The Beatles’ famous and popular songs

I Want To Hold Your HandThe Beatles

The Beatles – I Want To Hold Your Hand – Performed Live On The Ed Sullivan Show 2/9/64

It’s an early Beatles hit composed by John.

The lyric about wanting to hold hands was considered bold and a bit embarrassing for the time, and it helped cement the Beatles’ slightly bad-boy image.

Alongside John playing guitar with a wide-legged stance, George’s lead guitar—delivering a distinctive, choppy melody—also made a significant contribution.

From Me To YouThe Beatles

The Beatles – From Me To You (Royal Variety Show ’63)

It was released in April 1963 as the Beatles’ third original single.

The song is said to have been written to pass the time on a tour bus, and its release was initially postponed because its image leaned too heavily toward the blues.

After adding harmonies characteristic of the Beatles, it was reconsidered and issued as a single.

It held the No.

1 spot in Music Week magazine for seven consecutive weeks, from May 2 to June 19, 1963.

Let It BeThe Beatles

The Beatles – Let It Be

It’s a simple gospel-style rock ballad that Paul wrote while thinking of his own mother, Mary.

The lyrics, which sing of both his mother and the Virgin Mary, have been widely embraced around the world, and in Japan many people regard it as one of the Beatles’ signature songs.

In the single version, the guitar sound is kept subdued and mysterious, while the album version features a wilder guitar solo from George.

While My Guitar Gently WeepsThe Beatles

The Beats – While My Guitar Gently Weeps

It’s one of George’s signature songs throughout his career.

Unable to achieve on his own the performance that matched the image of philosophical lyrics paired with a weeping guitar, George asked his close friend Eric Clapton to play.

Clapton lived up to expectations, delivering a truly weeping guitar solo, and in doing so, revealed George’s characteristic humility—asking someone else to play even though he was the Beatles’ guitarist.

I’ve Got a FeelingThe Beatles

The Beatles – I’ve Got a Feeling (Anthology 3 Disc 2)

The songs performed at the Beatles’ final live show, the Rooftop Concert.

They’re included on the album Let It Be.

In the rehearsal outtakes, John keeps amusingly mixing up “yeah” and “no,” and Paul keeps checking with him each time, which is pretty funny.

YesterdayThe Beatles

Yesterday (With Spoken Word Intro / Live From Studio 50, New York City / 1965)

It’s said to be so famous in Japan that it appears in music textbooks and is the most covered song in the world.

The recording features Paul alone on vocals and guitar, with a George Martin–arranged string quartet overdubbed.

In live performances, the other Beatles members also joined in for accompaniment, playing it with electric guitars.

I Want To Hold Your Hand (I Want to Hug You)The Beatles

The Beatles – I Want To Hold Your Hand – Performed Live On The Ed Sullivan Show 2/9/64

This song by the legendary rock band The Beatles, released in 1963, firmly captured the hearts of teenagers at the time and never let go.

Set to a romantic, catchy melody that seems to speak for a girl in love, its lyrics—expressing a pure desire to hold the hand of the one you love—leave a lasting impression.

The many phrases everyone has hummed at least once continue to shine without losing their luster even today.

In fact, “I Want to Hold Your Hand” was released in 1964 as their debut single in Japan.

For those who remember that era well, there are surely many who feel a special nostalgia or attachment to it, perhaps even more than to other Beatles songs.