(LOOTPRESS) – Aside from being arguably the most successful act in the history of popular music, The Beatles were also an assortment of romantics, each with a penchant for a good ballad.
As such, it stands to reason that the Fab 4 serve as the soundtrack for the most romantic day of the year. So snuggle up to your Valentine and feel the love with these 10 Beatles love songs for your Valentine’s Day Celebration.
1. All My Loving (Lennon/McCartney) – This delicate ode to a long-distance lover features on The Beatles’ second LP, With The Beatles. While lyrically, the tune is delicate and comforting, it’s delivery atop a raucous, foot-stomping beat acts as an ideal perfect contrast, allowing the song to transcend anything remotely resembling cheesy. The early rocker features some of John Lennon’s finest rhythm guitar work, as the musician’s consistent triplet strums propel the number along like a high-powered engine.
2. I Will (Lennon/McCartney) – Written during The Beatles 1968 trip to India and released that same year as part of The Beatles (The White Album), “I Will” is an acoustic-based number featuring primary songwriter Paul McCartney as the central performer. The song is a very direct dedication to a romantic partner, with McCartney having described the lyrics as “very simple words, straight love-song words.”
“It’s still one of my favorite melodies that I’ve written,” he said of the song. “You just occasionally get lucky with a melody and it becomes rather complete and I think this is one of them; quite a complete tune.” Notably, George Harrison was not present for the recording sessions for “I Will,” and the only performers credited on the tune aside from McCartney himself are Lennon and Starr who contributed percussion.
3. Do You Want To Know a Secret (Lennon/McCartney) – “Do You Want to Know a Secret” emerged late on Side 2 of The Beatles debut album Please Please Me, and was the first Top-10 hit to feature guitarist George Harrison as lead vocalist. The tune features a minor-key introduction before falling into a danceable groove atop which Harrison and Lennon each play acoustic guitars fed into separate audio channels.
Despite having been sung by Harrison and credited to Lennon/McCartney, John Lennon has been identified as the song’s chief composer. In keeping consistency with the band’s earlier work, “Do You Want To Know a Secret” refrains from getting too abstract with its lyricism, but the already-apparent melodic strength of the group shines through and elevates what might normally be considered standard pop fare to legitimately artistic terrain.
4. Got To Get You Into My Life (Lennon/McCartney) – The release of The Beatles’ seventh LP Revolver in 1966 brought about a sea-change in popular music which stemmed from an obvious change which had already occurred within the musical dynamic of the band itself. Diverging from the predictable pop/r&b stylings of their mop-top era, Revolver saw The Beatles really start to stretch out musically. This shift is at once apparent in the brass-heavy, clap-along dedication number “Got To Get You Into My Life,” found late on its parent album’s second side.
Written primarily by Paul McCartney and heavily influenced by the Motown sound which was becoming increasingly popular at the time, “Got To Get You Into My Life” sees its narrator expressing an unwavering desire to be with their companion at all times – not dissimilar from the dynamic Lennon would share with wife Yoko Ono some years later. Lennon himself would compliment McCartney’s work on the song when asked about it shortly before his death during a 1980 interview with Playboy, stating “Paul’s again. I think that was one of his best songs, too.”
5. In My Life (Lennon/McCartney) – 1965’s Rubber Soul exhibited the first inklings of legitimate, transcendent artistry from The Beatles, and John Lennon’s “In My Life” would be a key exhibit in such a discussion. The song details memories of childhood, times past and loved ones who have passed away, and many a listener would purport these themes to be the primary points in focus in the song given the degree to which they dominate the lyric. After all, painstaking lengths are taken to illustrate the scene, with all the song’s verses being frontloaded for consumption before any revelation of a chorus or title. However, Lennon is masterful in subtly shifting the entire narrative through a single line – “In my life, I love you more.”
This nuance alters the context of the investment being built up toward the life-affirming events and encounters in the narrator’s life. By deliberately and methodically articulating the vastness of what these things represent to the narrator, the scope of the adoration conveyed to the recipient of the lyric is amplified exponentially in that the depth and experience of an entire lifetime’s worth of love can’t even begin to broach the narrator’s feelings toward this person.
It is often the things which aren’t said that bring about the biggest impact, and this could absolutely be said of “In My Life.” The language utilized throughout the song allows the writer to put forth an immense declaration without having to kneecap the sentiment by spelling it out. The saccharine offering of “You mean the world to me; I love you more than anything” is stripped of the theatrics and expectations that come with such a bold but recklessly overutilized sentiment. With “In My Life,” Lennon brings proceedings back down to Earth, not feeling the need to overinflate the language to convey his own emotions. This reinforces the sentiment and drives home the point that that which is honest and true need not demand attention for its own merits.
6. Here, There And Everywhere (Lennon/McCartney) – Of The Beatles, it was always McCartney who held the strongest fascination with the notion of the traditional love song. As such, it stands to reason that even the highly experimental (for the time) Revolver would feature an array of odes to love originating with McCartney.
