I Don't Want to Spoil the Party

Recently, I made a startling discovery about myself:  I DON’T LIKE THE BEATLES.  Yep, you read that right.  I don’t like them.  I never did.  At least, I don’t think I ever did.  It’s hard to be sure because, let’s face it, you’re supposed to like The Beatles.  That’s why I was in denial for so many years.  Granted, they were before my time, but I’ve been familiar with their music for most of my life.  There was even a time when I thought I liked “Let It Be”, “Hey Jude”, “Yesterday” and “Penny Lane”.  Well okay, I still like “Penny Lane”.  I also kinda like “Michelle”, but that’s mainly because of the line “Sunday monkey play piano song”.  That is what he says, right?

Anyway, the point is that I don’t like The Beatles.  Now, that’s not to say that I don’t like John Lennon and Paul McCartney and George Harrison and, yeah, Ringo, too.  In fact, that’s probably the reason it took me so long to realize that I didn’t like The Beatles.  You see, I was a HUGE fan of the music The Beatles made in the eighties.  One of my first favorite songs in the eighties was “Ebony & Ivory” by Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder.  Even today, I think that chorus lyric is brilliant and I sing at the top of my lungs every time I hear it.  Honestly, Paul was probably my favorite Beatle, although it would have been a toss-up between him & John if not for the latter’s political tendencies.  I’ve never been a fan of blatant politics in music.

Of course, Paul had the most chart success in the eighties with ten Top 40 hits, seven of which made it into the Top 10.  His biggest hits of the decade were duets, two of which were with Michael Jackson.

Lennon, on the other hand, garnered four Top 10 hits during the eighties, although he would likely have given McCartney a run for his money had his life not been cut short.

Harrison hit the U.S. Top 40 three times during the decade with one chart-topper and another reaching #2.  Interestingly, two of his three solo eighties hits were about his days as a member of The Beatles.  He would also enjoy a degree of success in the late-eighties and early-nineties as a member of The Traveling Wilburys.

Finally, Ringo’s hitmaking days were pretty much over by the dawn of the eighties, even though he had enjoyed a surprising amount of solo success throughout the seventies.  He hit the U.S. Top 40 once and the Country Top 40 once during the eighties.

The following is a list of the best solo Beatles songs of the eighties:

1.  John Lennon - (Just Like) Starting Over

Released in October, 1980 followed by the “Double Fantasy” album a month later, this song was a rare but welcome pop song that marked something of a comeback for Lennon.  Unfortunately, his comeback would be cut short when he was shot to death on December 8 of that same year.  Three weeks later, the song would reach #1.

2.  John Lennon - Nobody Told Me

Recorded during the “Double Fantasy” sessions but included on the posthumous “Milk & Honey” album four years later, this song was a catchy “state of the world” address musically akin to (Just Like) Starting Over.  The lyric, however, is much less heavy-handed than most of Lennon’s political songs.

3.  Paul McCartney/Stevie Wonder - Ebony & Ivory

A brilliant lyric set to a beautiful melody, this song featured an unlikely pairing of two legendary voices.  It reached #1 in 1982.

4.  George Harrison - All Those Years Ago

Having already recorded the music for the song prior to John Lennon’s death, George rewrote the lyric as a celebratory tribute to his friend.  It would also be the closest thing to a new Beatles song in a decade with Ringo playing drums and Paul contributing backing vocals.

5.  Paul McCartney/Michael Jackson - Say Say Say

While “The Girl is Mine” was probably the weakest song on “Thriller”, the second duet from Macca & MJ was a haunting piece of ear candy that bested its #2 predecessor by reaching #1 in 1983.

6.  John Lennon - Woman

A beautifully crafted love song with a chorus that washes over you like, well…milk & honey.  No, wait…this was on “Double Fantasy”.  Nevertheless…

7.  Paul McCartney - My Brave Face

With much of his eighties output being dismissed as “bubblegum”, Paul got back to basics with 1989’s “Flowers in the Dirt”.  Collaborating with Elvis Costello, McCartney produced one of his best singles of the decade.

8.  Paul McCartney - No More Lonely Nights

Undoubtedly, the best thing about Paul’s “Give My Regards to Broad Street” film, this silly love song reached #6 in 1984.

9.  Paul McCartney - Spies Like Us

Paul had a lot of success with movie soundtracks and this song continued the streak.  The theme from the Chevy Chase/Dan Akroyd film of the same name is nothing but big, dumb fun.  It reached #7 in 1985.

10.  George Harrison - Got My Mind Set on You

Written by Rudy Clark and recorded by James Ray in 1962, this song would become the final song by a Beatle to reach #1 in the U.S.  It also broke a three-way tie between George, Paul and John for most solo #1’s.  George wins with three.

Honorable Mention:

Buck Owens/Ringo Starr - Act Naturally

I simply could not put this in the top ten, but I had to include it.  Enjoy.  :-)