Previous polls (still active): Please Please Me, With the Beatles, A Hard Day’s Night, and Beatles For Sale.
There can be only one–which would you choose?
And the choices get tougher and tougher. I’m going with “TIcket to Ride,” with a special nod to Ringo for his monster drum part.
For me, it was a toss-up between “You’ve Got To Hide…” and “I’ve Just Seen A Face”. I chose the former, but there’s really no good criteria for me to give one the nod over the other. I’d probably vote differently in a couple minutes.
Paul performed “I’ve Just Seen a Face” when I saw him live this summer and it hit me like a ton of bricks–Holy fuck this is a really amazing song. Unfortunately, I’m not sure if it’s better than Ticket to Ride. And I don’t know if Ticket to Ride is as good as Yesterday or You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away. So…I can’t vote yet.
For me, as an American who bought the album in the '60s, “I’ve Just Seen a Face” is always and forever the opening track on Rubber Soul. History be damned; it just doesn’t belong on this album! 
I cheated a bit because I think that Help! maybe just edges Ticket to Ride as a song, but TtR is such a great recording, the perfect pop single, that I had to vote for it. But someone please vote for Tell Me What You See, OK? That is one catchy song.
Seems like a slightly overlooked album, this one. Perhaps it’s tainted by association with the stupid film. Or maybe people are thinking of the US version of the album, which is basically side one of the UK version plus some soundtrack music.
No way to choose between Ticket to Ride, Help!, You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away, or I’ve Just Seen a Face. They’re each perfect in their own way. Following close behind are It’s Only Love, You’re Going to Lose That Girl, and Yesterday. And depending on my mood, I might promote It’s Only Love to the top tier. I’m voting for Ticket to Ride, but under protest that this should be a multiple-choices poll.
Ticket to Ride. It’s not just the song, but the bit in the movie, too. They were all high when they filmed those scenes on the ski slopes, and I smile every time I think about 4 stoned Beatles frolicking in the snow.
I’m surprised no one has chosen Help yet. It’s a wonderful song and I would have voted for it except it has the misfortune of being on the same LP as my favorite Beatles song, ever: You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away.
For me “Help” edges out “Ticket to Ride” and my sentimental favorite “It’s Only Love” (and I agree with Biffy that this and “I’ve Just Seen a Face” will always be Rubber Soul-y to me).
Who thinks the movie is stupid? It’s a great movie.
“The Night Before” almost wins my vote, but “I Need You” takes it by a nose. Plus, it was “performed” in the movie at Stonehenge, with the Royal Army in attendance.
This was easier than I thought it would be: ‘You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away’.
Voted for Act Naturally just to piss off all the Beatles fans…
This was dead easy for me, although “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away” came fairly close. But I really dislike Lennon’s vocals here. He sounds like he’s doing a pastiche of Bob Dylan (whom I can’t stand as a singer), rather than serving what’s otherwise a moving song.
So I went for the little ditty that’s got thousands of covers for a very, very good reason – it’s a beautifully constructed song with a simple, heartfelt performance. Best of all, it provides a hint of where George Martin will take the Beatles as a producer / orchestrator.
“Help” is quite close in third place, with “Ticket to Ride,” “You’re Going To Lose That Girl” (really one of my favorite singalongs on this album), “The Night Before” and “I Just Saw a Face” following on its heels.
Several good choices, but “I’ve Just Seen a Face” is played far less often.
I voted for Hide Your Love Away because it is a core song for me, but really, this is one of those truly amazing albums where many/most of the songs are brilliant and the argument for “best” is really just an excuse to discuss good music…
Of course “Yesterday” loses points because it’s become so mainstream . . . it’s almost embarrassing to vote for it. But I remember the first time I heard this album when it came out in the 60s, and it was the heartbreaking simplicity of “Yesterday” that I remember most.
Such a hard choice for me! I think I must have seen “Help!” at the movie theatre at least 10 times (seriously!) and I loved every song. That’s my vote for “The Night Before,” though, as I did eventually make a choice. I think George’s song, “I need you,” is a close second…heck, everything else is a close TIE for second! Once, in 8th grade, I went to the movies on a Saturday and stayed all day, watching “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Help!” marathon. I was in heaven. 
Yep. In terms of distilled pure pop craft brilliance, Yesterday is probably in the top 3 of songs of the 20th century.