#96: I'm Looking Through You

Written by: John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Released: December 3, 1965
Appears on: Rubber Soul
Lead vocal: Paul


"I'm Looking Through You" has a pretty straight-forward subject and is another song about Paul's dissatisfaction with Jane Asher. It's really amazing how Paul got so much traction out of that relationship and yet, so many of these songs are all drastically different. "I'm Looking Through You" is nothing like "You Won't See Me", both of which are nothing like his songs on HELP!. 
The song's strengths lie in the recording of it, not exactly in the lyrics. (That's not a knock on them, though. I mean, that middle-eight couplet is brilliant - "Why, tell me, why do you not treat me right? Love has a nasty habit of disappearing overnight.") The song is an interesting balance between electric and acoustic. John plays acoustic rhythm, while Paul plays his traditional bass as well as lead guitar. George sneaks in with a small guitar part, while Ringo gets a couple of overdubbed Hammond organ notes (which officially means that all the Beatles were multi-instrument players). I also love that energetic fade-out which feels like a precursor to the fade-outs on Revolver. 
An interesting note is that buyers of the American stereo Rubber Soul got an extra little prize. For some reason, the American stereo mix of "I'm Looking Through You" included a false start before Paul moves into the familiar opening chords. Considering how perfect the Beatles were, I can't imagine how Capitol got a hold of this, but it's a weird, almost funny obscure occurrence in Beatle-dom. The American mono mix did not include this bit. In fact, the only way to get a mono version of this false start is if you bought the Capitol Albums, Vol. 2 set the day it came out because instead of using the original mono mixes, Apple made new mixes by simply mixing down the American 1965 stereo mixes. Of course, this isn't right because Capitol couldn't have made things that easy. In 1965, the American mono mixes were the same mixes that appeared in Britain, I believe (someone correct me if I'm wrong). Apple also did the same thing for Beatles VI. If you get the box set now, though, you will get the correct mono mixes, which means a mono "I'm Looking Through You" without the false start.      
This is another Rubber Soul song that unfairly gets lost in the shuffle, as it has never appeared anywhere else, but seeing as it's still a Beatles song on one of their most beloved records, it could hardly be called obscure.  

#95: Girl

Written by: John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Released: December 3, 1965
Appears on: Rubber Soul
Lead vocal: John


"Girl" is another one of the many songs on Rubber Soul that any band would have killed to have it as a single, but for the Beatles it was just another album track. 
The song casts the title character as a femme fetale, "...the kind of girl you want so much it makes you sorry, still you don't regret a single day." She is mean spirited ("She's the kind of girl who puts you down when friends are there you feel a fool") and knows how to flaunt what she's got ("When you say she's looking good, she acts as if it's understood. She's cool!"). This girl is positively evil and yet the singer is completely entrapped. The lyrics are brilliant as John creates a fully rounded character - something that some movies can't even accomplish - while still getting in his digs at the church (the entire last verse). 
The Beatles perform the song completely acoustically, with George playing a brilliant 12-string part. "Girl" also features the infamous "tit-tit-tit-tit" vocal percussion joke, as well as the simulated joint smoking (although, to my naive mind, it just seemed like something a guy would do when passing an extremely good-looking girl). This is easily the highlight of Rubber Soul's second side, only eclipsed by one other song that we haven't got to yet. 


"Girl", as stated before, was never a single on either side of the Atlantic. In 1965, it might have caused a stir in the US, but Capitol had second thoughts and in 1977, planned to release it as the A-Side to the Love Songs single. It was, thankfully, cancelled. However, it did appear on that compilation (despite hardly being about real love - the singer seems to feel more pain in his heart than love) as well as 1962-1966. 

#94: What Goes On

Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney & Richard Starkey
Released: December 3, 1965
Appears on: Rubber Soul
Lead vocal: Ringo


