What is everyone's favourite song from the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and why? | Page 2 | Fab Forum | The Beatles Bible

1. A Day In The Life – I consider this, along with Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane , to be the most perfect songs recorded by the group. Masterful in construction, yet not taking itself too seriously, this piece is a genuine masterpiece.

2. Within You Without You – This song is polarizing. The only other person who I speak to about the Beatles on a regular basis is my father, and he hates this song. I think it’s brilliant, a definite mood setter. The lyrics explore disillusion with ego, a popular theme with George, and one repeated years later on I Me Mine . The orchestral backing to this song adds another layer of complexity and beauty which rivals that of Something .

3. She’s Leaving Home – Another one people seem to love or hate. This one is beautiful, and I can’t say I’ve heard a prettier vocal take from John on a Beatles tune. A sad story set to melancholy music, yet is kept from being too much of a drag by the stunning vocals by Paul and John.

4. Good Morning Good Morning – I love this song mostly because it is so busy. Lots of noise and confusing drumming. For me, this makes it a neat song, for the Beatles weren’t always known for making the most confusing pieces musically. The animal sound effects at the end are great, but the wonderfully spastic guitar solo seals the deal for me. If you’re a guitar player, you know how difficult it can be to sound that random on the instrument.

5. Lovely Rita – A Paul tune that doesn’t say much in the way of lyrics, but still manages to entice musically. Indeed, the intro and outro of this song are what truly does it for me, the almost angelic voices singing “Lovely Rita , Meter Maid” amidst Paul’s bouncing bass lines. A nice tune.

6. Sgt. Pepper ‘s Lonely Hearts Club Band – Two reasons: It’s a great rocker, and it’s the concept. Though John, George and Ringo seem to downplay the whole concept idea as presented by Paul, this song shows a strong and fun idea. A few downsides: early days of distortion yet, and the guitar sounds like an electric cat. Not a good thing, but the masterful playing seems to bring it up.

7. With A Little Help From My Friends – I love Ringo, and this is a sweet song. Not too much to comment on, but the guitar playing by George is spot on here.

8. Getting Better – An optimistic outlook on life. The bit about beating his woman is slightly strange and alarming, but Paul’s vocals are great, as are the backing vocals.

9. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds – A nice tune from John. This was one of my favorite songs as a boy, but as I’ve grown, I don’t like it as much. Still lovely. I don’t buy into the whole LSD story; if John wanted to write a song about acid, he would have written one. He didn’t have a problem mentioning other drugs. (Read: Happiness Is A Warm Gun )

10. When I’m 64 – I really love this song, but it’s not quite the same caliber as the others. Indeed, in the One Hand Clapping film, Paul states that he wrote several songs thinking he’d end up as a cabaret act, and this is one of them. Not a bad song. I’d like to hear an album by Paul constituting all of his cabaret songs, and this one would fit right in next to Martha My Dear , Honey Pie , Suicide, and others.

11. Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite – When I listen to Sgt. Pepper on CD in my car, this is the song I skip the most. The instrumentation is a bit annoying after a while, and the lyrics are completely throwaway, even more so than usual from John (He took all of the words from a poster. Literally all of them.) When it was mixed with I Want You (She’s So Heavy) and Helter Skelter , I enjoyed it. It made for a sort of demented carnival sound which lends itself nicely to Paul’s screaming vocals. Here, it’s just a place holder, though its atmosphere does lend more to the concept than other tunes.

12. Sgt. Pepper Reprise – I actually really like this song, but seeing as it was more of an afterthought, I can’t put it higher. Honestly, it should probably be catalogued with Sgt. Pepper proper, but I digress.

13. Fixing A Hole – Paul has a reputation for being cutesy sometimes. Very usually I can stand it. Silly Love Songs aside, this song is one where he’s just a bit too cute. Again, not a bad tune, but I don’t always listen to it.

There you have it. Not my favorite Beatles album by far, but still a phenomenally good one. It inspired Brian Wilson to write SMiLE, and if you have heard the reconstructed version released in 2011, you know it’s a masterpiece on par with anything the Beatles did. This album is frequently listed as being the best rock album of all time, and though it may not have the best songs to attest to that fact, the influence this record has justifies its place.