Beatles Songs On The Guitar
For The Acoustic

A Day In The Life is the climactic finale of the 1967 masterpiece Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. It was never released as a commercial single at the time, yet it is widely regarded as one of the group's greatest achievements.

The track is famously a fusion of two separate songs—John Lennon wrote the verses about reading the news, while Paul McCartney contributed the middle "woke up, fell out of bed" section.

A 40-piece orchestra was hired to create the chaotic crescendo, a sound so overwhelming that the BBC banned the song, claiming the lyrics promoted drug use.

Do You Want To Know A Secret  appears on the band's debut album, Please Please Me, released in 1963. In the United States, it was issued as a single by Vee-Jay Records and climbed to number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The song was written by John Lennon, inspired by a line from the Disney movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ("Wanna know a secret? Promise not to tell?").

It was given to George Harrison to sing, serving as his first lead vocal on a Beatles single, helping to establish a fan base for the "Quiet Beatle" early on.

Fixing A Hole is a reflective track from the 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. It was not released as a single.

While many fans analyzed the lyrics for drug references—assuming "fixing a hole" meant heroin use—Paul McCartney has consistently stated it was about home improvement and the freedom of letting his mind wander.

The legend goes that Paul was inspired after spotting a literal hole in the roof of his Scottish farm, though another story suggests he wrote it after seeing a fan standing outside his gate, "fixing" him with a stare.

Help serves as the title track for the 1965 album and the accompanying motion picture. Released as a single, it soared to number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

While it is an upbeat pop-rock anthem on the surface, John Lennon later revealed the lyrics were a genuine cry for help. He was feeling overwhelmed by the band's sudden, massive fame and his own personal insecurities (what he called his "Fat Elvis" period).

Lennon often cited this as one of his favorite Beatles songs because of its honesty, despite the fast tempo masking the pain.

Here Comes The Sun is one of the most beloved tracks on the 1969 album Abbey Road. It was not released as a single during the band's lifespan, which makes its enduring popularity even more impressive; it is currently the most streamed Beatles song on Spotify.

George Harrison wrote the song in Eric Clapton's garden while skipping a boring business meeting at the Apple Corps offices.

The relief of missing the meeting and the arrival of spring sunshine inspired the optimistic acoustic melody, which features a Moog synthesizer, a new instrument for the band at the time.

Here There And Everywhere features on the 1966 album Revolver. It was not released as a single, but it holds a special place in the band's history:

Paul McCartney and producer George Martin both cited it as one of their favorite McCartney compositions. Paul wrote the song while sitting by the pool at John Lennon’s house, waiting for John to wake up.

Heavily influenced by the harmonic complexities of The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds album, the track features distinct barbershop-style backing vocals and remains a masterclass in romantic balladry.

I Am The Walrus is a psychedelic staple from the Magical Mystery Tour soundtrack, released in 1967. It served as the B-side to "Hello, Goodbye" and reached number 56 on the Billboard Hot 100.

John Lennon wrote the song specifically to confuse music critics and scholars who were over-analyzing Beatles lyrics. He combined three separate song ideas and nonsensical imagery inspired by Lewis Carroll’s The Walrus and the Carpenter.

The track also features a live BBC radio feed of King Lear that was accidentally tuned in during the mixing process, adding to the sonic chaos.

I Should Have Known Better is a key track from the 1964 album A Hard Day's Night. In the United States, it was released as the B-side to the "A Hard Day's Night" single, reaching number 53 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The song is heavily influenced by Bob Dylan, marking the first time the band prominently used a harmonica in a key other than the song's tonic, creating a distinct, folksy sound.

During the filming of the movie scene for this song, the band members were famously hysterical with laughter, reportedly due to exhaustion and a bit of drinking.

I'll Follow The Sun appears on the 1964 album Beatles for Sale. It was not released as a single. This track is a fascinating example of the band digging into their archives;

Paul McCartney actually wrote the song in the late 1950s when he was still a teenager, long before the band became famous.

It is a short, tender ballad that features a unique percussion sound—Ringo Starr did not play a full drum kit, but instead slapped his knees (or a guitar case, accounts vary) to create the soft, rhythmic tapping effect.

Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds is a centerpiece of the 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. It was not released as a single.

The song ignited a firestorm of controversy due to the abbreviation of its title (LSD), leading to a ban by the BBC. However, John Lennon vehemently denied the drug connection, maintaining that the title came from a drawing his son Julian brought home from school, depicting his classmate Lucy O'Donnell "in the sky with diamonds."

Musically, the track is famous for its shifting time signatures and the surreal, dreamlike imagery of "tangerine trees."

Mean Mr Mustard - Polythene Pam are joined together as part of the famous medley on Side Two of the 1969 album Abbey Road. Neither was released as a separate single. "Mean Mr. Mustard" was written by John Lennon in India and was inspired by a newspaper story about a miser who hid his money.

It transitions seamlessly into "Polythene Pam," a fast-paced rocker also by Lennon, sung in a heavy Scouse accent. The "Pam" character was loosely based on a fan from the band's early Cavern Club days who was known for eating polythene (plastic).

Michelle is a Grammy-winning ballad from the 1965 album Rubber Soul. While not released as a single in the UK or US at the time (where it was an album track), it was a massive number 1 hit in select European countries and won the Grammy for Song of the Year.

Paul McCartney started the song as a joke in the late 1950s to mock French art-school students at parties. Years later, John Lennon suggested he turn the "French thing" into a real song.

