Even as a fan, the prospect of picking out your ultimate favourite Beatles song seems like an impossible task. With ten years worth of material to sift through, from hits to more underrated works, there’s a whole wealth of music to choose from, most of it worthy of the title. It’s a difficult enough choice as a third party, so it’s understandable that Paul McCartney himself dodges the question every chance he gets.
McCartney has been penning hits for the masses for over half a century now, with hundreds of compositions to his name. Widely helmed as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, McCartney is the mind behind countless classics, including the soothing words of ‘Hey Jude’, the melancholic musings of ‘Yesterday’, and the calming keys of ‘Let It Be’.
The Beatle has been reluctant to reveal which of his own compositions he favours, but he finally revealed his top pick during an appearance on the McCartney: A Life in Lyrics podcast. In an episode dedicated to The Beatles’ 1966 track ‘Here, There and Everywhere’, McCartney revealed that, “if pushed,” he would declare it his favourite song he’s ever written.
The track featured on the band’s seventh album, Revolver, which saw the band delving further into psychedelia and experimentation. Somewhere amidst the baroque strings of ‘Eleanor Rigby’ and the sampling use on ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’, the softer ‘Here, There and Everywhere’ provided a moment of respite on the record.
The song was written one morning while McCartney was waiting on his songwriting partner to wake up and join him. “I would go out to his house for a writing session,” he recalled, “and he wasn’t always up.” With the time Lennon’s lie-in allowed him, McCartney would begin penning the song that would come to take the title for his favourite.
Over harmonised “ooh”s and subdued strums, McCartney takes up lead vocals to deliver one of the sweetest love songs in their catalogue. “To lead a better life, I need my love to be here,” he sings. Incorporating the titular words throughout the entire song, it’s at once soft and intentional. A wish to be with his love here, there and everywhere, and a promise to be with her here, there and everywhere.
Though it’s not one of The Beatles’ biggest hits, eclipsed by Revolver singles like ‘Yellow Submarine’ and ‘Eleanor Rigby’, it’s easy to see why the song takes the title for McCartney’s favourite. It shows off McCartney’s softer side, his mastery of the ballad and of the love song, and his ability to make simplicity into something indescribably special.
The song has attracted admirers beyond its songwriter, with even Art Garfunkel deeming it “beautiful in every way a song can be” during a conversation with Music Radar. He suggested that the track “perfumes the atmosphere” like no other single does. Between the layered hums and charmingly subdued guitars, it certainly does have that effect.
While The Beatles’ catalogue may be littered with mammoth hits and works of innovation, it’s a simple and honest love ballad that McCartney considers to be his best work. It’s a song that shows off his intrinsic songwriting prowess, and a contender just as worthy as ‘Twist and Shout’ or ‘Hey Jude’.
Listen to ‘Here, There and Everywhere’ by The Beatles below.
