The only Beatles song that didn’t deserve to get to number one
Denouncing any singular song by The Beatles is akin to sacrilege within the musical realm, and it is easy to see why.
Not only did the Fab Four preside over one of the most important, groundbreaking discographies in music history, but they did so while amassing a litany of chart-topping hits, too – a feat which has never truly been replicated in the years since.
At the same time, though, even the most seasoned of Beatles devotees can surely admit that the band had one or two tracks which didn’t really stand up to the rest. After all, the group produced a whopping 12 studio albums in just seven years; with such a tireless approach to the recording world, one or two lacklustre songs are somewhat inevitable. Yet, given the band’s otherworldly reputation, even some of those efforts went to the top of the singles charts.
Over the years, The Beatles have fostered an incredible 18 number one hits in the UK charts, beginning in 1963 with ‘From Me To You’ and stretching all the way to 2023’s uncovered masterpiece ‘Now and Then’. While each and every one of those songs certainly has its merits, some stand out more than others, and – get your pitchforks at the ready – if there is one song which didn’t particularly deserve to reach the top spot, it was ‘Lady Madonna’.
Before I am banished from the musical realm for eternity, let me explain. Paul McCartney’s 1968 ode to the world of boogie-woogie and his devotion to the likes of Fats Domino is, by no stretch of the imagination, a bad song. Sure, it’s kitsch and somewhat atavistic even for the time it was released, but it is still unsuspectingly innovative in its own way, as well as allowing McCartney to pay homage to his heroes.
It also marked a rather stark departure from the band’s previous psychedelic explorations into something much more focused towards the musical mainstream, which was arguably essential in keeping the band’s sound on the move, rather than sticking in one place for long. The main crime of ‘Lady Madonna’ then lies in the songs which prevented it from reaching number one.
Over the course of its three-week run at the top of the charts, The Beatles’ boogie-woogie effort managed to keep Tom Jones’ ‘Delilah’ at number two and, even more egregiously, it prevented the climb of the recently deceased Otis Redding and his defining track ‘(Sittin’ On) the Dock of the Bay’ – something which even The Beatles themselves would surely concede as a tragedy.
Not only was Redding’s track more musically interesting, being the masterpiece of soul that it so clearly is, but it essentially acted as an epitaph to one of the greatest vocalists who has ever lived. The fact that it only managed to reach a measly number three in the charts is nothing short of a travesty, even if, admittedly, it was hardly the fault of The Beatles.
Similarly, there is certainly an argument to be made that the band had an extensive plethora of other singles which were far more deserving of that number one spot than ‘Lady Madonna’. As previously mentioned, the song is far from being a weak effort, but when you take into account the fact that masterpiece songs like ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ and ‘Yesterday’ never topped the charts, the achievements of ‘Lady Madonna’ certainly seem less deserving.
Again, though, that is a reason to denounce the British music-buying public rather than The Beatles themselves. ‘Lady Madonna’ remains their most undeserving number one, but whichever way you spin it, it is not the fault of the band.
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