A list of all 212 Beatles' songs and covers officially released on record between 1962 and 1970

by Ger Tillekens

The official Beatles' canon covers all songs the Beatles recorded and authorized for publication in their years as a performing group. In those years between 1962 and 1970 the Beatles released 219 songs or song variants, which are listed below in order of appearance. In this list there are 24 covers (C), and 1 traditional (T), leaving us with up to 194 released recordings of original Beatles' songs. Among those 194 we find 9 song variations and 1 song fragment. Of those 10 performances most authors of Beatles' books and commentaries discard 7 tracks as just variants or invalid members of the Beatles' songbook, leaving us with exactly 187 canonical Beatles' originals, 24 covers and 1 traditional: a total of 212 songs. [1] The links on this page all point towards Alan W. Pollack's Notes on ... Series. MD-numbers refer to the standard "MacDonald Verzeichnis" of the Beatles' songs.

1 Single: Love Me Do (released: 05.10.1962 [UK] on Parlophone 45-R 4949) 001 / MD001: Love Me Do (with Ringo on drums)

/ MD001: Love Me Do (with Ringo on drums) 002 / MD002: P.S. I Love You

2 Single: Please Please Me (released: 11.01.1963 [UK] on Parlophone 45-R 4983) 003 / MD003: Please Please Me

/ MD003: Please Please Me 004 / MD004: Ask Me Why

4 Single: From Me To You (released: 11.04.1963 [UK] on Parlophone R 5015) 010 / MD010: From Me To You

/ MD010: From Me To You 011 / MD011: Thank You Girl

5 Single: She Loves You (released: 23.08.1963 [UK] on Parlophone R 5055) 012 / MD012: She Loves You

/ MD012: She Loves You 013 / MD013: I'll Get You

7 Single: I Want To Hold Your Hand (released: 29.11.1963 [UK] on Parlophone R 5084) 022 / MD021: I Want To Hold Your Hand

/ MD021: I Want To Hold Your Hand 023 / MD022: This Boy

8 Single: Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand (released: March 1964 [BRD]) 024 : Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand

: Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand 025 : Sie Liebt Dich

9 Single: Can't Buy Me Love (released: 20.03.1964 [UK] on Parlophone R 5114) 026 / MD023: Can't Buy Me Love

/ MD023: Can't Buy Me Love 027 / MD024: You Can't Do That

11 Single: A Hard Day's Night (released: 10.07.1964 [UK] on Parlophone R 5160) 029 / MD031: A Hard Day's Night

/ MD031: A Hard Day's Night 030 / MD035: Things We Said Today

13 Single: I Feel Fine (released: 23.11.1964 [US]; 27.11.1964 [UK] on Parlophone R 5200) 040 / MD045: I Feel Fine

/ MD045: I Feel Fine 041 / MD044: She's A Woman

15 Single: Ticket To Ride (released: 09.04.1965 [UK] on Parlophone R 5265) 050 / MD047: Ticket To Ride

/ MD047: Ticket To Ride 051 / MD050: Yes It Is

17 Single: Help! (released: 19.07.1965 [US]; 23.07.1965 [UK] on Parlophone R 5305) 054 / MD056: Help!

/ MD056: Help! 055 / MD058: I'm Down

19 Single: We Can Work It Out (released: 03.12.1965 [UK] on Parlophone R 5389 as double A-side single) 064 / MD068: We Can Work It Out

/ MD068: We Can Work It Out 065 / MD065: Day Tripper

25 Single: Paperback Writer (released: 30.05.1966 [US]; 10.06.1966 [UK] on Parlophone R 5452 as double A-side single) 080 / MD080: Paperback Writer

/ MD080: Paperback Writer 081 / MD081: Rain

21 Single: Eleanor Rigby (released: 05.08.1966 [UK] on Parlophone R 5493 as double A-side single) 082 / MD086: Eleanor Rigby

/ MD086: Eleanor Rigby 083 / MD088: Yellow Submarine

23 Single: Strawberry Fields Forever (released: 13.02.1967 [US]; 17.02.1967 [UK] on Parlophone R 5570 as double A-side single) 096 / MD093: Strawberry Fields Forever

/ MD093: Strawberry Fields Forever 097 / MD095: Penny Lane

26 Single: All You Need Is Love (released: 07.07.1967 [UK] on Parlophone R 5620; the title song was aired on the Eurovision program "Our World" on 25.06.1967) 111 / MD114: All You Need Is Love

/ MD114: All You Need Is Love 112 / MD110: Baby You're A Rich Man

27 Single: Hello Goodbye (released: 24.11.1967 [UK] on Parlophone R 5655) 113 / MD120: Hello Goodbye

/ MD120: Hello Goodbye 114 / MD116: I Am The Walrus

30 Single: Lady Madonna (released: 15.03.1968 [UK] on Parlophone R 5675) 121 / MD122: Lady Madonna

/ MD122: Lady Madonna 122 / MD121: The Inner Light

31 Single: Hey Jude (released: 26.08.1968 [US]; 30.08.1968 [UK] on Apple/Parlophone R 5722) 123 / MD137: Hey Jude

/ MD137: Hey Jude 124 / MD132: Revolution

34 Single: Get Back (released: 11.04.1969 [UK] on Apple/Parlophone R 5777) 160 / MD160: Get Back (with Billy Preston on piano)

/ MD160: Get Back (with Billy Preston on piano) 161 / MD159: Don't Let Me Down (with Billy Preston on piano)

35 Single: The Ballad Of John And Yoko (released: 30.05.1969 [UK] on Apple/Parlophone R 5786) 162 / MD168: The Ballad Of John And Yoko

/ MD168: The Ballad Of John And Yoko 163 / MD169: Old Brown Shoe

38 LP: No One's Gonna Change Our World (World Wildlife Fund Charity LP, released: 12.12.1969 [UK] on Regal Starline SRS 5013) 183 / MD123: Across The Universe (with wildlife sound effects)

40 Single: Free As A Bird (released: 04.12.1995 on Apple/EMI CDR 6422, CD-single) 195 / MD187: Free As A Bird

41 Single: Real Love (released: 04.03.1996 on Apple/EMI CDR 6425, CD-single) 196 / MD188: Real Love

Notes

1. Those seven discarded songs are all doubles: 007: Love Me Do, double of 001, but with Andy White sitting behind the drums;

024: Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand, German version of 022: I Want To Hold Your Hand (same basic track with added vocals and handclaps);

025: Sie Liebt Dich, German version of 012: She Loves You (commonly taken as a complete rerecording of the original, but maybe just like 024 the same basic track with new vocals);

120: refrain of 111: All You Need Is Love;

186: Across The Universe, remix by Phil Spector of 183: Across The Universe without wildlife sounds;

189: Let It Be, remix by Phil Spector of the single version 181: Let It Be (same take, but slightly longer and with a different solo guitar track);

194: Get Back, mixed by Phil Spector from a take that was recorded a day before (27.01.69) that of the single 160: Get Back;

The one song fragment can be found on the White Album midbetween "Cry Baby Cry" and "Revolution #9": 153: Can You Take Me Back (untitled song fragment by McCartney on the White Album).

Your browser does not support the audio element. This "ditty" was written and sung by Paul McCartney at the recording sessions of "I Will" on 16th September 1968 as take 19 of this song. The full song lasts 2'21 minutes and is not copyrighted. Most Beatles' commentaries exclude it from their lists. Having listened to the take several times, I'm inclined to do the opposite.