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To most Beatles fans, choosing between the songs of the Fab 4 is a bit like choosing between children. But, on the JamsBio exclusive, Playing The Beatles Backward, one intrepid fan dares to rank the original songs of The Beatles and give his reasons why in a worst-to-first countdown. Check back each day for the next five songs on the list, prepare to hit the message boards to defend your favorites, and follow the countdown all the way to Number 1.

The complete list to date.

The Last Five:

114. “I Want To Hold Your Hand”

113. “Savoy Truffle”

112. “The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill”

111. “With A Little Help From My Friends”

110. “Good Night”

109. “All Together Now”

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I’ll admit that I have a soft spot for this song due to its inclusion at the end of the animated Yellow Submarine movie following The Beatles’ good-natured, in-the-flesh cameo. After seeing “newer and Bluer Meanies,” the band breaks out into a song that’s meant for the kiddies but catchy enough for the older folks in the theater as well.

As a matter of fact, the song caught on with European soccer crowds who would chant it to keep themselves awake during the match. (Maybe I’ll get a red card for that last crack, but let’s just say I’m not a fan of a sport where 3-2 is considered a high-scoring affair.) Considering that the counterpart in American stadiums is that damn Gary Glitter song, which makes me want to impale myself on the nearest goalpost, I’d say the other side of the pond has the edge in crowd-goading sing-alongs.

The manic production that throws everything at the kitchen sink works here, even that car horn that sounds like a wounded goose. Paul strums his acoustic guitar at breakneck speed while trading off nursery rhyme-styled lyrics with John, who’s credited as playing banjo on the track, of all things.

The song was recorded in 1967, but the group realized its lightweight nature was better suited for a specific venture, hence its resurrection for the kid-friendly Yellow Submarine. It’s a good one to teach to 5-year-olds, and it’s great for drunken jukebox wailing along with other highly inebriated friends. Now that’s versatility for you.

108. “Paperback Writer”

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There’s a lot going on in this single from 1966. Start off with those harmonies that sound like The Beatles cloned themselves into an army of moptops to achieve the desired effect. Then you’ve got Paul’s bass, amplified to an extent that it steps to the forefront for one of the first times in the group’s history. A gargantuan guitar riff keeps ripping through the middle of it all. And, having a little fun, the band sings the French phrase “frère Jacques” as backing vocals toward the end of the song, in falsetto harmonies, no less.

A lot going on, indeed, and maybe a tad too much. All of the ephemera tends to overshadow one of the group’s first attempts to branch out from their traditional song topic of love. Paul does the honors, writing lyrics that essentially form a query letter from an aspiring author to his publisher. He does an excellent job of empathizing with this character, which is understandable since he was a creator of art himself and, before The Beatles broke it big, he knew the frustration of having that art rejected by those in positions of power.

You can hear how the tone of the writer subtly changes throughout the song. At first he beams with confidence as he describes the merits of his work, pitching it with the savvy of a Hollywood pro (“It’s a dirty story of a dirty man”). But as the song goes on, he starts to get desperate. First, he foregoes all artistic aspirations and appeals to the publisher’s pocketbook (“It can make a million for you overnight”). Finally he comes to a possibility he doesn’t want to admit (“If you must return it you can send it here”) and then practically begs (“I need a break”) for his big chance.

But all of that gets a little bit lost among the frantic, big rock propulsion. Plus the aforementioned guitar riff is too similar to “Day Tripper,” the single that preceded this one chronologically. The Beatles could have saved all the flourishes for another song, because the tale of the “Paperback Writer” is a page-turner all on its own.

107. “I’ll Get You”

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Though not quite distinctive enough to be a single, this early B-side confidently struts through its two-minutes of existence much like the guy in the song who knows, despite being relegated to strict daydreamer status at the present, that he will eventually conquer the heart of his beloved. “I’ll Get You” indeed “gets” unsuspecting listeners time and again with its catchy hooks and fun harmonies.

I love the way that John and Paul switch up the harmonies to keep things interesting. For much of the verses they stay in unison, but then Paul will stray up to a higher note at little notice. It adds a nice flavor to what could have been the same old approach.

What really fires things up though is the bridge, when George Harrison suddenly arrives on the scene to settle in between low John and high Paul for some three-part harmony. If you listen closely, it doesn’t even sound like they’re singing the same words, but their voices blend so beautifully that it doesn’t matter.

These kinds of little triumphs were achieved time and again by The Beatles instinctively. Those indefinable qualities cannot be replicated, and they give even seeming throwaways like “I’ll Get You” an undeniable spark of life that shoots off through innumerable spins.

106. “I’ll Follow The Sun”

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It’s a common conversation held at the end of relationships, the one in which one person who doesn’t want it to end tells the other, in essence, “You’ll be sorry.” But rarely has it been said with more grace and dignity than by Paul McCartney in “I’ll Follow The Sun,” a subdued track off Beatles For Sale, the album where Paul and John Lennon got in touch with their contemplative side for the first time as songwriters.

Of course, anyone could sound classy and unaffected when they’re riding atop a melody as sweet as this one. The relatively flat verses sound resigned to the end of this affair, but the middle parts, soaring sadly on John and Paul’s impeccable harmony, hint at regret for missed opportunities never to be recovered.

Paul’s search for fairer weather never fails to grab at the heartstrings. If only there were a verse or two more so we could wallow a bit longer in the wistful beauty on display here. But, then again, I guess nobody likes long goodbyes.

105. “From Me To You”

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I defy you to listen to this early number-one smash and keep your head still while doing so. Inevitably the noggin-bobbing will begin as a result of exposure to the metronomic drumming of Ringo Starr. Remember that he had only been a full-fledged member of the group for a short period at the time this song was recorded, and yet he immediately put his own personal stamp on the band.

“From Me To You” is another example where John and Paul were writing directly to the fans, and, considering the song’s chart success, mission accomplished. It’s also the first occasion where they did their signature falsetto “woos.” You can hear them testing them out at the end of the bridges, somewhat tentatively, as if they were putting out feelers for the possible audience response to this little quirk. Needless to say, the response was overwhelmingly positive.

Speaking of the bridge, in later interviews McCartney has cited the chord change in that section as a pivotal step for the band. It’s a reminder that, while we, as listeners who, in retrospect, know the band’s greatness, tend to take for granted such little details. The Beatles were always striving for these minor advances, never coasting on past successes. That inexorable thirst for improvement and new sounds would eventually lead to the head-spinning expansion of rock music the group would spearhead in the middle and later part of the decade.

That transformation didn’t just happen spontaneously. Baby steps like “From Me To You” led to the leaps and bounds that were to come.