Text · Motif

Friendship

Friends, companionship, or chosen-family bonds as subject.

songs

It is in the words of thirteen songs, from 1964 to 1970. 'Can't Buy Me Love' is the earliest and 'Two of Us' the last. It never skips a year. The singing splits Paul on four, Ringo on three, John on two and George on one. McCartney wrote nine of the thirteen, such as 'I'll Follow the Sun' and 'Another Girl', 10% of his songs against 5% of Lennon's. 'Hey Jude' was written for Julian Lennon during John and Cynthia's divorce. On 'With a Little Help from My Friends': friends as substitute for romantic love. Among them, 'We Can Work It Out' is in B minor, one of only three of their recordings in that key.

Analysis

Song count per year

% of each member's catalogue with this tag (by writing credit)

Early2 · 14%

Mid-period7 · 50%

Late5 · 36%

Book

The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics

Alan Aldridge

Book

Revolution in the Head

Ian MacDonald

Album

The White Album

Vinyl

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Year

Album

Writer

Lead vocal(s)

#	Title	Year	Album	Lead Vocal(s)	Notes
1	Can't Buy Me Love	1964	A Hard Day's Night	Paul	Friend
2	I'll Follow the Sun	1964	Beatles For Sale	Paul	Friend
3	Another Girl	1965	Help!	Paul	'She will always be my friend'
4	If I Needed Someone	1965	Rubber Soul	George	Friend
5	We Can Work It Out	1965	Past Masters	Paul, John	Friend
6	In My Life	1965	Rubber Soul	John	'Lovers and friends, I still can recall'
7	Doctor Robert	1966	Revolver	John	Friend

8	Yellow Submarine	1966	Revolver	Ringo	'Our friends are all aboard'
9	With a Little Help from My Friends	1967	Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band	Ringo	Friends as substitute for romantic love
10	Hey Jude	1968	Past Masters	Paul	Written for Julian Lennon during John & Cynthia's divorce
11	All Together Now	1969	Yellow Submarine	Paul, John	'Bring my friend to tea'
12	Octopus's Garden	1969	Abbey Road	Ringo	'My friends to come and see'
13	Two of Us	1970	Let It Be	Paul, John	Two-person bond at the song's center