 The Joshua Tree (1987)
22. The Jimi Hendrix Experience Are You Experienced? (1967)
23. David Bowie The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)
24. Carole King Tapestry (1971)
25. Bob Dylan Blonde on Blonde (1966)
26. Miles Davis Kind of Blue (1959)
27. Public Enemy It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988)
28. Radiohead OK Computer (1997)
29. Stevie Wonder Innervisions (1973)
30. The Rolling Stones Let It Bleed (1969)

31. Lauryn Hill The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998)
32. Paul Simon Graceland (1986)
33. Prince Sign ‘O’ the Times (1987)
34. Van Morrison Astral Weeks (1968)
35. The Who Who’s Next (1971)
36. Sex Pistols Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols (1977)
37. Guns N’ Roses Appetite for Destruction (1987)
38. Aretha Franklin I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You (1967)
39. Eagles Hotel California (1976)
40. Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin IV (1971)

41. Patti Smith Horses (1975)
42. The Jimi Hendrix Experience Electric Ladyland (1968)
43. Alanis Morissette Jagged Little Pill (1995)
44. Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin II (1969)
45. Radiohead Kid A (2000)
46. U2 Achtung Baby (1991)
47. Simon & Garfunkel Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970)
48. The Doors The Doors (1967)
49. Bob Marley & the Wailers Exodus (1977)
50. Elvis Presley The Sun Sessions (archives: 1954-55, released 1976)

51. Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin I (1969)
52. Oasis (What’s the Story) Morning Glory (1995)
53. Pink Floyd The Wall (1979)
54. Michael Jackson Off the Wall (1979)
55. The Band The Band (1969)
56. Beyoncé Lemonade (2016) *
57. Amy Winehouse Back to Black (2006) *
58. Kanye West My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010) *
59. The Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers (1971)
60. The Notorious B.I.G. Ready to Die (1994) *

61. David Bowie Hunky Dory (1971)
62. Dr. Dre The Chronic (1992) *
63. Ramones Ramones (1976)
64. AC/DC Back in Black (1980)
65. The Smiths The Queen Is Dead (1986)
66. Jay-Z The Blueprint (2001) *
67. R.E.M. Automatic for the People (1992)
68. Love Forever Changes (1967)
69. Adele 21 (2011) *
70. Van Morrison Moondance (1970)

71. Wu-Tang Clan Enter the Wu-Tang Clan (36 Chambers) (1993) *
72. A Tribe Called Quest The Low End Theory (1991) *
73. Talking Heads Remain in Light (1980) *
74. Bob Marley & the Wailers Legend (compilation: 1973-83, released 1984)
75. John Coltrane A Love Supreme (1965) *
76. James Brown Live at the Apollo, Volume 1 (live, 1962)
77. Radiohead The Bends (1995)
78. The Stone Roses The Stone Roses (1989)
79. Frank Ocean Blond (2016) *
80. D’Angelo Voodoo (2000) *

81. Nas Illmatic (1994) *
82. Bob Dylan Bringing It All Back Home (1965)
83. Neil Young After the Gold Rush (1970)
84. OutKast Aquemini (1998) *
85. Taylor Swift 1989 (2014) *
86. Aretha Franklin Lady Soul (1968)
87. N.W.A. Straight Outta Compton (1989) *
88. Kate Bush Hounds of Love (1985) *
89. Led Zeppelin Physical Graffiti (1975)
90. John Lennon Plastic Ono Band (1970)

91. Various artists (Bee Gees et al) Saturday Night Fever (soundtrack, 1977)
92. Chuck Berry The Great Twenty-Eight (compilation: 1955-64, released 1982) *
93. Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here (1975)
94. Curtis Mayfield Superfly (soundtrack, 1972)
95. Portishead Dummy (1994)
96. Kendrick Lamar Good Kid m.A.A.d. City (2012) *
97. R.E.M. Out of Time (1991)
98. Beyoncé Beyoncé (2013) *
99. The Allman Brothers At Fillmore East (live, 1971)
100. Billie Eilish When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019) *

Albums from the 2011 List Which Didn’t Make the 2025 List

Resources and Related Links:

First posted 10/5/2024; last updated 8/19/2025.

