While the single's commercial performance was lessened by this, it topped the "Billboard" Hot 100 in the United States as well as charts in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and West Germany, and peaked at number 4 in the UK. "Something" is described as a love song to Pattie Boyd, Harrison's first wife, although Harrison offered alternative sources of inspiration in later interviews. Due to the difficulty he faced in getting more than two of his compositions onto each Beatles album, Harrison first offered the song to Joe Cocker. As recorded by the Beatles, the track features a guitar solo that several music critics identify among Harrison's finest playing.
Introduction
Something (Beatles song)
Something (Beatles song) | Introduction
Pattie Boyd Pattie Boyd, Harrison's first wife Pattie Boyd It was written for his wife, Pattie Boyd.
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"Something" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1969 album "Abbey Road". It was written by George Harrison, the band's lead guitarist, and is widely viewed by music historians as having marked his ascendancy as a composer to the level of the Beatles' principal songwriters, John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Two weeks after the album's release, the song was issued on a double A-side single, coupled with "Come Together", making it the first Harrison composition to become a Beatles A-side. The pairing was also the first time in the United Kingdom that the Beatles issued a single containing tracks already available on an album.
Something (Beatles song) | Introduction
George Harrison began writing "Something" in September 1968, during a session for the Beatles' self-titled double album, also known as "the White Album".Mark Lewisohn, "Something Else", in "Mojo Special Limited Edition", p. 118. In his autobiography, "I, Me Mine", he recalls working on the melody on a piano, at the same time as Paul McCartney recorded overdubs in a neighbouring studio at London's Abbey Road Studios. Harrison suspended work on the song, believing that with the tune having come to him so easily, it might have been a melody from another song. In "I, Me, Mine", he wrote that the middle eight "took some time to sort out".
Something (Beatles song) | Background and inspiration
Harrison first introduced "Something" at a Beatles session on 19 September 1968, when he played it to George Martin's stand-in as producer of "The Beatles", Chris Thomas, while the latter was working out the harpsichord part for Harrison's track "Piggies". Despite Thomas's enthusiasm for the new composition, Harrison chose to focus on "Piggies". He told Thomas that he intended to offer "Something" to singer Jackie Lomax, whose debut album Harrison was producing for Apple Records. "Something" was not among the tracks released on Lomax's album, however, much of which was recorded in Los Angeles following the completion of the White Album.
Something (Beatles song) | The Beatles' "Get Back/Let It Be" rehearsals
In 2002, a year after Harrison's death, McCartney and Eric Clapton performed it at the Concert for George tribute at London's Royal Albert Hall.
Something (Beatles song) | Introduction
In early 1969, according to author Joshua Greene, Harrison told his friends from the Hare Krishna Movement that the song was about the Hindu deity Krishna; in an interview with "Rolling Stone" in 1976, he said of his approach to writing love songs: "all love is part of a universal love. When you love a woman, it's the God in her that you see." By 1996, Harrison had denied writing "Something" for Boyd. That year, he told music journalist Paul Cashmere that "everybody presumed I wrote it about Pattie" because of the promotional film accompanying the release of the Beatles' recording, which showed the couple together.
Something (Beatles song) | Background and inspiration
The opening lyric was taken from the title of "Something in the Way She Moves", a track by Harrison's fellow Apple Records artist James Taylor. While Harrison imagined the composition in the style of Ray Charles, his inspiration for "Something" was his wife, Pattie Boyd. In her 2007 autobiography, "Wonderful Today", Boyd recalls: "He told me, in a matter-of-fact way, that he had written it for me. I thought it was beautiful ..." Boyd discusses the song's popularity among other recording artists and concludes: "My favourite [version] was the one by George Harrison, which he played to me in the kitchen at Kinfauns." Having begun to write love songs that were directed at both God and a woman, with his White Album track "Long, Long, Long", Harrison later cited alternative sources for his inspiration for "Something".
Something (Beatles song) | Background and inspiration
After Harrison rejoined the Beatles in January 1969 for their "Get Back" film project (later released as "Let It Be"), "Something" was one of many recent compositions that he offered to the group. Leng describes this period as a prolific one for Harrison as a songwriter, comparing it with John Lennon's peak of creativity over 1963–64, yet Harrison's songs received little interest from Lennon and McCartney amid the tense, uncooperative atmosphere within the band. Martin was also unimpressed by "Something" at first, considering it "too weak and derivative", according to music journalist Mikal Gilmore. The Beatles rehearsed the song at Apple Studio on 28 January.
