My Least Favorite Beatle Songs

This is an interesting list to make. Everyone knows I’m a huge fan but there are some that I won’t listen to…not because they are burned out…I won’t even list those…these are ones I never really liked since I was a kid.

Some of you will notice that one “song” or experiment is not in here…that’s because I count Revolution #9 as an experiment and not a true song. I find it fascinating…a sound collage. I looked up the usual suspects… Yellow Submarine, Good Day Sunshine, Don’t Pass Me By, Rocky Raccoon, and Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da but I like those.

These are songs I’ll never post except this once.

5: Little Child – This was on their Meet The Beatles album in the US. Never liked it as a kid, teen, or now. But I did find a version I like by The Inmates that I just found recently.

4: Mister Moonlight – This song was written by someone else but I just never took to it at all…although John did a great vocal on it.

3: Can’t Buy Me Love – I know…this one seems out of place on this list but it was on the first Beatle album I ever bought (Hey Jude Again) and I skipped it even as an eight-year-old.

2: Maxwell’s Silver Hammer – I’ve heard my share of jokes about this song with me being named Max. I would like to use that damn hammer on every recording of this. I’ll never forgive Paul for introducing Maxwell to the world. The other three Beatles felt the same. There are some that really like it…more power to them!

1: Now the number 1 song…it’s the only one on the White Album I cannot and will not listen to. Wild Honey Pie. This song makes Revolution #9 look like Stairway to Heaven. I have to think they did this as a joke and just left it on. Patti Harrison liked this one so Paul left it on. Paul is the only one on this song.

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

68 thoughts on “My Least Favorite Beatle Songs”

    1. Yea…I dont’ know why I don’t like it…it’s a good melody and the words are not stupid…I don’t know…I just never got there.

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  3. Pingback: My Least Favorite Beatle Songs – MobsterTiger

  6. A v-e-r-y interesting post and list, Max. Love this idea. I would say I am in total agreement with 3 of these 5. I do get that Maxwell’s Silver Hammer put off a lot of fans because it is pretty out-there….ok, let’s say I am total agreement on 4 out of 5. But…Can’t Buy Me Love I would more likely have in my top five favorites!🙂

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  7. Interesting concept, pointing out among other things, even truly brilliant artists will produce some crap occasionally given the opportunity and enough time. I wasn’t familiar with ‘Mr Moonlight’, I actually thought it sounded fairly good…. no way would it be up there on my list of their best, but I thought not bad. Maxwell- must be more annoying for you, with your name as you point out! Yeah, I loved it as a child but now can do without hearing it. But really that comes from the lyrics which are both inane and basically offensive. The tune itself is good enough, I suppose. Agree on ‘Wild Honey Pie’ , but ‘Revolution 9’ is far worse to my ears (I know you said you don’t even consider it a song, fair point) and those with a few like the monkey song are why I constantly say the ‘White Album’ has some really really great stuff but should’ve been edited down to a single album.

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    1. I still listen to Revolution #9….it is so interesting to me…a huge sound collage….Oh I love “Everybody’s got something to hide except for me and my Monkey”….one of my favorite songs off that album…really Honey Pie is the only one I skip on it.

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  8. Wow did not see this list coming! lol… Like any band that has a catalog you could easily do one on like you have. Good stuff but I always liked Maxwell’s Silver Hammer but I never made the connection to it to your name hahaha….
    You just outed yourself. lol

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  10. The White Album had some real stinkers. The Mona Lisa twins did a good job on Maxwells Silver Hammer, good video and all. I would say that around that time, the lads were ingesting some stuff they shouldn’t have. Rock Racoon lives on to this day.

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    1. Yea Rocky Racoon….I’ve known people who love it and those who hate it….never an in between.

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  11. “Least favorite Beatles songs” almost sounds like an oxymoron. For a lesser band would these be “greatest hits”? But a pedophile and a serial killer… I’m guessing you like “Money” (That’s what you want) instead of “Can’t Buy Me Love”. 😉 As for “Wild Honey Pie”, The Youngbloods did a much better job with filler tunes (like “Turn it Over”, a 10-15 second snippet to tell you it’s time to turn the record over).

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    1. Yea I don’t have many I won’t listen to…this is about it…lol…yes Money!
      That was a cool idea by The Youngbloods.

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  13. I agree with you on #1 and #5, also like John’s singing on Mr. Moonlight. I like most of their songs, but I will add these of mine: Ob li de Ob li da (used to like it now it gets on my nerves,) Dr. Robert, Hey Bulldog, and Sun King (all sloppy imo.)

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      1. It’s not that I hate the song, it just doesn’t strike my fancy. Sun King feels like they just threw bits and bobs together. Looking at The Beatles Bible (where I found the song list) I think it even says John hated the song himself lol

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      2. Oh he did throw bits in it…that whole side is bits and pieces…some work well…some not as well.
        One of my favorites by them is Helter Skelter…it’s chaos but a controlled chaos…many don’t like it….Oh…and screw Manson…

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      4. Question: do you hate Maxwell’s… because your name is Max?? I like the song because it’s done tongue in cheek and love that impish sense of humor in it.