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Thursday, December 3, 2015

Today in Music (1965): The Beatles “In My Life” released on the Rubber Soul album

In My Life

The Beatles

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Today in Music (1965): The Beatles released Rubber Soul

Rubber Soul

The Beatles

Released in UK: December 3, 1965

Released in U.S.: December 6, 1965

Peak: 16 US, 18 UK, 1 CN, 111 AU Click for codes to charts.

Sales (in millions): 6.5 US, 0.75 UK, 13.9 world (includes US and UK), 24.41 EAS

Genre: pop/rock

Tracks (UK Version of Rubber Soul):

Click on a song title for more details.
  1. Drive My Car [2:30]
  2. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) [2:05]
  3. You Won’t See Me [3:22]
  4. Nowhere Man [2:44]
  5. Think for Yourself [2:19]
  6. The Word [2:43]
  7. Michelle [2:42]
  8. What Goes On [2:50]
  9. Girl [2:33]
  10. I’m Looking Through You [2:27]
  11. In My Life [2:27]
  12. Wait [2:16]
  13. If I Needed Someone [2:23]
  14. Run for Your Life [2:18]

Total Running Time: 34:55

Tracks (U.S. Version of Rubber Soul):

  1. I’ve Just Seen a Face [2:07]
  2. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) [2:05]
  3. You Won’t See Me [3:22]
  4. Think for Yourself [2:19]
  5. The Word [2:43]
  6. Michelle [2:42]
  7. It’s Only Love [1:58] (37 DF)
  8. Girl [2:33]
  9. I’m Looking Through You [2:27]
  10. In My Life [2:27]
  11. Wait [2:16]
  12. Run for Your Life [2:18]

Total Running Time: 28:39

Also from This Era:

The Players:

  • John Lennon (vocals, guitar)
  • Paul McCartney (vocals, bass)
  • George Harrison (guitar, vocals)
  • Ringo Starr (drums, vocals)

Rating for UK Version:

4.626 out of 5.00 (average of 33 ratings)

Rating for U.S. Version:

4.214 out of 5.00 (average of 12 ratings)

Awards:

A Great Leap Forward

"Rubber Soul is "a near-flawless pop offering" EW’12 that "definitively put the Fab Four in the running for Greatest Band Ever." CD "It’s the aftermath of the movie Help!, and the band slyly sidesteps Fab Four frenzy by bringing a more poignant swoon into their songs." TM

Rubber Soul marked "the beginning of the serious studio adventuring" TM which "saw the Beatles come of age in the recording studio under the influence of the rock, folk and soul music they’d encountered during their time in the U.S. Credited with helping elevate the pop genre to true artistic relevance, the LP’s release marked a cultural turning point that would forever change the landscape of American rock music." PM

"Written and recorded in just over a month," AD Rubber Soul was "the opening volley of the album era." IB "While the Beatles didn’t totally eschew the two-minute pop ditties on Rubber Soul," DV "the songs started to get more serious" KN and "more than the traditional radio fodder." DV This was really "the first set of rock ‘n’ roll originals written, recorded and packaged as an album." IB It was "important historically [for] pushing The Beach Boys, The Beatles themselves and countless others" AD "away from singles" AD and "into a more considered album-making approach." AD

Pet Sounds

The album had an interesting impact in creating a sort of friendly rivalry between the Beatles and the Beach Boys. Brian Wilson hailed Rubber Soul as "probably the greatest record ever." PM He responded by making Pet Sounds, which is also revered as one of the greatest albums of all time, "as an attempt to match the standard the Beatles set with Rubber Soul." PM This upped the ante for the Beatles, who responded with their even more acclaimed Revolver by the end of 1966.

