I'm sure it's probably been done before, but...

[DipDipDive]

Which Beatle do you think is the best songwriter?

I didn't even bother making Ringo an option.

[cosmo105]

I didn't even bother making Ringo an option.
*snort*

[Tompz]

what?

who else would write about octopusses ?

[SleeveZipper]

i go for george, somehow his songs appeal to me most, especially his with or without you for sgt peppers is absolutely fantastic

[Freebasser]

Where's Sting?

[thegoodmrbrodie!]

i voted for george. but i think its because he contributed less songs, so we think he's better. maybe if there was less equality he would have let some shit ones slip through. but as it is...george.

[afronaut]

what?

who else would write about octopusses ?
yeah, exactly.

[mickill]

While George is probably my absolute favorite Beatle, I think it'd be criminal to not select John. To me, it's not about who wrote my favorite songs, it's who wrote the best songs on a consistent basis, well into his solo career. It came easy to John. He was gifted. He was an absolute genius.

As much as I adore George and his music, I don't know if he'd qualify as an actual genius, necessarily. But then, maybe that's what made George a great songwriter; that he overcame the adversity, struggling to grow as an artist while the considerable egos of two of rocks greatest songwriters kept him on the bench. Hmmm... See, I don't think George had a gift for writing songs. It wasn't exactly his forte. He worked really hard at it. But then, you're only as good as your nearest competition, so a lot of the credit would probably go to George and Paul in that regard. And their influences were obviously a big factor.

Then again, I think that if George had been given the opportunity to contribute his own songs right from the beginning, he probably could have grown at the same accelerated rate that John and Paul did. Maybe he lacked the ego or the actual drive that John and Paul had, though. Or maybe he just became defeated too soon into his writing forays. I mean, he wrote "Don't Bother Me" for their second album, which, up till then, was absolutely the most attitude ever displayed on a Beatles song. And it's a great song. But the song was overshadowed by fluff like "All My Loving" and more "traditional" Beatles-sounding songs like "It Won't Be Long". Maybe it took the wind out of George's sails. Maybe he felt defeated. Who knows?

You know, considering the megalomaniacs he had to put up with and the self-aggrandizing dictators he had to endure making music with, he somehow still managed to put up some decent numbers. That's pretty impressive. You know what, forget John and Paul...George was obviously the best songwriter of the bunch. Yeah, I'm voting George.

[thegoodmrbrodie!]

yeah. that's what i meant to say.

[mickill]

Yeah, sorry, I kinda took the scenic route with that answer.

[enree erzweglle]

While George is probably my absolute favorite Beatle, I think it'd be criminal to not select John. To me, it's not about who wrote my favorite songs, it's who wrote the best songs on a consistent basis, well into his solo career. It came easy to John. He was gifted. He was an absolute genius.
(y) (y) (y) I loved both George & John and have all of George's solo albums, but it's clear to me that John's songs were better. George maybe suffered from a lack of good production on a lot of his solo efforts--some of the good stuff is from Cloud 9, which I think was well-produced and he had commercial success with that album, I think, because of that. George's stuff wasn't as accessible to the average listener and the added production value made it more appealing.

[Humiliation]

I'll go with john. Paul had a great ear for melody but he never wrote any truly fantastic songs. George had a shakey start but got into his prime around magical mystery tour. I still think john was better though.

[Rosie Cotton]

While John's songs clearly had more of an impact, I have to go with Paul. I'd much rather listen to Wings than anything with Yoko Ono screeching in the background. I love Yoko, she's an extremely intelligent woman and I love reading interviews with her because she always has something interesting to say. But for fuck's sake I don't wanna hear the woman singing.

[DroppinScience]

There should've been a John/Paul option. I think their collaborations on songs (well, at least early on in The Beatles) really complimented each other well.

Both of them had a different approach and we all benefitted for it. (y)

[ToucanSpam]

There should've been a John/Paul option. I think their collaborations on songs (well, at least early on in The Beatles) really complimented each other well.

Both of them had a different approach and we all benefitted for it. (y)
sing it with me DS


Yesterday, all my troubles seem to far away
now it looks like they are here to stay
oh I believe in Yesterday :D

[matt_smith69]

who wrote across the universe? think it was john

thats who i went for

solo careers:
john - imagine (y)
paul - mull of kintyre (n)

[PaddyBoy]

I'll go with john. Paul had a great ear for melody but he never wrote any truly fantastic songs. George had a shakey start but got into his prime around magical mystery tour. I still think john was better though.

Paul never wrote fantastic songs?! I beg to differ....

Penny Lane, We Can Work It Out, I'll Follow The Sun (my all time fav), Things We Said Today, Can't Buy Me Love, Get Back, Long And Winding Raod, Let It Be, Yesterday, Two Of Us, the Abbey Road Medley, Blackbird, I Will, Sgt. Pepper, With A Little Help From My Friends, Getting Better, Here There And Everywhere, Drive My Car, I'm Looking Through You, Michelle..............and thats just some of the Beatles stuff.

John appealed to more people cos he was cynical, I put him and Paul on a par. I voted for Paul though cos he's underrated. If only he hadn't written such stupid shit as Rocky Racoon, Maxwells Silver Hammer, etc, they tarnished his rep.

For those who say George was the best...c'mon, lets be realistic. He started writing later, didn't write as many great songs and had Paul and John helping him when he started. All Things Must Pass is the best Beatles solo IMO though. He peaked 67-72.

God, I love talking about the Beatles. No shit says you.

[abcdefz]

Yeah, sorry, I kinda took the scenic route with that answer.



Every now and again I read something here which actually does make me laugh out loud.

[abcdefz]

My opinion changes on this quite a bit -- John or Paul, John or Paul. I think Paul is the better craftsman, but pretty often, even his best stuff has no real content. Like someone once said, "who knows if 'Eight days a week is not enough to say I love you' is a profound thought, a stupid thought, or any thought at all?"

I think Paul's songs probably are better spirited than John's though, see, that's the thing. John's songs are very provocative, but sometimes what he's getting at is rubbish.

In this poll, I picked John. Make another poll in a week and I might just pick Paul.

[DipDipDive]

I think Paul's songs probably are better spirited than John's though, see, that's the thing. John's songs are very provocative, but sometimes what he's getting at is rubbish.

I'm of the opinion that John's songs are far more heartfelt and genuine than Paul's. The majority of the Paul songs are just fluff. Sure, the lyrics and arrangement in Paul's songs are incredible, but there's no angst or emotion in his delivery. He could sure write a tune, be he couldn't sell it like John could.