Image: Wiki Commons by Parlophone Music Sweden
About This Quiz
When you think of the most popular bands in the history of the world, The Beatles are probably at the top of your list. Not only did they bring a new sound to a generation begging for bigger beats, they attacked some of the biggest, most controversial topics of their time. They didn't care what others thought, and they weren't going to bend or break for anyone ... except for Yoko. Theirs was the first music to move people to the point of utter fanaticism and changed the way people thought about life, love, family and politics.
What makes their songs so great is a stellar use of instruments, the visible way the band had fun recording and the near-perfect lyrics that were delivered on every album. Although, sometimes, these lyrics were a little bit hard to understand, especially without the Internet there to tell you exactly what they were singing.
That's where this quiz comes in. We've messed up the lyrics to 35 popular Beatles songs, and we need your help fixing them. You're obviously a huge Beatles fan, and you're probably a little protective of the words they sang, be a good friend and help us get by with a little help.
"Would a love song make it better?"
"Take a sad song and make it better"
"Hey Jude" ended up on the B-Side of the "Revolution" album, but it is considered one of the Beatles' most popular ballads of all time. The song was written by Paul McCartney for John Lennon's son.
"Have a long walk and make it better"
"Can a sweet song make it better?"
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"Imagine all the people covered in oily grease"
"Imagine all the people hugging in a state of peace"
"Imagine all the steeples covered in fleece"
"Imagine all the people living life in peace"
John Lennon's "Imagine" was an attempt at using music to change the world. While it was and still is a possibility, some fans thought it was too controversial. It discussed removing religion and heaven and everything that causes war in order to get peace restored.
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"I found a bunch of money, gonna go buy me love"
"If you have a heart honey, come and get my love"
"You have a bunch of money, and money is something I love"
"I don't care too much for money, money can't buy me love"
While there are many interpretations of "Can't Buy Me Love," songwriter Paul McCartney vehemently denies the fact that it is about a sex worker or sex work in general. It's more about how natural love doesn't have a price tag.
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"Baby, I can get real far"
"Baby, I'm a movie star"
"Baby, you can drive my car"
Very few lyrics from Beatles songs can be taken at face value. All of the lyrics in "Drive My Car" are dripping with innuendo, as the song is about an aspiring actress who may or may not be interested in the singer.
"Baby, you're a real gold star"
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"I can fly even without the help of my friends"
"I get by with a little help from my friends"
Although "With A Little Help From My Friends" was remade several times by several different bands, whenever you hear a rendition of it, it's hard not to hear the Beatles all over the song itself.
"I'm a fly and the monkeys are my friends"
"My dog loves to sigh at all of my friends"
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"And when the brokenhearted people living in the world agree there will be an answer, let it be"
Released in 1968, "Let It Be" is one of those songs that you can listen to after a breakup or on a road trip. It's so versatile that there's no wonder why it was one of the Beatles' number one hits.
"And when the brokenhearted people living in the world agree there will be a fake spot, on my knee"
"And when the brokenhearted people living in the world agree there will be a dark circle in the sea"
And when the brokenhearted people living in the world agree there will be seven ships on the sea"
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"Ah, look at all the lonely people"
While many think that every single Beatles song has a specific meaning to the writers and musicians, "Eleanor Rigby" is a little different. The song mostly came from Paul McCartney's imagination, and it's just a song.
"Ah, there are way too many people"
"Ah, I found a lot of people"
"Ah, there are so many sad people"
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"Something in the way she moves"
"Something" is one of those songs you listen to hoping that someone is out there singing it specifically for you. It was another kind of song that connected to the Beatles fandom on a personal level.
"Something in the day she moved"
"Nothing in the way of us"
"Marching away from her moves"
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"And I found a friend, dancing by the lake, with a will to break"
"And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make"
This bouncy tune from the Beatles was delivered on the album "Abbey Road." It's a poppy, happy song that will get your toes tapping as soon as the first cord hits, bringing out the hot sound they were creating at the time.
"She danced all night and found the lake on the side of the road"
"She drives too slow and fakes her brakes when she finds her gas pedal"
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"One thing I can tell you is love ain't free"
"One thing I have is a love for me"
"One thing I know is we got to succeed"
"One thing I can tell you is we got to be free"
This song from 1969 gives us interesting words to unpack ... if we are lucky enough to understand what they're saying. That didn't stop Aerosmith from covering "Come Together" in 1978. Even if we don't totally get it, we love how it captures the rock sounds of the era.