The Music

The album "was well-timed, well put together and is very easy to listen to…thanks to clever sequencing." AD "Musically, too, it was a substantial leap forward" AM2 as this "was the first disc…to give the Beatles room to experiment musically." DV The Beatles had "discovered marijuana and LSD [and] had begun to assert more control over their music." CS They "sought out new ways to incorporate alternative instruments, structures, and technology." CS This is "Beatles 2.0." CS This was where the Beatles "first gave audiences a hint that the lads from Liverpool could do more than make teenage girls faint." CS

"Virtually every aspect of the Liverpool quartet’s incredibly diverse sound is in evidence here." CD "Intricate folk-rock arrangements…reflected the increasing influence of Dylan and the Byrds" AM2 and the "burgeoning folk rock movement." AD "The group and George Martin were also beginning to expand the conventional instrumental parameters of the rock group." AM2 The album is "peppered with nasty fuzz bass, exotic sitar, cartoonishly sped-up piano that sounds like harpsichord, and elements of country, Motown, and classical music, the album reveals a creative scope and willingness to experiment so revolutionary it can now only be termed ‘Beatlesque.’" CD Critic Robert Christgau said, "Psychedelia starts here." CS

The Lyrics

"The lyrics represented a quantum leap in terms of thoughtfulness, maturity, and complex ambiguities." AM2 "The band sounds far more intelligent…(and stoned) than on their early records." MU "John, Paul, George and Ringo finally gave in to their urge to grow and released their first introspective work." RV "While John and Paul were beginning to carve separate songwriting identities at this point, the album is full of great tunes." AM2

Some of this can be attributed to Bob Dylan. From him, "the Beatles learned that folk music could be exciting and energetic without losing its power as social commentary." CS Lennon said, "I wasn’t too keen on the lyrics in those days. I didn’t think they counted. Dylan used to say, ‘Listen to the words, man.’ And I’d say, ‘I don’t listen to the words.’" CS

Weaknesses

"Whilst the overall sound and feel of the album is cohesive, ‘Think for Yourself’, ‘What Goes On’, ‘I’m Looking Through You’ and the closing ‘Run for Your Life’ don’t feel like major compositions…They sound perfectly fine…and work within the LP’s framework, but any one of these four songs taken away and judged individually would lose power." AD On top of that, "there’s no cornerstone to Rubber Soul – no ‘A Day in the Life’ or long medley," IB although "‘Drive My Car’ and…‘In My Life’ are lasting classics of such different styles you can hardly believe one band recorded them. Only one band could have." IB

It could also be argued that "The Fabs don’t go as far out on a limb here as on the more overtly experimental Revolver," DBW Despite it all, "as a collection of songs" IB Rubber Soul "is perhaps the Beatles’ most finely crafted and accessible work." CD This is "not a raft for a few hits or a soundtrack to a wacky film, but something to be listened to and contemplated from start to finish." TL In short, "this record is a blast;" DBW a "virtually flawless" IB and "undeniable pivot point in the Fab Four’s varied discography" AZ "and consequently many fans’ and critics’ favorite." CD

The U.S. Version

Rubber Soul was repackaged in the U.S. "in an attempt to offer a more ‘American’ release" AZ "that better reflected "the folk-rock sound blossoming in the States," AM1 and " the influence that the sound of the Byrds and the songwriting of Bob Dylan were having on the Beatles." AM1

"Capitol Records removed four songs from the U.K. edition of Rubber Soul [later on the US-only album Yesterday and Today], and added two songs from the U.K. Help!" AM1 – "the pleading acoustic ‘It's Only Love’ and the rollicking opener ‘I've Just Seen a Face.’" AM1

"By dropping the piano-driven ‘Drive My Car’ and the stark ‘Nowhere Man,’ the U.S. edition stands as a much more organic and warm musical whole," AM1 "more earthy and textural." AM1 By "removing some of the album’s heavier vibes" CS the U.S. version placed greater emphasis on "the Beatles’ debt to Bob Dylan, the Byrds, and other acts that were bringing electrified folk to the forefront of the American music scene." CS

One final note: "Some pressings of the U.S. edition were released with an odd ‘false start’ at the beginning of ‘I'm Looking Through You,’ a fact that is sure to prick up the ears of die-hard Beatles fans upon first listen." AM1

Reissue

In 2006, the Capitol Records Vol. 2 box set gathered the U.S. albums The Early Beatles, Beatles VI, Help!, and Rubber Soul on CD for the first time.

The Songs

Here’s information on the individual songs.

