Easy Beatles Songs On Guitar
For The Acoustic

Honey Pie is a nostalgic track from the 1968 self-titled double album, commonly known as The White Album. It was not released as a single.

The song is Paul McCartney’s direct homage to the British music hall style of the 1920s that his father loved. To capture that authentic, old-timey sound, the producer added a crackling record effect to the opening line, "Now she's hit the big time!" Unusually for a Beatles track,

John Lennon plays the lead guitar solo, offering a jazzy, Django Reinhardt-style performance that contrasts sharply with his usual rock approach.

I'll Cry Instead appears on the 1964 album A Hard Day's Night in the UK and the Something New album in the US. Released as a single in the United States, it reached number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100.

John Lennon wrote the song specifically for the "breakout" sequence in the A Hard Day's Night film, but director Richard Lester rejected it in favor of "Can't Buy Me Love."

The track leans heavily into the country and western genre, a style the band—particularly Ringo and George—adored, featuring a rockabilly rhythm that drives the short, punchy tune.

I'm Only Sleeping is a psychedelic highlight from the 1966 album Revolver. It was not released as a single.

John Lennon wrote the song as an ode to the joys of staying in bed, arguably reflecting his own laziness or, as some suggest, a drug-induced lethargy.

The track is historically significant for featuring the first-ever backward guitar solo on a pop record. George Harrison spent hours carefully composing the solo, which was then recorded and the tape reversed to create the disorienting, dreamlike swooshing sounds that perfectly match the song's drowsy theme.

Kansas City is a high-energy medley found on the 1964 album Beatles for Sale. It was not released as a single. The track combines the Leiber and Stoller standard "Kansas City" with Little Richard's own "Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!"

Paul McCartney provides one of his rawest, most powerful vocal performances here, attempting to match the intensity of his idol, Little Richard.

Remarkably, the band nailed this complicated medley in just one take (Take 1), proving how tight their live performance skills were after years of playing these exact songs in the clubs of Hamburg.

Lovely Rita appears on the seminal 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. It was not released as a single. The lyrics tell the whimsical story of a "meter maid," a term for a traffic warden that was actually American slang and not common in the UK at the time.

Paul McCartney wrote the song after getting a parking ticket from a warden named Meta Davis outside Abbey Road Studios.

The recording features a bizarre solo that sounds like kazoos but is actually the band humming through combs covered in toilet paper.

Mr Postman is a cover song featured on the band's second album, With the Beatles (1963). It was not released as a single by the group. Originally a number-one hit for The Marvelettes, this was the first Motown song the Beatles ever recorded for EMI.

John Lennon takes the lead vocal, delivering a gritty, desperate performance that cuts through the band’s "Wall of Sound" arrangement. The track demonstrates how the Beatles were instrumental in popularizing Motown music to white audiences in the UK and US during the early 1960s.

Oh Darlin is a swamp-pop ballad from the 1969 album Abbey Road. It was not released as a single in the UK or US during the band's career, though it later appeared as a single in other territories.

Paul McCartney was determined to make his voice sound ravaged and raw for the recording. To achieve this, he arrived at the studio early every morning for a week to scream through the song before the other members arrived, intentionally straining his vocal cords to capture the desperate, blistering sound of a live rock and roll singer.

Please Please Me serves as the title track for their 1963 debut album. It was their first single released in the US (on Vee-Jay records), eventually reaching number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 during the 1964 invasion.

Originally, John Lennon wrote it as a slow, bluesy ballad inspired by Roy Orbison. Producer George Martin famously convinced them to speed it up to a frantic pace. After the final take,

Martin spoke from the control booth, telling the band, "Congratulations, gentlemen, you have just recorded your first Number One," a prediction that came true on most UK charts.

She Said She Said closes out Side One of the 1966 album Revolver. It was not released as a single. The song’s lyrics were inspired by a strange conversation John Lennon had with actor Peter Fonda while they were on LSD in Los Angeles;

Fonda kept whispering, "I know what it's like to be dead," which terrified Lennon. A major piece of trivia is that Paul McCartney does not play on this track.

He had an argument with the others and walked out of the studio, leaving George Harrison to play the bass line instead.

Something is the standout ballad from the 1969 album Abbey Road. It was released as a double A-side single with "Come Together," hitting number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

This was the first George Harrison composition to be released as a Beatles A-side, finally earning him equal standing with Lennon and McCartney. Frank Sinatra famously covered the song, calling it "the greatest love song of the past 50 years," though he mistakenly introduced it as a Lennon/McCartney song for years.

The promotional video features all four Beatles with their wives, walking through the grounds of Tittenhurst Park.

 The Ballad Of John And Yoko was a non-album single released in 1969, which shot to number 1 in the UK and number 8 in the US. The song is a literal musical diary of John Lennon’s marriage to Yoko Ono and their subsequent "Bed-In" for peace.

Uniquely, only John and Paul play on the recording; George was on vacation and Ringo was filming a movie, so Paul played drums, bass, and piano while John played guitars and sang.

The song was banned by several US radio stations due to the lyric, "Christ, you know it ain't easy."

The Night Before appears on the 1965 album and soundtrack Help!. It was not released as a single. Paul McCartney sings the lead and plays a distinct electric piano solo that drives the song's rhythm.

The track features the classic call-and-response vocal style that the band had perfected by this point.

In the Help! movie, the band is shown performing this song on Salisbury Plain, surrounded by tanks and soldiers, under the protection of the army—a surreal setting that contrasts with the straightforward pop-rock nature of the tune.

You Won't See Me is found on the 1965 album Rubber Soul. It was not released as a single. The song reflects the strained relationship between Paul McCartney and his girlfriend Jane Asher, who was not returning his calls—a theme of disconnection that permeates the lyrics.

Clocking in at 3:22, it was the longest track recorded for the Beatles up to that point. Roadie Mal Evans makes a rare musical contribution to the track, credited with playing the Hammond organ, although he simply held down a single "A" note throughout the end of the song.

You've Got To Hide Your Love Away appears on the 1965 album Help!. It was not released as a single. This track marks the first time the Beatles hired outside studio musicians for a specific solo, featuring a flute quartet in the coda.

John Lennon wrote the song during his "Dylan period," channeling Bob Dylan’s acoustic, introspective style.

While officially about a generic romance, many biographers and fans speculate the song was a subtle nod to the band's manager, Brian Epstein, who had to hide his homosexuality, which was illegal in Britain at the time.