10 Beatles Songs Not Written By The Beatles

By the mid ‘70s, the idealistic take on rock and roll had gotten far too bloated for its own good. For as many good rock acts were making waves around that time, there were plenty of others who were stretching out their songs to unnecessary proportions and padding their albums with filler. Right when things started to turn a corner, Big Star came through with a song that seemed ripped straight out of pop’s golden age.

Across the band’s debut #1 Record, every song was inventing the new sound of power pop, but “The Ballad of El Goodo” clearly had its own agenda. The traditional storytelling rhythm and breezy melody seems fairly straightforward, but once the harmonies kick in on the chorus, you’re transported back to the Fab Four’s glory years before they got into experimental territory.

While many artists have been known to copy the Beatles’ more eclectic styles, this song feels like it could have been a lost B-side from the A Hard Day’s Night era, complete with jangly guitar and a singalong chorus. Big Star may not have quite lived up to their ambitious name, but this little gem from the ‘70s has the same pop sheen that made us love old school rock and roll.