Unfortunately on George's birthday, I get to talk about one of the most unremarkable Beatles songs. 
"What Goes On" was apparently written by John prior to the Beatles getting a recording contract. He believed that the track could be a good follow-up to "Please Please Me", but this never materialized. Plans were made to record the song the same day as the "One After 909" takes that appear on Anthology 1 were recorded, but this also never happened. Over the years, Paul worked on it, extending the verses and fixing the chorus (John is quoted as saying that Paul wrote the 'middle eight', but the song has no real middle eight). Ringo has always joked about what he actually did. He said at a press conference that he wrote "About five words, and I haven't done a thing since!" It's entirely possible that Paul had included him in his re-writing of the song since they were planning on giving it to him. 
In the end, the version we know of today is a fun country song that was somehow chosen to open side two of Rubber Soul. It's a perfect fit for Ringo, but it really isn't one of the Beatles' most noteworthy songs. George pulls off another Carl Perkins-esque solo, almost as if somebody forget to tell him that it wasn't a Perkins number! 
Typically, if a Ringo song isn't "Yellow Submarine", it doesn't get included on a compilation. This is true for "What Goes On". It never appeared anywhere else. In the US, however, the song was released on Yesterday And Today because it was one of the songs taken off of Rubber Soul. It was first released as the B-Side of "Nowhere Man" for the same reason that "Act Naturally" was the B-Side to "Yesterday". Ringo was still incredibly popular in the States. 
This used to be one of those rare Beatles songs that Ringo never performed, but during the last two All-Starr tours, he has dusted the song off. 
"What Goes On" proves that even the Lennon & McCartney team was not invincible and every now and then, a dud could be produced by the two.    

#93: Michelle

Written by: John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Released: December 3, 1965
Appears on: Rubber Soul
Lead vocal: Paul

"Michelle" has probably one of the most interesting back stories for any Beatles song. The story goes that Paul used to do this 'little French thing' at parties to get attention and while recording Rubber Soul, John suggested to Paul that he turn this little guitar piece into a full song. You can find plenty of more information on the song's origins here.  
This is just a brilliant song. It's one of those where as soon as you hear the opening chords, you get chills. For every album from now on seems to have a song by Paul that just has an other-worldly feel. There's "Yesterday" on HELP!, "Things We Said Today" on A Hard Day's Night and "I'll Follow The Sun" on Beatles For Sale. I love the understated backing vocals, too. John and George just go 'ooo' the whole time, which is all that's needed. Then there's that brilliant solo, which is probably one of the finest the Beatles recorded. Paul's vocal is also really amazing because he's just singing it straight-on. It almost feels like he's bored with the song..."Michelle ma belle...these are words that go together well...my Michelle." It's just an understated vocal that's perfect.
See, that's the thing with the Beatles. They (along with George Martin, the One True Fifth Beatle) knew exactly what a song needed. "Michelle" only needs acoustic guitar, drums, bass, simple backing vocals and a simple lead. Some groups throw things together or try to make their own songs fit in their own mold. If a metal band writes an acoustic song, they might try to fit it to their reputation, but if the Beatles wrote a folk song...it was recorded as a folk song. The Beatles released square pegs until they fit through round holes without cutting corners - it's as simple as that. 
"Michelle" was easily the first album track to become as immensely popular as it did in 1965. Capitol used the song's status as an album track as a way to sell more copies of Rubber Soul. Once the song's popularity skyrocketed, the album came with a sticker that said "includes 'Michelle'!". It was almost like a declaration - "See, this time, we're not releasing the best song as a single!" (Instead, the lackluster "What Goes On" was.) 
By 1965, it was also a common practice, especially by British groups, to comb Beatles albums for album-exclusive songs that they could turn into their first hit. A folk group called the Overlanders had a hit with "Michelle"...I wonder whatever happened to them? 


The release history for the song is pretty simple. If it's a Beatles compilation, it has "Michelle" on it. It's easier for me to say that it's not on Rock 'n' Roll Music (because it's not a rock song) and Reel Music (because it wasn't in a movie). It was even included on the first hits collection, A Collection of Beatles Oldies...But Goldies, despite not being a single. Also, it isn't on the single-focused compilations (like 20 Greatest Hits and 1). 

#92: The Word

Written by: John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Released: December 3, 1965
Appears on: Rubber Soul
Lead vocal: John (with Paul & George)


"The Word" is really a prototype "All You Need Is Love". It talks about love as an abstract concept, outside of a strict boy/girl relationship. 
Honestly, I've never been too fond of the song. It's very basic, with a three-part harmony that doesn't do much. John takes the lead vocal during the verses, seeing as he wrote the song. The only thing that really sets it apart is George Martin's harmonium solo. 
Certainly without it, there's no way that the Beatles could have logistically made the jump to "All You Need Is Love". The Beatles were coming to the realization, rather quickly too, that they were spokesman and that whatever they were saying, people were actually listening to. "The Word" is the first song where this is apparent. Thankfully, what the Beatles were saying was positive stuff that never ages. I think we all know that if the Beatles told us that the word isn't love, than we certainly wouldn't still be listening to them today. Although, I still think it's funny to hear John mention that the word is not only in the good books, but in the bad ones, too. Well...that's John Lennon for you. 


