Rating: 7/10
With the Beatles is basically a perfect encapsulation of the early-Beatles trademarks. From raspy rocking tracks led by John to sweet romantic ballads led by Paul, this album is chock-full of the staples from those earlier years.
Personally, I prefer their debut album, Please Please Me, to this one, but of course, this is a very strong record as well. While I do think a lot of the tracks on With the Beatles are filler-esque, I also can’t deny that there are some seriously amazing songs sprinkled throughout the tracklist of this album.
So without further ado, I will rank all of the songs from The Beatles’ sophomore album, With the Beatles, from my least favorite to my favorite. Enjoy!
14. Little Child (Track 5)
This is the type of song that I don’t really like from The Beatles. The lyrics are nothing special, and it’s the epitome of a filler song.
13. I Wanna Be Your Man (Track 11)
Man, they did Ringo so dirty. He was always given the worst songs to sing (with some exceptions on the later albums – I’m looking at you Octopus’s Garden). I’m so sorry to put a Ringo track this low on the list, but I can’t deny that this is one of the weakest songs on the album. The melody isn’t that appealing, and it’s not catchy enough to level out the extremely fast pace.
12. Roll Over Beethoven (Track 8)
Okay, let me preface this by saying that this actually is a pretty fun song. It’s very upbeat, and it’s just a good time. Plus, the opening is awesome – the guitar in this song is insanely good. That being said, it’s just not the type of song I generally gravitate towards. I don’t really know what to say to explain why I don’t really like this song that much. I guess I’m just really big on having a strong melody, and I don’t like the melody of this song very much.
11. Money (That’s What I Want) (Track 14)
John sounds really great on this song. I think his raspy voice suits the tone of the song very well. Plus, the backing piano in this song is very cool and adds a nice quality to the song. The handclaps towards the end are really fun as well. Lyrically, it’s not my favorite concept, and I don’t think it should’ve been the album’s closer. I think they should’ve ended on a softer, more romantic note, but oh well.
10. Don’t Bother Me (Track 4)
This is a decent song. It’s not a highlight of the album by any means, but it’s not quite filler either. Plus, I like George’s voice. The way he sings the “I know she’ll always be” line is really pleasing to the ear. In summation, this is enjoyable to listen to as part of the album, but it’s not going on my Beatles playlist because I can’t see myself wanting to listen to it outside of the album.
9. You Really Got A Hold On Me (Track 10)
I like the old-fashioned rhyming in this song. Of course, it probably wasn’t old-fashioned at the time this song was written, but whatever. The piano line in this song is pretty nice as well. That’s pretty much all I have to say. This song isn’t outstanding compared to some other tracks on this record, but there are also far worse songs on With the Beatles than this one.
8. Devil In Her Heart (Track 12)
I didn’t like this song much when I first listened to this album, but it’s actually grown on me a lot in lieu of more recent listenings. The melody is pretty fun, and the background vocals are really nice. George sounds great on lead vocal, Ringo’s drumming is really good, and Paul’s bass really sticks out (in a good way). Overall, a strong addition to the album.
7. Hold Me Tight (Track 9)
This song kind of sounds like something on Please Please Me, which is definitely a win in my book. Lyrically, there’s pretty much nothing special about this song. The appeal of this song comes from the enthusiasm to be found in the instrumentation and vocal performance. The harmonies sound a little off, but it actually works pretty well in favor of the song. The drumming and guitar work is really fun, and they just add a nice burst of energy to the song.
6. Not a Second Time (Track 13)
I’d say John’s singing and Ringo’s drumming are the highlights of this song. John sounds amazing (not uncommon, but still worth pointing out) and does a great job of inflecting emotion into his voice and carrying the melody in a charming enough way that it really stands out. Ringo’s drumming pushes the song forward and gives it a nice determination and rhythm. This is the early-Beatles sound done very well, and this song manages to feel fresh and unique despite it being very similar on-paper to many other songs on the album.
5. It Won’t Be Long (Track 1)
Now we’ve reached what I think are the absolute strongest tracks on With the Beatles. It Won’t Be Long kicks off the album on a very strong note, and I was really taken aback when I played it for the first time. I don’t really know how to describe it, but this song is something of a singing match between John and the background vocals. They flip back and forth during the “yeahs” of the chorus, and though it’s really high-energy and aggressive, it’s super cool. The bridge is my favorite part of this song. John’s vocals are incredible, and he carries the melody SO WELL. I’m in love with the way he sings this song, and overall, this was an amazing way to kick off the album.
4. All I’ve Got To Do (Track 2)
This song sounds amazing. John’s vocals are great (that must be the hundredth time I’ve said that in this review), and he has such a fond quality in his voice that makes the lyrics sound really sweet, where they could’ve easily sounded arrogant. Basically, this song is about a relationship where both people are so into each other that they’re at each other’s beck and call at all times. So the lyrics easily could’ve come across as arrogant and smug, but John sings it in a way that actually makes the song sound very charming and affectionate.
3. Please Mister Postman (Track 7)
The Beatles have always done a good job with covers, but their bursting musical talent, coupled with the brilliance of the original song, help to make this one of their best covers of all time (in my opinion, of course). John really sells the emotion of this song, and he sounds great while also conveying the desperation and frustration of the lyrics. The backing harmonies and all of the instrumentation is truly great. In summation, this is an undeniably infectious and extremely enjoyable song.
2. All My Loving (Track 3)
“Close your eyes and I’ll kiss you, tomorrow I’ll miss you. Remember I’ll always be true. And then while I’m away, I’ll write home every day, and I’ll send all my loving to you.” This song is so short, and part of me wishes it was longer, but as I’ve often said, the fact that it’s short basically means that it’s perfect all throughout. This song is incredibly strong in all aspects. Lyrically, it’s charming and clever (one of the best on the album by lyrics alone). Paul’s vocal performance is amazing and very endearing. Musically, it’s very well-done and energetic. This song is very beloved, and I can see why. It’s genuine, sweet, and extremely catchy. An absolute highlight of the early-Beatles era. “I’ll pretend that I’m kissing the lips I am missing, and hope that my dreams will come true.”
1. Till There Was You (Track 6)
“There were bells on a hill, but I never heard them ringing. No, I never heard them at all till there was you. There were birds in the sky, but I never saw them winging. No, I never saw them at all till there was you.” Oh, how I adore this song. The first time I heard it, I was in the car with my grandma (she may be reading this, and if so, hi!) listening to a Beatles CD, and this song came on, and I was so instantly charmed by it that I had to ask her what it was called so I could go home and listen to it again. The lyrics are so sunny and happy, and they just paint an image in my head of a picturesque little town with hills and ponds and birds and flowers everywhere (I know this song is a cover, but still).
I read a comment about this song on YouTube, and it said something about how Paul McCartney has this really special quality to his voice that allows him to make songs like this feel very romantic and gentle and sweet without making them feel too melodramatic or cheesy/cliche. And I completely agree. Paul really pulls off this song so well. Plus, taking the breezy guitar and soft bongos into account, this song is practically perfect in every way (yes, that was a Mary Poppins reference). “Then there was music and wonderful roses. They tell me in sweet fragrant meadows of dawn and dew. There was love all around, but I never heard it singing. No, I never heard it at all till there was you.”
Also, I just love the way Paul pronounces “saw”. It sounds a lot more like “sar” and I think it’s pretty funny.
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