In My Life

The Beatles

Writer(s): John Lennon, Paul McCartney (see lyrics here)

Lead Vocals: John Lennon

Released: Rubber Soul (UK version, 12/3/1965), Rubber Soul (U.S. version, 12/6/1965), The Beatles 1962-1966 (compilation, 4/2/1973)

Peak: 1 CL, 3 DF Click for codes to charts.

Sales (in millions): --

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 59.6 video, 537.14 streaming

Covered by: Rod Stewart (1986), Bette Midler (1992, #20 AC), Crosby, Stills & Nash (1994), Gary Chapman & Susan Ashton (1995), Sean Connery (1998), Dave Matthews (2001), Johnny Cash (2002), Ed Sheeran (2014)

Awards:

(Click on award to learn more).

About the Song:

This may "be the best Beatles song ever written." DV Some Beatles scholars consider it "the last true collaboration" TM between Lennon and Paul McCartney.

Rubber Soul "shows the influence that Bob Dylan was having on the Beatles. No longer were they churning out cute love songs…They started writing songs that were clearly based on the experiences of their lives." TC Lennon had written the book In His Own Write and people were asking why it revealed more than his songs. SF

The song "In My Life" aims to "wrap up a lifetime’s worth of reminiscing and maturity in a manner that is rarely achieved in any art form." DV Its "poignant" DV and "misty-eyed reflections" IB is an "homage to past and future friends." CS It make for a slice of "pop perfection," CD that is both "emotionally devastating and beautiful." AD

The lyrics were "steeped in a mix of innocent nostalgia" AMG and acceptance of the passage of time. Lennon said, "’In My Life’ started out as a bus journey from my house at 250 Menlove Avenue to town, mentioning all the places I could recall.’" TC Lennon was also inspired by people in his life including former Beatle Stu Sutcliffe, who died in 1962, as well as his friend Pete Shotton, his Aunt Mimi, and wife Cynthia. SF

Lennon claimed the tune was completely his, but musicologists have generally agreed that the song "has the other Beatles’ fingerprints all over it." TC Paul McCartney says Lennon had the words, like a poem. Paul says he crafted the melody on a Mellotron, TC inspired by the Miracles’ "You Really Got a Hold on Me." SF To top things off, there is "a backwards piano solo courtesy of George Martin" MU that "sound[s] like a harpsichord," AM2 "an unusual attribute in what was supposed to be a rock & roll record." AMG

John and Paul both said it was one of the best Beatles’ songs. George Harrison also said it was one of his favorites. SF A poll done by Mojo magazine in 2000 voted the song the best of all time. SF It has been covered by multiple artists including Boyz II Men, Johnny Cash, Judy Collins, Diana Krall, Bette Midler, and Ozzy Osbourne. SF It was also played at the funeral of Kurt Cobain from Nirvana. SF

Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)

The Beatles

Writer(s): John Lennon, Paul McCartney (see lyrics here)

Lead Vocals: John Lennon

Released: Rubber Soul (UK version, 12/3/1965), Rubber Soul (U.S. version, 12/6/1965), The Beatles 1962-1966 (compilation, 4/2/1973)

Peak: 3 CL, 7 DF Click for codes to charts.

Sales (in millions): --

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 2.0 radio, 20.5 video, 254.07 streaming

Covered by: Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66 (1970, #32 AC), PM Dawn (1993), Neil Finn (2001), Heather Nova (2013)

Awards:

(Click on award to learn more).

About the Song:

“In My Life” and “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)” are both "highly personal, almost diary-like sketches that rank among his most popular work." JA "The Beatles’ burgeoning experimentation comes to fruition on [the latter] with George Harrison introducing the sitar into the band’s work" RV "long before Ravi Shankar’s set at Woodstock, by using it as - egads! - a lead instrument." DV It was "the first prominent rock record to feature a sitar" JA and, thanks to the "continuing improvement in the inventiveness of [George’s] playing," AD made for "a strange combination that [was] absolutely magical," DV "mysterious and pained." TL

Nowhere Man

The Beatles

Writer(s): John Lennon, Paul McCartney (see lyrics here)

Lead Vocals: John Lennon

Released: single (2/21/1966), Rubber Soul (UK version, 12/3/1965), Yesterday and Today (U.S., 6/15/1966), The Beatles 1962-1966 (compilation, 4/2/1973)

B-Side: “What Goes On”

Peak: 3 BB, 2 CB, 12 GR, 12 HR, 1 CL, 11 CN, 12 AU, 2 DF Click for codes to charts.

