The general consensus on this question is "A Day in the Life." To which I would respond, why?
Because it's the climactic finale of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which is the Beatles' best album.
But Sgt. Pepper isn't the Beatle's best album, as a lot of people are realizing of late. Revolver and Abbey Road are both more deserving of that title in the eyes of most fans, and I personally would say that A Hard Day's Night and The White Album also deserve to be ranked above Sgt. Pepper.
Because it reveals the highest point of the Lennon-McCartney songwriting partnership.
But it really doesn't. A Day in the Life starts out as a classic John song, the middle section is a completely different song that's classic Paul, and then we circle back to John again. If stitching together disparate pieces of work they created independently is "cowriting," then the Abbey Road medley would be the highest point of John and Paul's songwriting partnership. It's also worth noting that Sgt. Pepper came pretty late in the Beatles' career, the relationships between the four of them had already become strained, and John was distracted by personal issues and disinterested in the band-- although he partially came back around for The White Album, thank goodness.
Because the lyrics are deep and meaningful.
Honestly, I don't think they are. The lyrics are poetic, but not philosophical. The beginning and end don't really communicate anything besides a vague sense of depression and world-weariness. The middle is a cheerful account of everyday routine, very much in the vein of "Penny Lane" and "Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da." So basically, it's just John being John and Paul being Paul.
But the experimental, avant-garde instrumentation is innovative and astounding.
To be fair, the chaotic, cataclysmic orchestral crescendo is certainly... unique. I personally find it overrated, plus it's not the product of John and Paul. George Martin (Bless him! Truly the Fifth Beatle!) gave the orchestra some general guidelines, and they improvised, thus creating the famously disorganized and unsettling sound. So one of the most iconic, highly praised parts of the song had little or nothing to do with the Beatles actually creating music.
The other notable part of the instrumentation is the piano chord at the end. It's impressive that they used six different pianos at the exact same time, and the length of the chord certainly adds to the "epic finale" feel of the song. It's especially striking to have a firm ending since so many of the Beatles' songs just fade out. But I have to ask-- can it truly be the greatest Beatles song if the best thing about it is the way it ends?
Because it's had the biggest musical and cultural impact of any Beatles song.
I would seriously debate this statement. I'd wager a guess that most people who aren't serious Beatles fans have never heard "A Day in the Life." Everyone knows "Yesterday," "Here Comes the Sun," "Let It Be," "Yellow Submarine," "Hey Jude," and "Something." "A Day in the Life"? Not so much. It's not one of their most popular and well-known songs, and I'd argue that's probably because it's musically challenging to listen to.
I'm sure you could make the claim that "A Day in the Life" is "art" and the Beatles' more popular songs are just mindless entertainment for the masses. But, after all, what are the Beatles famous for? They're famous for being an insanely popular global phenomenon, and for writing songs that everyone knows and loves. If you're looking for music by the Beatles that is high-brow and doesn't appeal to the average listener, you'll find that the vast majority of songs in their catalogue don't fit in that category.
So is "A Day in the Life" automatically better than the Beatles' other music for being avant-garde, dissonant, and unappealing to casual listeners? I don't think so. If you follow that logic, "Revolution 9" must be even better than "A Day in the Life," and I seriously doubt anyone believes that.
I think that when naming something the "Best Beatles Song," it's important to take into consideration the archetypal traits of Beatles songs in general, and find which song embodies those traits in their purest and best form. To the extent that "A Day in the Life" is NOT a typical Beatles song, I think it is excluded from the running.
Okay, side note. I'm being really, really, hard on "A Day in the Life," because I'm trying to take down the arguments that are typically put forth for its merits. I actually do really appreciate it. I get chills during the "Ahs" on the transition from Paul back to John. I absolutely love Ringo's drum part. I think the song is a fascinating piece of musical history, and a work of extraordinary musical creativity.
However, I also think it's vastly overrated, and I'm irritated that some people act like it's self-evident that it's the best song in the whole Beatles catalogue. Especially when there is a much more deserving candidate for that title... But I'll get to that in a later post. :)
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