The Beatles have no shortage of classics in their catalogue.
However, the song that John Lennon described as 'the greatest ever' is actually not by the Fab Four. The Beatles had many rivals throughout their extraordinary, yet relatively short time together.
Among the biggest of these rivals were the Rolling Stones and the Beach Boys. In 1965 Lennon listened to a song from the Beach Boys and fell in love with the track.
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The track in question was 'The Little Girl I Once Knew'. Lennon said: "This is the greatest! Turn it up, turn it right up! It’s got to be a hit. It’s the greatest record I’ve heard for weeks. It’s fantastic. I hope it will be a hit."
Lennon cited Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys as the reason for the track's genius. He said: "It’s all Brian Wilson. He just uses the voices as instruments."
Wilson also cited the track as one of his favourites, he said: "That is my very favourite introduction in a song in my whole life. It kills me every time. It might have been the first time the music stopped and started again on a record."
However, later in 1995, his opinion would change. He said the song 'sucked'.
