It should surprise no one that the Beatles are the most-covered musical act of all time.
Those covers have been coming pretty much since the Beatles began, so even as the Fab Four continued to put out new music through the ’60s, countless artists followed closely behind with covers. If a Beatles song was popular in 1965, you could safely bet there’d be a slew of cover versions of it released in 1966.
That brings us to the list below. We’ve gathered up 20 Beatles covers from 1966, the year of the bizarre butcher photo shoot, Revolver, and retirement from touring. There are some beloved names on this list, as well as some you might not expect…
1. “Nowhere Man,” The Mamas & the Papas
The NBC TV show Hullabaloo wasn’t on for very long — it only aired from January of 1965 to August of 1966 — but it had some pretty cool segments. In March of 1966, the Mamas & the Papas offered up their version of “Nowhere Man,” from 1965’s Rubber Soul.
2. “Run for Your Life,” Nancy Sinatra
It’s entirely true that “Run for Your Life,” also from Rubber Soul, has not aged well. Generally speaking, lyrics that threaten a woman with physical violence are the sort to be avoided. Still, there’s something oddly satisfying about the same song performed by a confident woman like Nancy Sinatra. It’s still a pretty toxic message, but she flips the gendered lines here and makes clear that two can play at that game.
3. “Michelle,” Sarah Vaughan
In 1981, Sarah Vaughan released an album called Songs of the Beatles, which she actually recorded in 1977. But many years before that, she included a cover of “Michelle” on her 1966 album The New Scene.
4. “Day Tripper,” Otis Redding
In 1965, George Harrison used a little bit of Otis Redding's “Respect” as inspiration for the lead guitar lick in “Drive My Car.” A year later, Redding came out with a cover of “Day Tripper” that appeared on Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul, the last album he released before his death.
5. “A Hard Day’s Night,” Billy Preston
Many of us learned the name Billy Preston via the Beatles. The keyboardist first got acquainted with the group in 1962, which led to him participating in the 1969 Get Back sessions and his earning the nickname of “5th Beatle.” In 1966, Preston served up a cover of “A Hard Day’s Night” for an album called Wildest Organ in Town!. It also included covers of “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” by the Rolling Stones, “I Got You (I Feel Good)” by James Brown and more.
6. “And Your Bird Can Sing,” George Martin Orchestra
This may be a slight bending of the rules as far as cover songs go since George Martin was best known as a primary producer for the Beatles. Martin had his own projects though, including several albums of instrumental Beatles music. Below is “And Your Bird Can Sing” from an album called George Martin Instrumentally Salutes “The Beatle Girls.”. It may not be quite as good as the original, but these instrumental tracks would be great for those learning to sing or play Beatles songs.
7. “I’m a Loser,” Vince Guaraldi
You probably know Vince Guaraldi as the man behind the Peanuts music — the soundtrack album for A Charlie Brown Christmas is enormously popular during the holiday season. But Guaraldi made a lot more music than that. In 1966, he released a live album titled Live at El Matador, a collaboration with guitarist Bola Sete. On it is a rather relaxing cover of the Beatles’ “I’m a Loser.”
8. “Here, There and Everywhere,” John Denver
John Denver’s 1966 debut album, the aptly-titled John Denver Sings, contains not just one but four Beatles covers: “Here, There and Everywhere,” “Yesterday,” “And I Love Her” and “In My Life.” This was before Denver shifted to focusing more on his own songwriting, but as any songwriter knows, the Beatles are a great foundation.
9. “Paperback Writer,” The Bee Gees
Long before the Bee Gees participated in 1978’sSgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, they were singing Beatles songs. Back in 1966, they recorded three Beatles covers for an album called Inception/Nostalgia, which didn’t come out until 1970: “Paperback Writer,” “Ticket to Ride” and “You Won’t See Me.” Below is the first of those songs, which sounds remarkably like the Beatles’ original version. Hey, the Bee Gees had to learn from someone.
10. “I Wanna Be Your Man,” Count Basie and His Orchestra
One of the coolest things about the Beatles music is how many different ways it can be interpreted. Count Basie, the legendary big band leader, did a whole album of Beatles covers in 1966 called Basie’s Beatle Bag. (A second one followed in 1969, Basie on the Beatles). This version of “I Wanna Be Your Man” is just straight up fun with a fabulous saxophone solo.
READ MORE: The 100 Best Beatles Covers
11. “Things We Said Today,” Chet Atkins
George Harrison wrote the sleeve notes to Chet Atkins’ 1966 album Chet Atkins Picks on the Beatles.. “I have appreciated Chet Atkins as a musician since long before the tracks on this album were written,” he wrote of the guitarist, “in fact, since I was the ripe young age of 17. Since then I have lost count of the number of Chet’s albums I have acquired, but I have not been disappointed with any of them.” Below is just one selection from that album.
The Best Song From Every Beatles Album
Consensus can be difficult to reach on which Beatles album is best – much less which song.
Gallery Credit: UCR Staff