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"I ain't got nothing but love, babe, eight days a week"
Although there are different versions of how this song came to be, "Eight Days A Week" is a phrase that caught on rather quickly, and shows that love is work, and work requires a lot from you.
"I found that I can fall in love, one day a week"
'If I work hard for you in the week, will you still love me"
'Will you have love over nothing, at least once a week?
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"Oh yeah, I'll tell you something, I think you'll understand"
"I Want To Hold Your Hand" was written specifically for the American audiences. As Beatlemania was growing, it was important to have the band show interest in the screaming and out of control fans. This song took it over the top.
"Oh yeah, I have something, that will give you a stand"
"Oh yeah, I have some money, in a little can"
"Oh yeah, I found something in your little hand"
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"Try to handle your baby"
"Try to see it my way"
Every band who creates songs about falling in love creates songs about heartache and trying to rekindle old flames. That's what "We Can Work It Out" is all about. It's a song that lives on as one of their most beloved.
"Find me in the way"
"If I'm ever in the way"
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"I am so in love"
"All you need is doves"
"I really need a hug"
"All you need is love"
There are few other lyrics in the song "All You Need Is Love" apart from the title lyrics. However, the power of the voices singing makes it a timeless hit. Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, the song was released in 1967.
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"I have feet and you have feet and there are feet inside her"
"I am he, as you are he, as you are me, and we are all together"
Other lyrics to "I Am The Walrus" include: "Sitting on a cornflake," "Yellow matter custard" and "Semolina Pilchard climbing up the Eiffel tower." You can't blame anyone who gets the words to this song wrong.
"When you breathe and I can see that we belong together"
"What there is and what there isn't is a bigger picture"
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"She has to dance with her brother'
"She's dancing in another world"
"We haven't found each other"
"She wouldn't dance with another"
With all of the different songs the Beatles released, it only made sense to include some dance music in the mix. "I Saw Her Standing There" is the kind of song you hear and grab a partner and get dancing.
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"We found a big yellow submarine"
"We all live in a yellow submarine"
While a lot of Beatles songs can be played for children without offense, "Yellow Submarine" seems to have been written specifically for them. It was an attempt at drawing in more audiences with fun and playful lyrics and sounds.
"We know about the blue meanie"
"We aren't ready for yellow submarines"
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"I found out that true love was rather grand"
"I found out that love was more than just seeking lands"
"I found out that love was more than just holding hands"
"If I Fell" is one of the Beatles' slower songs. It's definitely directed more toward their younger female fans, as it talks about deciding whether or not to fall in love. It talks about previous heartache and a want for more.
"I found out that love was more when you're in a band"
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"I'm in the news today, oh my"
"I read the news today, oh boy"
Accompanied by a 41-piece orchestra, "A Day In The Life" is a song with several emotional swings. It's dark and then bouncy and then back to dark, and it is one of those songs that can turn your mood several times before it ends.
"I found a friend today, he's a boy"
"I rock the world my way, now boy"
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"Nobody ever found my missing dog"
"Everybody loves me like her"
"I love her like she loves everyone"
"Nobody ever loved me like she does"
Everyone believes that John Lennon's love for Yoko Ono was the reason that the Beatles broke up. Despite those thoughts, "Don't Let Me Down" was written specifically for her, and it was the first song recorded for Lennon's wife.
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"Blackbird learned to fly real high"
"Blackbird singing and it sounds real nice"
"Blackbird singing in the dead of night"
Inspired by the racial temperature of the decade, "Blackbird" is one of those songs that will live on forever. Paul McCartney noted that the song could also be called "Black Girl" because "bird" is slang for "girl."
"She's the blackbird, I'm the fire"
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"On the corner is a tanker to fill your car"
"On the sidecar is a fuel gauge today"
"You found a banker in the motorcar"
"On the corner is a banker with a motorcar"
Inspiration comes from pretty much everywhere. Paul McCartney started jotting the lyrics to "Penny Lane" while waiting at a bus stop for John Lennon. He observed the areas around him and suddenly, the song came to life.
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"I found a day in the night and it's yellow like a log"
"It's been a hard day's night, and I read the princess and the frog"
"It's been a hard day's night and I've been working like a dog"
While the phrase "it's been a hard day's night" doesn't seem to make a lot of sense, everyone can universally understand what it means: you've been working from morning to night to complete something ... and that's hard.
