Yesterday, a movie that imagines what the world would be like if The Beatles never existed, has just been released in theaters.
The romantic musical comedy from writer Richard Curtis (Four Weddings & a Funeral, Notting Hill) and director Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, Sunshine) stars Himesh Patel as Jack Malik, a struggling musician who after an accident finds he is the only person who remembers The Beatles. He subsequently becomes a star by pretending the songs made famous by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr are his own.
Mailk shoots to stardom in the film by recreating a number of classic Beatles songs such as "I Want To Hold Your Hand", "Hey Jude" and "Let It Be". But even outside of the film, there are a number of incredible songs by the insanely talented Fab Four that receive little attention anymore.
Here are 10 great Beatles songs that have been forgotten over time.
"A Taste Of Honey"
Featuring on the Beatles' debut studio album Please Please Me, this pop song was written long before the formation of the band. Originally an instrumental track for a 1960 Broadway play of the same name, a vocal version of the song had already been covered by future Star Wars actor Billy Dee Williams before the Fab Four did their own rendition.
The Beatles' version is by far the best, with McCartney's haunting vocals showing off his burgeoning strength as a singer, and the group's versatility in having a song so different in tone and energy to other album hits "Twist and Shout" and "I Saw Her Standing There."
"And I Love Her"
Another early Beatles song that shows of McCartney's talents, "And I Love Her" features in the middle of the group's third album, A Hard Day's Night.
The ballad once again contains soulful singing from McCartney, but really stands out because of Harrison's Mediterranean guitar riff. Lennon also apparently helped McCartney write the middle eight section within half an hour.
"The Night Before"
The second track on their fifth studio album Help!, "The Night Before" is another overlooked gem from McCartney's early period.
The song stands out for two reasons—first, the catchy call and response structure of the verses, with the vocals alternating between McCartney's leading voice with Lennon and Harrison's harmony. Second, the double-tracked guitar solo by McCartney and Harrison that is coupled with Lennon's propulsive playing of the Hohner Pianet electric piano.
"I'm Looking Through You"
Written by McCartney for the band's sixth studio album Rubber Soul, the song is about the struggling relationship he had at the time with English actress Jane Asher.
The stripped-down simplicity of the song features some of McCartney's saddest and angriest lyrics and a beautiful harmony between him and Lennon, who also plays acoustic guitar on the track.
"She Said She Said"
A psychedelic rock song to mark the Beatles' introduction to LSD, Lennon apparently came up with "She Said She Said" after meeting Peter Fonda at a party while on an acid trip. Apparently, the actor kept bringing up a near-fatal self-inflicted gunshot wound he suffered as a child that led to his heart to stop beating three times, saying "I know what it's like to be dead."
From this Lennon crafted what is arguably the greatest song on seventh studio album Revolver. Elevated by Harrison's sublime echoing guitar riff and perhaps Starr's finest work on drums, the song marks a gear change in The Beatles towards the more wild, inventive music they produce in later years.
"Lovely Rita"
A criminally overlooked song from eighth studio album Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, "Lovely Rita" was written by McCartney as an anti-authority satire about a female parking enforcement officer, or "meter maid."
Lennon's backing vocals really make the song shine, as does the piano solo (recorded at a slower speed) from producer George Martin.
"Blue Jay Way"
"Blue Jay Way" was Harrison's sole contribution to the Magical Mystery Tour EP, named after a street that he stayed at in the Hollywood Hills in August 1967.
One of the most unusual songs The Beatles ever recorded, the heavily Indian-influenced track is a hypnotizing listen thanks to Harrison's lyrics, the distinctive swirling organ and the artificial double tracking which gives the song a phasing effect.
"Sexy Sadie"
Appearing on ninth studio album The Beatles (The White Album), "Sexy Sadie" was written by Lennon during the group's stay in India in response to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the spiritual guru they were staying with, making sexual advances towards actress Mia Farrow.
The distorted piano perfectly matches Lennon's dripping disdain towards their former mentor, and would go to serve as the main inspiration for Radiohead's 1997 song "Karma Police".
"Golden Slumbers"
Appearing in the second half of eleventh studio album Abbey Road, McCartney based "Golden Slumbers" off a 1603 lullaby by Elizabethan poet Thomas Dekker.
The melody he creates for the song is one of his finest, as is his gorgeous, yearning voice on the track that dovetails superbly into follow-up song "Carry That Weight."
"Dig A Pony"
Written by Lennon for The Beatles' twelfth and final studio album Let It Be, the recording of the song comes from the famous final concert the band performed on the rooftop of Apple Studios in London on January 30, 1969.
Crafted as a love song for Lennon's future wife Yoko Ono, the nonsensical lyrics, fun wordplay and rocking guitars make this an absurdist joy in the band's twilight period.
