The Beatles chart a new top 10 hit in the band’s home country as “Free as a Bird” debuts at No. 4 on one list and returns to several others at the same time. Promotional studio portrait of The Beatles, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, 1963 (Photo by Daily Herald Archive/National Science & Media Museum/SSPL via Getty Images)
SSPL via Getty Images
Just a few days ago, the Beatles charted not one, but two new hit albums on tallies all around the world, as both Anthology 4 and the Anthology Collection box set debuted. The two related projects performed especially well in the United Kingdom, which makes sense, as that is where the band got its start, and all four members — John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison — are regarded as some of the most beloved and successful musicians of all time.
As the Anthology Collection disappears and Anthology 4 begins to fall across a variety of rankings, one of the more recent Beatles singles returns to a handful of rosters and even manages to earn the group another brand new top 10 hit.
“Free as a Bird” Hits the Same Position on Multiple Charts
“Free as a Bird” appears on a trio of tallies in the U.K. this frame. The tune returns to two and debuts on a third. Impressively, “Free as a Bird” manages to find a home at No. 4 on all of the rankings on which it can currently be found.
“Free as a Bird” Earns The Beatles a New Top 10 Hit
Perhaps most excitingly, “Free as a Bird” debuts on the Official Vinyl Singles chart, the U.K.’s ranking of the bestselling individual tunes offered for sale on wax. As “Free as a Bird” opens at No. 4, the Beatles claim an eleventh top 10 hit and the group’s thirteenth overall placement somewhere on the list.
The Beatles Have Been Busy in 2025
As “Free as a Bird” arrives on the vinyl ranking, the Beatles score a second hit and second top 10 in 2025. “I’ll Get You” reached No. 6 on the chart after launching in July.
“Free as a Bird” Reaches the Top 10 for the First Time on Several Charts
The same late-in-career single hits the top 10 for the first time on the Official Singles Sales chart, though it is not technically new to that all-encompassing roster, which tracks the bestselling songs of any style or language on any format throughout the country. “Free as a Bird” debuted on the Official Singles Sales list in November 2023 at No. 36 and has not been seen on the tally since.
The Beatles Claim a Surprising Number of Bestsellers
Despite the band’s immense popularity, the Beatles have only ever reached the top 10 on the Official Singles Sales chart with three tracks. “Now and Then” spent seven weeks at No. 1, while “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” which debuted in December 2024, also climbed to No. 4. “Free as a Bird” now matches that position and is tied as the outfit’s second-highest-peaking tune.
“Free as a Bird” Becomes a Physical Bestseller – Again
“Free as a Bird” also flaps its wings and flies back onto the Official Physical Singles chart, though unlike on the other two tallies, it does not debut or climb to never-before-seen highs. “Free as a Bird” reenters the list of the top-selling tracks on any physical format — which includes vinyl but also cassette and CD — at No. 4.
The song launched on the chart three decades ago, in December 1995, and narrowly missed out on becoming a champion for the group as it stalled in the runner-up spot. Since then, the Beatles have scored three No. 1s, as “Love Me Do,” “Yellow Submarine,” and “Now and Then” all took turns ruling.
A New Vinyl Version of “Free as a Bird” Recently Went on Sales
UNSPECIFIED – CIRCA 1966: The Beatles, English music group Pop (1962-1970). Standing : Paul MacCartney and John Lennon (1940-1980). Seat : Ringo Starr and George Harrison (1943-2000). August 1966. (Photo by Roger Viollet Collection/Getty Images)
Roger Viollet via Getty Images
The Beatles recently placed a seven-inch vinyl single with both “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love” online for sale. The translucent white double A-side features new mixes of the tunes, which were also available on Anthology 4.
When Did The Beatles Release “Free as a Bird”?
While work on “Free as a Bird” began in the late ’70s by Lennon, the track was not finished before the Beatles split. Decades after his passing, the remaining three members picked it back up and finished the tune, sharing it with the world as a single on Anthology 1, the first in the still-ongoing retrospective series.
“Free as a Bird” reached the top 10 on singles charts in both the U.S. and the U.K., and until “Now and Then” appeared in 2023, it stood as the most recent original composition from the Beatles, alongside “Real Love,” which arrived at the same time.