10 Beatles Songs That Introverts Will Relate To

Music might be an introvert’s language. It can capture thoughts and feelings too complex to convey in everyday conversation.

November 2021 was a busy month for Beatles fans. The publication of Paul McCartney’s The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present was closely followed by The Beatles: Get Back mini-series directed by Peter Jackson. Both epic projects shine a fascinating light on previously unknown aspects of Beatle life, and for this, introverted Beatles fans in particular should rejoice.

Not only does their music still run strong through our global cultural vein, but interest in the personalities of Beatles band members Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, and John Lennon has elicited myriad writings, studies, and theories. Some have attempted to identify The Fab Four using the introvert/extrovert spectrum, Myers-Briggs typology, and Enneagram, among other measures of personality used to examine the unique magic of The Beatles.

This conjecture is only complicated by the hours of previously unseen footage of John, Paul, George, and Ringo featured in Get Back, which provide unparalleled glimpses of their personalities — and has already started to change the cultural conversation surrounding the end of The Beatles’ career. These captured moments, while rich and intense, challenge our past assumptions about each musician and the way they communicated and created.

Many Musical Artists Tend to Be Introverts

The series, which exposes much more placid Beatle interactions than the ferocious antagonism purported by the media, supports the idea that the musical artists were more introverted than previously thought. Not only was their creativity often heightened during periods spent writing independently, but each musician was fully capable of producing music that conveys a clear understanding of introversion.

Many traits associated with introversion, such as introspection, creativity, emotional and mental complexity, and critical thinking are integral to good songwriting… and one would be hard-pressed to argue that The Beatles weren’t good songwriters. Although it’s wise to exercise caution when ascribing traits to people who have spent much of their careers performing in the public eye — not to mention those who have passed away and are no longer able to rebut such analyses — a discussion of introversion as found in the music of The Beatles unearths a wealth of thoughts, feelings, and concepts introverts know all too well. Supplement the following songs with McCartney’s reflections in The Lyrics, as well as much of what’s in Get Back, and a strong vein of introverted thought emerges as an inherent part of Beatle creation.

10 Beatles Songs That Speak to Introversion

1. “Mother Nature’s Son” (The Beatles/White Album, 1968)

Primarily written by McCartney, attributed to Lennon-McCartney

Lyrics of note:

Born a poor young country boy, Mother Nature’s son
All day long I’m sitting singing songs for everyone
Sit beside a mountain stream, see her waters rise
Listen to the pretty sound of music as she flies…
Find me in my field of grass, Mother Nature’s son
Swaying daisies sing a lazy song beneath the sun

Sometimes, the word “solitude” carries a negative connotation of alienation, but for introverts, embracing solitude is a way for us to feel more connected to everything around us. In this intensely introspective song, our narrator reveals that “all day long [he’s] sitting singing songs for everyone” before we follow him into his own isolation. The portrait the song paints is that of escape — a performer disengaging from the demands of other people, and instead, pursuing a connection with himself and the beauty of the natural world.

2. “There’s A Place” (Please Please Me, 1963)

Primarily written by Lennon, attributed to McCartney-Lennon

Lyrics of note:

There, there is a place
Where I can go
When I feel low
When I feel blue
And it’s my mind
And there’s no time
When I’m alone

These straightforward lyrics from an early Beatles song might lack the depth and complexity of their later counterparts, but “There’s A Place” simply and succinctly captures the introvert’s motivation to retreat into the inner world for protection and peace. Turning inward when one feels vulnerable is a way for introverts to relax, recalibrate, and recharge. This song identifies that turn inward as a place in and of itself, which many might even categorize as an inner “haven,” of sorts.

3. “Two Of Us” (Let It Be, 1970)

Written by McCartney, attributed to Lennon-McCartney

Lyrics of note:

Two of us sending postcards
Writing letters
On my wall
You and me burning matches
Lifting latches
On our way back home
We’re on our way home

What better to represent how introverts commonly form strong relationships than a ballad about a close pair of people? Introverts need their alone time, yet nurturing the right type of romantic relationship, friendship, or family bond can be a profoundly energizing experience for us. It’s well known that introverts tend to prefer smaller, more intimate groups over large crowds of people. Therefore, it’s appropriate that this song chronicles two main characters traveling together, writing to each other, reminiscing, and going about the daily business of living all while on a literal and/or metaphorical journey home… which is, after all, one of an introvert’s favorite spots to be!

4. “I Want To Tell You” (Revolver, 1966)

Written by Harrison

Lyrics of note:

I want to tell you
My head is filled with things to say
When you’re here
All those words, they seem to slip away
When I get near you
The games begin to drag me down
It’s all right
I’ll make you maybe next time around

Introverts sometimes (often) struggle to speak. We’ve all had those moments of wanting to communicate with someone and perhaps wishing we had the social capacity of extroverts to do so. This song, penned by George Harrison (whose passing we commemorated in November 2021, the 20th anniversary of his death), is all about the desire to tell someone something important, but finding the task daunting and fruitless when attempted. The reference to “the games” dragging the narrator down is also representative of an introvert’s desire to understand (and be understood) without investing in what we tend to see as the pointless rituals of social manipulation or performative small talk.

5. “Eleanor Rigby” (Revolver, 1966)

Primarily written by McCartney, attributed to Lennon-McCartney

Lyrics of note:

Eleanor Rigby picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been
Lives in a dream
Waits at the window, wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door
Who is it for?…

Father McKenzie writing the words of a sermon that no one will hear
No one comes near
Look at him working, darning his socks in the night when there’s nobody there
What does he care?

“Eleanor Rigby” is an encapsulated story of introverts set to music. Both major characters in the song — Eleanor herself, as well as Father McKenzie — spend most of their time alone, keeping busy with their own individual tasks for no one’s benefit but their own. There is an element of private living here with Eleanor living “in a dream” and wearing a different face/mask at times… and what introvert hasn’t felt the immense weight of that performative necessity?

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6. “A Hard Day’s Night” (A Hard Day’s Night, 1964)

Written by Lennon and attributed to Lennon-McCartney

Lyrics of note:

It’s been a hard day’s night, and I’ve been working like a dog
It’s been a hard day’s night, I should be sleeping like a log
But when I get home to you I find the things that you do
Will make me feel alright…

So why on earth should I moan, ‘cause when I get you alone
You know I feel okay
When I’m home everything seems to be right
When I’m home feeling you holding me tight, tight, yeah

There’s nothing like coming home to settle into the comfort of your own space at the end of a difficult workday. This iconic Beatles song captures that feeling perfectly: the narrator reflects on how trying work has been, but how he craves the companionship of his partner and the comforts of home beyond anything else. This is reminiscent of the introvert’s work dilemma: needing to be alone to energize and produce good work, but also needing to perform socially in a work setting, which can be draining.

7. “Her Majesty” (Abbey Road, 1969)

Written by McCartney, attributed to Lennon-McCartney

Lyrics of note:

Her Majesty’s a pretty nice girl
But she doesn’t have a lot to say
Her Majesty’s a pretty nice girl
But she changes from day to day
I want to tell her that I love her a lot
But I gotta get a belly full of wine
Her Majesty’s a pretty nice girl
Someday I’m gonna make her mine, oh yeah
Someday I’m gonna make her mine

At under 30 seconds, “Her Majesty” is only a short interlude of a song which was originally a hidden track on Abbey Road. I think it provides a concise portrait of two introverts, the subject of the song, as well as the narrator, who are both depicted as quiet individuals. Her Majesty is described as a nice girl of few words, whereas our narrator admits he needs a “bellyful of wine” to convey his private, albeit affectionate, feelings to her. While some might simply categorize these two characters as “shy” (which should not be directly equated with introversion), they both seem more contemplative, existing in their own headspace instead of immediately vocalizing their thoughts and feelings.

8. “I’m So Tired” (The Beatles/White Album, 1968)

Written by Lennon, attributed to Lennon-McCartney

Lyrics of note:

…You know I can’t sleep

I can’t stop my brain
You know it’s three weeks

I’m going insane
You know I’d give you everything I’ve got for a little peace of mind

Introverts are big daydreamers — they live inside their own minds, often constructing incredibly detailed worlds behind an outward mask of relative silence and solitude. And while this inner creativity is a gift, the mind of an introvert can simultaneously be a busy, overwhelming place, especially under duress. The complexity of a buzzing mind can lead to insomnia, intense bouts of overthinking, and, as this Lennon-penned song notes, wishing for nothing but “a little peace of mind” at times. Not to mention the title, which is quite self-explanatory: introverts feel exhausted when overstimulated and/or robbed of their solitary “recharge” time.

9. “Hey Jude” (Non-album single, 1968)

Written by McCartney, attributed to Lennon-McCartney

Lyrics of note:

…So let it out and let it in, hey Jude, begin
You’re waiting for someone to perform with
And don’t you know that it’s just you, hey Jude, you’ll do
The movement you need is on your shoulder…

McCartney famously wrote “Hey Jude” for Lennon’s son Julian, who was struggling with his parents’ divorce at the time. It is a canticle of patience, understanding, and encouragement, indicative of the need to step back and process life’s challenges in one’s own time and way. This is an ideal anthem for anyone who is facing hardship, but especially introverts, who often “Carry That Weight” without calling upon the help of others, leaving us to suffer in silence. At the end of the day, the reassuring words of “Hey Jude” are just what we need to hear to keep going when the going gets tough.

10. “Fixing A Hole” (Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1967)

Written by McCartney, attributed to Lennon-McCartney

Lyrics of note:

I’m fixing a hole where the rain gets in
And stops my mind from wandering
Where it will go
I’m filling the cracks that ran through the door
And kept my mind from wandering
Where it will go

Because introverts generally spend a lot of time thinking and processing inwardly, it’s quite important that we protect our minds, where we invest so much of our energy. In a figurative sense, “Fixing A Hole” illustrates the need to protect the functioning of the mind, but it also addresses the more literal need to address mundane, real-world distractions (such as a leaky roof or physical ailment) to properly focus. If there’s anything to be said about introverts, it’s that we get things done when there’s little to distract us from the grand castles we’re constructing and symphonies we’re orchestrating inside our minds.

Music Is a Language for Introverts — It Can Convey Their Most Innermost Thoughts and Feelings

Music might be a language of the introvert: the marriage of sound and lyricism can capture a feeling or thought otherwise too complex to convey in everyday conversation and interaction. While The Beatles have — and will — undoubtedly continue to stand as the subject of much analysis in years to come, their music can provide a haven of understanding and connection for introverted listeners.

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