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Lists: The Beatles, With Love, From Worst To First

heyjude_WEB.jpgWhat is it about lists that is so rock n' roll? Does it have anything to do with the intersecting of arts (music) and science (the numerical qualities inherent in lists)? It must - Nick Hornby has made a fortune analyzing and exploring this peculiar phenomenon.

And lists come fast and furious; spikes are most significant at the end of a year, of course, but really, any old topic and time will do. Take this ranking of Beatles tunes from JamsBio - they've rated every Beatles tune from worst to best. The descriptor "worst" is relative - there are very few, if any, bad Beatles songs.

Which is why the lsit kicks off, from the bottom, with Revolution 9, the (in)famous sound collage from the White Album most notable for the "Number nine..." quote from producer George Martin that is repeated throughout, mantra-like. As it's hardly a conventional song, this is an easy one to get away with. But the first jaw-dropper occurs two slots above that: I Want You (She's So Heavy). Wow - third worst song in the Beatles canon? Kinda dirgy, yes, and somewhat repetitive, but the song is indisputably a critical and fan favorite. Hmmm.

But how boring such a list would be without such bold rankings. As the order progresses upwards from the bottom, we pass such lesser known Fab tunes as early Harrison tune Don't Bother Me (# 157), later the Lennon tune Dig It (# 150), and the dark and weird Blue Jay Way (# 146).

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