5 Classic Beatles Songs That Go Way Over the Four-Minute Mark

There was a time when a pop song wasn’t supposed to run much longer than the two-minute mark. Anything over three minutes and you’d run the risk radio wouldn’t play it. As they did with so many other aspects of music, The Beatles helped to change all that.

By the second half of their recording career, The Beatles occasionally released songs that soared past the four-minute mark. A few of those songs are now regarded as being among the finest they ever released, and they’re included in this list of five longer-than-usual Fab Four tracks.

“A Day in the Life” from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

So much of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band flew in the face of rock and pop orthodoxy that it felt just right when the group clocked in at 5:38 with closing track “A Day in the Life,” by far and away their longest recording to that point. The song needed that extra length to include all of its wonderful, disparate elements: John Lennon’s meditative main section, Paul McCartney’s chugging middle part, and the chaotic dual orchestra crescendos. Don’t forget that last piano chord, which thanks to The Beatles’ cleverness in the studio, accounts for about 30 seconds of that time.

“I Am the Walrus” from Magical Mystery Tour (1967)

Of the tracks included on this list, “I Am the Walrus” is the shortest, and its 4:35 running time isn’t long at all by today’s standards. But it somehow feels a lot longer, and not because it’s in any way tedious. Quite the opposite, in fact, as there’s just so much going on it’s amazing they packed it into that length of time. Heck, for all we know, those ascending, unresolved chords at the end of the track might still be climbing into the ether somewhere. John Lennon’s masterpiece of gobbledygook throws everything (Shakespeare, chorale singers, et al.) into a psychedelic blender, and if only we could recapture that recipe.

“While My Guitar Gently Weeps” from The Beatles (1968)

George Harrison wasn’t about to let another one of his stellar compositions either die on the vine or receive short shrift from his bandmates. His solution: Bring in his buddy Eric Clapton as a special guest. Clapton was reluctant to enter the Fab Four sanctum sanctorum, but when he showed up it ensured the rest of the boys would give “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” their utmost attention. That’s how what’s essentially a folk song about sorrow and uncertainty turns into a stately masterpiece, especially once Clapton’s given a good chunk of the 4:45 running time to go off to do his tear-stained instrumental.

“Hey Jude” (Single, 1968)

“They’ll play it because it’s us.” Those were John Lennon’s words when those around him expressed consternation at the potential of radio playing a single that was 7:12 long. Lennon understood it was time for such restraints to be loosened, and “Hey Jude” opened the doors for extremely long songs to get a shot for singles success. Of course, you’re essentially getting two songs in one. There’s Paul McCartney’s tender main part, which alone is chillingly beautiful. The second part ingeniously brought the bonhomie and togetherness engendered by a live concert sing-along to a recorded setting.

“I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” from Abbey Road (1969)

By the time that Abbey Road rolled around, nobody batted too much of an eye about lengthy songs, so it wasn’t really the 7:47 running time that set “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” apart. It was the idea that such a long song should be so laser-focused in its approach. In other words, much of the song is the group repeating musical phrases and sections, and the lyrics are minimal. But none of that matters once The Beatles lock into the circular pattern that brings the song home to glory. As a finishing touch, the group cuts the song off with a sudden jerk—instead of a fade-out—to twist the idea even further into uncharted territory.

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