There aren’t many miserable Beatles songs, but the few in the group’s catalog dealt with lost romance or overall sorrow. Here are 15 of the most miserable Beatles songs with either sad lyrics or dejected vibes.
15. ‘Misery’
“Misery” is obviously one of the most miserable Beatles breakup songs. It’s literally in the title. The tune is straight rock ‘n’ roll blues with simple lyrics. The speaker has lost their love and is now miserable, wishing their ex would return to them. Even on their earliest albums, The Beatles knew how to write about heartbreak.
14. ‘Don’t Bother Me’
“Don’t Bother Me” is miserable because the speaker doesn’t want to talk to or be near anyone since they lost their love. However, George Harrison wrote it while he was sick during a tour circuit in Bournemouth. That’s where the “don’t bother me” came from.
13. ‘I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party’
The speaker in “I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party” is at a party, thinking they’ll have fun, but doesn’t because their love hasn’t come. There’s no point in staying; their miserable attitude will only bring the party down. “I don’t wanna spoil the party so I’ll go/ I would hate my disappointment to show/ There’s nothing for me here so I will disappear/ If she turns up while I’m gone please let me know.”
12. ‘Baby’s in Black’
“Baby’s in Black” is miserable, but it’s also dark and creepy. The tune’s story is something straight out of a gothic romance novel. The speaker is left helpless because their love is mourning one another, hence her wearing black. Even the way John Lennon sings the song is depressing.
11. ‘I’m a Loser’
“I’m a Loser” is one of the most self-deprecating Beatles songs. The speaker is completely miserable because they lost their love and spirals into a self-shaming rant. The most miserable lyrics are: “Although I laugh and I act like a clown/ Beneath this mask I am wearing a frown/ My tears are falling like rain from the sky/ Is it for her or myself that I cry?”
10. ‘You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away’
The speaker in “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away” is also miserable. However, hiding their sadness is becoming increasingly difficult, and everyone points and laughs at them. So, the speaker takes their advice and hides their love away and tries to forget about breaking up with their love.
9. ‘I’m Looking Through You’
The speaker in “I’m Looking Through You” is downtrodden because their love has changed before their very eyes, and it’s like they’re not even there anymore. The song is about the ending of a relationship and losing touch with a partner. Sometimes people change and then have to go their separate ways.
8. ‘Girl’
“Girl” sounds miserable, but so are its lyrics. The speaker tells a story about a girl they once encountered and fell in love with. “She’s the kind of girl/ You want so much, it makes you sorry/ Still you don’t regret a single day.” The girl is toxic because she uses emotional manipulation to get the speaker to stay with her whenever he thinks of leaving her. She promises everything to the speaker, and they believe her even though they don’t know why. She embarrasses him in front of his friends. For once, this is a Beatles song where the speaker is in a miserable relationship wanting to get out but is manipulated to stay.
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7. ‘You Won’t See Me’
“You Won’t See Me” is another breakup song. The speaker tries to call their ex but can’t get through to them. They feel they can’t go on without the person, yet it feels like years since they had them. “Yes, it seems so long/ Girl, since you’ve been gone/ And I just can’t go on/ If you won’t see me.”
6. ‘For No One’
“For No One” is another Beatles song that sounds just as miserable as its lyrics. The couple in the song is still together, but the speaker’s love slowly slips through their fingers, almost like in “I’m Looking Through You.” It’s all in the downhearted lyrics: “And in her eyes, you see nothing/ No sign of love behind the tears/ Cried for no one/ A love that should have lasted years.”
5. ‘I’m Only Sleeping’
There’s something so despairing about the vibe and sounds in “I’m Only Sleeping.” The speaker would rather sleep than deal with life’s problems. They’d rather live in a dream world where it’s nice easy gentle living compared to the fast, manic living of the waking world.
4. ‘Blue Jay Way’
“Blue Jay Way” doesn’t have miserable lyrics, but the song does sound downcast. It’s eerie and depressing when George sings, “There’s a fog upon L.A.” He wrote the song while waiting for his friends to arrive in an empty rented house. He was bored and wrote the tune to pass the time.
3. ‘Yer Blues’
By the time The Beatles made The White Album, they were making almost no sad love songs. They turned to put misery into other kinds of stories. “Yer Blues” is an angry tune, but the speaker is no less miserable than any of the other speakers in the songs on this list. The opening lyric says it all: “Yes I’m lonely, wanna die.”
2. ‘I’m So Tired’
“I’m So Tired” is the opposite of “I’m Only Sleeping.” The speaker can’t sleep or turn to the dream world to make their problems disappear. They can’t sleep because they have lost their love and don’t know what to do. “You know it’s three weeks/ I’m going insane/ You know I’d give you everything I’ve got for a little peace of mind.”
1. ‘The Long and Winding Road’
“The Long and Winding Road” is a very sorrowful song. Paul McCartney wrote the song while looking at the winding road that led to town from his farm in Scotland. The song is a metaphor for the long road The Beatles took during their time together, but they’d come to an end. However, there is hope in lines like: “The long and winding road/ That leads to your door/ Will never disappear.”
The Beatles knew how to write really great uplifting songs, but they also learned how to craft miserable, sad songs. It made them well-rounded and showed their fans that they were very much aware that life isn’t always happy.
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