Stephen P’s original challenge was to identify any song of the Beatles that compares to Gershwin or Porter. Peter added the additional criteria of psychological depth later in the thread. Personally I find the phrase “pyschological depth” to be a contradiction in terms and so mute on matters of music altogether.

Just my two cents.

I’d be more surprised if the answer were “no,” than if it were “yes.” Portraits of him when younger show a handsome fellow, for one.

As I explained in Songbook #31: http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/postmodernconservative/2011/12/15/carls-rock-songbook-31-the-beatles-eleanor-rigby/

And in underlined in #32: http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/postmodernconservative/2011/12/16/carls-rock-songbook-32-the-zombies-a-rose-for-emily/

So maybe the formula-following RESTRAINT of the American Songbook songs actually demonstrates the greater psychological depth–i.e., “don’t pretend to take a song into the depths unless there’s a way of really doing it.” And with a 3-minute song, usually, there isn’t.

Out of the 30 or so actual songs I’ve analyzed in the Songbook, I think “Eleanor Rigby” was the one I showed the most outright hostility to. If you really listen to it, guys, I trust the revulsion will grow in your soul as well.