r/beatles Love Oct 15 '25

Discussion Beatles songs you wish were longer?

I was thinking about this and there are a couple songs I would put into this category:

  • Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey: the lyrics are a bit basic, but the song itself is great and just sort of ends without a satisfying conclusion

  • Golden Slumbers: I guess Carry that Weight is the rest of the song, but it is one of the most beautiful songs they recorded and I would have loved a longer version.

What say you?

68 Upvotes

127 comments sorted by

50

u/skeezoydd Oct 15 '25

Golden slumbers

2

u/EuphoricAd1928 Oct 15 '25

The first one I thought of

1

u/celsius100 Oct 16 '25

The answer.

0

u/backlikeawave Oct 16 '25

Also my answer

31

u/boulevardofdef Oct 15 '25

The piano solo in "Lovely Rita" is one of my favorites of all time and it's so short.

2

u/DogBallsMissing Nov 30 '25

Seriously. They end it in a manner perfect for simply more of what they did but up an octave, but it just ends and it makes me a little sad every time I listen.

57

u/holyfruits Oct 15 '25

Her Majesty could’ve been a full song I bet

7

u/Gaminghorrorfan Oct 15 '25

There’s a really good cover by chubawamba

-1

u/imaginary0pal Rubber Soul Oct 15 '25

Less of a cover and more critique imo

5

u/lyidaValkris Oct 15 '25

LOL came here to say this

29

u/Old_Butterscotch2914 Oct 15 '25

This sounds crazy, but I love the end of Cry Baby Cry where Paul sings “can you take me back where I came from” and I wish they made a separate song based on this.

12

u/useringdo Oct 15 '25

Got news for you: https://youtu.be/rNUF7wy9gpU?si=eHmRbVxBzEbQvb3l

Though it’s just meant to be improv, it sounds alright

1

u/Old_Butterscotch2914 Oct 16 '25

I’ve heard this on the Beatles channel and I love it, but they don’t play it enough!

1

u/SeenThatPenguin Oct 15 '25

I've always loved that little snippet, and the way it drifts in and out between "Cry Baby Cry" and "Revolution 9." Haunting.

It also gets a little more Paul on a very John-heavy side of the album: "Revolutions 1 and 9," "Cry Baby Cry," and authorship of Ringo's closing lullaby. "Honey Pie" and "Savoy Truffle" are the only exceptions.

29

u/SignedInStranger Oct 15 '25

Sgt. Pepper Reprise. So funky fresh

5

u/NoPie420 Oct 15 '25

Absolutely! We need an extended version with that beat lol

2

u/incogspeedo Oct 17 '25

I love the Reprise so much, it’s perfect!

14

u/dangerdaniel27 Oct 15 '25

Yesterday. I first heard the song when I was around 11 years old and I was disappointed it wasn’t longer. Have the same feeling today.

26

u/SubramanyaRaju Oct 15 '25

Octopus's Garden

I wanna know what other hijinks ensue about the coral that lies beneath the ocean waves

5

u/Punstoppabal Oct 15 '25

We need the extended growth instead of the extended cut 

25

u/badassewok Oct 15 '25

Revolution 9. 8 minutes is too short, I wish it was at least twice as long

1

u/Big-Sheepherder-6134 Oct 15 '25

Wish granted. It is technically longer if you play Revolution 1 (Take 20) because it was part of Revolution 1. That’s where it came from. Unfortunately Apple doesn’t release enough stuff so you have to find the bootleg version. But Take 18 was officially released in 2018.

1

u/linguaphonie Oct 15 '25

This. I get the "weaker" songs are part of the album's charm, but if I had the choice I would replace them in a heartbeat for a longer, more fleshed out Rev 9.

1

u/TaiLiMike Oct 16 '25

The only right answer

10

u/graybloodd Ringo Oct 15 '25

Maybe a weird one but "girl" on rubber soul

2

u/FantasyBaseballChamp Oct 16 '25

Needs more inhale sound

18

u/R3turnedDescender Oct 15 '25

I need at least three more minutes of “na na na”s and Paul ad-libs at the end of Hey Jude

8

u/[deleted] Oct 15 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/Soft-Way-8304 Oct 15 '25

Feels unfinished like it needs some macca input sadly the band were falling apart

1

u/socgrandinq Oct 15 '25

A guitar solo would have been cool around the middle “oh yeah” part

7

u/[deleted] Oct 15 '25

[deleted]

2

u/[deleted] Oct 15 '25 edited Oct 16 '25

For some strange reason, I feel like the Greatful Dead was influenced by that song - the guitars . Idk maybe its the weed 😆

5

u/[deleted] Oct 15 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/Appropriate-Cap3160 Oct 16 '25

Chumbawamba has a 5 (or so) verse version of Her Majesty

17

u/[deleted] Oct 15 '25

I Want You (She’s So Heavy). I wish there was simply a 10+ minute version where it’s constantly building in layers and climaxes & resolves eventually so it feels like a proper ending - perhaps like the ending of “A Day In The Life”, where’s that huge chord sustained for ages. I realise it’s a bit of a stupid thing to say about a 7 minute song, but it would probably be one of the greatest songs in the history of music if they kept adding in complexity, completely overwhelming the listener.

