Considering how many songs they recorded over eight years, The Beatles miraculously avoided writing too many duds. Paul McCartney once said it was still a mystery to him that the band formed at all. What isn’t a mystery is the Fab Four’s impact on popular music in the 1960s and beyond. There were plenty of hits, but several boring Beatles songs found their way onto the band’s albums (presented in chronological order).
1. ‘Don’t Bother Me’
Several George Harrison songs became some of The Beatles’ most popular tunes. “Don’t Bother Me” isn’t one of them. It’s the first song of his that made it onto a Beatles album, so he hadn’t yet morphed into the songwriting force he became later.
Still, the weak melody and bland music of “Don’t Bother Me” make it one of the Fab Four’s weakest tracks. Coming right after “All My Loving” on the With the Beatles (1963) track listing is a hard act to follow, but this George song is one of the most boring Beatles songs.
2. ‘If I Fell’
This plodding ballad from A Hard Day’s Night is a doo-wop genre exercise that — ahem — falls flat. Its bland vocal melody, weak harmonies, and boring music make “If I Fell” a weak entry in the Beatles’ catalog.
You could almost include “And I Love Her” from A Hard Day’s Night (1964) in this spot, but its woodblock percussion and vaguely Spanish-style guitar save it from our list.
3. ‘Girl’
John Lennon’s lyrics alluding to tortured love include some great lines. The final verse — “Was she told when she was young that pain would lead to pleasure? / Did she understand it when they said / That a man must break his back to earn his day of leisure? / Will she still believe it when he’s dead?” — is about as philosophical as you can get in a pop song.
But the listener has to sit through 90 seconds of middling music to get there. The guitar line sounds like something a music teacher would tell a beginner to practice. Ringo Starr is completely wasted on the song and plays perhaps the most basic beat of his Beatles career. When you hear this song, it’s not surprising to learn that the drummer complained about being ignored while making Rubber Soul (1965) until his bandmates gave him more to do.
The album might be a classic, but “Girl” is one of The Beatles’ most boring songs.
4. ‘Here, There and Everywhere’
John isn’t the only one we’re calling for writing a boring Beatles song. This primarily Paul tune from Revolver (1966) is almost his response to “Girl.” An ascending and descending guitar line that comes into the song twice manages to perk up the ears, but that’s only because everything else around it is so bland.
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John called out Paul’s granny music later in The Beatles’ career, but we’d take that over this supremely bland song that, thankfully, doesn’t tarnish a gem of an album.
5. ‘Flying’
There’s something to be said for the sonic layers, such as wordless chanted vocals and humming synth, of this tune. Yet this instrumental mini-jam from Magical Mystery Tour (1967) really never goes anywhere, as the tempo and melody never change. “Flying” is an interesting experiment, but it’s also one of the most boring Beatles songs committed to tape.
6. ‘Piggies’
George grew as a songwriter while with The Beatles, but “Piggies” is hardly a showcase. He made up for it with his Abbey Road songs, but this White Album (1968) tune is a snoozefest
The harpsichord lead and strings show him moving beyond his guitar and sitar compositions, but the execution misses the mark. George’s Animal Farm-lite lyrics don’t help things, nor do the snorting pig noises that close the song.
7. ‘Rocky Raccoon’
“Rocky Raccoon” greeted first-time listeners to The White Album who survived “Piggies.” What they got was another supremely boring Beatles song. Paul’s stab at country-folk songwriting leaves us wishing we were Rocky getting shot and crumpling in a corner.
Things don’t get better when the saloon piano comes in and Paul starts his wordless “Do da do do do” singing. By then, you’re only about halfway through this overling tune, and the second half is as plodding as the first.
Paul wrote more No. 1 hits than John, but “Rocky Raccoon” is a far cry from those. It’s one of the most boring Beatles songs from their career. There weren’t many, but when the Fab Four wrote a dud, it stuck out like a sore thumb.
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