The Beatles are the greatest band of all time.

Their influence on pop and rock music cannot be understated. However, they broke up after recording for only seven years, from 1962 to 1969, and after releasing only 12 UK albums. The oldest member, Ringo, was only 29 years old when they broke up. John, Paul, Ringo, and George still had extensive music careers ahead of them and quickly launched their solo careers. As solo artists, they released many songs.

Recently the Beatles released their final song Now and Then made from old recordings of John and George, as well as some new parts from Ringo and Paul. Ringo released his newest solo album, Look Up, in 2025 which takes inspiration from Nashville country music. So which Beatles solo career songs are the best? 

John

• (Just Like) Starting Over

I first heard this song while listening to a playlist that was titled “Elvis in Context.” Though often overlooked, John Lennon loved rock n’ roll. This seems obvious, but often people think of him as simply a psychedelic songwriter. However, he was first inspired not by LSD, but by 50s and 60s American rock n’ roll. I love this song because it pays homage to those roots. It has 50s rock qualities like the Elviseque vocals and rhythm, which is combined with a Beach Boys sounding melody. This is definitely my favorite John Lennon song, and it is evidence of how creative and versatile he was as a songwriter.

• Watching the Wheels

Lennon wanted this song to sound “circular,” and I think he succeeded. This circular nature along with the title of the song give John’s answer to his critics who questioned his taking a five year break after 1975s Rock n’ Roll to raise his son. It is a confident and self assured answer: “I’m just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round.” 

Paul

• Beautiful Night

I like this song because I think it is the type of music that the Beatles would make if they were still around in the 1990s. The piano is amazing; the lyrics are mature and emotional, and the drums are well played by Ringo. The false ending into the louder outro into the studio chatter is something I didn’t enjoy at first. Now I think it shows how much of the album, Flaming Pie, was just jam sessions where Paul and his friends just played with no limitations, and I kind of dig it.

• Maybe I’m Amazed

This song is beautiful. I would argue it is one of the greatest songs of all time. It was written in 1969, the last year of the Beatles. He, with his family, snuck into Abbey Road under a fake name in order to avoid the other Beatles, and recorded it, produced it, and played all the instruments on his own. McCartney said “We had a lot of fun. We decided we didn’t want to tell anyone what we were doing or go to any companies. It was just swell.” This contrasts the attitude he was feeling while recording with the Beatles. He didn’t feel supported by them, and he felt like he was single handedly holding the group together. However, he felt supported by his wife Linda. Lyrically, it is a love song written to his wife. The simplicity of the song effectively communicates how he is feeling towards Linda.

• Sing the Changes

The Firemen are a side project by McCartney and Youth (bassist of the Killing Joke). They have two experimental electronic rock albums. “Sing the Changes” is off their second album Electric Arguments, one of McCartney’s most interesting and unique projects. This song reminds me of splattering paint against the wall. Paul McCartney takes 90s U2 and makes it more abstract and impressionist. 

• Letting Go

People often forget about the Wings and their influence on 70s soft rock. McCartney always wanted to be in a band. Post Beatles, he says he had two options, a supergroup where he would lose creative control, or a new band with lesser-known musicians. He chose the latter because he wanted to make something new and purposefully different from the Beatles. This became the Wings. In my opinion, the best Wing’s album is Venus and Mars. The best song on it is “Letting Go.”  The bluesy guitar riff in “Letting Go” is catchy and groovy. Its rhythm and call and response with McCartney vocals and lyrics express how his relationship with Linda is almost obsessive and unhealthy. The dark sounding chorus really emphasizes the theme of “letting go” and what that means.

• Silly Love Songs

This incredible song is the result of John Lennon saying Paul only writes lightweight love songs. He responded by making this song, one literally called “Silly Love Songs.” McCartney says this, “The song was, in a way, to answer people who just accuse me of being soppy.” This song has motown and funk elements. McCartneys bassline is especially funky and groovy. The vocals are sung at counterpoint making it feel super soppy–but in a good way.

• Temporary Secretary

This song is the most controversial McCartney song. It has a cult following, but people also hate it. I personally love it. Released in 1980, it was ahead of its time. The avant-garde electropop nature and far out lyrics about a “fellow who just wants a disposable secretary, and he’s writing to a bureau to try and get one” as McCartney puts it. The McCartney II album overall is a predecessor to the sound of The Firemen. It is the album on which “Wonderful Christmastime”was released. The looping synths and electropop make this album ahead of its time in general.

George

• My Sweet Lord

This song was written by Harrison in December of 1969 while he was still with the Beatles. It didn’t make the cut for a Beatles record so George offered it to Billy Preston. He recorded and it charted. However, once the Beatles broke up, Harrison compiled all of his rejected Beatles songs and released them as a triple album called All Things Must Pass. The song is inspired by gospel, blues, and folk as he was growing close to Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, and Billy Preston at that time. The song has a bluesy riff that blends well with the rhythm guitar. The vocals, especially the backup vocals, are very gospel, something that wasn’t seen with the Beatles.

• All Things Must Pass

The title track to All Things Must Pass was written by Harrison while hanging out with Bob Dylan and the Band in late 1968. He brought it to the “Get Back” sessions in early 1969, but it was largely dismissed by Lennon. At that time, John was dismissing much of George’s work, and he felt that Paul was being too controlling when it came to rehearsing Paul’s compositions. This frustrated Harrison and caused him to leave the Beatles for almost a week. When he finally released his own album, he named it after this track. It is often interpreted that the song and album title is referring to the Beatles. Harrison was okay, even excited about the band ending. While McCartney was trying to keep the band together, Harrison adopted a more passive attitude, saying:

 “Seems my love is up 

And has left you with no warning 

It’s not always gonna be this grey 

All things must pass.” 

• Marwa Blues

Marwa Blues is an instrumental track from his final album, Brainwashed. The guitar work is played over a slow moving rhythm guitar from his son, Dhani, and Jeff Lynne. The soft cymbals and drums make this song almost sleepy but not quite, because of the guitar. I think this track is symbolic of George Harrison and his style as a whole. His love for guitar really shines, but also Indian, blues, folk, and soul influences all play a role in this beautiful song.

Ringo

• Photograph

This song was co-written with George Harrison in 1971 and released in 1973. It is an emotional song about someone who had a lover and now lost her, but all they have is a photograph. The lyricism is unique because there is nothing about getting her back. He is purely sad but also is kind of past losing her. 

• Time on My Hands

This is my favorite track off of Ringo’s brand new country album, Look Up. The whole record is good, not great, but it’s an easy listen. I really enjoy this song because of the soft instrumentals and the poignant lyricism. It has the perfect lyrics for an 84 year old musician. They are retrospective and sad but also slightly optimistic. It goes:

“I thought it was forever 

But she had other plans 

Now these arms are empty 

And I’ve got time on my hands.” 

Despite their aging, the Beatles, living or dead, have created timeless music that resonates with people across generations. Even past their peak of popularity they still were able to create beautiful music with deep meaning.