The song has never appeared anywhere else. I haven't mentioned Love yet, but it is the only appearance of the song outside the UK and US versions of Rubber Soul. In Love, it is (barely) included as part of the mash-up with "Drive My Car" and "What You're Doing".     

#91: Think For Yourself

Written by: George Harrison
Released: December 3, 1965
Appears on: Rubber Soul
Lead vocal: George


"Think For Yourself" is truly a song that only George could write. The song is filled with witty lines ("Although your mind's opaque, try thinking more if just for your own sake!") and considering how poorly it treats the girl, you automatically know that this isn't something Paul wrote. Maybe John could have done it, but this song is nastier than anything he ever wrote ("I left you far behind - the ruins of the life that you had in mind!"). 
I really like the song and I think it proves that George was finally getting on his own tracks. His songs on HELP! really felt like he was trying hard to copy his peers, but his two songs on Rubber Soul proves that he finally gave up doing that. 
On the technical side, the song is noteworthy for Paul's use of a fuzzbox on his bass. Since this cool, unique sound dominates the song, there is literally no lead guitar part. George's guitar acts more or less like a rhythm part and John only plays a piano. The song's basic track was recorded with Paul using a standard electric bass and then the fuzzbox bass sound was overdubbed on top of it. This is not the last time that Paul would wind up dominating a George Harrison tune, though. 
Like "You Won't See Me", "Think For Yourself" is a rather obscure tune. Capitol did not take it off its version of Rubber Soul, so the song feels a little out of place because it draws on no obvious folk influence. It also never appeared on a compilation, although it definitely would have been home on Rock 'n' Roll Music. Despite the fact that the song is not fully heard in Yellow Submarine (The Beatles sing a short sequence to wake up the Lord Mayor of Pepperland), it was included on the Yellow Submarine Songtrack. 

#90: Nowhere Man

Written by: John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Released: December 3, 1965
Appears on: Rubber Soul
Lead vocal: John, Paul & George


"Heeeee's a real Nowhere Man, sitting in his nowhere land..."


"Nowhere Man", the only song on Rubber Soul with a three-part harmony, is a milestone. It's the first original Beatles song not about love - at all. John wrote the song about himself. The 'Nowhere Man' is someone who has no outside connection to the world and spends his time "making nowhere plans for nobody". John came up with the idea after spending hours trying to come up with an idea and just when he was about to give up, "Nowhere Man" popped into his head. 
I like the unique sound of the guitar on the song. It's really a perfect pop exercise where not only is the harmony perfect, but the technical wizardry is amazing. Listen to the way George's guitar resonates on the speaker, especially during his blistering solo.

The song is so far ahead of its time that it feels perfectly at home among the psychedelic songs from 1967. So, it's no wonder that it is the oldest song used in Yellow Submarine. ("Think For Yourself" is quoted with a short excerpt, but "Nowhere Man" is used from start to finish.) The 'nowhere man' was visualized as a short, plump character, whose 'nowhere land' was literally nothing but a white void. He provides probably some of the funniest moments in the film and ends up playing a huge part in the finale. (I'm particularly fond of the sequence where he gives the Beatles his business cards and they all have different names.)
Since the song is an obvious rock/pop track, it went against Capitol's move of turning Rubber Soul into a folk album. They took the song off the record and held it for a single release, with "What Goes On" as the flip side. The single, which was not released until February, 1966, reached #3 on Billboard. In July, 1966, Parlophone issued it as the title track of the only EP for Rubber Soul. This was the last EP until Magical Mystery Tour.
"Nowhere Man" was selected as the side four opener on 1962-1966 and is also included on The Beatles' Ballads. Finally, the song is also on the remixed Yellow Submarine Songtrack, although the version is not significantly different, since it was already remixed by George Martin in 1987 for Rubber Soul's CD release.    
Finally, "Nowhere Man" was also one of the few Rubber Soul songs that were taken out on the road. Even by late-1965, it was obvious that it was impossible to perform their new material on the road as well as they could do the old stuff. By 1966, they weren't even trying and not a single song from Revolver was performed live. Here's one attempt at "Nowhere Man" live, but it's obvious that it was impossible for them to do it as well as the record caught it. 

