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It didn’t take long for The Beatles to go multimedia. As Beatlemania took over the world, they added movies to their output with A Hard Day’s Night and Help! in 1964 and 1965, respectively. They were on top of the world; even the songs they abandoned turned into hits. The Beatles kept writing songs to soundtrack their movies, and these were the seven most successful.

The Beatles wrote soundtracks for five movies they starred in

The Fab Four made hay in the relatively short time they were together. Between 1963 and 1970, there wasn’t a year where they didn’t release at least one album. Add in hundreds of live shows, scores of interviews, television appearances, and recording hit non-album singles, and it’s a wonder they didn’t keel over from exhaustion.

With that kind of schedule, The Beatles might have preferred built-in time to blow off steam on their movies. Seeing the evolution of their films was quite remarkable. 

A Hard Day’s Night and Help! were more slapdash 1960s romps. Magical Mystery Tour and Yellow Submarine showcased their more ambitious and out-there artistic visions. Let It Be looked behind the veil to see The Beatles as they really were.

Let’s look at The Beatles’ seven most successful songs from the soundtracks to their movies.

(Note: We looked at the Billboard charts only and based our rankings on weeks at No. 1 as the criteria. The number of weeks on the chart broke ties. We considered all songs from the soundtrack, not just the tunes that were album titles).

7. ‘The Long and Winding Road/For You Blue’

  • Weeks at No. 1: 2
  • Weeks on the chart: 10

One of George Harrison’s final chances at having a song on a Beatles single was, unfortunately for him, in support of McCartney’s “The Long and Winding Road” off the Let It Be album, which came out just as the band called it quits. It was probably little to no consolation that Paul didn’t want to release the song. The final Fab Four record coincided with the original 1970 documentary movie Let It Be, which shined a spotlight on the deep divides that eventually drove the band apart.

6. ‘A Hard Day’s Night’

  • Weeks at No. 1: 2
  • Weeks on the chart: 13

The title song to the 1964 film became one of The Beatles’ first No. 1 hits in the United States when it shot to the top in August of that year. A ringing guitar chord might be one of the most famous opening moments of any pop song ever. Ringo Starr’s cowbell and producer George Martin’s mirroring piano riff under Harrison’s guitar solo added to the melodic whirlwind.

5. ‘Let It Be’

  • Weeks at No. 1: 2
  • Weeks on the chart: 14

McCartney penned the song amid The Beatles’ breakdown. That’s why fans tend to ask if the song brings back bad memories for him. He wrote it under less than ideal circumstances but channeled his anger and frustration into a tender ballad that peaked on the Billboard charts in April 1970.

4. ‘Help!’

  • Weeks at No. 1: 3
  • Weeks on the chart: 15

The song “Help!” was one of the great cases of mistaken identity in music history — a bright melody hiding some dark lyrical themes. He didn’t realize it at the time, but McCartney said the words were a cry for help by John, who struggled to handle his fame and success at the time. None of that registered with fans, who made “Help!” a massive hit in September 1965.

3. ‘Yesterday’

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  • Weeks at No. 1: 4
  • Weeks on the chart: 11

We’ve already discussed two Paul ballads in “The Long and Winding Road” and “Let It Be.” Well, here’s another one. McCartney overcame his nerves and delivered a stellar performance of the song on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1965. “Yesterday” earned a spot on the Help! soundtrack and became a hit single in October of that year.

2. ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’

  • Weeks at No. 1: 5
  • Weeks on the chart: 10

Only two of The Beatles’ chart-toppers got there before “Can’t Buy Me Love.” The A Hard Day’s Night song hit No. 1 in early April 1964, just a few weeks after “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “She Loves You” achieved the same feat and helped bring the Fab Four to the American masses.

1. ‘Get Back’

  • Weeks at No. 1: 5
  • Weeks on the chart: 12

We began with “The Long and Winding Road” from Let It Be. That’s where we end up with “Get Back.” The songs weren’t similar — the former is a piano-based ballad and the latter a rustic jam — but there was a common thread. McCartney also didn’t want “Get Back” to become a single. The band went against his wishes, and the tune hit the top of the Billboard charts in May 1969.

For those keeping score, Magical Mystery Tour and Yellow Submarine are conspicuously absent from our list. (This is where we note that “Ticket to Ride” from Help! hit No. 1). Still, those two Beatles soundtracks included some successful songs. 

The Fab Four brought back the 1967 single “All You Need Is Love” for both albums. That song was No. 1 for a week in August of that year, before either soundtrack hit stores. Similarly, they repurposed “Yellow Submarine” from Revolver for the 1968 animated movie. The tune reached No. 2 as a single from Revolver.

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