10: "If I Needed Someone"*

"Carve your number on my wall and maybe you will get a call from me."

Starting with George. It's one of the fun ones, but it holds a pretty small, and therefore, humble life lesson: There are only so many people in our lives that fill our needs (more of this in the next song). However, this song is very happy. The person in George's song is someone who is fun over meaningful. The lyrics are very simple but show George's blossoming genius. Oh, and before I forget to mention, all of these songs are listed on YouTube by the official Beatles channel.

9: "In My Life"

"There are places I'll remember all my life, though some have changed..."

While #10 was fun and rather upbeat, the ever emotional John Lennon delivers "In My Life", which he claims to have been one of his favorite songs from the band. It is a slow moving piece that goes into the psychology of attachment and memories. We find people in our lives who mean more than life itself, even if we can't possibly make that clear to them. John perfectly sums up true love in this song, and that's something only two other songs on the list do. If you are more interested in some thick content, give this one and #7 a listen, then come back.

8: "Day Tripper"

"Tried to please her! She only played one night stands!"

Alright, this is a cheat song, there is no actual life lesson here. I just love this song and have a funny story to go along with it. While you don't know me, I will share some things. I was first introduced to "Day Tripper" at a young age, most likely seven or eight, and I didn't know certain terms back then. For instance, I thought the quoted lyric read, "She only played one last hand." I was nineteen when I found out the real lyric. I was truly devastated. I still sing my original lyric out of habit sometimes, and it just reminds me that I can laugh at myself. There's a lesson for you.

7: "A Day In The Life"

"I read the news today, oh, boy..."

I do not know where to begin with this song. In my opinion, this is their best song, but not my favorite. The emotion, the power, the tone, it actually is perfect. I can find no issues with this song. But, you're not here to listen to me talk about the overall grade of a song. "A Day In The Life" is just about that, one day. The world is so, so dark. Death, sadness, and all other evils are always present. Sure, you can sound upbeat and happy (Paul's section), but look outside and see reality. Nothing waits for you, the world moves on. All we can do is sit and watch it all unfold. It could possibly be the greatest life lesson since it is truly about life. Sometimes, all we can do is laugh, even when we see the photograph...

6. "Do You Want To Know A Secret?"

"I've known the secret for a week or two. Nobody knows, just we two."

Most people scratch their heads when they see this song on my list. Sure, it's not amazing, or really even that good. However, its simplicity is rather fascinating. John wrote it for himself, but gave it to George because it only had three notes to sing. The words don't mean much, but the overall song does. Love is all, love is you. Sorry, that's another song. What I mean to say is that love is a funny thing. It just sometimes happens. How we handle it is a different story. New love is great! No pressure, no history, simple. George's voice is very complementing to this idea, likewise #4's tone is complementing to its idea. I wish I could find a way to always feel like I'm newly in love. Don't we all?

5: "I Want To Hold Your Hand"

"Oh, please, say to me, you'll let me be your man, and please, say to me, you'll let me hold your hand!"

Everyone knows this song. It's like "Yesterday", except only this one is actually good. I just angered so many people. It's too late, I already got your view! This song transcends the Beatles for many reasons. The lyrics are easy to learn (though most people get them wrong) and the beat is super catchy. It is sweet and innocent, as the Beatles only want to hold your hand. Coupling with #6, "I Want To Hold Your Hand" gives off that great feeling of new love, with the plus of holding hands! The Sixties were a much simpler time.

4: "Here, There, And Everywhere"

"I want her everywhere, and if she's beside me, I know I need never care."

Now, Paul is my least favorite Beatle. I just angered so many other people. Two songs in a row, I've insulted fans. Man, I'm amazing. However, Paul McCartney is a lyrical genius, and that is best exemplified in this piece. It is beautiful, nearly perfect. I love putting this one after "Secret" and "Hand", because we move from new love to old love. Paul is talking about loving a woman, but knowing that such love requires commitment, something he and Jane Asher were experiencing troubles with during the "Revolver" period. Commitment is one of the scariest goals in life. Forever is a long time. A long, long time. I've known plenty of people who have committed to horrid relationships, but I also know plenty who share the sentiments of Paul. If love were easy, we'd all have it. Speaking of...

3: "Ticket To Ride"

"I think I'm going to be sad, I think it's today, yeah! The girl that's driving me mad is going away, yeah!"

I think we've all been here, and if you haven't, I envy you. Going back to "In My Life", we know there are people we will always cherish, but what if they don't know it or don't reciprocate it? First of all, kidnapping is illegal. We can't force people to love us. Second of all, sometimes... things just don't work, no matter how hard we try. I can't begin to tell you how much of my life I've spent trying to make my dreams reality. There is a limit, I've learned, before it is just unhealthy to keep going. You can't change the world, even if you want to. There will be other times in our life where we will feel like we're on top of the world, even if this time isn't it. Letting go is necessary. It shows our strength, even when we are at our weakest. There are days I wish I had a time machine, and then there are days I wish I didn't have a time machine. But, I digress...

2: "If I Fell"

"If I give my heart to you, I must be sure from the very start, that you would love me more than her."

Falling in love is tricky. You could end up at #3, and if you're lucky, #4. Then again, you could start at #10, go to #2, and then so on and so forth. Honestly, this song should be in #1, but for some reason, it always loses to the real #1 in the end. I can't explain. No song in their catalog ever really captured my attention like this song had. I instantly fell in love with this song once I truly listened to it. Let me explain: Not only is love tricky, but it is scary. Super scary. I could use other childish adjectives, but I've already lost enough people from earlier. Giving your heart to somebody is risky. It is never guaranteed to work. To begin with, they may not even want it. That's when you pack it up and go home, count the loss, look forward to the next game. But, when they accept your love, that's when you brace for what's to come. There is messy, and then there is catastrophic. There is also beautiful and perfect. Don't put all of your chips on red, because it is very easy for things to shake up. At that point, I only have one recommendation, and that is detailed in #1...

1: But, I'm Saving That For Next Week...

Yeah, this is a multi-part series. I thought that was clear in the sub-headline. "Beatlemania" will be a series that spans my entire career here at Odyssey, and I don't have a calendar for when new entries will arrive, but I do know Part 2 will be here next week and the final entry will be my last piece on this site, whenever that may be. If you guys don't read this, perhaps next week will be the final entry. Now, that would be amazing. Until then, "I'd like to be under the sea, in an octopus's garden in the shade."