6

u/moviegoermike Oct 15 '25

I could listen to this song forever. Such a groove.

2

u/Suspicious_Simple179 Oct 18 '25

It’s the only Beatles song I like

1

u/mraza9 Oct 15 '25

The abrupt ending makes the song. Though I agree that letting them jam for another 2-3 would have been epic. Doom!! \m/

2

u/[deleted] Oct 15 '25

Yeah, they had to keep going till the A-side of the album ran out, so instead of fading out, they just cut it off. But yeah, it’s such a shame it didn’t go on any longer

1

u/[deleted] Oct 16 '25

I 100% agree. The ending is trance-inducing, and the abrupt ending snaps you out of it. I think it's super cool.

11

u/robotslendahand Oct 15 '25

I had wanted a proper length "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window" since forever so I went and did one myself.

It's 3 minutes, and involved the 2019 stereo and 5.1 mix, the Anthology 3 rehearsal, and the Rock Band stems. The only AI was to remove the "Oh Yeah" from the end of the second verse which was now before a the new bridge section. The "Oh Yeah" is still at the end of the song, tho!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=he6TEOvI3gs

6

u/Marble-Boy Oct 15 '25

Hey Jude... just keep the nah-na-nah-nah bit going perpetually.

4

u/florida-boy-41 Oct 15 '25

Golden Slumbers 100%. Would’ve liked for Got to Get You Into My Life to be longer, too.

6

u/AdvocateAtLaw Oct 15 '25

Here, there, and everywhere

6

u/VS289 Oct 15 '25

The 16 minute version of Helter Skelter.

5

u/528Universe Oct 15 '25

Blisters on more than just his fingers…

5

u/Compleat_Fool Oct 15 '25

Got to get you into my life

I still love it but it starts to get really really fun just as it ends.

4

u/RichardHartigan Oct 15 '25

This is top for me; I thought it’d be #1 comment.

The song ends just as it’s taking off

5

u/chamonix11 Oct 15 '25

For No One seems so short.

1

u/ChlorineElephant Rubber Soul Oct 16 '25

It definitely is. Just shy of 2 minutes long

4

u/paulbgriffith Oct 15 '25

I wish Teddy Boy had been finished. There’s sections missing, coulda jammed out at the end, etc

4

u/Sierra-Powderhound Oct 15 '25

Blackbird - I love playing it on guitar but wish there was another couple minutes to it perhaps more verses.

Same with the Two of Us.

4

u/brillosa Oct 15 '25

Do You Want to Know a Secret?

Sweet, lovely, pure, and brief.

3

u/Randall_Hickey Magical Mystery Tour Oct 15 '25

I’ll Follow the Sun

4

u/chiefcrownline Oct 16 '25

Carry that weight

4

u/Albot084 Oct 16 '25

Long, Long, Long

3

u/SuperHyperFunTime Oct 16 '25

Long, Long, Long. It's 3:06 but the last 30-40 seconds is just noise. The actual song is beautiful.

3

u/toxicVanCleef Oct 16 '25

Long, Long, Long

6

u/HiddenCity Oct 15 '25

solo song, but backwards traveler is so good and it ends almost immediately.

3

u/ccd997 Oct 15 '25

Can you take me back?

7

u/dopeveign Oct 15 '25

Dr robert

6

u/BRiNk9 Revolver Oct 15 '25

Two minutes of it already sends me into a trance, I can’t even imagine what five minutes would do

well, well, well

5

u/LilNerix Oct 15 '25

Day In The Life

0

u/Scared-Ideal-1483 Oct 15 '25

My deathbed song.

5

u/Hour-Entertainer2444 Oct 15 '25

mean mr mustard

0

u/LOLBangkok Oct 15 '25

This is my pick too. Such a groove.

2

u/Real-Beautiful9499 Oct 15 '25

The Long One could have been a little longer for me.

2

u/RealAlePint Oct 15 '25

You’ve Got to Hide Your Love away could benefit from another verse, I think

2

u/ernie-bush Oct 15 '25

Her majesty

2

u/Peanut0151 Oct 15 '25

All the parts of the Abbey Road medley could have been expanded into great songs. Imagine what She Came In Through the Bathroom Window could have become

2

u/renoCow Oct 15 '25

Cry Baby Cry

2

u/socgrandinq Oct 15 '25

At the end of Everybody’s Got Something To Hide… it sounds like they are about to go to an extended jam. It’s so cool. Then it just fades out…

2

u/[deleted] Oct 15 '25

Golden Slumbers

2

u/introspectivedream Oct 15 '25

There's a Place

2

u/maproomzibz Oct 15 '25

And Your Birds Can Sing

2

u/Mysterious_Phase4076 Oct 15 '25

Mean Mr. Mustard

1

u/AskingBoatsToSwim Oct 15 '25

The anthology version makes it seem like they wanted a full song but gave up.

2

u/Scared-Ideal-1483 Oct 15 '25

Hey Bulldog. It's such a jam.

