Some of The Beatles‘ songs are among the best rock tunes of all time. Despite this, they released some garbage here and there. Notably, their final No. 1 single was tripe.
5. ‘The Long and Winding Road’
“The Long and Winding Road” and “For You Blue” were released as a double A-side single. According to The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits, those songs were the band’s final No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100.
“The Long and Winding Road” was a terrible ending to the Fab Four’s saga. After innovating for years, the band left us with a sappy easy-listening ballad that could easily have been written by Barry Manilow or Michael Bolton. The track was also a bridge between Paul’s work with The Beatles and Wings’ worst tendencies. There’s a reason why “Yesterday” and “Something” remain standards while “The Long and Winding Road” was mostly left in the dust.
4. ‘Her Majesty’
“The End” is an awe-inspiring song. It sounds grand and experimental. The lyrics beautifully sum up The Beatles’ hippie ethos. “The End” would be a perfect way to end Abbey Road, the last album The Beatles recorded. However, that’s not the song that concludes Abbey Road.
Instead, the record ends on “Her Majesty,” a 23-second joke song about trying to seduce Queen Elizabeth II. It’s supposed to be funny, but it’s just insulting. Paul could be very funny at times but “Her Majesty” is so off the mark.
3. ‘Dig a Pony’
Let It Be doesn’t have the same reputation as the handful of Beatles albums that came before it. Some fans think it’s a classic while others see it as a mess delivered by a band that couldn’t keep it together anymore. If you want to make the case that the album is bad, look no further than “Dig a Pony.” The melody is atrocious, and John Lennon’s psychedelic lyrics don’t add up to a mood, much less anything coherent.
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2. ‘Christmas Time (Is Here Again)’
The Plastic Ono Band released a popular Christmas song: “Happy Xmas (War Is Over).” Paul released a popular Christmas song: “Wonderful Christmastime.” Surely the Fab Four could put together a decent original Yuletide tune. Except they didn’t.
“Christmas Time (Is Here Again)” is a song in which the band chants the title over and over for six minutes. It’s unbearable. Maybe a song like this could have worked with a good instrumental, but the beat is stiff and plodding. It’s pretty telling that this song never caught on.
1. ‘Free as a Bird’
Being a Beatles fan in 1995 must’ve been a trip. The Beatles Anthology is a great documentary and the accompanying albums are catnip for fans. The year also saw the release of “Free as a Bird,” on old Beatles ballad that was dusted off and released as a single.
This dirge wasn’t worth the wait. If it was just another track on Anthology 1, it might not be worth hating. Releasing this trash as a single was an insult to fans.
