The 20 Most-Streamed Beatles Songs

The Beatles changed the face of music within a decade of time. But even generations later, their influence and legacy continues to grow, and one way to prove that is through their streaming numbers.

At the time of this writing, the Beatles are ranked the 103rd most listened to artist in the world on Spotify and have over 36 million monthly listeners. Compared to contemporary artists — Taylor Swift for example, who was the single most listened to artist on Spotify in 2023 – these may not seem like very impressive numbers. But when one considers that the Beatles predated the streaming era by several decades and broke up over 50 ago, it’s impossible to dismiss this feat.

But what if we break it down even further? Which Beatles songs have been streamed the most? Below, we’re counting down the 20 most-streamed Fab Four songs. The below data concerns Spotify numbers specifically, the most popular music streaming service globally, and is of course, subject fo fluctuations. But at of the time of this writing (Oct. 18, 2024), here’s where things stand.

20. “All You Need Is Love”
From: 1967 Single
Number of Streams: 207,147,492

Even people who know very little about the Beatles and their catalog are familiar with the sing-along chorus of “All You Need Is Love,” an anthem of the flower power movement that frankly is just as relevant today as it was in 1967.

 

19. “Strawberry Fields Forever”
From: 1967 Single
Number of Streams: 217,356,703

When “Strawberry Fields” was first released in 1967, many were unsure exactly what to make of it —  “utterly bizarre, creative, strange and different,” as Pete Townshend put it. Yet, decades later, it’s become almost synonymous with John Lennon‘s whimsical style of songwriting and serves as the namesake of a memorial in New York City’s Central park, located steps from where the Beatle was murdered.

 

18. “And I Love Her”
From: A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
Number of Streams: 224,348,905

Interestingly, the Beatles only played “And I Love Her” once outside of the studio for a BBC radio program. Nevertheless, the song got a spotlight in the 1964 film A Hard Day’s Night, propelled by that lovely acoustic guitar riff from George Harrison.

 

17. “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)”
From: Rubber Soul (1965)
Number of Streams: 225,819,072

Like a number of Beatles songs, 1965’s “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)” helped introduce previously unfamiliar musical sounds — what is now often referred to as “world music” — to Western audiences. In this case, it was the sitar, which Harrison was only just then learning to play. Artists like Brian Jones, Donovan and the Byrds would take inspiration for songs like “Paint It Black,” “Sunshine Superman” and “Eight Miles High,” respectively.

 

16. “A Hard Day’s Night”
From: A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
Number of Streams: 229,947,140

It’s a puzzle music fans have been trying to understand for ages: the opening chord to “A Hard Day’s Night.” Even today, there are a multitude of interpretations of what, exactly, it is and how to play it, but there is no denying it’s an attention-grabber.

 

15. “Love Me Do”
From: 1962 Single
Number of Streams: 245,380,793

Isn’t it amazing that the Beatles’ debut single, 1962’s “Love Me Do,” is still one of their most popular songs in 2024? By today’s standards, the style of the song might seem…simplistic, but in the early ’60s, it planted the seed for what was to come.

 

14. “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”
From: The Beatles (aka the White Album) (1968)
Number of Streams: 276,521,161

John Lennon reportedly didn’t care for Paul McCartney‘s “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da,” but that may have had more to do with the fraught atmosphere in the studio at the time than with the song itself. Clearly, hundreds of thousands of other people on Spotify don’t agree with Lennon’s opinion.

 

13. “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”
From: White Album (1968)
Number of Streams: 282,692,365

Harrison was frankly ahead of his time with “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” in 1968. Just a few years later, early ’70s rock radio was chock full of grand rock ‘n’ roll opuses like Led Zeppelin‘s “Stairway to Heaven,” Derek and the Dominos‘ “Layla” and others. “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” fit right in with them, featuring Eric Clapton on the lead solo.

 

12. “Eleanor Rigby”
From: Revolver (1966)
Number of Streams: 294,573,739

“Eleanor Rigby” took a two-pronged approach to innovation. For one thing, the orchestral-based arrangement was unlike much before it, or at the very least, was an early example of such a writing style being used by a “rock” artist. (Later there would be things like the Who‘s Tommy and Electric Light Orchestra‘s Eldorado.) But also, the subject matter of “Eleanor Rigby” centered on death and faith, or a lack thereof — not exactly the kind of thing you’d expect from a Top 20 pop hit.

