10 Most Under-rated Beatles Songs

This has apparently been circulating around lately. I found it on Dr. Bob's blog (one of the Blogs I've been lurking on) and being a Beatles fan I thought I'd throw up my own list for the hell of it.

A quick note on criteria:

Under-rated is not a word that is often associated with The Beatles. Easily the most famous band in Rock and Roll history, most music fans I know are familiar with the whole Beatles canon. So I guess when I say "Under-rated" Beatles song, I'm talking relatively.
Obviously I've stayed away from anything that was #1. And I decided to stay away from anything on "Sgt Pepper's".
Also I avoided any of their various covers from the early years, or anything that wasn't a Beatle's original.

Other than that, I just used my own judgement.

Once I got going, it was hard to stop at 10. I would have like to go on to the top 30 under-rated Beatles songs, but I made a few tough choices and held myself back.

In no particular order, the top ten under-rated Beatles songs in my opinion

Links are to the wikipedia articles. In cases where I could find a version on-line, I linked to that as well in case someone doesn't know these songs as well as me.

10. Happiness is a Warm Gun...This song is divided into 3 parts, and the first 2 are my favorite. The beginning has classic nonsense Lennon lyrics.

The second part: "I need a fix cause I'm going down, down to the fix that I left uptown..." I have no idea what it means but it sounds really cool, and I like the way the music goes up and down with the lyrics.
(version on-line here)

9. The Word...Not only a top under-rated song, this is one of my favorite Beatles songs of all time. I've always been amazed that this song isn't better known than it is. It's got such an upbeat jazzy feel, plus a great positive message. (version on-line here)

8. Tomorrow Never Knows...I like George Harrison, but it is interesting to compare this Lennon song against any of George Harrison's Indian inspired music, and see what a talented song-writer Lennon was. This song manages to combine Eastern influences with a captivating rhythm. It just grabs you and pulls you in. (version on-line here)

7. Dig a Pony...I have a hard time not singing along when this song is on the CD player, even though some of the high notes strain my vocal range and make me look ridiculous. Even though I lose some dignity, I just can't resist it. It's such a fun song. (version on-line here)

6. Don't Let Me Down...Alright, this might be pushing the definition of "under-rated" a bit. I know it's a famous Beatles song, but it's not as famous as it should be. I hardly ever hear it on the radio, and it often gets left out of Beatles compilation albums.
Possibly the best Beatles song ever, the energy and feeling behind it is amazing. It never fails to lift me up a bit when I play it. (version on-line here)

5. Run for your Life...I'm not sure how I feel about the misogynistic undertones behind the lyrics, but a great bouncy song. (version on-line here)

4. Things We Said Today...Another song I have trouble not singing along to when it comes on. Especially when the chorus comes along.
I once saw part of this song randomly inserted on a T-shirt of the lady in front of me at the Oita Train station as part of Japanese-English:

Someday when we're older
Deep in love not a lot to say
Then we will remember

(The T-shirt stopped there, but it still made my day). (Version on-line here)

3. Yes it is...Wikipedia claims this as one of John Lennon's least favorite compositions, but the first time I heard it I thought it was one of the most beautiful songs ever. It has a haunting type of melody. I always envision this song being used as background music for a smoky bar.
(um...trouble finding an on-line version. Closest I could get was this cover by some other band).

2. I'm Only Sleeping...I love to listen to this song when I'm feeling lazy (which is pretty much all of the time.) And the weird backwards part is fun too. (version on-line here)

1. I Me Mine...Does this describe our society perfectly, or what? And I love the way the tension in the verses seems to build up until it explodes in the chorus. (on-line version here)

I've decided I'm going to tag this.

I know Jared is a big Beatles fan (although I'm never sure if he has blogging access).

Brett, you my friend are long overdue for a post. (If you don't start posting soon, I'm going to take a page from Mr. Guam and start a "Brett needs an update" campaign.)

Phil, Bork, I know neither of you are huge Beatles fans, but I always enjoy your thoughts on music.

Mr. Guam, you were never one to turn down a list.

And any fan who feels like picking up the challenge.

Link of the Day
Chomsky "Interventions" Interview