It’s always nice when some of my favorite things come together (no pun intended?) in a pretty package: in this case, music history and photography. I Quite Like the Beatles is a blog that always makes me happy, with frequent posts of rare photos of the band.
This photo reminds me of the following exchange: Tom: "Nobody loves Ringo Starr." Summer: "That's what I love about him." (500 Days of Summer, 2009)
Even though most people have heard their songs literally thousands of times, there is still something so fresh and timeless about this band. The union was serendipitous: the perfect mix of the right people at the right time. And I think most people would agree that some of the most successful and critically-acclaimed musicians of recent years (including many of my favorites: Wilco, Radiohead, The Shins, Elliott Smith, Fiona Apple) owe their careers to the musical revolution led by the Beatles. In fact, here’s a list of many recent “Beatlesque” songs. The comments have excellent suggestions as well. Side note: just seeing Oasis’ “Don’t Look Back in Anger” takes me back to being 14 and listening to What’s the Story Morning Glory, oh, like every night during the summer between freshman and sophomore year of high school. CD on repeat, painting my fingernails blue, and writing angsty journal entries about the boyfriend I was settling for versus the Jordan Catalano-type I secretly pined after. Ugh. I just wanted to graduate and move to London already. (Which didn’t happen, but just going to college improved my state of mind immensely. That, or maybe it was just not being a teenager anymore…)
List time. My top 20 favorite Beatles songs (always subject to change).
- A Day In The Life
- Side 2 of Abbey Road (I’ve always considered this to be one song. If you disagree, well, you’re wrong. I’m talking to you, Pandora radio. You can’t just cut off “Mean Mr. Mustard” like that. It doesn’t work.)
- While My Guitar Gently Weeps
- Something
- Mother Nature’s Son
- Dear Prudence
- Norwegian Wood
- In My Life
- Here, There, and Everywhere
- Lovely Rita
- Penny Lane
- Come Together
- You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away
- I’m Only Sleeping
- For No One
- Julia
- Day Tripper
- I’ve Got A Feeling
- Two Of Us
- Hey Jude
The Train Is Lost 
A few years ago I dumped a bunch of music on to my mom’s computer because she didn’t have many songs for her iPod and she called me a few days later to say, “these songs sound so much like the Beatles.” Somehow I hadn’t put two and two together. Also, as I was reading this Pandora decided to play “Come Together” and I laughed. A lot.
I’m not the type of person who knows song titles or even album titles (though I wish I was, guess my music listening is more… organic? lazy?) but I know a lot of people like to put together their “ultimate” White Album lists and I like that idea. Here’s a link to one blogger’s version (I kind of think you and this girl could have a very long Beatles conversation): http://www.theresyourkarma.com/2009/07/28/the-ultimate-white-album/
I really like this post and your your picks for top 20!