So this list isn't meant to be some esoteric search through all of John's Beatles' stuff to pull some crazy B-side or unreleased song. This is simply John at the top of his craft for songs that will last long beyond we will.
Number 5: Dear Prudence
This was a tough selection because there are about twenty or so songs that would have fit in here. Dear Prudence makes it because the simple melody and John's slightly zoned out vocals makes it a staple of his catalogue. As avant garde as he was trying to be on this album this song stands alone as his best tune here. Solid contributions from Paul and George round out the beauty.
Number 4: Across The Universe
This, of course, only applies to the non-bastardized version (sans Spector). Past John's prime of transcendentalism this song really speaks more about general spirituality than a specific one even with it's meditative chants. Again, even as John's writing and arrangements become more and more complicated his best work lies in the simple, aching tones of this song.
Number 3: Strawberry Fields Forever
Anytime a list has SFF as the third best entry then you know you've only got great things coming. This song was the Beatles first venture back into the spotlight after announcing that they would never tour again after the debacle and excess of the Revolver Tour. Their first six albums were written between tours, between concerts, in whatever spare times they had. The first sessions that would later become Sgt Pepper's yielded this little gem which was the A side to Penny Lane's B-side. After the video appeared on American Bandstand, Dick Clark sat beside dumbfounded teens confused at this new direction by the former mop tops.
Number 2: A Day in the Life
As the trailer for Sgt Pepper's, A Day in the LIfe brought pop music to yet another level. Even with the trademark orchestral crescendos and ending thunderous E-chord the most enthralling part of the piece is John's spectral vocal track. It's as chilling as it gets but with John's natural voice timbre it still feels warm and inside your head. Along with SFF, these two songs cement George Martin's influence on the Beatles' songs as their producer. It's a haunting atmosphere that simultaneously drifts from topics like a dead friend to reading a newspaper giving everything a singular gravitas.
Number 1: In My Life
Returning to a common theme in all of Lennon's music is In My Life. Through all of John's technical prowess in the studio his most engaging and elegant tracks are the ones where his voice, wordplay, and melody are at the forefront. Even with a music catalogue like Lennon's, In My Life is the fawning, beauty that exudes simple perfection above all the rest. From Ringo's simple but extremely expressive percussion to George Martin's Bach-influenced harsichord-like solo it's difficult to fathom this song being put together in an other than other-worldly serendipitous manner.
The greatest pop song recorded. Period.
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