The Beatles 10 Best Psychedelic Songs
First of all let me point out that the word "best" when applied to music is a bit silly. Really these are just my favorites and I am very aware that this is a very subjective thing. No, I do not want to get in a fight because you disagree with my list.
"Psychedelic" is another funny word. I have a pretty wide definition for it. It's any song that tickles my membrane in a certain way. There's a lot of different ways to do that. Some may use the term "experimental" instead of "psychedelic" in some cases. Some think of the word "psychedelic" as describing a certain type of sound. I do not. I think there's a lot of different ways that music can be psychedelic.
Anyway, this is purely semantics and I don't want to let that slow me up anymore than it already has. I just wanted to make sure that those reading this understand where I'm coming from. Without further ado, here are The Beatles 10 "best" "psychedelic" songs in alphabetical order.
"A Day In The Life"
Not only is "A Day In The Life" an incredible "psychedelic" song, it's an incredible song no matter what adjective you are using to describe it. If you have some doubt as to whether this song should be considered "psychedelic" I encourage you to listen to it next time your mind is "blown."
Of course the insane orchestral buildups (and that final chord) are the most intense parts of the song, but truly every moment of the song radiates with a timelessness that is truly breathtaking. I feel sorry for people who listen to this song and do not understand just how beautiful it is.
I always think it's funny when people claim that Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is "overrated." How can an album be overrated when it closes with this song? That just does not compute.
"I Am The Walrus"
I think in many ways Magical Mystery Tour is The Beatles most psychedelic album and if I had to pick one single reason for that I'd have to go with "I Am The Walrus." This song represents the absolute peak of The Beatles going completely mad (and I mean that in the best way possible) in the studio and with song arrangements.
Everything about this song is psychedelic from the lyrics to the production to the arrangement. If someone were to ask me what is psychedelic music, I'd probably play "I Am The Walrus" for them.
"It's All Too Much"
One of lesser known Beatles songs (hidden as one of the few new Beatles songs on the Yellow Submarine album) this is also one of The Beatles most psychedelic tracks. Production wise, it has one of the most unusual sounds of any song I've ever heard. The whole song sounds sort of like it's trapped inside of a (very weird) box except for the hand claps (which are thundering) and the vocals.
"Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds"
John Lennon said the LSD (Lucy Sky Diamonds) acronym was not purposeful but Lennon said a lot of things. I like that they left it as a mystery anyway (even if it was done on purpose.) To some "Lucy..." defines psychedelic music, I don't think it's quite as far out there as some of the other songs on this list but it certainly deserves placement among the top 10.
"Magical Mystery Tour"
The title track (and opening song) from Magical Mystery Tour is filled with strange musical breaks (listen to those horns) and spacey sound effects. It definitely does it's job of letting you know you are in for a "magical" trip with this album. Plus, I absolutely love the outro (with that Doors-ish tinkling on the keyboards.)
"Rain"
Not just because of the backwards vocals at the end (although that definitely puts it over the top) but because of the fantastic drum beat and Paul McCartney's amazing bass line. This b-side to "Paperback Writer" (which was also a candidate for this list) is a true gem of '60s psychedelia. It can be found on the Beatles non-album tracks collection Past Masters Vol. 2.
"Revolution #9"
Like I mentioned at the top of this article, some will take issue with me calling "Revolution #9" psychedelic. They'd prefer a term such as experimental and/or avant-garde. And both of those terms are fine as well. I do not believe they are in anyway mutually exclusive. In fact I think in most cases they they do overlap.
If you're like me and you enjoy the freaky "bad trip" thing on occasion then "Revolution #9" is a must hear. It's a trip unlike any other I've ever listened to. And it's a perfect end (I could probably do without "Good Night") to the greatest album of all time, The White Album.
"Strawberry Fields Forever"
One of The Beatles true masterpieces. I often think of "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "I Am The Walrus" as brothers in a way. "Strawberry Fields Forever" is the more serious brother, and "I Am The Walrus" is the lunatic.
Both brothers are among the greatest psychedelic songs ever recorded. I know I cannot properly convey the awesomeness of this song in words. If you haven't before, I encourage you to grab a pair of headphones and play this song as loudly as you can stand it. Cranberry Sauce, indeed. (Yes, that's "Cranberry Sauce" not "I Buried Paul." Sorry to any lunatic "Paul Is Dead" people out there, if any of you still exist that is.)
"Tomorrow Never Knows"
I'm just imagining the kids in 1966 getting to this track when listening to Revolver. Some of the other tracks on Revolver are quite psychedelic too but in a much more subtle way than this one (the final song on the album.) This had to have blown quite a few minds. Hell, it's still blowing minds today - over 40 years later.
It's hard to believe this song came from the same band that just two years earlier was unleashing pop tunes like "She Loves You" and "I Want To Hold Your Hand" on the United States for the first time.
"What's The New Mary Jane"
This track was originally intended for The White Album but it wasn't released until The Anthology 3 album came out in the 1990s. This is a truly bizarre song with a very spaced out middle section that makes for an interesting ride.