The Beatles: All US Number Ones Ranked Worst To Best
18. We Can Work It Out
11th Number One, 1966 - Written by John Lennon & Paul McCartney
All songs penned by either Paul or John were credited to the Lennon-McCartney partnership, but We Can Work It Out was a true and rare collaboration between the two, albeit inspired by an argument between Paul and his then-girlfriend, Jane Asher. In writing 'Life is very short and there's no time/For fussing and fighting, my friend,' the band ironically foreshadowed the incoming troubles between its members, particularly John and Paul - and since John's life was cut short, the irony becomes bigger and all the more poetic.
We Can Work It Out is a good song, but its flipside, the Lennon-composed Day Tripper, is better and catchier. The fact that it wasn't the dominant side is a major offence.
Fun Fact: The Beatles' first promotional clips ever were filmed for We Can Work It Out and Day Tripper, and they were precursors to the modern music video.