Paul consulted a friend's wife, a French teacher, to get the correct translation for "these are words that go together well."

Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) appears on the 1965 album Rubber Soul. It was not released as a single.

The song is historically significant as the first pop record to prominently feature the sitar, played by George Harrison, introducing Indian classical instrumentation to Western rock music.

Lyrically, John Lennon wrote it as a cryptic confession of an extramarital affair, disguising the details so his wife, Cynthia, wouldn't find out. The title phrase "Norwegian Wood" referred to the cheap pine wood paneling that was popular in 1960s London apartments.

Nowhere Man is a featured track on the 1965 album Rubber Soul. Released as a single in the US, it reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

It stands out as one of the first Beatles songs unrelated to romance or love; instead, it is a philosophical reflection on insecurity.

John Lennon wrote it after spending five hours trying to write a song and coming up with nothing. He eventually gave up, lay down, and the song came to him instantly—a song about a man who is going nowhere, perfectly capturing his own writer's block.

Ob BLa Di Ob BLa Da is found on the 1968 double album The Beatles (The White Album). It was not released as a single in the UK or US by the band, though a cover version by The Marmalade hit number 1 in the UK.

The song’s title and chorus came from a Nigerian conga player named Jimmy Scott, who used the phrase to mean "life goes on."

The recording sessions for this track were notoriously tense; Paul McCartney demanded take after take, driving the other band members crazy. John Lennon eventually got so frustrated he loudly banged out the opening piano intro just to get it over with.

Penny Lane was released as a double A-side single with "Strawberry Fields Forever" in 1967 and later appeared on the US Magical Mystery Tour album. It reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The song serves as Paul McCartney's nostalgic tour of his childhood in Liverpool, referencing real landmarks like the barber shop and the bank.

The distinctive, high-pitched trumpet solo was performed by David Mason; Paul decided he wanted that sound after seeing a performance of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos on television the night before the session.

Rain was released in 1966 as the B-side to the "Paperback Writer" single, reaching number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Despite being a B-side, it is considered a pioneering track in psychedelic rock. It marks the first time backward vocals were used on a Beatles record—John Lennon claimed he discovered the effect by accidentally loading the tape backward at home while stoned.

Ringo Starr often cited this performance as his best drumming with the band, featuring complex fills that drove the song’s sluggish, heavy texture.

Revolution appeared in two famous forms: the fast, hard-rocking single version (the B-side to "Hey Jude") and the slower "Revolution 1" on the White Album (1968).

The single version reached number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was John Lennon's direct response to the political turbulence of 1968.

The distorted guitar sound on the single was achieved by plugging the guitars directly into the recording console and overloading the preamps, a technique that horrified the EMI engineers but created exactly the "dirty" sound Lennon wanted to match his anger.

Rocky Raccoon is a folk-pastiche track from the 1968 White Album. It was not released as a single. The song features Paul McCartney adopting a mock-American accent to tell a cowboy story set in the Dakota Black Hills.

It was written while the band was studying meditation in India. The character's name was originally "Rocky Sassoon," but Paul changed it to "Raccoon" because he thought it sounded more like a cowboy.

The honky-tonk piano on the track was played by producer George Martin, adding to the saloon-style atmosphere.

Strawberry Fields Forever was released as a double A-side single with "Penny Lane" in 1967 and is included on the US Magical Mystery Tour album. It peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100.

John Lennon wrote the song while filming a movie in Spain, reminiscing about a Salvation Army children's home near his childhood house in Liverpool.

\The final recording is a technical marvel; it is actually two different takes (one slower with cellos, one faster with a rock band) in different keys that were slowed down and sped up to match, then spliced together.

The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill appears on the 1968 White Album. It was not released as a single. The song was written by John Lennon about a wealthy American named Richard Cooke III, who was visiting the same meditation camp in India as the Beatles.

Cooke went on a tiger hunt during his spiritual retreat, which Lennon found hypocritical.

The track is notable for being the only Beatles song to feature a co-lead vocal line sung by a woman—Yoko Ono sings the line "Not when he looked so fierce" in the chorus.

Til There Was You is a cover song featured on the band's second album, With the Beatles, released in 1963. It was not a single, but it played a crucial role in their history.

Written by Meredith Willson for the musical The Music Man, this Broadway standard allowed the Beatles to appeal to older audiences who were skeptical of rock and roll.

It was famously the second song they played during their history-making performance on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, proving their versatility to millions of American viewers.

We Can Work It Out was released as a double A-side single with "Day Tripper" in 1965, hitting number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It is a prime example of the Lennon-McCartney collaboration;

Paul wrote the optimistic verses ("We can work it out"), while John contributed the cynical middle eight ("Life is very short, and there's no time").

The track features a harmonium, a pedal-operated reed organ, which John played to give the song its distinctive, wheezing drone, suggesting a folk or sea-shanty influence amidst the pop melody.

What You're Doing is a deep cut from the 1964 album Beatles for Sale. It was not released as a single.

While often overlooked, the track is musically forward-thinking for 1964. It opens with a heavy, syncopated drum intro by Ringo Starr that foreshadows the psychedelic rhythms of "Tomorrow Never Knows."

Paul McCartney's arrangement also features a jangly 12-string electric guitar riff that sounds remarkably similar to the style The Byrds would popularize just a year later, leading many to believe this track was a key influence on the American folk-rock movement.