Considered by many as the greatest pop rock band of all time, The Beatles have been an influence on thousands of artists since they hit the music scene in the ‘50s and ‘60s. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison’s music transcends normal fame and success, reaching the ears, hearts, and minds of millions of fans across the globe. Their songs have been used in different movies, shows, and commercials. Their popularity and success have extended beyond music and live connected to many other facets of life.
1. A Hard Day's Night
98%
96
7.5
John Lennon
Paul McCartney
George Harrison
Ringo Starr
Wilfrid Brambell
Norman Rossington
John Junkin
Victor Spinetti
Anna Quayle
Deryck Guyler
Richard Vernon
Edward Malin
Directed by Richard Lester, this iconic soundtrack sync moment changed the history of rock forever. In this opener, the Beatles are pictured escaping from pursuing fans to the song "A Hard Day's Night." Little did they know that the imprint they left with this scene on music fandom and future boy bands would be inescapable.
Find the full A Hard Day's Night soundtrack here.
2. Help!
George Harrison
John Lennon
Paul McCartney
Ringo Starr
Leo McKern
Eleanor Bron
Victor Spinetti
Roy Kinnear
John Bluthal
Patrick Cargill
Warren Mitchell
Alfie Bass
Directed by Richard Lester, this is one of the many soundtrack sync moments in which the Beatles are self-starring. When the song "Help!" plays, they are pictured with skis in the Alps all wearing black garb. This is one of the many Beatles soundtrack syncs that became very famous and influential for its aesthetic.
Find the full Help! soundtrack here.
3. Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Matthew Broderick
Alan Ruck
Mia Sara
Jeffrey Jones
Jennifer Grey
Cindy Pickett
Lyman Ward
Edie McClurg
Charlie Sheen
Ben Stein
Del Close
Virginia Capers
Directed by John Hughes, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was the movie of the decade for 80’s youth everywhere. In this scene, Ferris is pictured dancing in a parade to the early Beatles hit "Twist and Shout," which was released when Beatlemania had just begun. This song makes sense for the scene because of its representation of 20th-century American youth culture: much like the character Ferris, the energy of the song almost jumps out at you from the screen ready to dance the night away with you.
Find the full Ferris Bueller's Day Off soundtrack here.
4. Magical Mystery Tour
John Lennon
Paul McCartney
George Harrison
Ringo Starr
Vivian Stanshall
Neil Innes
Roger Ruskin Spear
Larry 'Legs' Smith
Sam Spoons
Rodney Slater
Jan Carson
George Claydon
This soundtrack sync moment, directed by The Beatles themselves, was very influential to future psychedelic acts. In the film Magical Mystery Tour, the scene where "I Am the Walrus" plays is surreal and visceral. The Beatles perform the song in a large pasture donned in vibrant robes and animal masks with John Lennon taking point as the walrus. The scene is filled with psychedelia, including kaleidoscopic images and dreamlike visuals. The performance is intercut with shots of many strange characters and bizarre animations producing a whimsical and extraterrestrial atmosphere. Many psychedelic music videos today use these same concepts.
Find the full Magical Mystery Tour soundtrack here.
5. Yellow Submarine
Paul Angelis
John Clive
Dick Emery
Geoffrey Hughes
Lance Percival
Peter Batten
George Harrison
John Lennon
Paul McCartney
Ringo Starr
Directed by George Dunning, the Beatles have a long list of movies that are more of a psychedelic multi-media experience, and Yellow Submarine is certainly no exception. When “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” plays, the animation seems to melt as swirling rainbows and blob shapes begin to appear on screen. Lucy is almost ghostlike as she flies above the surface elegantly. The imagery and audio are the pinnacle of the Beatles’ psychedelic style.
Find the full Yellow Submarine soundtrack here.
6. Bee Movie
Jerry Seinfeld
Renée Zellweger
Matthew Broderick
Patrick Warburton
John Goodman
Chris Rock
Kathy Bates
Larry King
Ray Liotta
Sting
Oprah Winfrey
Directed by Simon J. Smith and Steve Hickner, this soundtrack sync moment is from the Bee Movie, a lighthearted animated film about saving bees. Naturally, what better Beatles song to use for a movie about bees than “Here Comes the Sun,” composed by George Harrison. The song is covered by Sheryl Crow and it plays while the bees are pictured pollinating flowers at the airport.
Find the full Bee Movie soundtrack here.
7. Across the Universe
Evan Rachel Wood
Jim Sturgess
Joe Anderson
Dana Fuchs
Martin Luther
T.V. Carpio
Spencer Liff
Lisa Dwyer Hogg
Nicholas Lumley
Michael Ryan
Angela Mounsey
Robert Clohessy
Directed by Julie Taymor, the opening moments of the film Across the Universe show the main protagonist of the film, Jude, who is on a beach staring out into the ocean. As The Beatles' song "Girl" starts to play, the film shows multiple locations and characters setting up the film's narrative. The imagery is intertwined with artistic and surreal elements building a foundation for the film's unique style and theme. The montage gives the audience a peek into the characters' lives and the 1960s setting, emphasizing themes of love, war, and social upheaval.
This is one of the more harrowing and somber Beatles soundtrack sync moments, using the song “Strawberry Fields Forever”. In the scene where the song is used, we see the main character Jude fittingly making a wall of strawberries whilst the screen is unfittingly juxtapositioned with scenes of violence and war. The film shows the audience what socioeconomic struggles were going on in the world at the time of the song’s release.
Find the full Across the Universe soundtrack here.
8. Yesterday
63%556.8
Himesh Patel
Lily James
Sophia Di Martino
Ellise Chappell
Meera Syal
Vincent Franklin
Joel Fry
Karma Sood
Gus Brown
Sanjeev Bhaskar
Directed by Danny Boyle, this is one of the more recent Beatles soundtrack sync moments on the list from the movie Yesterday. The song "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" is performed in concert by a character named Jack Malik, a struggling singer-songwriter who wakes up one day to find that the entire human population has suddenly ceased to be aware of the Beatles and begins to plagiarize their work. The movie is an interesting “what-if” concept.
This final soundtrack sync moment is also from the movie Yesterday, using an intimate acoustic performance of the Beatles song with the same name. The audience that Jack performs to remarks that the song is a moving masterpiece, fueling him further to plagiarize more forgotten Beatles work. The movie proposes an interesting question here on whether art can be separated from an artist and still be appreciated.
Find the full Yesterday soundtrack here.