Sales (in millions): 1.0 US

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 2.0 radio, 22.5 video, 112.51 streaming

Covered by: Randy Travis (1995), Natalie Merchant (2001), Stereophonics (2002)

Awards:

(Click on award to learn more).

About the Song:

John uses ‘Norwegian Wood’ and Nowhere Man to showcase a touch of "dark, irony-filled Dylanism." CD The latter "compositionally things take a further step forward" AD as "the first Beatle song to move beyond romantic themes entirely." AM2 Lennon said he wrote the "stark, introspective" song about himself. CS

"’Nowhere Man’ was one of those songs that John wrote at the last minute for the album, and it turns out super." KN "John sounds wonderful, the lyrics are wonderful, the guitar folk rock and the bass fluid and melodic. The harmonies work well and the whole thing works together, creating something of a minor masterpiece." AD

The Word

The Beatles

Writer(s): John Lennon, Paul McCartney

Lead Vocals: John Lennon

Released: Rubber Soul (UK version, 12/3/1965), Rubber Soul (U.S. version, 12/6/1965)

Peak: 25 CL, 37 DF Click for codes to charts.

Sales (in millions): --

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 23.63 streaming

About the Song:

"John is experimenting with anthems [such as] The Word" AZ which "can be read as a pre-psych warning shot." AZ It is a "semipolitical song calling for brotherly love;" CS it "summarizes the whole flower power movement two years before it even happened." JA Both that and ‘Drive My Car’ "parade a fat, Stax-like bottom end." IB

Drive My Car

The Beatles

Writer(s): John Lennon, Paul McCartney

Lead Vocals: Paul McCartney and John Lennon

Released: Rubber Soul (UK version, 12/3/1965), Yesterday and Today (US, 6/15/1966), The Beatles 1962-1966 (compilation, 4/2/1973)

Peak: 8 CL, 7 DF Click for codes to charts.

Sales (in millions): --

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 133.10 streaming

Covered by: Bob Kuban & the In-Men (1966, #93 BB), Gary Toms Empire (1975, #69 BB), Dion (2014), Sting with Ivy Levan (2014)

About the Song:

"The punchy R&B" IB of Drive My Car, is a "relatively straightforward pop/rock opener" AD "rooted in their early cute phase," TL "but exhibited some "amusing tale-spinning" IB and a "love of good ol’ rock & roll music." CD The song demonstrated that while "the Beatles were often still sticking to their tried-and-true love song format," JA most notably on Paul’s contributions, "the lads could still rock, but with a little more substance." RV

You Won’t See Me

The Beatles

Writer(s): John Lennon, Paul McCartney

Lead Vocals: Paul McCartney

Released: Rubber Soul (UK version, 12/3/1965), Rubber Soul (U.S. version, 12/6/1965)

Peak: 37 DF Click for codes to charts.

Sales (in millions): --

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 48.70 streaming

Covered by: Anne Murray (1974, #8 BB, 8 CB, 9 HR, 19 RR, 1 AC)

About the Song:

Other examples of the tried-and-true love song format include "You Won’t See Me[which] works as a showcase for Paul’s new mellow bass sound." AD

I’m Looking Through You

The Beatles

Writer(s): John Lennon, Paul McCartney

Lead Vocals: Paul McCartney

Released: Rubber Soul (UK version, 12/3/1965), Rubber Soul (U.S. version, 12/6/1965)

Peak: 14 CL, 33 DF Click for codes to charts.