#89: You Won't See Me

Written by: John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Released: December 3, 1965
Appears on: Rubber Soul
Lead vocal: Paul

By late-1965, Paul's rocky relationship with actress Jane Asher was just about over, although they were able to hold it together until early 1968. "You Won't See Me" is another addition to Paul's ever-growing cannon of troubled relationship songs that resulted from that. It's probably one of Paul's nastiest Beatles songs, but it's definitely a favorite of mine. In the universe of this song the singer is in such dismay that this girl won't see him again that he is moved to tears. 
Mal Evans, one of the Beatles' two roadies (the other being Neil Aspinall), finally makes an appearance on record. He plays the simple, basic parts on the Hammond Organ, credited as Mal "Organ" Evans on the sleeve. While his organ playing maybe what's unique about the song, the best part is Ringo's fantastic drumming. His hi-hats literally explode on the stereo and the rest of his drumming on the song is brilliant. 
"You Won't See Me" also runs for an amazing 3:20, the longest song the Beatles had recorded by a long shot. It's interesting to think about that even though their contemporaries continued to push the boundaries of how long a song could go that the Beatles continued recording songs under three minutes. 


Unfortunately, despite its brilliance, the song is probably one of the most obscure on Rubber Soul. The song was never issued on a 45 and never included on any compilation. 

#88: Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)

Written by: John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Released: December 3, 1965
Appears on: Rubber Soul
Lead vocal: John


Saying that Rubber Soul proves that The Beatles were maturing is an understatement. "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)", written by John, proves this. The song is about a rather obvious affair, where the girl acts in a bizarre, strange manner. Each verse seems to put the singer in a stranger situation. In the first verse, the singer reluctantly admits that that the girl was the dominating one. Later, during the bridge that Paul helped write, he wants to sit down, but there aren't any chairs. In the next bridge, he is stuck crawling off to sleep in the bath. The two don't even sleep together and when he wakes up, "this bird has flown". He ends up lighting a fire and "isn't it good, Norwegian Wood?". 
The imagery in this song is what always gets to me. Even if you ignore the first appearance of a sitar on a Beatles recording, John has never painted a clearer picture with a song. This is definitely a result of the Dylan influence. Throughout Dylan's electric trilogy (Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde On Blonde), his lyrics paint an exact picture (most of the time, anyway). This is something that Beatles songs hardly ever did up to this point because the songs were hardly ever about anything concrete. They never had any stories, until now. "No Reply" was really John's stepping stone to "Norwegian Wood". 

As for the sitar, well...that's a nifty sound, isn't it? The Beatles felt that the song was lacking something, so George, who was learning how to play sitar after encountering one on the set of HELP!, made the suggestion. George admitted in I, Me, Mine that he was really just doodling on the song. After you listen to the song, go to "Love You To" or "Within You Without You" and you can hear how great a sitar sounds if professionally played. 
Apparently, John (and critics) liked to think that Dylan's "4th Time Around" was a parody of the song. It appears on Blonde On Blonde and does have a similar melody. However, Dylan wrote the song prior to Rubber Soul, so this obviously can't be true. Beyond the similar plot and melody, the songs have nothing in common. If you know anything about Dylan's own issues in 1965 and 1966, you can see that he had more things to worry about than parodying a Beatles song. 
"Norwegian Wood", like everything else on Rubber Soul, was not issued as a single. Even in the States, Capitol refrained from issuing an obvious album track with a questionable subject as a single. The song did appear on 1962-1966, Love Songs and the non-US set, The Beatles' Ballads.  

