Quiz: Can You Guess Which Beatle Wrote These Lyrics?

The Beatles are responsible for some of the most beloved and well-known songs ever written. Their music runs the gamut from jangly pop to rock and roll to metaphysical, Indian-influenced experimental tracks. But what these four boys from Liverpool may be best known for overall is their powerful lyrics, which have a way of effortlessly tapping into the human experience and connecting to people across time. How well do you know your Beatles trivia? Match the lyric to the Beatle who wrote it in the quiz below.

The Lyricism of the Beatles: Lennon and McCartney

John Lennon and Paul McCartney were the Beatles' primary songwriters, penning all but 24 songs for the band. (George Harrison wrote 24 and Ringo Starr wrote two). The iconic duo frequently collaborated, and also wrote songs separately that were later credited to both of them.

The duo bonded as songwriters at a young age. Both of their early lives had been marked by tragedy—McCartney lost his mother at 14 and Lennon lost his mother at 17, and they both shared a deep love for rock and roll. Early on, they shared an incredibly deep friendship that produced some of the greatest songs of all time.

Initially, they often wrote songs together, such as "I Want to Hold Your Hand," which was written "eyeball to eyeball" in the basement of McCartney's then-girlfriend Jane Asher's home, according to Lennon.

Later on, though, the pair started to write separately more frequently. They would often still review each other's tracks and would sometimes even combine two separate songs. This was the case with "A Day in the Life," which is mostly a melancholy tune written by Lennon, but features an upbeat middle written by McCartney.

The duo famously had slightly different but highly complementary strengths as writers. Lennon generally excelled at writing abstract, thought-provoking lyrics, while McCartney knew how to tell a story in a song. Together, they wrote incredible poetry as well as pristine pop, dropping in the occasional bit of absurdity and a joke here and there. All of that is immortalized forever in the Beatles' songbook. Yet Lennon and McCartney weren't the only songwriters in the band.

George Harrison and Ringo Starr's Songwriting Contributions to the Beatles

Harrison came into his own as a songwriter later than Lennon and McCartney, but when he did, he created some of the Beatles' most enduring compositions—including their most-played song on Spotify in 2026, "Here Comes the Sun." Harrison also went on to release many beloved solo albums, often pouring his love of Eastern mysticism into philosophical, mind and heart-expanding lyrics.

Meanwhile, Ringo Starr penned just two songs for the Beatles: "The Octopus's Garden" and "Don't Pass Me By." He also went on to release many solo albums as well.

Ultimately, the songs written by the Beatles remain immortal parts of music history. Their discography tells stories about universal experiences, like love, heartbreak, and longing, while using a vastly creative and diverse array of approaches. Their lyrics are a big part of why the Beatles' songs continue to resonate across decades and genres—they tap into the core of what it means to be alive.