"It's been a long day and night and there aren't any songs"
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"The other day, I found a trouble in the hideaway"
"Yesterday, I had no troubles for a whole day"
"Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away"
Paul McCartney wrote this song, thinking that it wasn't going to make it very far. However, the ballad has been re-recorded by artists throughout history and its popularity isn't going anywhere.
"Yesterday, your great friend found a new place to stay"
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"Here I am in a can and I can't seem to fall"
"You're a man with a tan and you aren't even tall"
"Here I stand head in hand, turn my face to the wall"
A rumor has been floating around that "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" was written specifically for Brian Epstein, the Beatles's manager who was a homosexual. If this is true, it is considered the first gay rock song.
"With my hands, I break the land and hit the wall"
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"Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm sixty-four?"
The lyrics and sound of "When I'm Sixty-Four" call back to the early days of the Beatles. It's a poppy song that brings in the theme of love and questioning and longing ... which is what a lot of Beatles fans were looking for.
"Will you still see me, will you still be me, when I'm sixty-two?"
"Will you still share me, will you still care me, when I'm sixty-four?"
"Will you still have me, will you still dance with me, when I'm sixty-four?"
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"Little girl, it's blue and cold this winter"
"Little darling, it's been so dark this winter"
"Little girl, you are my world this winter"
"Little darlin', it's been a long, cold, lonely winter"
Inspired by England's long winters, George Harrison wrote "Here Comes The Sun" in Eric Clapton's garden. He even used one of Clapton's acoustic guitars to get it just right ... and of course, he did get it just right.
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"Living is easy with eyes closed"
Another hit from "Magical Mystery Tour," "Strawberry Fields Forever" is one of those songs that people love to listen to when they're laying back, relaxing and decompressing from a long day.
"She's driving with her eyes closed"
"She smells the field with her nose"
"Driving is easy on these roads"
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"Pictures are taken with boats on the river"
"Pictures of rocking horses on the river'
"Picture yourself in a boat on a river"
Of all the places musicians get inspiration, Lennon's inspiration for this song is probably the sweetest. The song is about his son's school friend, Lucy. Julian Lennon drew a picture of her with stars around her and told his dad that she was "Lucy in the sky with diamonds."
"Marmalade is on the river with a big boat"
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"She heard the following song and decided to give up"
"Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup"
The Beatles were well-known for writing songs about what was happening in their lives and changing them just enough to be vague. John Lennon wrote "Across The Universe" after a harsh argument with his first wife.
"She found a basket of apples and filled a paper cup"
"Words have a way of filling up paper cups"
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"You may be a lover, but you ain't no dancer"
Although "Helter Skelter" has a lot of bad publicity after the Manson Family murders, the song itself stands the test of time. Unfortunately, it was one of the first songs to associate music with violence.
"She has another lover and his name is Prancer"
"Santa's best reindeer is the one named Prancer"
"You may be a brother but you have one sister"
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"Baby found the key, you know"
"Baby's in my dreams, you know"
"Baby's good to me, you know"
"I Feel Fine" is an upbeat song about how nothing can touch you when you fall in love. The lyrics speak to a feeling that comes over you when you can only focus on the way another person makes you feel.
"Baby has the dream, of me"
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"The way things are going, they're going to crucify me"
After marrying Yoko Ono, John Lennon realized that he faced adversity across the board. He wrote this song as a way to lash out against the public, the authorities and anyone who had anything to say about his relationship.
"The way she moves her hair, I found her standing their"
"I ran away to Spain and they hate me for it"
"The way things are going, they're gonna fire me"
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"And time rolls on in the nights alone"
"And crying doesn't end in your life alone"
"And life flows on within or without you"
From "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," "Within You Without You" brings on a new sound from the Beatles. It's spacey with Indian influences. Many considered it an odd sound, but others think that it was ahead of its time.
"I found a place where I could find you"
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"Desperate lovers look into every face"
"Desmond says to Molly, girl, I like your face"
The title of "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" is a little weird, but the story that it portrays is a common one, for sure. It is almost a post-love song, where it discusses a relationship rather than a wanting or a heartbreak.
"Does anyone know of a good place"
"Is there anyone out there to give me space"
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You Got:
/35
