I've always been of the opinion that the best satire works on its own terms in the genre it's satirizing. In that respect, Neil Innes, creative mastermind and songwriter behind the Rutles, did his job a little too well. Just about every Rutles song is effective and entertaining pop; the only reason the songs aren't considered pop classics is because they each take off from specific Beatles songs. Very effective power pop, but regrettably, they are so much so they lack much satiric bite (one has to watch the movie for that).

One exception is my favorite Rutles song, "Cheese and Onions," which I first heard covered by Galaxie 500 on a tribute album years ago. The lyrics brilliantly skewer John Lennon's obscurantism and arrogance:

I have always thought
in the back of my mind
Cheese and onions
I have always thought
that the world was unkind
Cheese and onions

Do I have to spell it out?
C-H-E-E-S-E-A-N-D-O-N-I-O-N-S-oh-no

"Do I have to spell it out?" Fuck you, too, John.

Here's a clip from the Rutles movie:



According to Eric Idle, they used the same animators from Yellow Submarine.