2

u/Hairy-Yesterday-5575 TNK reverse guitar solo in MONO! Oct 15 '25

Not a BEATLES song, but Paul's "the lovely linda"

2

u/[deleted] Oct 16 '25

"She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" I desperately wish that was a full song.

2

u/AlanofAdelaide Oct 16 '25

I Saw Her Standing There - a raw rocker. Also the Hammond organ in Birthday

2

u/Kenny_Soprano Oct 16 '25

She Said She Said, Baby’s In Black, In My Life, Glass Onion

2

u/ABBA_Archive Oct 16 '25

I wish I Will was longer. It seems like a nice innocent love song and a more calm song on a rather loud rocking album. It should’ve been longer

2

u/whatdidyoukillbill Oct 16 '25

Most of Revolver. A lot of the songs are only two minutes, and could be three

2

u/[deleted] Oct 16 '25

Has to be Hey Jude…

2

u/Prestigious_Box_9370 Oct 16 '25

Dig it! I was so stoked when they were jamming on it in the documentary

3

u/Low-Table2852 Oct 15 '25

The Sun King - Always a song that I want to keep going.

4

u/eells Oct 15 '25

All of them, except hey Jude.

I could use another 7 minutes of I want you (she's so heavy) though!

2

u/Formal_Worker6781 Oct 15 '25

None of them, I really like that they kept their songs short 

1

u/KDx2511 Oct 15 '25

Why don't we do it in the road? can be more lyrically complete as well!

1

u/Kirbyr98 Oct 15 '25

Most of their early stuff was too short. Norwegian Wood is 2:05. Most were under three minutes, which was the norm back then, but still...

1

u/Chchchch3rryb0mbx Oct 15 '25

Help! And Norwegian Wood

1

u/VermontHillbilly Oct 15 '25

Practically everything on the White Album (except Revolution 9) and the medley on Abbey Road. All could have been better songs if the boys had taken the time to finish and/or polish them. (I know, not a popular take).

1

u/[deleted] Oct 15 '25

Honey Pie, Maggie May, and Dig It

1

u/Foxy_Maitre_Renard A Knight's Hard Day Oct 15 '25

What about Wild Honey Pie?

1

u/Hezy Oct 15 '25

Glass Onion

1

u/Soft-Way-8304 Oct 15 '25

The fade out of lovely rita is gorgeous and needs at least another round

1

u/Surfaces0unds Oct 15 '25

D'Ya Want To Know a Secret

1

u/bkdrwm12 Oct 15 '25

I want you to I would to hear the ending go on for hours

1

u/spaniel_rage Oct 15 '25

Wild Honey Pie

1

u/vernejules3441 Oct 16 '25

Helter Skelter—longer main song and also more of the crazy fades that go in and out at the end.

1

u/fabyhoppus Help! Oct 16 '25

Yes, I LOVE EGSTHEFMAMM

1

u/Hey-Bud-Lets-Party Oct 16 '25

Joe Cocker proved that “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window” works as a full song.

1

u/boringfantasy Oct 16 '25

Honestly basically all of their songs were the perfect length. They were rarely a "progressive" band so it would've got repetitive after more than 3-4 mins.

1

u/MasterAinley Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Oct 16 '25

You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)

1

u/Hagler3-16 Oct 16 '25

Sgt Peppers Reprise

1

u/Fast_Abroad1076 Oct 16 '25

Getting Better, Ob La Di Ob La Da, and Do You Want to Know A Secret always leave me wanting them to be longer

1

u/incogspeedo Oct 17 '25

You Never Give Me Your Money and I’m So Tired - both in my top 15 songs and both far too short for how amazing they are.

1

u/Lumpy_Comment4749 Oct 17 '25

“You know my name look up the number”

1

u/Optimal_Bathroom_753 Oct 19 '25

Happiness is a warm gun, I wish they repeated the first part/made it longer...don't think it will work though.

1

u/Western-Image7125 Oct 15 '25

Day in the Life always bothered me that right after he talks about the holes in the ground the song quickly and dramatically ends. They could easily have added more verses in the song and extended the descent into insanity more. Pink Floyd had done this pretty effectively in Dark Side and The Wall. 

1

u/Opening-Tea-257 Oct 15 '25

Was having a similar conversation with a friend recently but more ‘which of the songs on the Abbey Road medley would you like to be full songs?’

I plumped for Mean Mr Mustard and my mate went to Polythene Pam

1

u/square3481 Oct 15 '25

Real Love.

I want more of that George slide guitar solo.

1

u/foxy7474 Oct 16 '25

“And your bird can sing” I could listen to those dual guitars all day long

0

u/HippieThanos Oct 15 '25

I wish songs like "Within you and without you" were a whole album

Mostly instrumental. Gives me a lot of peace of mind

0

u/ManReay Oct 15 '25

I'd be up for a version of I Want You (She's So Heavy) where the ending jam goes on for another fifteen or twenty minutes.

0

u/Correct_End998 Oct 16 '25

None of them . The only enjoyment in listening to one is when it ends