#87: Drive My Car

Written by: John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Released: December 3, 1965
Appears on: Rubber Soul
Lead vocal: Paul 


As if the Beatles hadn't already proved how awesome they were, Rubber Soul is the LP that truly cements this as fact. 
The album opens with the same fervor that Please Please Me does. Throw in a little sexual tension to "I Saw Her Standing There" and you get a much more sophisticated song like "Drive My Car". Although the song is primarily Paul's, only John could have come up with such a sly, humorous sexual metaphor as driving the car. Technically, the song is amazing. Even before the Beatles' catalog was remastered, George's bass playing resonates like a heartbeat...and yes, that is George playing bass and Paul playing lead again. Although, apparently the story goes that George taught Paul exactly how he felt the guitar parts should go and the reason why George plays bass is because he thought the song should feel like the great Motown records of the day. All this is kind of interesting, because usually the writer of the song was the one who took full command, but here, the final product was a real team effort. Even Paul's fantastically rough vocal (it sounds like he's singing with a mouthful of water at times) lends to the song's R & B feel. 
While Capitol axed the song from the US version (see "I've Just Seen A Face"), they still decided that the song was too powerful to be stuck in the middle of a side. They chose it for the opening number on Yesterday And Today. The song was chosen as one of five to represent Rubber Soul on 1962-1966 and is also on Rock 'n' Roll Music, where the song is stuck in the middle of side three on both.


Rubber Soul is a lot of fun to write and talk about because of just how great all of these songs are and not a single one was released as a single. Amazing.   

#86: We Can Work It Out

Written by: John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Released: December 3, 1965
Appears on: Past Masters, Vol. 2
Lead vocal: Paul & John


"We Can Work It Out" is a true Lennon/McCartney collaboration. Paul wrote the main verses and John wrote the bridge sections. John called Paul's sections optimistic, but, if you actually read the lyrics, you can see that it is hardly the case. Both segments of the song are depressing and about a relationship that is not working and where both people do not understand each other. 
The song's interesting instrumentation was created simply by John's harmonium. It's an interesting instrument that is hardly used today (then again, it was hardly used by rock musicians in 1965), which gives the song its unique sound that we know and love today.
As mentioned in the last entry, "We Can Work It Out" and "Day Tripper" were A-Sides that shared the same piece of plastic. Eventually American DJs somehow decided that "We Can Work It Out" really was the more commercial side and it reached #1 on Billboard. How anyone could decided that this song is better than the other, I'll never know. 

Like "Day Tripper", it also appeared on A Collection of Beatles Oldies and Yesterday And Today. Both sides also appeared on 1962-1966, 1 and 1982's 20 Greatest Hits. The "Day Tripper" b/w "We Can Work It Out" 45 is also the opening tracks on Past Masters, Vol. 2.
Personally, I like "Day Tripper" a lot more, simply because it's a fantastic rock song, but "We Can Work It Out" is just as strong and you can see exactly why they made the single double A-sided. 
You can see the promo film made for "We Can Work It Out" on the left. They made another one where they are wearing their Shea Stadium coats, but this version is much more serious in tone. 

#85: Day Tripper

Written by: John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Released: December 3, 1965
Appears on: Past Masters, Vol. 2
Lead vocal: Paul & John


On the same day as Rubber Soul, The Beatles released their first "double-A" sided single. The truth is that both "Day Tripper" and "We Can Work It Out" are such brilliant songs that it was impossible to place the insult of being a 'b-side' on one of them. 
"Day Tripper" is probably one of the most unique songs you will ever hear. The song is dominated by a distinct guitar riff and really interesting vocal interplay, with Paul taking the solo one-liners and John coming in for the rest of the verses. 
The subject of the song is certainly a foreign idea to today's audiences. The term 'day tripper' in the UK meant someone who took a (take a guess) day trip. Today, nobody (at least in the US) ever goes on day trips. Usually, we go out for a weekend or a week. Paul has been quoted as saying that it's about drugs, as if calling the girl in the song as someone who wan't fully committed to the idea of taking them. The idea came from John, although both John and Paul have said that Paul collaborated with him to finish it. 
As John's song, he is allowed to take the rare turn on lead guitar. Although in later years (particularly  throughout 1968-1970), John's playing sounded fairly messy, but here it feels pristine and smooth. This might be in part because he shares the parts with George...or that he just wrote such a damn good riff that there was no way he could screw it up.  
By the time "Day Tripper", "We Can Work It Out" and Rubber Soul were recorded, there was no way the Beatles could take time to do their usual television spots, so they came up with the innovative idea of recording promo spots, which today is known as a music video. "Day Tripper"'s is included in this post. 
As a single-only track, it didn't appear on a UK LP until it's appearance on A Collection of Beatles Oldies a year later. In the US, the song was included on Yesterday And Today. 
For some strange reason, "Day Tripper" did not reach the top of the Billboard charts, only reaching #5. It did reach #1 in the UK, though, which is the reason why both songs are on 1. The song was also anthologized on 1962-1966. As one of the Beatles hardest rockin' songs, it's amazing that Capitol failed to include it on Rock 'N' Roll Music. 


