Girl – my favorite acoustic Beatles song. Love the change from Em to E7, the change from minor to parallel major as a dominant change to the Am is great, no messing around there. The harmonies on the chorus shift and evolve throughout the song, particular Paul’s part, he was always so good at coming up with variations on previously established themes. 

In My Life – can’t say enough about this song. The melody and lyrics work together so well, you can sing along to the whole thing without realizing how special the words actually are. Im all about music being subjective and everyone has there own opinion, but you just can’t say anything against this song without completely ruining your credibility with me as a music fan. 

I’m Looking Through You – talked about this already in several threads. Its Paul’s best lyric, along with an awesome arrangement and vocal performance. Frustratingly good song to be honest, especially as a songwriter who has recently passed the age Paul was when he wrote this. “Love has a nasty habit of disappearing overnight.” What a line. 

Norwegian Wood – The guitar line is an all timer, love teaching this one to students. And then you add the sitar? Im so glad George made that decision, without it there would be a piece missing from my life. Add in some of John’ best lyrics (one of the few Dylan imitators who actually can stand up to the man himself) and there are very few songs that reach the highs of Norwegian Wood . 

Nowhere Man – wish I could put this higher because I think its so good. Ive always loved the scene from Yellow Submarine , I think its a great visual paring with the music. Not a wasted word in these lyrics, and the middle eight is fantastic. One thing about this song is that the melody uses intervals that get gradually smaller, as the lyrics effortlessly reach their final line. Dylan’s Make You Feel My Love does the same thing. 

If I Needed Someone – love the riff and the harmonies. George’s first truly great song in my opinion. Honestly if I had to pick one song to encapsulate the sound of Rubber Soul it would be this, or the next song. 

Drive My Car – such a clever song. The use of innuendo and onomatopoeia brilliant. “Beep beep, beep beep yeah!” The guitar break is some of Paul’s best instrumental work in the entire catalog. Fantastic song and great opener. 

Michelle – its pretty insane that a song this good can rank in the lower half of an album. One of the most romantic songs The Beatles have, and it really showcases Paul’s brilliance with chords and melody. Sounds great when played by an amateur musician on an acoustic guitar, sounds even better with Paul’s sweet tenor over the phenomenal Parisian Martin arrangement. 

You Won’t See Me – my favorite choice for an ‘underrated Beatles song.’ So often overlooked, but it is absolutely timeless. Even with modern means of communication, this sing still rings true, and the feeling of unrequited love has never felt more confident. The best moment maybe on the whole album is “I wouldn’t mind if I knew was I was missing”

The Word – great 60s peace and love song. Not necessarily breaking any ground, but holds its own against some of the biggest hits to come out of the California hippie movement, such as Happy Together, Get Together, We Can Be Together, etc. I like the word. 

What Goes On – Ive always liked this song, I think the chorus is really catchy. Love the suspension at the end of the chorus, and the guitar solo works for me despite being a generally sloppy guitar part overall. 

Wait – good song, but doesn’t have any real standout moments. Verse, Chorus, Bridge, all fine. In general I think many of the strongest Beatles songs dont have a tradional song structure like that, but I guess Girl and Wait have the same structure so maybe I’m reaching here. 

Run For Your Life – definitely a jarring ending to a great album. Its one of John’s darkest and most insecure songs. Its still catchy, but not as fun or exciting as The Word . One of the only songs on the album that can catch me in the wrong mood and since its last, sometimes if I’m in that mood I’ll end the album early. 

Think For Yourself – Its not a bad song, but its not great. It just doesn’t make much sense to me. The lyrics are a little bit clunky, with some word choices that feel forced. I feel the same about the instrumental. Listening  to Nowhere Man right before which flows as effortlessly as any song ever and Think For Yourself pales in comparison. I’m not entirely sure what the song is even about. 

Edit: looked back through the thread and found my top 5 is virtually unchanged, and had the same thoughts about If I Needed Someone . Hmmmm

sir walter raleigh said

I agree George really does hit the mark there. In my opinion, it is his first really great song. The first of many… ahdn_george_06

I’ll do a top 5 just for Ahhh Girl 

5. If I Needed Someone

4. Im Looking Through You

3. Norwegian Wood

2. In My Life

1. Girl