The 10 Greatest Songs That Sample The Beatles

Tomorrow is the 45th anniversary of the release of the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. With every passing year, we get closer to 2031, when writers all around the world will be able to use “When It’s 64: The Legacy of Sgt. Pepper’s” as a headline. Hopefully we’re all dead by then.

ANYWAY…yes, Sgt. Pepper’s, the so-called greatest album of all-time, according to Rolling Stone. Much like its cover, the record itself is made up of a collage of genres and sounds, from the psychedelica of “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” to the commercial jingle parody “Good Morning Good Morning,” all made cohesive by the work of producer George Martin. And I guess those Liverpool lads, too. It’s an album that pairs nicely with any other type of music, which is why so many of its songs have been used as hip-hop samples. In honor of Sgt. Pepper’s, and the band in general, here are the 10 greatest songs that sample the Beatles (mashups excluded).

(Pic via)

Song: “Thought @ Work” by the Roots
Sample: “Hey Bulldog”
Album: Phrenology (2002)

Song: “The Sounds of Science” by Beastie Boys
Sample(s): “Back in the U.S.S.R.,” “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise),””The End,” and “When I’m Sixty-Four”
Album: Paul’s Boutique (1989)

Song: “The Heart Gently Weeps” by Wu-Tang Clan
Sample: “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”
Album: 8 Diagrams (2007)

Song: “Fraternity Record” by 2 Live Crew
Sample: “Day Tripper”
Album: As Nasty As They Wanna Be (1989)

Song: “Who Stole the Soul?” by Public Enemy
Sample: “A Day In the Life” and “Getting Better”
Album: Fear of a Black Planet (1990)

Song: “Lonely People” by Talib Kweli w/ LaToiya Williams
Sample: “Eleanor Rigby”
Album: The Beautiful Mix CD (2004)

Song: “Push It Along” by A Tribe Called Quest
Sample: “All You Need is Love”
Album: People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (1990)