115: You Really Got A Hold On Me

Album: With the Beatles
Writer: Smokey Robinson
Singer: Lennon/Harrison

Verdict: This isn’t my favorite song lyrically, but John and George(!) pair up wonderfully here. Paul’s harmony also complements them really well. I love the crescendo in the chorus. Very pleasant. 

114: Glass Onion

Album: The Beatles
Writer: Lennon
Singer: Lennon

Verdict: A silly song written mostly to just mess with the fans and their crazy conspiracies (e.g. “Paul is dead”). Despite just naming a bunch of their song titles it’s got some stark imagery. “Looking through the bent backed tulips, to see how the other half live,” is a great line.

113: From Me To You

Album: Past Masters, Volume One
Writer: Lennon/McCartney
Singer: Lennon/McCartney

Verdict: This one is all about the structure of the song. I find this to be way catchier than “She Loves You.” John plays a good harmonica, and their “Da da da da da dum dum da,” makes for an upbeat intro and outro. When Paul sings “That’s oh so true!” I get shivers.

117: Twist & Shout

Album: Please Please Me
Writer: Phil Medley, Bert Berns
Singer: Lennon

Verdict: This is one of their covers I think they’ve done better than any band ever. If I cared a lick about the lyric it’d probably rank higher. This song was the last to be cut for their first album after a 10 hour recording session. They had 15 minutes to make this song, John was sick as shit, and he could barely speak. What you hear here is their only take and John’s voice gave out for good afterwords. It was a brilliant play by George Martin making this song the last of the session, as Lennon’s raspy voice just kills it.

115: P.S. I Love You

Album: Past Masters, Volume One
Writer: McCartney
Singer: McCartney

Verdict: A cheesy, simple song (hey, it’s Paul) that is quite pleasant otherwise. John’s backing vocal helps balance things out. I mainly just love the song’s ending. “You you you!” Okay, so it’s hard to make a good case for it.