Sales (in millions): --

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 59.57 streaming

Covered by: The Wallflowers (2002)

About the Song:

"I’m Looking Through You" is another example "of the tried-and-true love song format." AD It features "fantastic Hammond organ playing" MU from Ringo, turning "a better than average Paul folk-rocker into an instant classic." MU This song, "You Won’t See Me," and "’ Michelle’ are all delightful, immediate, and enduring." IB

Michelle

The Beatles

Writer(s): John Lennon, Paul McCartney (see lyrics here)

Lead Vocals: Paul McCartney

Released: Rubber Soul (UK version, 12/3/1965), Rubber Soul (U.S. version, 12/6/1965), The Beatles 1962-1966 (compilation, 4/2/1973)

Peak: 11 GR, 4 CL, 1 DF Click for codes to charts.

Sales (in millions): --

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 6.0 radio, 24.8 video, 175.40 streaming

Covered by: The Overlanders (1965, #1 UK), David & Jonathan (1966, #18 BB, 18 CB, 12 HR, 3 AC, 11 UK, 1 CN), Bud Shank (1966, #65 BB, 12 AC), Billy Vaughn (1966, #77 BB, 17 AC), Richard Cocciante (1976)

Awards:

(Click on award to learn more).

About the Song:

"Michelle, Paul’s best contribution," KN "is typical McCartney;" AD "a simple but sweet ballad" KN whose "arrangement and melody really do a good job of creating the atmosphere of a night in Paris," MU not to mention "a little bit of French thrown in that adds to the song’s feel." KN Of course, it is another line in the song that "raises a smile:" AD "‘these are words that go together well’…McCartney does exactly that with his lyric writing," AD "opposed to the lyrically more thoughtful John." AD

Girl

The Beatles

Writer(s): John Lennon, Paul McCartney

Lead Vocals: John Lennon

Released: Rubber Soul (UK version, 12/3/1965), Rubber Soul (U.S. version, 12/6/1965), The Beatles 1962-1966 (compilation, 4/2/1973)

Peak: 21 CL, 21 DF Click for codes to charts.

Sales (in millions): --

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 103.40 streaming

Covered by: Paul Carrack (2007)

About the Song:

"Michelle" and Girl, both laced with "Greek-like guitar lines" AM2 and "the ability to make young girls swoon." RV reveal a "passion for classic tin pan alley balladry." CD The latter, "written on the last night of the sessions" AZ ranks as "of the best ballads [John] ever wrote." IB "He’s on wonderful vocal form throughout" AD on what "stand[s] as [one of the] turning points in John Lennon’s oeuvre." AZ

If I Needed Someone

The Beatles

Writer(s): George Harrison

Lead Vocals: George Harrison

Released: Rubber Soul (UK version, 12/3/1965), Yesterday and Today (U.S., 6/15/1966), The Beatles 1962-1966 (compilation, 2023 reissue)

Peak: 19 CL, 33 DF Click for codes to charts.

Sales (in millions): --

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 26.52 streaming

About the Song:

George Harrison, who was "developing into a fine songwriter," AM2 "comes through with his best tunes to date." MU He "throws in clever lyrics" DBW on "the Byrdsish If I Needed Someone" AM2

Think for Yourself

The Beatles

Writer(s): George Harrison

Lead Vocals: George Harrison

Released: Rubber Soul (UK version, 12/3/1965), Rubber Soul (U.S. version, 12/6/1965)

Peak: 39 DF Click for codes to charts.

Sales (in millions): --

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 26.15 streaming

About the Song:

George Harrison, who was "developing into a fine songwriter," AM2 "comes through with his best tunes to date." MU He "rocks out on Think for Yourself, with Paul on fuzz bass." DBW The song uses "an uncomfortable blending of major and minor modes which serves as an ingenious complement to the lyrics about deception." CS

What Goes On

The Beatles

Writer(s): John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Richard Starkey

Lead Vocals: Ringo Starr

Released: B-side of “Nowhere Man” (2/21/1966), Rubber Soul (UK version, 12/3/1965), Yesterday and Today (U.S., 6/15/1966)

Peak: 81 BB, 99 HR, 44 CL, 38 DF Click for codes to charts.

