An “ahead of its time” song from The Beatles has been called “underrated” by fans of the band.
Users of the r/Beatles subreddit decided on the most underrated song from the band, and appear to have chosen a track from the White Album. The 1968 effort from the Fab Four features all-time greats like While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Back in the U.S.S.R., and Dear Prudence. But a lesser-known song has been praised by fans, who believe it is the “most underrated” song by the group. Listeners have since praised the song as a “indie folk” classic, which was “ahead of its time”. Artists like Bob Dylan, Phoebe Bridgers, and Big Thief were referenced by fans trying to find the right fit for the song’s genre.
A post from fans now trying to figure out the “most overrated” song from the band featured plenty of praise for Long, Long, Long. George Harrison‘s track features Paul McCartney on a Hammond organ and Ringo Starr on drums. Harrison appears to have based the chord pattern on Dylan’s Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands, which some fans picked up on when praising the song.
One wrote: “Is it just me, or is Long Long Long’s vibe and atmosphere way ahead of its time? Especially in its placement in the album.” Another agreed, adding: “It definitely has a modern indie folk rock kinda vibe. Fits right in with the likes of Phoebe Bridgers and Big Thief. So in that way, it does feel ahead of its time.”
A third user has since found the link between Bridgers and Beatles, with an artist inspired by the Fab Four frequently covering Long, Long, Long. The user wrote: “Big Thief and Phoebe Bridgers also don’t exist without Elliott Smith, and Elliott Smith doesn’t exist without Long, Long, Long (he was a die-hard Beatles fan and regularly covered Long, Long, Long). It’s interesting to see how the sound of the song progressed through the generations.”
Another user noted the similarities to Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde album closer, Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands. They wrote: “Fits right in with the finale of Bob Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde, too. Because it doesn’t exist without Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands which is what George is heavily borrowing from. By admission.”
Others were full of praise for Long, Long, Long as users likened it to a “prism” of a song with plenty of depth to it. One user wrote: “So many layers and sides to it, listening to it is like looking into a prism.”
Another added: “Yep. Side three of the White Album has some fantastic rockers on it. Long, Long, Long lands straight after their manic screeching Helter Skelter… a more polar opposite song in every way.
“It’s such a beautiful song, and George was never more expressive. A beautiful acoustic guitar, low organ, and Ringo’s tumbling echoed drums create an eerie but such a spiritual song.”
A third agreed, adding Long, Long, Long is one of the many White Album songs to feel like an “incredibly modern” song. They wrote: “The White Album feels incredibly modern in general, in particular its last disc. Long, Long, Long, Yer Blues, Sexy Sadie and Monkey (notice how three of these are Lennon tracks).”
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