Single worst Beatles song

Cafe Society
1

In response to this very enjoyable thread by hrhomer …

I know, they are arguably the best band in history, but still, they have made some crappy things. So, again: gun to your head, pick the ONE Beatles song you would prefer never to have seen the light of day.

I know I’m not very original, but hey, it’s my first thread.

This is harder than I thought it would be. Anyway, mine is: You know my name (look up the number). But only with the gun to my head…
Oh, and saying you don’t like the Beatles won’t get you off the hook this time. :slight_smile:

2

The Beatles are the best band in history.

That being said:

Revolution #9.

3

Oh, it HAS to be “Mr. Moonlight.” Truly excruciating.

I mean, “Revolution #9” was rubbish, too, but it was experimental rubbish. At the very least, I can understand why it may have seemed like a good idea while they were recording it. But “Mr. Moonlight” was just plain awful, and they must have known that even as they were recording it.

A few runners-up:

Blue Jay Way
Flying
Honey Pie
Wild Honey Pie
Within You Without You
I Dig a Pony

4

I want to be in the movies.

5

Eight Days a Week.

6

Would that be “Act Naturally”? Why does everyone dis the Ringo songs?

While “Mr. Moonlight” is pretty bad, I’ll nominate “Anna (Go to Him)” as their most pointless recording. A cover tune nobody ever remembers, pure filler. At least Lennon like the original “Mr. Moonlight”.
I’ll defend “You Know My Name”, since it was originally just a goofy B-side. It didn’t appear on any album for almost a decade.

7

The puerile “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road.” Even if you take it as a parody of blues songs, it’s still incredibly lame.

8

HELTER SKELTER. I mean, come on. It even motivated a spree of mass killings it was so bad.

9

“Act Naturally” is a great song.

I guess I’d say, if forced to choose ONE ONLY…

Revolution #9

Wild Honey Pie is close. But the rest of the White Album is phenomenal…

hrh

10

“Good Night” off the White album. I don’t know what they were going for there.

11

Huh. I notice that only Happy Lendervedder picked an early song. There are quite a few Beatles songs from their early years which, to me, qualify as boring, standard rock. But I just can’t pick one of those, for some reason…

hrh

12

The worst cover: “Mr. Moonlight” (popular choice)

The worst original: “Fool on the Hill” (not so popular choice)

I admit to liking “Revolution #9,” and to finding “Wild Honey Pie” too short and innoffensive to work up any loathing for.

13

BTW, “Act Naturally” was a cover. The original was by Buck Owens.

Anyway, regarding the OP, I’ll have to put in another vote for “Mr. Moonlight.” It just sounds so smarmy.

14

Hmm, here’s the OP again. I’m considering whether I meant original Beatles songs of whether covers count too

::scratches head::

I think it’s only originals, if that’s okay…

:rolleyes:

15

“Long and Winding Road.” I thought that the ANTHOLOGY version without the choir of angels and the random Phil Spector-isms would be much better, but it was still too… fussy.

16

Let me be #3 to vote for #9.

And if you disqualify that one on the grounds that it can’t possibly be considered a “song” then I’d vote for Wild Honey Pie.

And if you disqualify that because it’s too short to qualify as a “song” then I guess I’d have to go with “I Am the Walrus.”

17

I vote for Yellow Submarine. I don’t think I’ve ever sat through the whole thing. I can’t even explain it, I just get sick of it more than any other Beatles song I’ve heard a gabillion times.

(If covers were included, I’d easily vote for Twist and Shout. For me, there’s just no reason to listen to that one over the Isley Brothers’ version).

18

The original version of ‘Love Me Do’ currently found on Beatles’ PastMasters.

This would be the version on which Ringo himself played drums instead of Andy White, who played the rock-steady groove on the version most heard today. As good a drummer Ringo is, I guess the recording studio enviroment got to him or something…

Paul’s singing is rather sub-par on this track as well; he sounds like he’s actually yawning while singing.

Overall, the whole track falls flat and is most un-Beatle-like

[sub]Wasn’t there a thread on this same topic a while back?[/sub]

19

Their Birthday song is the lamest thing. And of course it’s our family traditon to play it 4 times a year. I just want it to go back into its box already.

20

With the exception of Wild Honey Pie, that is too short to be really bad anyway, I love all these songs.

For the worse I’d have to pick… this is much harder than I thought it would be… The Word.