Sales (in millions): --

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 20.83 streaming

About the Song:

"There is but one stumbling point on Rubber Soul - namely, the sole contribution that drummer Ringo Starr makes" DV with "the countryish-ditty What Goes On." MU "This has nothing to do with Starr’s songwriting ability or vocal talents…Starr was more competent of a singer and songwriter than many people are willing to give him credit for;" DV if anything, blame…is shared with Lennon and McCartney, who also wrote the song. Simply put, it’s not…the strongest material ever to come from these songwriters’ pens." DV

Run for Your Life

The Beatles

Writer(s): John Lennon, Paul McCartney

Lead Vocals: John Lennon

Released: Rubber Soul (UK version, 12/3/1965), Rubber Soul (U.S. version, 12/6/1965)

Peak: 39 DF Click for codes to charts.

Sales (in millions): --

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 39.57 streaming

About the Song:

"John’s insecurely misogynistic Run for Your Life" JA is "a cold-blooded attack on an unfaithful lover. ‘I’d rather see you dead little girl, than be with another man,’ he bawls." RV Despite being "perhaps the least essential track" AD on the album, the song still "features a great vocal" JA and some nice "little guitar interludes between the verses and following the chorus parts." AD

Wait

The Beatles

Writer(s): John Lennon, Paul McCartney

Lead Vocals: John Lennon and Paul McCartney

Released: Rubber Soul (UK version, 12/3/1965), Rubber Soul (U.S. version, 12/6/1965)

Peak: 39 DF Click for codes to charts.

Sales (in millions): --

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 24.18 streaming

We Can Work It Out

The Beatles

Writer(s): John Lennon, Paul McCartney (see lyrics here)

Lead Vocals: Paul McCartney

Released: single (12/3/1965), Yesterday and Today (U.S., 6/15/1966), The Beatles 1962-1966 (compilation, 4/2/1973), Past Masters Volume Two (compilation, 3/7/1988), The Beatles 1 (compilation, 11/14/2000)

B-Side: “Day Tripper”

Peak: 13 BB, 14 CB, 13 GR, 12 HR, 1 CL, 15 UK, 11 CN, 17 AU, 3 DF Click for codes to charts.

Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, 1.42 UK

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 2.0 radio, 114.5 video, 138.44 streaming

Covered by: Stevie Wonder (1970, #13 BB, 9 CB, 11 GR, 13 HR, 3 RB, 27 UK, 49 CN), The Four Seasons (1976, #34 UK), Tesla (1990), Phil Keaggy (1995), Heather Nova (2002)

Awards:

(Click on award to learn more).

About the Song:

"We Can Work It Out" was recorded during the sessions for the Rubber Soul era and released in the UK as a stand-alone single in December 1965. In the U.S., the song appeared on the album Yesterday and Today, sort of a hodge-podge of singles and album cuts which hadn’t been released stateside in album form. The song, backed by John Lennon’s "Day Tripper," soared to #1 on December 18 in the UK and January 8 in the United States.

The song was inspired by an argument Paul McCartney had with his then-girlfriend Jane Asher. He offers "passive-aggressively, pleading for his significant other to see things from his perspective in the same breath as he threatens to bolt out the door." SG However, the song also showcases Paul’s typically "upbeat, optimistic verses" KL about how "we can work it out." As John Lennon said, "You could say that he provided a lightness, an optimism, while I would always go for the sadness." FB

Indeed, John "crashes in with the bitter-sweet middle eight which gives the song its bite." KL He contributes lines here such as "Life is very short / And there’s no time / For fussing and fighting, my friend." As John explained, "I’d be the one to figure out where to go with a song – a story that Paul would start. In a lot of the songs, my stuff is the ‘middle eight,’ the bridge.’" FB Producer George Martin affirms that the two "never really collaborated. They were never Rodgers and Hart. They were songwriters who helped each other out with little bits and pieces." FB

Recorded at the beginning of their more experimental phase, the song showcased how the Beatles could "take a simple-enough tune about a romantic disagreement and use it as a way to futz around with organ sounds and time signatures – to keep things interesting for themselves, or maybe to let their audience grow with them." SG

Day Tripper

The Beatles

Writer(s): John Lennon, Paul McCartney (see lyrics here)

Lead Vocals: John Lennon and Paul McCartney

Released: B-Side of “We Can Work It Out” (12/3/1965), Yesterday and Today (U.S., 6/15/1966), The Beatles 1962-1966 (compilation, 4/2/1973), Past Masters Volume Two (compilation, 3/7/1988), The Beatles 1 (compilation, 11/14/2000)

Peak: 5 US, 10 CB, 12 HR, 2 CL, 15 UK, 17 AU Click for codes to charts.

Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, 1.42 UK

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 1.0 radio, 15.2 video, 200.14 streaming

Covered by: Ramsey Lewis (1966, #74 BB), Vontastics (1966, #100 BB), Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967), Anne Murray (1974, #59 BB), Cheap Trick (1980)

Awards:

(Click on award to learn more).

About the Song:

In the UK, "We Can Work It Out" and "Day Tripper" were released as a double-A-sided, stand-alone single in the UK, where it hit #1. In the United States, the songs were treated separately. John Lennon wanted his song, "Day Tripper," to be the A-side, but "We Can Work It Out" was pegged as "the safer, friendlier song" SG with more commercial appeal. The former was a chart-topper in the U.S., but "Day Tripper" fared just fine, reaching #5. Both songs were then released on the U.S.-only album Yesterday and Today in June 1966.

As was often the case, Paul McCartney wrote "We Can Work It Out" with more focus on the melody while "the Lennon-written ripper ‘Day Tripper’" SG is an example of what John called "straight, shouting rock ‘n’ roll." FB The song "rocks harder, playing around with the ferocity that the Beatles’ new competitors the Rolling Stones were bringing" SG although there’s still "there’s a neatness, a pertness about this band on this record." FT

In addition to the "big, heavy riff" SG the song also represented one of the band’s "creative attempts to smuggle drugs and sex into their songs…’She’s a big teaser, she’s a day tripper,’ subtle stuff there lads! The song’s a frustrated goodbye, but who’d really blame a girl for having fun with boys whose eagerness to please is so apparent?" FT

While John wrote the song, it was sung jointly by him and Paul. The "arrangement is a homage to Stax Records." KL Interestingly, Otis Redding covered that song as well as the Rolling Stones’ "(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction," telling friends (falsely) that he wrote both songs. KL

Resources/References

  • AM1 AllMusic.com review by Zac Johnson
  • AM2 AllMusic.com review by Richie Unterberger
  • AMG AllMusic.com review by Bruce Eder of "In My Life"
  • JA John Alroy, Wilson & Alroy’s Record Reviews
  • AZ Amazon.com review by Don Harrison
  • FB Fred Bronson (2007). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (4th edition). Billboard Books: New York, NY. Page 191.
  • CD CdUniverse.com
  • TC Toby Creswell (2005). 1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time. Thunder’s Mouth Press: New York, NY. Pages 800-1.
  • DV The Daily Vault review by Christopher Thelen
  • AD Adrian Denning, Adrian’s Album Reviews
  • EW’12 Entertainment Weekly (9/27/2012). "Top 100 Albums"
  • FT FreakyTrigger.co.uk (5/17/2005). "Popular (UK #1 Singles)" by Tom Ewing
  • IB Ink Blot Magazine review by Jesse Fahnestock. No longer online.
  • KN Keno’s Classic Rock Album Reviews
  • KL Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh (2005). 1000 UK Number One Hits. Omnibus Press: London, UK. Pages 116-7.
  • TM Tom Moon (2008). 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die. Workman Publishing Company, Inc.: New York, NY. Pages 58-9.
  • PM PasteMagazine.com (6/3/2024). "The 300 Greatest Albums of All Time"
  • RV The Review (Oct./Nov. 2001). "The 100 Greatest Albums of All Time" by Clarke Speicher
  • CS Chris Smith (2009). 101 Albums That Changed Popular Music. Oxford University Press. Pages 34-6.
  • SF Songfacts page for "In My Life"
  • SG Stereogum (8/24/2018). "The Number Ones" by Tom Breihan
  • TL Time Magazine (11/13/2006). "All-TIME 100 Albums" by Josh Tyrangiel and Alan Light
  • MU Marco Ursi. No longer online.
  • DBW David Bertrand Wilson, Wilson & Alroy’s Record Reviews

    Related DMDB Pages:

    First posted 2/15/2008; last updated 8/20/2025.

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