Soon You'll Be Able To Stream The Beatles' Music

It's pretty crazy to think that the music of The Beatles, one of the most legendary and influential rock 'n' roll bands of all times, has never been available to stream online. In a world where Spotify and Apple Music make it simple to hear pretty much any song you could think of with just a few clicks, you'd think every artist would want their songs uploaded so that more and more fans could access it. That wasn't the case for The Beatles, whose lengthy back catalog was previously available for digital purchase on iTunes and that's about it. Thankfully, the tides are changing, because as of 12:01 a.m. on December 24, The Beatles' music will finally be available to stream, with a whopping nine streaming services will be offering everything they've ever released — that's 12 full albums and 13 EPs — just in time for Christmas. Now that's what I call good news.

Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, Amazon Prime Music, Tidal, Deezer, Microsoft Groove, Napster/Rhapsody, and Slacker Radio will all be streaming The Beatles' music, meaning your options are pretty much endless, whatever platform you choose. But given the incredible amount of tracks they've released over the years, you might be a little lost on what to listen to first. That's why I'm here to help. When The Beatles' catalog is uploaded and ready for your streaming pleasure, hit up these 11 songs first:

"Eleanor Rigby"

Sure, I'm biased here, as this is one of my favorite Beatles songs, but that's only because it's really, really good. The string arrangement on this song is incredible, and it just takes you away. It's mysterious, dramatic, and just amazing. Start with this one.

"Blackbird"

Even a Beatles novice will likely have heard this track. The acoustic guitar just sails on this one, making it a saccharine sweet little ditty written and performed solo by Paul McCartney. I'm a McCartney fan when it comes to songwriting, and this is one of his simplest, but one of his best.

"Dear Prudence"

This is another one of those sweet songs that you should listen to, particularly if you're feeling a bit romantic. With a line like "the sun is up/the sky is blue/it's beautiful and so are you," you can't help but love it.

"Helter Skelter"

Perhaps it doesn't bode well that I automatically think of Charles Manson when I hear this song, but I do (if you're familiar with Manson's delusion about apocalyptic war, you'll know what I mean). This song isn't particularly one of my favorites, but it is so incredibly different from so much of their music that it's worth a listen just for that.

"I Saw Her Standing There"

This song will make you wish you were Annette Funicello, dancing in a bikini on some California beach. Or maybe that's just me? Either way, this song is so fun and summery and just innocent and of its time.

"She Loves You"

"She Loves You" is another song that even non-Beatles fans will recognize. It's not necessarily their most amazing song in terms of melody or lyrics, it's still a worthwhile part of their catalog and well worth a listen.

"Here, There, And Everywhere"

I should come right out and say that Revolver is my favorite Beatles album ever, and I could have put that entire album on this list. However, I'll settle for "Here, There, and Everywhere" because it's such a tender song and sometimes I'm a bit of a sap.

"A Hard Day's Night"

Another recognizable track for pretty much everyone, especially since not only was it the titular track from the album of the same name, but it's also the name of one of the Beatles' movies. I don't know why this song is so great, but it is.

"Yesterday"

A stereotypical pick, perhaps, but whatever. This song is so legendary just because it's so good, and it needs no other introduction.

"Norwegian Wood"

"Norwegian Wood" hooked me from the opening line: "I once had a girl / or should I say, she once had me". This is another one of those romantic songs that I can't help but love, if you haven't noticed a hint here. But it's so good! Haruki Murakami even named a book after it, so that has to mean something, right?

"Penny Lane"

This is such an influential song that Kate Hudson's character named herself Penny Lane in Almost Famous (and yes, that was my first introduction to this song). Another good one, another well-known one, but another one that totally deserves the love it gets.

Images: Giphy