From time to time, I find myself organizing Beatles songs chronologically. This is a bit tricky, since the songs were released in three different formats — singles, EPs, and LPs — and released on different dates in the U.S.A. and the U.K. The singles and EPs appear on the Past Master collection, and the chronology isn’t obvious.
If you want an example of how convoluted the release dates can get, consider Magical Mystery Tour. It was released in the U.K. as a double EP on Dec. 8, 1967; but in fact it came out first (Nov. 27) in the U.S.A., as an LP. But four of the songs included on the U.S. LP (“All You Need Is Love / Baby You’re A Rich Man” and “Hello Goodbye / I Am The Walrus”) were released earlier still as singles in the U.K.; and those songs were not included in the U.K. EP.
In the U.K., most of the singles were not included on the LPs. I find it interesting to know that, for example, “We Can Work It Out / Day Tripper” belongs with Rubber Soul; and “Strawberry Fields Forever / Penny Lane” with Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Here, mostly for my own future reference, is a chronological list based on release date (rather than the alternative option, recording date).
Singles are in quotation marks; EPs, in italics; LPs, in bold.
Songs which were included on an LP are listed only if the single came out first.
Unless otherwise indicated, I use the British release dates. The U.S. release dates are used where (a) the single was released only in the U.S.A.; and (b) the single appeared before the same track appeared on an LP.
| Year | Single / EP / LP | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | “Love Me Do / P.S. I Love You” | Oct. 5 |
| 1963 | “Please Please Me / Ask Me Why” Please Please Me “From Me To You / Thank You Girl” “She Loves You / I’ll Get You” With The Beatles “I Want To Hold Your Hand / This Boy” |
Jan. 11 Mar. 22 Apr. 12 Aug. 23 Nov. 22 Nov. 29 |
| 1964 | “Can’t Buy Me Love / You Can’t Do That” Long Tall Sally / I Call Your Name / Slow Down / Match Box A Hard Day’s Night “I Feel Fine / She’s A Woman” Beatles For Sale |
Mar. 20 July 10 July 10 Nov. 27 Dec. 4 |
| 1965 | “Ticket To Ride / Yes It Is” “Bad Boy” “Help! / I’m Down” Help! “We Can Work It Out / Day Tripper” Rubber Soul |
Apr. 9 June July 23 Aug. 6 Dec. 3 Dec. 3 |
| 1966 | “Paperback Writer / Rain” “Yellow Submarine / Eleanor Rigby” Revolver |
June 10 Aug. 5 Aug. 28 |
| 1967 | “Strawberry Fields Forever / Penny Lane” Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band “All You Need Is Love / Baby You’re A Rich Man” “Hello Goodbye / I Am The Walrus” Magical Mystery Tour |
Feb. 13 June 1 July 7 Nov. 24 Nov. 27 (U.S.) |
| 1968 | “Lady Madonna / The Inner Light” “Hey Jude / Revolution” The Beatles (aka The White Album) |
Mar. 15 Aug. 30 Nov. 22 |
| 1969 | Yellow Submarine “Get Back / Don’t Let Me Down” “The Ballad of John and Yoko / Old Brown Shoe” Abbey Road |
Jan. 17 Apr. 11 May 3 Sept. 26 |
| 1970 | “Let It Be / You Know My Name (Look Up The #)” “The Long and Winding Road / For You Blue” Let It Be |
Mar. 6 May 11 (U.S.) May 18 |
all songs lead back t' the sea 
Apr 10, 2012 @ 23:04:29
Twist and Shout ep and Yesterday ep have been ommited. Why?
Jun 11, 2012 @ 12:05:21
Thanks for this great list! I wanted to organize my Beatles music in iTunes by release date, and Google brought me here. Now I can use this list to add the appropriate date to the “Comment” field of each track so I can sort them that way. Excellent.
Oct 06, 2012 @ 10:00:43
This is a very intresting list. But isn´t one song missing.:
“Ain’t She Sweet” was also performed by The Beatles with John Lennon on lead vocals. It was recorded on June 23, 1961 at the Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg, Germany with Pete Best on drums, and produced by Bert Kaempfert, released as a single in 1964, May 29 on Polydor NH 52-317 (UK).,
Apr 20, 2020 @ 08:17:40
You would then have to include all the “Beat Brothers” stuff recorded in Hamburg.
Feb 02, 2013 @ 06:35:18
From Please Please Me to Beatles The (White Album), all the mixes original are represented here in full, mono glorious! The Past Masters CD has recreated been as Mono Masters to properly reflect period this. This set duplicates the Masters Past track listing with the those of exception tracks that only ever stereo in appeared. However, as an added bonus, five never, tracks previously released in mono, are the in included package. These are “Only A Song Northern”, “All Together Now”, “Hey and” Bulldog “It’s All Too Much” all the from Yellow Submarine project plus “The Across Universe”. These titles were scheduled originally for release on an EP in 1969.
Jun 15, 2013 @ 14:30:25
I don’t see “Yesterday” in this list. Why?
Mar 26, 2014 @ 13:35:26
there is a lot more missing
Nov 28, 2016 @ 18:27:49
Back in the USSR?
Apr 20, 2020 @ 08:24:39
Bad Boy, the cover recorded for the Oldies But Goldies album should be included. Definitely canon.
Dec 12, 2020 @ 16:36:02
Is it worth listing the early 90s songs Free As A Bird and Real Love as well which weren’t conventional but still are both great songs imo
May 11, 2021 @ 19:40:02
What about songs from the Anthology like Free as a bird?
Jan 24, 2022 @ 07:42:03
“I saw her standing there single”
Nov 26, 2022 @ 14:55:00
Thank you for posting this! I wanted to write a series of short stories, each based on a Beatles song, in chronological order, and this was the only list I could find that was of any use to me the way I want to order it. Thank you so much.