Counting Down My 10 Favorite Songs from my Favorite Album of All Time, The White Album

I'm subbing in for good ole Mike Kilgore in today's installment of Mike's Music Morning!

Mar 07, 2023

So my pal Mike Kilgore wasn’t feeling well today and he asked me to fill in for him with today’s Mike Music Morning installment - which I’m more than happy to do. My apologies that it’s become an afternoon installment today. I was just feeling terrible last night and ended up sleeping in way later than I should today. Anyway, doing a bit better now, thankfully, and it should still be a productive day.

Anyway, Mike was planning on discussing The Beatles’ White Album and I’m thrilled to oblige on that front as it’s my favorite of the legendary band’s releases and it may very well be my favorite album PERIOD. That’s another list I’ll have to do at some point. (But it would be loaded with Beatles albums since I am indeed one of those losers who can’t pick a favorite band better than the Fab 4. And while I appreciate Alec’s recent lists of favorite early Beatles songs, and mid-period too, as one might not be surprised to hear I am very much a partisan of their later period after they’d gone fully psychedelic-influenced.)

Anyway, here’s how I rank the songs I quite enjoy to tracks that I am overwhelmed in my adoration for:

10. Julia

Truly one of John Lennon’s most beautiful softer songs.

9. Mother Nature’s Son

8. Birthday

7. Sexy Sadie

The back story on this track is one of the reasons I appreciate it so much as it’s about John Lennon rejecting one of his former gurus, something I myself have done on a number of occasions.

6. Blackbird

I’m generally not a big McCarthy fan, both of his solo career and the Beatles songs centered around him, but this is a genuine masterpiece which I possess much respect. Perhaps my affection is because my Dad used to play it so much to me on his guitar and sing the lyrics. Love you, Pop.

5. Helter Skelter

I included this on my list of heavy metal favorites recently. It’s simply one of the most energetic and exciting songs the Beatles ever did:

God of the Desert Books

My Top 10 Heavy Metal Songs

Editor’s Note: Check out the ongoing discussions about music at GOTD and associate editor Mike Kilgore’s daily music series: What's in your wallet... er... music library? Who Is Generation X's Greatest Black Musician? Here's My Vote Generation X's Greatest Black Musician? Rihanna, In My Humble Opinion…

2 years ago · 2 likes · 2 comments · David Swindle

BTW, a friend recently informed me that AC/DC doesn’t count as heavy metal but that they more identify as and qualify as “hard rock.” Whatever. Seems like an organges-to-tangerines type comparison to me. I suppose there’s a meaningful difference but fuck it. They seem more like heavy metal to me, but what do I really know about the dividing line in the two genres?

4. Revolution

(though I prefer the more rock ‘n’ rock version to the album’s softer rendition)

A song so very appropriate for the time then and also today. My favorite lyrics:

You say you'll change the constitution
Well, you know
We'd all love to change your head
You tell me it's the institution
Well, you know
You better free your mind instead

3. Dear Prudence

Oh, such a wonderfully beautiful song, Lennon’s true best from the album.

2. Savoy Truffle

Yes sir, I simply adore George Harrison and this was literally one of his “sweetest” tracks from the album.

1. While My Guitar Gently Weeps

And here we have the true, absolute, mind-blowing masterpiece of the album, again delivered by George Harrison, who, while I was once a John Lennon partisan, may have now emerged at this point as my favorite Beatle and the one whose post-Beatles solo career turned out the best. I should do a list of my favorite solo-George Harrison tracks.

Or is that something my buddy Mike might be able to pull off? I’m not sure how much he knows’ Harrison’s solo body of work.

So what do you think of my ranking? How might you do it differently? Is there a better Beatles album than this one? I concede that Abbey Road, Revolving, and Rubber Soul are certainly legitimate competition for this one. Sorry, while I of course respect Sergeant Pepper’s artistic achievement, when it comes to the raw collection of songs it’s just not one of my favorites. I’ll certainly give credit to the brilliance of “Lucy,” “A Day in the Life, “64,” and “Within You Without You,” the latter which I feel like dropping here also since I’m having a bit of a George Harrison love fest at this point:

I hope everyone has a great Tuesday, this has been your guest DJ of the day,

David Swindle

P.S. I also gotta give a shout out to the incredible achievement of The Grey Album which masterfully blends The White Album with Jay-Z’s The Black Album. This is badass as hell: