15 Obscure Beatles Songs You Need to Stream Immediately
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15 Obscure Beatles Songs You Need to Stream Immediately

I promise, "Hey Jude" will still be in your list when you come back.

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15 Obscure Beatles Songs You Need to Stream Immediately
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Some pretty amazing, random things have happened in 2015. Just to name a few: "Back to the Future" finally became the past, "Hamilton" dominated Broadway, Nicki slammed Miley on live TV, Shia LaBeouf watched #AllHisMovies, John Cena contemplated his childhood, Adele awoke from hibernation, and "Star Wars" literally just reappeared from the grave.

Even after all of this, 2015 still managed to end with quite a bang—and by that I mean, 2015 ended with Spotify releasing the Beatles' entire discography for everyone's listening pleasure. Okay, so what if they're not topping Justin Bieber, it's still a major event. In honor of easy access to the Fab Four, queue top hits like "Come Together" and "Let It Be" in favor of listening to some offbeat tracks that will cut just as deep.

15. "Taxman" from "Revolver"

Let me tell you how it will be
There’s one for you, nineteen for me
Because I'm the taxman

I think this song proves that the Beatles can sing about almost anything and it's still lovely. So many of George's songs are underrated, this one being no different, even though John helped him work on it. Everybody knows the Beatles' political song to be "Revolution," but this is just one track that shows they were complaining about politics long before that.

14. "Got to Get You into My Life" from "Revolver"

Ooh, then I suddenly see you
Ooh, did I tell you I need you
Every single day of my life

Okay, listen here. We're not going to talk about who (or what) this song is actually pursuing. We're going to talk about how, no matter the addressee, it's a love ballad. This is just an example of how songs can be interpreted differently by different listeners, none completely wrong. (Side note: Do you think any couple has actually made this their wedding song? Because different interpretation or not, that would be pretty funny.)

13. "Rocky Raccoon" from "The White Album"

Rocky Raccoon checked into his room
Only to find Gideon’s Bible

The beginning of this song is probably the closest we'll ever get to hearing Paul McCartney rap. Think about that for a second. Surely that makes this song notable and worth at least one run-through. I don't know how redeemable it is in terms of deeper meaning, but the melody is sweet and I'm always game for some storytelling, no matter how fable-esque it may be. (Pro tip: Listen closely at 1:49 for Daniel's shot at Rocky—Ringo hit his snare drum to simulate the sound!)

12. "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" from "Abbey Road"

And though she thought I knew the answer
Well I knew what I could not say

Okay, I'll admit, this is one of the stranger selections. And you really have to listen to it in context with the rest of the album—specifically the preceding "Sun King"/"Mean Mr. Mustard"/"Polythene Pam," which all flow into one another—to understand its purpose. But it's a funny song and while not all of us can relate, and while the one true inspiration for it can't even be pinned down, I dare you to listen to the exposition and not feel like you can conquer the world.

11. "I'm Looking Through You" from "Rubber Soul"

Love has a nasty habit of disappearing overnight

So we probably all know this feeling, right? You haven't talked to someone in a while, and suddenly you find them a different person. Granted, we're not all engaged to Jane Asher like Paul was, but this is the kind of song that transcends time. People changed in the '60s the same way they change today. Plus, have you ever tried to play this song on Beatles Rock Band? Because it's pretty fun.

10. "When I'm Sixty-Four" from "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"

You'll be older too
And if you say the word
I could stay with you

This starts off as a really sweet and sort of silly song, something the Beatles did quite well. But then suddenly you realize this song is about more than just age; this song is about aging. It depicts the mindset, so that even if you're fourteen, you can get a loose grasp on the onset of vulnerability. How Paul McCartney, who wrote this at sixteen (?!), managed to communicate that feeling, we'll probably never know.

9. "And Your Bird Can Sing" from "Revolver"

When your prized possessions start to weigh you down
Look in my direction
I'll be 'round, I'll be ‘round

Even though they're about vastly different subjects, I feel like this song gets overshadowed quite frequently by the much more famous "Blackbird." Someone says something about the Beatles and a bird and that song is your knee-jerk response. To the public's credit, John did call this one a "throwaway." But what makes "And Your Bird" important is that both Paul and George played lead guitar on the track, giving the melody a layered sound. This song probably isn't obscure if you've watched season three of the Beatles cartoon series—this was the theme song. But then again, the cartoon in general is pretty obscure, and I definitely can't recommend it to you.

