QUIZ: Who Sang It? — Beatles Edition

There’s a Beatles song for every situation in life. ‘Let It Be’ will comfort you when you’re down, ‘Yellow Submarine’ rekindles the spirit of youth, and ‘I Am the Walrus’ underlines the wonders of the imagination. But do you know which Beatle sang all of these songs?

The question “who’s your favourite Beatle?” is an enduring discussion topic at BBQs and dinner parties. For more serious fans, it’s also a litmus test for how well they’ll mesh with someone.

The Beatles’ stylistic versatility brings eternal freshness to their 13-album catalogue. And the fact all four members performed lead vocals gives the band a multi-dimensionality rarely seen in rock music.

Paul McCartney’s generally regarded as the pop guy. He’s got endless melodic fuel, can belt out a monster chorus, and is prone to a bit of silliness. John Lennon, while no slouch in the pop department, was known for his more emotionally revealing contributions to the band’s albums. Lennon’s nasal vocal tone was never a hindrance either – he could scream and shout just as well as he could perform tender, heart-baring ballads.

The other two band members also had distinguishing characteristics even though they performed lead vocals on a relatively minor percentage of Beatles songs. For instance, a number of Ringo Starr’s Beatles songs foreshadowed his future gig narrating the Thomas & Friends TV show.

George Harrison could’ve led his own game-changing band throughout the 1960s. In The Beatles, however, he struggled to get a word in next to Lennon and McCartney. In the second half of the 1960s Harrison was given more room to explore his nascent spiritualism and is partly responsible for introducing Western audiences to Indian classical music.

Lennon and McCartney both received writing credits for everything they did in The Beatles. But their creative entwinement steadily broke down as the band’s career wore on. Does this make it easier to know who sang what? Or harder? Put your knowledge to the test!