Ranking the medley songs from Abbey Road (+ "Her Majesty") | Page 2 | Fab Forum | The Beatles Bible

The Medley is my favorite Beatles song. I don’t care if that’s cheating. I love it immensely, and there’s not a single part of it that I want to skip. It’s the clincher on Abbey Road that turns it from a bunch of great songs to a masterwork. It’s pop, it’s progressive, it’s raunchy, and it’s incredibly sentimental. If I’m even the slightest bit open of mind when I hear the song, I get sucked in and get shivers down my spine every single time.

9. Sun King – Something had to be at the bottom. I dunno, even though I think this track is interesting and fun to play, it comes out of nowhere and really doesn’t do the harmonies all that well. I think it was attempting to sound sweet, but instead it just sounds trebley. I think Harrison’s voice is the lead here, and it does not show off his best qualities. It’s still pretty damn good for a Beatles song though, especially with that ethereal bassline.

8. Carry That Weight – One of my favorite parts about this track is in fact that all The Beatles sing on it, particularly with Ringo’s prominent vocal, it makes an impression. However, it is very much derived from two previous songs, and it doesn’t lead into The End that well. I do appreciate the horn section reprise though, and Harrison’s lead, while not the most creative, are fun to follow.

7. Mean Mr Mustard – A bit drudgey, but I think John should have given this song a bit more credit. It’s somehow jaunty regardless of it’s down tempo feel, and the looseness is perfect for a track of this length. It mesmerizes me, in a way, even when I play it, and it perfectly paints a picture in very few words.

6. Her Majesty – *BANGGGGG* It’s really a song I wish were longer, and the underlying sardonic wit carries the track. It’s good to be a Souser, ey? British quality in full force, and I don’t consider the Medley complete without it.

5. Golden Slumbers – I put this down a bit probably because I think Paul’s vocal is not exactly the best, and while I love the lullaby quality, it sort of breaks off with the “Golden Slumbers fill your eyes” chorus. There’s a bit of imbalance, but the swells of the orchestra coupled with the lack of instrumentation, save the piano and brilliant bass really make you continually wonder about the majestic sound you are listening to.

4. She Came In Through The Bathroom Window – Arpeggios are fun, aren’t they? Harrison certainly thought so, and it really brings out the ringing quality of the track, which shifts through a great many moods. I love how it’s almost like a love song, and I like to imagine that it’s Polythene Pam whom the song refers to, yet it has one of the most melancholy moods of any Beatles song. I just love following it through the ebbs and flows.

3. Polythene Pam – This track is very clever just in the way it unfolds. I love how it ties into Mr. Mustard, almost like giving you a different perspective on that prior song. The story of the medley is something I’ve worked out in my head over the years, and a hard driving piece like this just makes it so fulfilling. Ringo’s drums particularly on this song are absolutely ace.

2. You Never Give Me Your Money – Immediate shivers from the first three chords. It’s tantamount to the amazing talent of the group that even when it becomes all jaunty and literally falls out of time, it’s still one of the best ascensions of tempo, even with The Beatles. The sections exemplify the entire medley perfectly, and the “Oh that magic feeling” verse stirs my very soul. Harrison gets his show here, with a tight guitar sound that never strays it away from the rock and roll it contains.

1. The End – Even before I really understood the significance of this track, I knew that it was one of the most monumental songs in rock music. It represents everything that is creative about The Beatles, creates a wonderful vamping drive to a well earned release, and the most amazing lyric ever conceived closes the song. How could you be more perfect than that?

PeterWeatherby said
Genuinely curious: how do you (y’all) “rank” a song? Is there a kind of subjective scale, from “I hate it” through “it’s just ‘ok'” to “I love it”? Is it like a 1-to-10 system?

I’m only asking because it fascinates me – I’m utterly incapable of ranking Beatles songs. It’s binary for me – I like it, or I don’t.

Well, personally, I rank it based on a few separate things: 

1. How much do I personally like the song (Most important)

2. How much do I like playing the song

3. How important is the song

4. How highly is the song regarded (Least important)

That still might be a bit unclear. Usually I like to include reasons why I enjoy the song, as you will see while I rank the medley  Interestingly enough, I think it is curious we all rank very similar songs in the top five. I feel that this is because of the above mentioned importance of the song. She Came In Through The Bathroom Window is a great tune, and musically more interesting than The End , but we all understand the importance of The End , so the End gets placed higher. Ain’t it a funny world? Anyway, onto my review:

1. Golden Slumbers – I love this song simply because it is so stunningly beautiful. Paul’s strong and powerful voice during the chorus, the remarkably good bass line from George, and the orchestration all add up to one of the most beautiful songs ever written by McCartney. This song is one of the few that actually brings a tear to my eye.

2. The End – Well, it’s gotta be here, doesn’t it? The only song to feature a drum solo as well as combating guitar solos by the other three. Musically, it’s a rocker, and not all that complex, save for the orchestration that ends the song beautifully. Of course, the real love for this song comes from its closing lines, which to me serves as the last piece of great advice given by The Beatles: “And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.” To quote John, “A very cosmic, philosophical line.”

3. You Never Give Me Your Money – This song is very pretty, but moreover I feel like it showcases what tulane said about little mini songs being put together into one big song. This is a method that would be used by Paul in later works like Uncle Albert /Admiral Halsey and Band On The Run . It’s a great song in and of itself, and is one of the few songs written by Paul which actively showcases his distain for sitting around the Apple offices and dealing with all the BS. The nursery rhyme at the end is a nice touch: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7, All good children go to heaven.

4. Carry That Weight – Included here mostly for it’s reprise of You Never Give Me Your Money . This song is great, and one of the few to feature all 4 Beatles singing at the same time. It bridges Golden Slumbers and The End quite nicely.

5. She Came In Through The Bathroom Window – This song is just good fun. A story about Apple Scruffs told in a fun way.

6. Polythene Pam – This one gets points for being fun musically. It recalls She Loves You , as well as other 60s pop in an almost parodic way. Lots of fun. The descent into She Came In Through The Bathroom Window is brilliant.

7. Her Majesty – I like this tune. Most people find it to be out of place, but I like it. When it comes right down to it, it’s a great example of Paul being cute.

8. Sun King – I only put this one before Mean Mr. Mustard because I loved it as a kid. Cuando para mucho mi amore pefaliche carathom.

9. Mean Mr. Mustard – Here only because I can’t put it anywhere else. It’s still a great song, but like many of John’s songs from this period, it’s a bit of a throw away. I still love it because It’s So Hard edged and weird.

Well, that does it for the Medley! i’ll have to post a track by track favorite review somewhere else.