Something (Beatles song) | The Beatles' "Get Back/Let It Be" rehearsals
Following its appearance in David Leland's film "Concert for George" (2003) and on the accompanying live album, this performance of "Something" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. Bob Dylan also played the song live during his November 2002 concerts, as a tribute to Harrison. McCartney has continued to perform "Something", adopting the Concert for George mix of ukulele and rock backing; a version with this musical arrangement was included on his 2009 album "Good Evening New York City".
Something (Beatles song) | Harrison tributes
In a 1990 letter to Mark Lewisohn, Klein refuted a claim made by Lewisohn in his book "The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions", that the single was intended as a money-making exercise: Klein said it was purely a mark of Lennon's regard for "Something" and "to point out George as a writer, and give him courage to go in and do his own LP. Which he did." Following the Beatles' break-up in April 1970, Harrison's ascendancy as a songwriter would continue with his triple album "All Things Must Pass", building on the promise of White Album tracks such as "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and his two contributions to "Abbey Road".
Something (Beatles song) | Selection for single release
Harrison originally considered giving his most successful composition, "Something", to Lomax to record,Mark Lewisohn, "Something Else", in "Mojo Special Limited Edition", p. 118. after Lennon and McCartney had shown little interest in it during the "Get Back" sessions. Harrison instead offered the song to Joe Cocker before the Beatles recorded it for their "Abbey Road" album.
Is This What You Want? | London, December 1968–January 1969
Johnson stated his regret that Harrison "isn't featured more regularly as a singer", and concluded of "Something": "It's a song that grows on you, and mark my words, it will – in a big way!" Along with "Here Comes the Sun", the song established Harrison as a composer to match Lennon and McCartney. Writing in his book "Revolution in the Head", author and critic Ian MacDonald described "Something" as "the acme of Harrison's achievement as a writer". MacDonald highlighted the song's "key-structure of classical grace and panoramic effect", and cited the lyrics to verse two as "its author's finest lines – at once deeper and more elegant than almost anything his colleagues ever wrote".
Something (Beatles song) | Critical reception, awards and legacy
While the single's commercial performance was lessened by this, it topped the "Billboard" Hot 100 in the United States as well as charts in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and West Germany, and peaked at number 4 in the UK. "Something" is described as a love song to Pattie Boyd, Harrison's first wife, although Harrison offered alternative sources of inspiration in later interviews. Due to the difficulty he faced in getting more than two of his compositions onto each Beatles album, Harrison first offered the song to Joe Cocker. As recorded by the Beatles, the track features a guitar solo that several music critics identify among Harrison's finest playing.
Something (Beatles song) | Introduction
Later that year, "Something" was one of the two "key tracks" highlighted by "Rolling Stone" when the magazine placed Harrison at number 11 on its list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists".
Something (Beatles song) | Critical reception, awards and legacy
George Harrison liked "Something in the Way She Moves" so much that he used the beginning as the first line of his 1969 song "Something" from the Beatles album "Abbey Road", which was also released as a single and reached No. 1. Early in the development of "Something," Harrison had expanded the opening of this song to "Something in the way she moves / Attracts me like a pomegranate," using the word "pomegranate" simply as a place-holder until better words could be found. Taylor has stated that "I never thought for a second that George intended to do that. I don't think he intentionally ripped anything off, and all music is borrowed from other music.
Something in the Way She Moves | Inspiration for "Something"
She later suggested that she and Harrison could become a singer-and-songwriter pairing on the scale of Dionne Warwick and Burt Bacharach. After reading these comments in 1970, Harrison wrote "When Every Song Is Sung" with Bassey in mind, although it was not a composition that she ever recorded.