In conclusion, I have to say that this is definitely in my top 10 Beatles songs, without a doubt. 
   

#84 Dizzy Miss Lizzie

Written by: Larry Williams
Released: August 6, 1965
Appears on: HELP!
Lead vocal: John


"Dizzy Miss Lizzie" is the last hurrah. It is the final cover to appear on the standard Beatles studio albums and the last time John was forced to belt out that "Twist And Shout"-type vocal. Initially, the track was not supposed to be on HELP! as it was recorded, like "Bad Boy", specifically for Capitol and the American market. Both "Bad Boy" and "Dizzy Miss Lizzie" appeared on Beatles VI, along with "You Like Me Too Much" and "Tell Me What You See", prior to their British releases. "You Like Me Too Much" and "Tell Me What You See" were always supposed to be on HELP!, but once it appeared as though the idea of a wholly original LP fell flat thanks to "Act Naturally", "Dizzy Miss Lizzie" was up for inclusion.
"Dizzy Miss Lizzie" was written by Larry Williams, who also wrote "Slow Down" and "Bad Boy". ("Slow Down" was actually the B-Side to "Dizzy Miss Lizzie" in March, 1958.) The Beatles performance of the song is great, no doubt about it, but there's a feeling of 'been-there-done-that' here. This is the fifth Beatles album and all but one ended with a raucous cover. Not only was this effect wearing thin on the boys, but it was probably wearing a little thin on the public. 


The song was included on 1976's Rock 'N' Roll Music as the side three opener, but has never been anywhere else. A version was recorded for the BBC prior to its release on HELP! that is included on Live At The BBC.  


Next: We get to sink our teeth in the first ever Double-A sided single! 
      

#83: Yesterday

Written by: John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Released: August 6, 1965
Appears on: HELP!
Lead vocal: Paul 


"So for Paul McCartney...Opportunity knocks!"


"Yesterday" is probably one of the most important songs ever recorded. It features just Paul on acoustic guitar and a string quartet arranged by George Martin....and yet it has always felt like one of the most complex Beatles songs. There are the lyrics, which recount the tragic falling out between lovers,  and that beautiful melody that Paul woke up with in his head. The whole story of how the song went from "Scrambled Eggs" to "Yesterday" has been recounted so many times that it's almost pointless to do it here, so I won't. 
The song is the first to feature just Paul, which made it difficult when performing it live. It wasn't done very often, but when it was, Paul had a recording of the strings to back him up. There are two very important live performances. The first is, of course, the very first performance of the song on the Blackpool Night Out show here, where George gives his famous speech.
Then, there is the only electric performance of the song done in Tokyo, 1966. This version proves that the song Paul wrote was much too delicate to be taken lightly. 


In the UK, The Beatles requested that the song not be released as a single. At the time, they almost felt embarrassed by it, since it was so different from anything else they ever did. They actually thought there was a chance of it sinking into obscurity if they not only put it on the second side of HELP!, but if they put it on the tail-end of the record. (Although they did issue it as the lead track of an EP in March, 1966.) We see how well that worked. 

However, in the US, Capitol felt the need to release it as a single and it became the Beatles' third #1 in a row. The single was backed by "Act Naturally", which was also performed on The Ed Sullivan Show prior to the single release. When Capitol realized that the Beatles were performing two songs that they had yet to release in the States, they rushed out the 45 as soon as they could. Both sides of the single wouldn't make an LP appearance until June 1966 on  Yesterday And Today. Of course, the track has been featured on nearly every Beatles compilation since and was finally issued on a 45 in the UK in 1976.           


In the years since its release, it has become one of the Beatles' most popular songs, considering that it is officially the most covered song of all time. Still, there is nothing better than the original. I really can't say this is my favorite song, because it's not and also, it is very un-Beatle-ly. My favorite Beatles songs are the ones where all four of them made significant contributions, like great harmonies from John & Paul, a great guitar solo from George and fantastic percussion from Ringo. "Yesterday" has none of those qualities. It's still a great song, though and anyone who isn't moved by hearing Paul's vocal and those first few bars doesn't have a heart.