Like any famous band, The Beatles have conventions. If you tried to write a Beatles-esque song, there would be beats to hit. But like any convention, The Beatles’ stereotypes don’t capture the full breadth of what the band offers. Below, revisit three songs that showcase different sides of this iconic band.
“Helter Skelter”
The Beatles aren’t known as the hardest rock band of all time. They were more melodic than raw power. But they had their moments. Take “Helter Skelter”, for example. This song about a childhood thrill ride is plenty rough around the edges. It’s a welcome edge from a band often known for its pop appeal. “When I get to the bottom, I go back to the top of the slide / Where I stop, and I turn, and I go for a ride / Till I get to the bottom, and I see you again,” they sing in this off-kilter staple.
This track only got edgier over time. Charles Manson and his ill intent adulterated it. He used the song as a creed of sorts, completely missing its original meaning.
“I Want You (She’s So Heavy)”
Though The Beatles were blues-obsessed from their earliest years, that sound didn’t always show up in their songs, at least in its pure form. The band got plenty darn bluesy, though, in one of their late-career classics, “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)”.
This song really only features one lyric: “I want you / I want you so bad / It’s driving me mad.” But that simplicity works with the heavy guitar tones and bluesy shuffle. It’s an outpouring of emotion from John Lennon, which is in the true spirit of blues music.
“Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”
Paul McCartney often took The Beatles in a direction that his bandmates turned their nose up at. His sentimental tracks weren’t the edgy, socially conscious songs of, say, Lennon. But they had something none of the other Beatles could touch: pure pop appeal.
No one else could’ve written a song like “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”. “Happy ever after in the marketplace / Desmond lets the children lend a hand / Molly stays at home and does her pretty face / And in the evening, she still sings it with the band,” the lyrics read. They align more with what fans would get in McCartney’s solo career, making them a nice precursor to that enduring era.
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