The Beatles Songs Paul McCartney Has Called His Favorites

At this point, Paul McCartney squarely falls into the category of “living legend.” At 84, he's still going strong, releasing new music, and entertaining audiences the world over. Even if it weren't for his hugely successful solo career, he would, of course, have earned his place in the history books as part of the Beatles alone. That band has arguably influenced more musicians across the last six decades than any other, with seminal albums such as Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band permanently changing the face of popular music.The unexpected Beatles track Paul McCartney lovesIn an interview in 2020, the man himself picked out some of his favorite Beatles tracks, and among some expected choices, one selection caught many by surprise. “You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)” is a lesser-known Fab Four song that was originally released as the B-side to “Let It Be.” It's a decidedly oddball song that veers from primal, mantra-like rock to tongue-in-cheek vaudeville style with strong comic overtones. McCartney described it as “…a zany, zany little B-side that nobody knows, but we had so much fun making it."The A-side, “Let It Be,” was a more obvious choice. This beautiful song appeared as the title track to the band's final studio album. It was co-written by John Lennon and McCartney, with the latter explaining that the idea came to him via a dream, in which his sadly deceased mother appeared—hence the line, “When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me.” Released as a single, “Let It Be” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and holds the distinction of being the last Beatles single released before McCartney formally left the group.More of Paul McCartney’s favorite Beatles songsOther nominations McCartney cited include the luminous psychedelic classic, “Strawberry Fields Forever,” which was first issued as a double-A single in 1967, backed with “Penny Lane.” At the time, the song's radical departure from the band's previous rock-pop-oriented sound proved divisive. Over the ensuing years, it has been justly acknowledged as a landmark in innovation. “Hey Jude” also made it onto McCartney's list—a singalong fan favorite that, as McCartney explained in an interview with Rolling Stone, was written for Lennon's son, Julian. “I happened to be driving out to see Cynthia Lennon,” McCartney said. “I think it was just after John and she had broken up…He’s a nice kid, Julian. And I was going out in me car just vaguely singing this song, and it was like 'Hey Jules.' I don’t know why, 'Hey Jules.' It was just this thing, you know'… And then I just thought a better name was Jude.”In a 2024 interview on the podcast McCartney: A Life in Lyrics, the musician also shared a preference for another rather unexpected Beatles track: “Here, There and Everywhere.” Inspired by Fred Astaire, McCartney penned the track one morning while waiting for Lennon.“I would go out to his house for a writing session, and he wasn't always up,” McCartney recalled of the events that led to the song's creation. “So I would often have 20 minutes, half an hour while someone told him I was here, and he would get up. I remember sitting out by his swimming pool in his house in Weybridge, which is a golf suburb of London. I had my guitar because I was ready for the writing session. So we sat out and started something...it just went quite nice and smoothly. So by the time I came to write with John, by the time he deemed to get up and have his coffee, I would have something to go on.”