8. "Lovely Rita" from "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"

Took her out and tried to win her
Had a laugh and over dinner
Told her I would really like to see her again

Okay but who doesn't want to hear a story about Paul McCartney's courting habits? Even if he is courting a traffic warden. John hated this kind of fabricated storytelling, but no one made a rule that all music must be genuine. Either way, it's lively and upbeat and makes it quite difficult for you to feel gloomy because of its impossible hopefulness. The next time you come home from a bum date or are lamenting another Saturday night spent with Netflix, remember that love sometimes appears in the strangest forms—like a member of traffic control.

7. "I'll Follow the Sun" from "Beatles for Sale"

Some day you'll know I was the one
But tomorrow may rain, so I'll follow the sun

So you have "Here Comes the Sun," which everyone knows. Its flowery melody and positive vibes make it a public favorite, definitely. Then you have the anti-"Here Comes the Sun," a song about leaving because you fear the oncoming weather while still sounding hopeful. Everywhere that the former "Sun" song is idealistic, this one is realistic. It doesn't quite reach the territory of cynicism, and that makes it all the more endearing.

6. "Hey Bulldog" from "Yellow Submarine"

Some kind of solitude is measured out in you
You think you know me but you haven't got a clue

If Paul's original idea for this song had stuck, it probably wouldn't be on this list. But because John had them go with bulldog instead of Paul's initial bullfrog, we have this lovely record that admittedly means nothing. But it's catchy and at least sounds urgent and purposeful, so we'll let the whole "deeper meaning" thing slide.

5. "Rain," released as a single

I can show you that when it starts to rain
Everything's the same

An interviewer asked Paul one time if he thought Ringo was the greatest drummer in the world, and Paul, who also played the drums, laughed and said that Ringo wasn't even the best drummer in the Beatles. But this record, with its multi-faceted harmonies and heavy sound, proves to be an outlier. There's so much going on in this song, and Ringo's confident drumming is only one of the many intricacies that makes "Rain" so wonderful.

4. "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" from "The White Album"

Happiness is a warm gun, mama
When I hold you in my arms

This song was somewhat of an experiment for John, who had realized over the years that even if a song was't written with any specific meaning, reviewers would thrust their own interpretations onto it and still declare it genius. Whatever the intention behind it, the song carries some interesting harmonies and the changing melodies make it constantly surprising and very fun.

3. "I Need You" from "Help!"

Please remember how I feel about you
I could never really live without you

This is another of George's that lies under the radar more often than not. Even though it was one of the seven songs from this album chosen for the movie, it gets lost amongst classics like "Ticket to Ride" and "Yesterday." But its melody is cute and light, and it features the boys in some pretty interesting positions musically. George's vocals are a pleasant rarity, and listen at 1:10 for John hitting the snare drum!

2. "Dear Prudence" from "The White Album"

The sun is up
The sky is blue
It's beautiful
And so are you

Fun fact: Mia Farrow's sister Prudence had shut herself up in a chalet in Rishikesh, meditating alone. When Mia begged John and George to try to bring her out into the light of day, she had been inside for three weeks. Yeah, I know, the story is kind of hazy and doesn't really make sense. But the song is sweet and innocent, from its childlike lyrics to its soft, flowing melody. So if anything is going to draw a recluse out, I can see why it would be this song.

1. "Two of Us" from "Let It Be"

You and me Sunday driving
Not arriving
On our way back home

This is the kind of song that can give you a lump in your throat if you listen to it closely enough. Its unguarded innocence and vulnerability is clear throughout. Who hasn't looked at someone and thought, "Yes, I absolutely want to get lost with you." It's carefree and sweet and the stripped sound it carries only drives the message home. No one talks about this side of the Beatles enough; the "sex, drugs, rock and roll" aesthetic is so iconic that alluring as it is, it's easy to forget that it isn't their entire persona. Songs like this are simple reminders that John, Paul, George, and Ringo were and are only human, just like us.


With a massive, larger-than-life band like the Beatles, it's easy to get lost amongst all the material if you don't have a guide to help. So for people who are new to their music or are just rediscovering it, don't let public opinion dictate how you listen to them! The random, under-appreciated songs are sometimes just as good as their popular siblings. And when in doubt, just go back to "The White Album." Trust me on this one.

It seems funny that we can stream the Beatles on Spotify but not Taylor Swift, huh? You'd think the Fab Four's music would have all but died out by now, fading away with the generation that bore them. But in little ways like this, by modernization as a form of preservation, we're ensuring that this music will be around for generations and generations to come, a little pocket of the past that is always accessible, and easily at that.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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