5 Of The Beatles’ Biggest Hits In The Modern Age
via @_with_the_beatles_ | Instagram
Trying to explain how The Beatles remain so present in today’s music landscape is a bit like trying to explain gravity—it’s just there, and it pulls everything in. Their catalog has outlasted trends, generations, even formats. Vinyl, radio, CDs, MP3s, and now streams—somehow, they’ve managed to belong to all of it.
What’s interesting isn’t just that they’re still relevant, but that certain songs have surged in popularity well beyond what you might expect. These aren’t niche picks or deep cuts. They’re major tracks—played, shared, added to playlists, and revisited millions of times over. The kind of songs people turn to again and again, whether they’re longtime fans or just discovering the band for the first time.
So let’s look at five Beatles songs that have made a serious impact in the modern age. Not based on legacy or nostalgia, but on cold, clear numbers. These are the most streamed Beatles tracks, and each one seems to have found a second life, thriving in a world The Beatles never could’ve imagined—but helped shape anyway.
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“Yesterday” – 419 million streams
“Yesterday” is deceptively simple. It’s short, soft, and stripped back, and yet it leaves a deeper mark than songs with a full band and a wall of sound. It’s not flashy, but it lingers. And somehow, that makes it more powerful.
There’s this deep vulnerability in the lyrics that doesn’t sound staged. McCartney sings about loss, but not in a dramatic, cinematic way—it’s personal, almost too personal. Like something you weren’t supposed to hear but did anyway. It’s melancholy, but not bitter.
In the streaming age, where so many songs compete for attention with hooks and drops and production tricks, “Yesterday” still holds its own by doing the opposite. It whispers instead of shouting. And that whisper has traveled far—419 million streams and counting.
“Hey Jude” – 442 million streams
“Hey Jude” takes its time. In a world where songs often race to get to the chorus, this one strolls there instead, and somehow still feels right. It stretches out, builds slowly, and by the end, it’s practically a chant. A song that starts personal and ends up communal.
The “na-na-na” outro goes on for what feels like forever, but it never gets old. It becomes something else—part singalong, part emotional release. Even if you don’t know the verses by heart, you know that part. Everyone does. It’s almost strange how universal it’s become.
Maybe that’s the secret to its longevity. It invites you in, makes space for you. You can bring your own feelings to it—grief, joy, nostalgia—and it’ll hold them without judgment. For a song that’s been around this long, it still feels new in the right moments. Still feels needed.
“Let It Be” – 466 million streams
There’s a kind of quiet resignation in “Let It Be” that feels, weirdly, like strength. It’s not about giving up, exactly. It’s about stepping back, breathing, and letting whatever storm you’re in pass by without dragging you under. That message, simple as it is, still lands.
Paul McCartney wrote it at a time of internal chaos—within the band, within himself. But he chose to write something soothing rather than reactive. That choice feels bold in retrospect. It could’ve been an angry song, or a desperate one, but instead it’s calm, almost meditative.
Maybe that’s why it still finds a home in today’s world. When everything is loud and fast, this song feels like an exhale. You don’t have to agree with the message completely to appreciate it. Just sitting with it can feel like therapy—or at least like a pause you didn’t know you needed.
“Come Together” – 515 million streams
“Come Together” is… odd. And that’s exactly what gives it staying power. The lyrics are cryptic, almost nonsensical at first listen, but that groove—slow, swaggering, a little dangerous—pulls you in anyway. It’s not trying to be catchy in the traditional sense. It just is.
There’s this murky, hypnotic quality to it that feels surprisingly modern. You can hear its fingerprints on all kinds of genres—psychedelic rock, hip-hop, funk. The bassline alone could loop forever and probably still work. And Lennon’s delivery? Slippery and defiant, like he’s not fully letting you in on the joke.
It might not be the most accessible Beatles song, and yet it keeps climbing. Maybe that’s the appeal. It doesn’t give itself away easily, which makes people come back to it. To decode it, or just to live in its strange little universe for a few minutes.
“Here Comes The Sun” – 825 million streams
It’s not hard to see why this one sits at the top. “Here Comes the Sun” has this quiet optimism that doesn’t feel forced, and maybe that’s why it still resonates. It’s gentle, but not passive. Hopeful, but not naive. You don’t have to be in a great mood to appreciate it—if anything, it’s the kind of song that helps you get there.
George Harrison wrote it during a dark period, but it doesn’t sound like it. That contrast makes it even more interesting. There’s something almost physical about the way it brightens a space. Put it on in a dim room and it changes the atmosphere. Even if you’ve heard it a hundred times, it still has that effect.
In the age of streaming, maybe it’s become a kind of comfort track. A soft landing when things feel messy. You could call it a modern lullaby, but that might make it sound too sleepy. Really, it’s more like a steady hand on your shoulder—warm, understated, and endlessly replayable.