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      5. Oh I got picked at because of that song. I actually liked it as a kid…I really did…then combined with the picking and I really got tired of it…one interesting fact about that song…Paul has NEVER played it live…ever.

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      6. Understandable why then, sorry you had to go through that. That is interesting about Paul never playing it. Maybe he didn’t want to tempt fate, especially after what happened to John 😦

        One song I got “harassed” over was the song, “I’m not Lisa.”

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      7. Ah…they were having fun but it never stopped. Wow….I forgot about that song! Not to bring it up now but it’s been a long time.

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  14. Every now and then you still do surprise me, Max. This is a post I didn’t expect seeing from you.

    With that said, I grudgingly admit not all Beatles songs are truly great. I guess I could also live without “Little Child”, “Mr. Moonlight” and “Wild Honey Pie”. I would keep “Can’t Buy Me Love”, a song I’ve always dug, and “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer”, which I find weirdly catchy.

    Another song that would be on my least favorite Beatles songs is “You Know My Name (Look Up the Number).”

    BTW, I didn’t know the rendition of “Little Child” by The Inmates and agree it’s more exciting than the original.

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    1. I’m glad I surprised ya! NOW we finally have a difference!!! Only one in a very few! I LOVE You Know My Name…why? Because I look at it as a comedy…it IS funny. John’s voices crack me up…also it’s cool that Brian Jones is on it.

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      1. Surprises make things more interesting, Max. As long as you don’t start posting one death metal song after the other. Though even if all for a sudden you’d discover death metal, who am I to say you’d be wrong!

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      2. I don’t think you will have to worry about that! I love your post today by the way….I gotta write one of their songs up! I love that band.

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  15. All those songs don’t bother me, other than for “Wild Honey Pie”, which I agree is downright horrific. I do love “Can’t Buy Me Love” though. One of their biggest hits I’ve never been wild about is “Day Tripper”, though I don’t hate it by any means.

    Have you ever seen this list Max? (I posted it on my blog back in 2017, when I had only a handful of followers.) https://www.vulture.com/article/best-beatles-songs-ranked.html

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    1. I LOVE these lists…I’ve seen this one and yea I disagree with the last one…Good Day Sunshine…That is why I remember this list. I DO agree with their number one though.
      Thank you…

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    1. Now that one I didn’t expect John! You know one that many people say also that I don’t expect? I Want You (She’s So Heavy)…. I always thought it was so cool…the guitar and I love Paul’s bass

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    2. Thank you John! I’ve thought that since first time I ever heard it – chop those useless last 3 minutes or so off! Start of song, is the ‘song’, is good. That ending…beyond tedious. Not my least favorite Beatles song but my least favorite big hit by them, because of its lengthiness and ending

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      1. Sorry guys; When it comes to ‘Hey Jude,’ all seven minutes plus I’ll be the one singing yeah yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah, hey Jude. I won’t listen to anyone saying na na na na , na na na, na na na na nothing bad about it. Now ‘Rev 9’ and ‘Piggies’ I’d be happy to unhear.

        Can’t please every Beatles fan all of the time?

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  17. I kind of agree with the ‘Hey Jude’ comments… not their worst song at all, but it’s been done to death at this point. Their big hit that I don’t really like too much is ‘Hello Goodbye’, but I wouldn’t say I hate it. Not sure there is a Beatles song I hate, not even Maxwell!

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    1. Yea…to me though…it’s like me hating…no loathing Hotel California or almost any later Eagle song…although I truly hate the Eagles…with a passion of a thousand suns…it’s not their worse song…it’s more of the radio’s fault…but…I do hate them regardless!

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  18. The one Beatles song I hate is “Run For Your Life” because it’s a mean, nasty, misogynistic song. At least John regretted it later in life.

    I’ve also never liked “The Long and Winding Road” but that’s more of an everyone else seems to love this song but I find it boring situation.

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  20. Can’t Buy Me Love I can’t go with (my dad bought that when I was a kid) but the others not fussed about. Revolution 9 is def my least-liked though, it’s a mess to my ears, art aural collage not so much an actual song..

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  22. “Can’t Buy Me Love” makes sense. It has a syrupy corniness to it with not much creative thought. I love this post, Max, because as much as we have movie and music favorites, the artistry behind them is never perfect or consistent. For the first time EVER, I am going to share my least favorite Beatles song, and I’m hoping this will be therapeutic for me: I can’t stand “Paperback Writer.” The hook, the story, that never-ending coda in falsetto – it makes me gag saliva a little bit. Hahaha! That’s really about it. I love The Beatles pretty much all the time, but I instantly turn off the power when that “Paperback” filth comes on, hahaha!

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