Rolling Stone’s 2024 ranking of the 100 best songs from John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr’s solo careers opens with McCartney’s “Maybe I’m Amazed,” Lennon’s “God” and Harrison’s “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth).” It is a critic’s listening guide, not an objective verdict: Rob Sheffield says the songs were not chosen for commercial success, radio airplay, sales or popularity, but for what he calls “Beatle magic.”
What this ranking represents
Rob Sheffield’s Rolling Stone list, published March 7, 2024, brings together songs from all four former Beatles’ solo catalogs. Its companion playlist preserves the ranking and performer credits. The sequence is a named critic’s selection, not a chart, audience poll or consensus ranking.
Sheffield’s standard is explicitly subjective: “Every fan would compile a different list—that’s the beauty of it.” The list includes familiar hits alongside less obvious album tracks, so it works as a discovery route as much as a ranking. The sequence below follows the companion playlist; positions indicate that 2024 editorial order, not a measurable difference in quality.
The 100 songs, ranked
- “Maybe I’m Amazed” — Paul McCartney
- “God” — John Lennon
- “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)” — George Harrison
- “It Don’t Come Easy” — Ringo Starr
- “Mind Games” — John Lennon
- “Band on the Run” — Paul McCartney, Wings
- “Isn’t It a Pity” — George Harrison
- “Too Many People” — Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney
- “Imagine” — John Lennon
- “Pure Smokey” — George Harrison
- “Oh Yoko!” — John Lennon
- “Jet” — Paul McCartney, Wings
- “My Sweet Lord” — George Harrison
- “Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)” — John Lennon, Yoko Ono
- “Photograph” — Ringo Starr
- “Let Me Roll It” — Paul McCartney, Wings
- “Jealous Guy” — John Lennon
- “Apple Scruffs” — George Harrison
- “Here Today” — Paul McCartney
- “Oh My Love” — John Lennon
- “Be Here Now” — George Harrison
- “Working Class Hero” — John Lennon
- “What Is Life” — George Harrison
- “Jenny Wren” — Paul McCartney
- “Early 1970” — Ringo Starr
- “Give Peace a Chance” — John Lennon, Yoko Ono
- “Blow Away” — George Harrison
- “Live and Let Die” — Wings
- “Mother” — John Lennon
- “Handle with Care” — Traveling Wilburys
- “Dominoes” — Paul McCartney
- “Wah-Wah” — George Harrison
- “Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)” — John Lennon
- “Another Day” — Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney
- “New York City” — John Lennon
- “Don’t Let Me Wait Too Long” — George Harrison
- “You’re Sixteen (You’re Beautiful and You’re Mine)” — Ringo Starr
- “Hi Hi Hi” — Wings
- “#9 Dream” — John Lennon
- “Deep Blue” — George Harrison
- “Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five” — Paul McCartney, Wings
- “Om Hare Om (Gopala Krishna)” — George Harrison
- “Rory and the Hurricanes” — Ringo Starr
- “Love” — John Lennon
- “Calico Skies” — Paul McCartney
- “Here Comes the Moon” — George Harrison
- “Gimme Some Truth” — John Lennon
- “Monkberry Moon Delight” — Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney
- “Run of the Mill” — George Harrison
- “I’m the Greatest” — Ringo Starr
- “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” — John Lennon, Yoko Ono
- “Little Willow” — Paul McCartney, Jeff Lynne
- “I Found Out” — John Lennon
- “Put It There” — Paul McCartney
- “I’m Stepping Out” — John Lennon
- “All Things Must Pass” — George Harrison
- “Whatever Gets You Thru the Night” — John Lennon
- “Fine Line” — Paul McCartney
- “Dehra Dun” — George Harrison
- “Loser’s Lounge” — Ringo Starr
- “Temporary Secretary” — Paul McCartney
- “Isolation” — John Lennon
- “Junk” — Paul McCartney
- “Beware of Darkness” — George Harrison
- “So Bad” — Paul McCartney
- “Bless You” — John Lennon
- “Queenie Eye” — Paul McCartney
- “Back Off Boogaloo” — Ringo Starr
- “Seize the Day” — Paul McCartney
- “Nobody Told Me” — John Lennon
- “My Valentine” — Paul McCartney
- “Any Road” — George Harrison
- “No Other Baby” — Paul McCartney
- “Hold On” — John Lennon
- “Dear Friend” — Wings
- “Harry’s Song” — Ringo Starr
- “Woman” — John Lennon
- “Cosmic Empire” — George Harrison
- “Every Night” — Paul McCartney
- “Watching the Wheels” — John Lennon
- “Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey” — Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney
- “Lipstick Traces (On a Cigarette)” — Ringo Starr
- “Love in Song” — Wings
- “Crippled Inside” — John Lennon
- “Sunshine Life for Me (Sail Away Raymond)” — Ringo Starr
- “Arrow Through Me” — Wings
- “Try Some, Buy Some” — George Harrison
- “Bluebird” — Paul McCartney, Wings
- “Out the Blue” — John Lennon
- “Stardust” — Ringo Starr
- “Awaiting on You All” — George Harrison
- “Listen to What the Man Said” — Wings
- “Old Dirt Road” — John Lennon
- “The Day the World Gets ’Round” — George Harrison
- “(Just Like) Starting Over” — John Lennon
- “Cut Me Some Slack” — Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic, Pat Smear
- “No-No Song” — Ringo Starr
- “I’d Have You Anytime” — George Harrison
- “With a Little Luck” — Wings
- “How?” — John Lennon
How to explore the list
Use the ranking as a listening itinerary rather than a definitive scorecard. The first ten move among all four artists, setting an immediate contrast between McCartney’s melodic directness, Lennon’s introspection, Harrison’s spiritual searching and Starr’s relaxed pop presence. Following the full sequence also surfaces tracks that are less familiar than staples such as “Imagine,” “My Sweet Lord” and “Band on the Run.”
#1 Best Overall
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- This landmark compilation has introduced generations of fans to the incredible history of the most storied band in music
To go deeper, follow a song into its parent album or recording rather than assuming there is one compilation containing all 100 selections. The list spans several artists and projects, including Wings and the Traveling Wilburys, so credits matter when searching. Playlist availability can change over time.
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