28 Best Yes Songs
Contents
20. “Time And A Word” by Yes
Song Year: 1970
Jumping back to Yes’s earliest days, this title track from their second album is one of their earliest flagships. Written back in 1969 by Anderson and Foster, the once-guitarist Peter Banks added layers of art to the track.
Many find the instrumentation on this track to be reminiscent of the Beatles. Others feel that the brass and string instruments on the album should be more to bother with. Regardless of which side of the divide you land on, “Time And A Word” is a phenomenal singalong track.
21. “Parallels” by Yes
Song Year: 1977
“Parallels” is a daunting track that makes Yes’s common religious themes take a dominant shape. Filled with Wakeman playing the pipe organ in Saint Martin’s Church of Switzerland, there’s a certain coming-to-church feeling from the track.
The song was meant to appear previously on Squire’s Fish Out Of Water. However, the restrictions of vinyl forced him to reconsider where the song would appear. Eventually, Squire offered the song to Yes during their trip to Switzerland.
22. “Machine Messiah” by Yes
Song Year: 1980
Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman were the creative powerhouses for much of the band's life. With the two both calling it quits, many thought that Yes would dry up. How could such a creative void be filled?
Turns out quite quickly. The band came together with the album Drama, bringing the opener “Machine Messiah” to a doom rock anthem. Trevor Horn showed his vocal chops was just as fleshed out as Andersons, and Alan White’s technical capabilities shined brightly. The song was just as much a statement to the departing members as to the worried fans.
23. “Changes” by Yes
Song Year: 1983
As Yes was so often wont to do, 90125 showed lineup changes wouldn’t hold them back. Newcomer Trevor Rabin brought a new rock sound to the band that countered Howe’s classical influences. But it was Rabin’s lyrics that held the actual change.
Born out of his frustration dealing with record executives, the song focused on the changes in his life and career. Though the song is sad, it’s one of the band’s more dominant anthems.
24. “America” by Yes
Song Year: 1971
“America” is another shock on this list to many fans. The extravagant instrumentation and nearly-frantic time signature switches have split the fans on this track. While some feel there’s an incredible amount of genius on display, others feel the band was unnecessarily showing off.
Regardless of your feeling about the instrumentation, “America” is one of the most iconic songs in progressive rock. Toss this nearly-eleven-minute behemoth on and try to count how many signature changes you hear.
25. “The Fish” by Yes
Song Year: 1971
As our list enters its final portion, we have some of Yes’s more esoteric songs. “The Fish,” often paired with the subtitle “(Schindleria Praematurus),” is one of their stranger tracks.
Working as a showcase for Chris Squire, the title is based on his nickname. Squire alleges that he had earned the nickname “The Fish” for his propensity for long baths. Whether that influence is shown on the track is difficult, but Squire finds time to toss on one of Yes’s best guitar solos.
26. “Endless Dream” by Yes
Song Year: 1994
“Endless Dream” is part of a three-part fifteen-minute epic that closes out its respective album. With a dominance that leads many to consider it the title track of the album Talk, this closer to their fourteenth studio album is a flagship note.
While Talk is an album many consider undervalued, its popularity in the mid-90s is hard to understate. Though it didn’t make the waves in prog many wanted, it remained trendy among fans.
27. “Leave It” by Yes
Song Year: 1983
With “Owner of A Lonely Heart” has made waves for the band, Yes attempted to recreate the magic. “Leave It” was a fantastic attempt, though it didn’t quite hit the mark.
Squire brings a groovy bassline, while Rabin and Horn bring catchy earworms to the song. With a slick production and a curious music video, “Leave It” is a fantastic product of the 80s.
28. “Don’t Kill The Whale” by Yes
Song Year: 1978
Closing out our list is another track from Tormato that salvages the otherwise-lackluster album. It’s well-documented that Yes were strained during this album’s recording, but “Don’t Kill The Whale” is a moment of unity.
Squire and Anderson based this song around an environmental poem Anderson had written. Wakeman brought his Polymoog to create a whale-like ambiance, landing a strange track that brought the album up to snuff.
Top Yes Songs, Final Thoughts
Prog fans recognize their massive discography and work in helping set the standards for coming bands.
Yes had an incredible influence, from songs pushing twenty minutes long to storied, conceptual music with complex instrumentation. It’s difficult to fully explain how much Yes's impact on the music industry. But what isn’t difficult to explain is how many hits the band has under their belt.
Whether you prefer their Mark IV lineup or are one of Tormato’s diehard fans, Yes has a storied history of giving you the best of the best. We hope our list has given you a good spot to start your playlist as you work to appreciate this prog giant’s influence.
Did we forget your favorite Yes track? Be sure to let us know what songs you’d like to hear us mention next time!
You have no idea what you’re talking about. You have dates wrong. You obviously haven’t heard Jon Anderson explain the origins and meaning of Close to the Edge.
Any song with the 1970s lineup is far superior to anything the 1980s group produced.
CTTE at #5? Are you nuts? Ask any true Yes fan what their pick for finest Yes song is, and 99% of them will say CTTE.
Stick to current pop music, or better yet, keep your opinions to yourself.
Can’t believe you haven’t included “Wonderous Stories ” one of the best tracks you’ll hear anywhere.
Not even close in my opinion.
Interesting list. I wouldn’t have included anything from 90125, but I’d have a few from Yes and Time and a Word; Sweet Dreams, Survival, No Opportunity etc. And I don’t get all the negatively about Tomato – it’s brilliant, not a bad track on it. They never did anything as good again.
Many great songs to choose from, but hard to conceive that Starship Trooper is not in the top 3, let alone missing from the list.