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The 15 Most Psychedelic Songs by The Beatles

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  • Jason LeValley
  • November 14, 2021
  • 4:48 pm

The 15 Most Psychedelic Songs by The Beatles

The Beatles’ psychedelic period began in May 1966 with the release of “Paperback Writer” or, more accurately, the B-side of that single, “Rain”. Although the Beatles consistently broke new ground, “Rain”, was different from anything they had released previously. With its backwards vocals and Eastern-tinged melody line, the song sounded, well…trippy.

Although credited to Lennon-McCartney, “Rain” was clearly John’s baby. Lennon would continue to be the dominant force throughout the Beatles’ psychedelic phase, which mostly concluded by the end of 1967 with the release of Magical Mystery Tour. Although there were a few more psych songs forthcoming from the Fab Four, they essentially ended their psychedelic output at a time when many musicians were just beginning their lysergic explorations.

It was during this phase (1966-67) that George Harrison started producing songs that reflected his interest in traditional Indian music. Although Harrison had played the sitar on the Beatles’ folksy Lennon-McCartney hit “Norwegian Wood” (one of the first pop/rock songs ever to feature the sitar), it really wasn’t until “The Inner Light” off of Revolver that he developed his raga-rock style—a style that seemed to fit in seamlessly with Lennon’s psychedelic musings.

Revolver was the first of the three Beatles psychedelic-themed albums, the other two being Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and the aforementioned Magical Mystery Tour—both from 1967.

Although some will argue, The Beatles are the best band of all-time, so it comes as no surprise that their psychedelic output is the best psychedelic music ever made.

By 1968, The Beatles had seemingly moved on from hallucinogenic drugs in favor of a naturalistic lifestyle based on Transcendental Meditation. That’s not to say they had completely abandoned the psychedelic sound, as 1968’s The Beatles (aka The White Album) contained a couple of undeniably trippy tunes (i.e., “Dear Prudence”, “Wild Honey Pie”).

Psychedelic Beatles

Richard Avendon

To fulfill a contractual obligation with United Artists, who had released the Beatles’ animated feature Yellow Submarine, The Beatles supplied four new songs for the 1969 soundtrack. Among them was “It’s All Too Much”, Harrison’s ode to his LSD experiences.

The track “Because” is simply too trippy to exclude as a bit of Beatles’ psychedelia, although the song appears on the decidedly non-psychedelic album Abbey Road.

It’s interesting to note Paul McCartney’s low key presence in this particular stylistic mode. Although he admitted to taking LSD, the drug didn’t seem to have as profound an influence on his music as it did that of John’s and George’s, which is not to say he wasn’t musically effective during this phase of the Fab Four’s career; he was. It is evident, however, that Paul seemed to be more comfortable supporting John’s whimsy than taking a lead role as a psychedelic artist.

Although some will argue, The Beatles are the best band of all-time, so it comes as no surprise that their psychedelic output is the best psychedelic music ever made.

Here, then, are their 15 most psychedelic songs in chronological order.

Rain

Love You To

She Said, She Said

Tomorrow Never Knows

Blue Jay Way

I Am the Walrus

Strawberry Fields Forever

Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

Within You Without You

The Inner Light

Dear Prudence

Wild Honey Pie

It’s All Too Much

Because

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0hrDuKRCA6Za7u4pDRhAEZ?si=b26fed1790a54f9a

 

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