“Here, There And Everywhere features a delicate dance between lyric and melody, moving consistently but occasionally unpredictably, establishing the thread of an ongoing metaphorical parallel between the song itself as it is being presented and the mystifying but all-encompassing sensation of true love as being navigated in an association with another person.
The musical sophistication present throughout the Beach Boys-inspired composition – featuring the navigation of three separate keys and plenty of modulation – is a feat nothing short of astounding in coming from a boy of no more than 24 years of age. The predominant G major key maintains a mostly breezy atmosphere atop a light, slow-danceable rhythm – which even presents waltz opportunities during the middle-eight sections – making “Here, There And Everywhere” a prime choice for partners looking to land on a song to commemorate their relationship.
7. Eight Days a Week (Lennon/McCartney) – A head-bobbing beat and simplistic lyrics can distract from what an effective piece of work “Eight Days a Week” truly is. Released in 1964 as a legitimately collaborative effort between John Lennon and Paul McCartney, the song details the immovable nature of the narrator’s devotion – a promise of unending and undying companionship. Consistent with the songwriting style of the band’s early years, the song never overexerts itself with regard to driving home a complex theme, and it’s all the better for it.
Musically, “Eight Days a Week” opens unusually with a full-mix fade-in before launching into a distinct shuffle-beat from Ringo Starr complete with handclaps and a dash of three-part harmony. The song was released as a single in the United States in 1965 where it would reach the number one spot.
8. When I’m Sixty-Four (Lennon/McCartney) – A rare late-career entry on this list, “When I’m Sixty-Four” is a Paul McCartney original through and through, with writing partner John Lennon disavowing any association with the song, despite being credited as a co-writer. The song emerged on Side 2 of The Beatles’ iconic Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1967 and was stylistically reflective of McCartney’s love for music hall and vaudevillian elements, much to the chagrin of his bandmates.
“When I’m Sixty-Four” features a fairly clever set of lyrics, however. Pedestrian as many of the themes may be throughout, a central component of the notion of love is finding beauty in the mundane, the thrill in repetition, and the excitement in the pedestrian. From this standpoint, “When I’m Sixty-Four” offers quite the thoughtful sentiment with the narrator going a step further than merely considering the love and compassion felt for a partner. Not only are the present and long-term future being taken into consideration, the protagonist is envisioning an entire life with this person comprising all the ups and downs guaranteed not only in life, but also in partnership. The song stares down mortality itself, querying as to whether a partner will still be capable of offering love when one is no longer the most effective or desirable version of themselves. It’s quite a bit to unpack for a song about old people whose defining musical characteristic is the predominant feature of three separate clarinet tracks.
9. P.S. I Love You (Lennon/McCartney) – The earliest song to make the cut here, “P.S. I Love You” was released in 1962 as the B-Side to The Beatles’ debut single “Love Me Do.” Written principally by Paul McCartney, the song follows the lyrical theme of a lover writing long-distance to a partner while counting down the days until the two can be reunited.
Despite having essentially been written-to-order to the end of appealing to the band’s female audience, “P.S. I Love You” has gained substantial recognition since its release and remains an early favorite of many. Notably, drummer Ringo Starr had not yet officially joined The Beatles at the time recording sessions were scheduled for the song. Because of this, producer George Martin had booked a session drummer for the gig beforehand, creating an awkward situation when the band showed up with their new drummer in tow. It all worked out, however, as Starr was still able to contribute to the record through the recording of a maraca track.
10. Something (Harrison) – The lone list entry written by guitarist George Harrison, “Something” would be considered by many to be the finest love song in the entire Beatles catalogue. Noted Beatles critic Frank Sinatra famously called the tune, “the greatest love song of the past 50 years.” Released as the second track from 1969’s Abbey Road, “Something” attracted immediate attention from fans, critics, and contemporaries alike. The song had been covered well over 100 times in the years immediately following its release, and it has since been covered hundreds more, if not more.
“Something,” like “Here Comes The Sun” – also found on Abbey Road – was indicative of Harrison’s immense progression as a songwriter. With the bulk of The Beatles’ material being routinely written by the partnership of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Harrison spent much of his career with the band vying for album space for his own original material. Early on, much of this work was denied in favor of Lennon/McCartney songs, but by the late-1960s Harrison’s abilities as a writer were no longer a matter of debate.
The rich textures, distinctive guitar work, and lush arrangement render the song with a palpable sonic foundation that makes it highly listenable even today. The Fab 4 tackle “Something” with the standard band lineup of Harrison on lead guitar, McCartney on bass and Ringo on drums – though Harrison also performs Lennon’s typical rhythm guitar function while Lennon plays piano on the track. Lyrically, the song paints an object of the narrator’s affections in an almost mystical light, emphasizing the uncertainty and confusion which come along with the pursuit of passion and love.