The Beatles: Their Top 40 Tracks

19. Strawberry Fields Forever

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nehRB1FTeTo Writer: Lennon-McCartney (Lennon) Album: Single Following on from its fellow A-side, 'Penny Lane', 'Strawberry Fields Forever' was written by Lennon about a space where he and his childhood friends used to play, thus making it the perfect partner for 'Penny Lane' for a double A-side. The song features psychedelic strings and soft keys fused with Starr's spot on drumming. Lennon's vocals are soft to begin with, before gaining a powerful momentum, as the song gains a wave of psychedelic energy. Not only that, but 'Strawberry Fields Forever' is a generally lovely song to listen to; a perfect song for anyone to relax to.

18. A Hard Day's Night

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70QfHtKdh_0 Writer: Lennon-McCartney (Lennon) Album: 'A Hard Day's Night' As that opening guitar chord reverberates, The Beatles launch into one iconic song. 'A Hard Day's Night' was a huge success for The Beatles on both sides of the Atlantic, helped, of course, by the film of the same name. The popularity was well deserved; 'A Hard Day's Night' bristles with energy, not just from the band's excellent playing, but from Lennon and McCartney's vocals, brimming with proper pop passion. It's hard to fault the group's performance, and 'A Hard Day's Night' is one of the best tracks on this album.

17. Long, Long, Long

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef2MIhOphhc Writer: George Harrison Album: 'The Beatles' (The White Album) A very underrated Harrison track, 'Long, Long, Long' combines McCartney's ambient Hammond organ playing, Harrisons ghostly vocals and Starr's soft beats to create a wonderfully calm song. The calm is often broken by sharp cries from McCartney and Harrison, before calm is restored, the song culminating in an eerie mixture of layered organ, snare and creepy vocals. 'Long, Long, Long' is often pushed aside in favour of other tracks from The White Album, such as 'Back In The U.S.S.R.', 'Blackbird' and 'Sexy Sadie', but 'Long, Long, Long' stands alone as one of the more mystifying of The Beatles back catalogue.