[Sordel]

I think of "Yesterday" as pure Macca: he dreamt it himself, and when it was debuted he performed it without the rest of the band. That said, it is the most famous "Lennon/Macartney" composition, so I think that one ought to win.

 

[wareagle69]

Yesterday

 

[Tyson]

Come Together.

 

[mbriant]

According to Wiki, Yesterday is the most recorded song in history, with 3000 different versions. Does that make it the most famous? Perhaps.

But take a look near the bottom of Wiki's Beatles page under "Achievements" and it's easy to see how it's so difficult to be sure. Their huge number of hits, massive popularity, and impact has yet to be repeated.

The Beatles - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[riceboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mbriant /img/forum/go_quote.gif According to Wiki, Yesterday is the most recorded song in history, with 3000 different versions. Does that make it the most famous? Perhaps. But take a look near the bottom of Wiki's Beatles page under "Achievements" and it's easy to see how it's so difficult to be sure. Their huge number of hits, massive popularity, and impact has yet to be repeated. The Beatles - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Good point about "Yesterday". I do recall reading that in one of the Beatles books. They certainly do have a great deal of achievements as well. Thanks for the link

 

[chadbang]

yesterday

 

[DrBenway]

I agree that "Yesterday" is their best known song. According to Wikipedia, it's not only their most covered song, it's also the single most recorded song in the history of popular music:


"Yesterday" has achieved recognition as being the most recorded song in the history of popular music; its entry in the Guinness Book of Records suggests over 3000 different cover versions to date, by an eclectic mix of artists including The Seekers, Joan Baez, Liberace, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Daffy Duck, Wet Wet Wet, Plácido Domingo, The Head Shop, and Boyz II Men.[18] In 1976, David Essex did a cover version of the song for the ephemeral musical documentary All This and World War II. After Muzak switched in the 1990s to programs based on commercial recordings, Muzak's inventory grew to include about 500 "Yesterday" covers.[19] At the 2006 Grammy Awards, McCartney performed the song live as a mash-up with Linkin Park and Jay-Z's Numb/Encore."



Quote:

Originally Posted by Melv01 /img/forum/go_quote.gif McCartney's bit in "a day in the life" is the "woke up / got out of bed..." section. The rest is Lennon's (not forgetting George Martin's orchestral arrangement at the end of the song.)

George Martin contributed so much to the Beatles's studio sound that he could plausibly be called the fifth Beatle, in my opinion.

Don't forget that final, bizarre piano chord. From Wikipedia:

Following the final orchestral crescendo, the song ends with one of the most famous final chords in music history.[12][16] Lennon, McCartney, Starr, and Evans shared three different pianos and all played an E-major chord simultaneously. The sound of the final chord was manipulated to ring out for nearly a minute by increasing the tape sound level as the vibration faded out. Near the end of the chord the recording levels were turned so high that listeners can hear the sounds of the studio, including rustling papers and a squeaking chair.[17]

 

[Carmantom]

I'm also a vote for "Come Together"

 

[latershow]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Melv01 /img/forum/go_quote.gif McCartney's bit in "a day in the life" is the "woke up / got out of bed..." section. The rest is Lennon's (not forgetting George Martin's orchestral arrangement at the end of the song.)

I think I read that "Yesterday" was one of the first Beatle songs to feature session musicians, the first being the the flute arrangement on "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" - also from "Help!"

 

[jetstream]

Let It Be.

 

[BigEat]

Just for an alternative, I'll say "Let it Be"