 

11. “Help!”
From: Help! (1965)
Number of Streams: 339,359,449

“Help!” is arguably a quintessential Beatles song. You’ve got a great lead vocal from Lennon — one of the first instances of him really opening up emotionally as a songwriter — a catchy background part from McCartney and Harrison (the latter of whom also provides a memorable descending guitar riff) and a strong drumming performance from Ringo Starr. All of it is packed into a brief two minutes and 18 seconds.

 

10. “Something”
From: Abbey Road (1969)
Number of Streams: 351,510,111

“Something” is one of Harrison’s most compelling numbers, both in terms of arrangement and lyricism. In 1982, Frank Sinatra deemed it “one of the best love songs I believe to be written in 50 or 100 years.” It continues to hold a top position in terms of Beatle song streams, 55 years after it was a hit in both the U.S. and U.K.

 

9. “I Want to Hold Your Hand”
From: 1963 Single
Number of Streams: 445,657,303

As Lennon would later put it to Playboy in 1980, “I Want to Hold Your Hand” was the kind of song he and McCartney wrote “eyeball to eyeball.” Hundreds of thousands of advance orders were placed for the 1963 single and in December of that year, it overtook “She Loves You” for the No. 1 spot in the U.K. — the first instance of a band knocking themselves from the top spot in British music history.

 

8. “In My Life”
From: Rubber Soul (1965)
Number of Streams: 447,264,291

Our guess as to why “In My Life” is in the top ten most-streamed Beatles songs? Listeners love nostalgia, even if it’s not their own. This was primarily written by Lennon, with lyrics that are just vague enough to make it a universal-feeling song.

 

7. “Blackbird”
From: White Album (1968)
Number of Streams: 506,823,583

McCartney is the only person present on the recording of 1968’s “Blackbird.” It’s just him, his acoustic guitar, tape loops and his foot tapping along to the beat. This might just be the most definitive proof that sometimes less is more, as this track is still influencing artists to this day. Beyonce, for example, covered it for her 2024 album Cowboy Carter, an album that earned over 76 million streams on the first day of its release. (At present, her cover of “Blackbird” has over 42 million streams.)

 

6. “Twist and Shout”
From: 1963 Single
Number of Streams: 540,840,655

The Beatles didn’t even write “Twist and Shout,” and yet it’s become one of their most-streamed songs. Lennon’s vocal performance alone — “a real larynx-tearer” as producer George Martin would later put it in Anthology — is the standout, an intensity supported by McCartney and Harrison’s girl group-esque backing harmonies. (We’re not sure about you all, but this writer has been to several a wedding where “Twist and Shout” has gotten most everyone on their feet.)

 

5. “Hey Jude”
From: 1968 Single
Number of Streams: 616,156,743

We’ve reached the final top 5, which means we’re getting into some awfully iconic songs. “Hey Jude” enters the picture here, the first track the Beatles recorded on an eight-track machine. At the 1969 Grammy Awards, it was nominated for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, and won none of them. No matter though — when you think of rock ‘n’ roll epics today, “Hey Jude” clearly still comes to mind for Spotify listeners.

 

4. “Yesterday”
From: Help! (1965)
Number of Streams: 697,795,122

Not only is “Yesterday” the fourth most-streamed Beatles song, it also has the honor of being one of the most covered songs in the history of recorded music. “I just wish I could have written the song ‘Yesterday,'” Chuck Berry, one of the Beatles’ own heroes, once said.

 

3. “Let It Be”
From: Let It Be (1970)
Number of Streams: 733,219,575

By the time the Beatles gathered to record 1970’s Let It Be, it was pretty clear that the band would be over soon. Somehow, in the midst of all that tension and creative difference, some of the their best songs were born, like the title track.

 

2. “Come Together”
From: Abbey Road (1969)
Number of Streams: 778,436,224

“Come Together” manages to combine Lennon’s love of blues with his famous mischievous lyricism. A special shoutout should really be given to Starr, for the smooth drum work on this track.

 

1. “Here Comes the Sun”
From: Abbey Road (1969)
Number of Streams: 1,439,159,530

It’s ironic really, that Harrison, whose work was often overlooked during his tenure with the Beatles in favor of Lennon-McCartney compositions, would be responsible for the most-streamed Beatles song, “Here Comes the Sun.” It’s an infectiously happy and comforting tune, a fitting topper to this list.