5 Best Hard Rock Beatles Songs
TL;DR:
- Some of The Beatles’ songs were amazing hard rock tunes.
- One of their songs was one of the first heavy metal songs ever.
- The Beatles could have been more like Led Zeppelin if they wanted to be.
Most of The Beatles‘ songs were not hard rock songs. Despite this, the Fab Four proved they could make heavier music. After all, one Beatles song was one of the first heavy metal songs ever written.
5. ‘I Feel Fine’
The bouncy riff from “I Feel Fine” is the highlight of the track. However, John Lennon seemed more proud of the feedback on the song than anything else about it. During a 1980 interview from the book All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono, he discussed the song.
“That’s me completely,” he said. “Including the electric guitar lick and the record with the first feedback anywhere. I defy anybody to find a record — unless it’s some old blues record in 1922 — that uses feedback that way.
“I mean, everybody played with feedback onstage, and the Jimi Hendrix stuff was going on long before,” he added. “In fact, the punk stuff now is only what people were doing in the clubs. So I claim it for The Beatles. Before Hendrix, before The Who, before anybody. The first feedback on any record.”
4. ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’
“While My Guitar Gently Weeps” is a collection of oddball lyrics that have something to do with the hippie conception of love. If the lyrical sentiment is so sweet, why is the song so heavy? Who knows? All that matters is it sounds great. Eric Clapton worked on this track, and it’s a shame he didn’t collaborate with The Beatles more often.
3. ‘Yer Blues’
“Yer Blues” is another hard rock song from The Beatles’ The White Album. Unlike “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” the sonic landscape of “Yer Blues” feels purposeful. “Yer Blues” is a song about emotional anguish, and the aggressive guitars match the lyrics. Notably, John’s musings about his mother and father in “Yer Blues” show off his cosmic side.
2. ‘Revolution’
Revolutions can be chaotic. The Beatles lived up to that by giving “Revolution” a pounding Chuck Berry-style riff that captures the danger of early rock ‘n’ roll.
The Beatles’ talent is on full display in the song, as they manage to combine the crashing guitars with a steady R&B melody. While a lot of 1960s tunes have dated lyrics, the lyrics of “Revolution” are just as relevant today as they were in 1968, if not more so.
1. ‘Helter Skelter’
One of the first heavy metal songs, “Helter Skelter” is groovy, abrasive, and fun, all at the same time. Numerous artists like Kiss, AC/DC, Marilyn Manson, and Rob Zombie probably owe their careers to this one song. The way the song fades out only to come back in again is masterful.
The Beatles weren’t Led Zeppelin, but songs like “Helter Skelter” prove they could have been Led Zeppelin if they wanted.
