Is "Yesterday" the greatest Beatles song?

[alltunes]

Have you had the pleasure of listening to the “mono” version…..that and many others are a breath of fresh air if you are used to the stereo versions

[supersoul]

If I fell is a great tune:

isolated vocals:

[charleyrich99]

Inside John Lennon and Paul McCartney'''s partnership and the song that shifted the '''balance of power'''

1) In My Life
2) Here, There, and Everywhere

[Stringswinger]

1) In My Life
2) Here, There, and Everywhere

Two of my favorites.

[PMB]

That said, best McCartney for me might be between For No One and Mother Nature's Son.

But then there's also Golden Slumbers - which works better for me than the Long and Winding Road. It is a sad fact of history that so much attention was laboured on Maxwell's Silver Hammer when it could have been spent on turning Golden Slumbers into a full length song. But then, perhaps a full length version might have got annoying.

Ask me again next week lol.

Golden Slumbers is definitely one of his greatest vocal performances.

[ragman1]

Is "Yesterday" the greatest Beatles song?


Apparently not. If you google the 'Beatles' greatest song' Yesterday always comes way down the list (Hey Jude is generally higher). Results vary, but A Day In The Life usually comes at or near the top most often.

[GuyBoden]

It's such an iconic tune that nobody would even dare to try to cover it.

I remember Siouxsie doing a great cover in my teenager years.

[Robertkoa]

Yesterday is of course great but you can't pick just one Beatles tune to be the 'greatest '. IMO.

It can be your favorite , but how can you pick just one .

Even Frank Sinatra loved 'Something' and called it the greatest love song.

So you pure Jazzers have to factor that in.

When people ask me who the greatest guitarist of all time is -

I say Michael Jordan is the GOAT ..lol.

Too subjective .

But speaking of the Beatles - how did George Harrison do the pure Jazz great Solo on
'Till There Was You ' in 1962 at 19 years old.

I think only Wes Montgomery might MIGHT have done a Solo that great on that tune at that 'time' . [ pun intended ] lol.

Absolute musical genius - the Beatles.

[emanresu]

I like "Come together" the best because other than it having a peculiar drum thing, all else is is pretty standard... but the outcome is unique.
And their Bond theme.

Yesterday is just a nice song.

[supersoul]

I like "Come together" the best because other than it having a peculiar drum thing, all else is is pretty standard... but the outcome is unique.
And their Bond theme.

Yesterday is just a nice song.

The Bond theme was just Paul solo in the 70s... Live and Let Die
I absolutely love Ringo's drums on Come Together. That drum part is an integral part of the song, it can almost be sung. He barely touches the cymbals, and the hi hat isn't a constant thing but more of a percussion element in the pattern.
I hear a similar approach in his playing on Cold Turkey, which was a John solo single later that year. Again, very little hihat, and when he does it is as another piece of the percussion part, not as a steady 8th or quarter note.
His drums in the Abbey Road period are often damped with towels, and very woody/earthy sounding, which I think is cool.
Ringo is a great drummer and I will die on that hill. He came up with drum parts that you can sing, and he has swing. He always plays to the song and he never shows off.

[emanresu]

Oh. I think Yesterday does have something special. The whole tune is tied so tight. Hard to say what I mean. But every phrase of the tune increases the tension (theoretical one) to the next that continues the job.
But I prefer "Michelle" to "Yesterday".

[Jimmy blue note]

I remember Siouxsie doing a great cover in my teenager years.

Next time somebody at a party or gathering hands me a guitar and says "Play something", I'll play them a Beatles tune and I'm gonna thank you GuyBoden. OY!

[PMB]

Exactly why I cannot pick a "greatest" Beatles tune. My choice could be different in an hour.

In fact, I cannot think of any Great American songbook composer who I prefer to Lennon/McCartney .

A great tune for a jazz combo to explore is "I Will".

That makes sense as it started out from riffing on "The Way You Look Tonight":

[2bornot2bop]

Another vote for Hey Jude.

[Mick-7]

That makes sense as it started out from riffing on "The Way You Look Tonight":

I bet that sheer boredom during their stay with the Maharishi led John, Paul and George to write some great songs.

[AllanAllen]

Mr. Moonlight is the best Beatles song, I love the big drum and the roller rink organ. Oh Darlin’ is second best.

[Django Johnson]