Something (Beatles song) | Shirley Bassey
With the proceedings being recorded by director Michael Lindsay-Hogg for the planned documentary film, tapes reveal Harrison discussing his unfinished lyrics for "Something" with Lennon and McCartney, since he had been unable to complete the song's second line, which begins "Attracts me ..." To serve as a temporary filler, Lennon suggested "like a cauliflower", which Harrison then altered to "like a pomegranate". In their study of the available tapes, Doug Sulpy and Ray Schweighardt write that the Beatles gave the song two run-throughs that day, which was the only occasion that they attempted it during the "Get Back"/"Let It Be" project.
Something (Beatles song) | The Beatles' "Get Back/Let It Be" rehearsals
With Ken Scott serving as his engineer, he recorded a live take of "Something", featuring electric guitar and vocal. By this point, Harrison had completed the lyrics, although he included an extra verse, sung to a counter-melody, over the section that would comprise his guitar solo on the Beatles' subsequent official recording. This demo version of "Something" remained unreleased until its inclusion on the Beatles' outtake collection "Anthology 3" in 1996.
Something (Beatles song) | Harrison solo demo
The promotional clip for "Something" was shot in late October 1969, not long after Lennon privately announced that he was leaving the band. By this time, the individual Beatles had grown apart and so the film consisted of separate clips of each Beatle walking around his home, accompanied by his wife, edited together. Harrison's segment shows him and Boyd together in the garden at Kinfauns; in author John Winn's description, Harrison appears "solemn" while Boyd is seen "smiling sweetly" and "sporting leather and fur coats". Winn also comments on the attractiveness of all the wives in contrast to the unkempt appearance of McCartney, especially, who had sunk into depression at the realisation that the Beatles were over.
Something (Beatles song) | Promotional film
The song also drew praise from the other Beatles and their producer, George Martin, with Lennon stating that it was the best song on "Abbey Road". The promotional film for the single combined footage of each of the Beatles with his respective wife, reflecting the estrangement in the band during the months preceding their break-up in April 1970. Harrison subsequently performed the song at his Concert for Bangladesh shows in 1971 and throughout the two tours he made as a solo artist. "Something" received the Ivor Novello Award for the "Best Song Musically and Lyrically" of 1969. By the late 1970s, it had been covered by over 150 artists, making it the second-most covered Beatles composition after "Yesterday".
Something (Beatles song) | Introduction
Among contemporary reviews, "Time" magazine declared "Something" to be the best track on "Abbey Road", while John Mendelsohn wrote in "Rolling Stone": "George's vocal, containing less adenoids and more grainy Paul tunefulness than ever before, is one of many highlights on his 'Something,' some of the others being more excellent drum work, a dead catchy guitar line, perfectly subdued strings, and an unusually nice melody. Both his and Joe Cocker's version will suffice nicely until Ray Charles gets around to it." Writing in "Saturday Review" magazine, Ellen Sander described "Something" as "certainly one of the most beautiful songs George Harrison has ever written" and added: "He feels his way through the song, instinctively cutting through its body and into the core, emoting so clearly and so gracefully that at the moment he peals 'I don't know, I don't know,' it is shown that even what is not known can be understood." Lon Goddard of "Record Mirror" described the song as "another beautiful Harrison composition" in the style of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", saying that "It leaps scales in its heavy orchestral arrangement, then drifts down to George's simple but effective guitar style." In his review of the single, Derek Johnson of the "NME" lauded the track as "a real quality hunk of pop" with a "strident lead guitar which exudes a mean and moody quality".
Something (Beatles song) | Critical reception, awards and legacy
Following the Beatles' brief efforts with "Something" on 28 January, Harrison talked with Lennon and Yoko Ono about recording a solo album of his unused songs, since he had already stockpiled enough compositions "for the next ten years", given his usual allocation of two tracks per album, and in order to "preserve this, the Beatle bit, more". Lennon offered his support for the idea, similarly keen that his and Ono's recording projects outside the Beatles could continue without jeopardising the band's future. On 25 February 1969 – his 26th birthday – Harrison entered Abbey Road Studios and taped solo demos of "Something", "Old Brown Shoe" and "All Things Must Pass", the last two of which had also been rejected recently by Lennon and McCartney.
Something (Beatles song) | Harrison solo demo
It was a tremendous work – and so simple." The group recorded "Something" on 16 April before Harrison decided to redo the song, a new basic track for which was then completed at Abbey Road on 2 May. The line-up was Harrison on Leslie-effected rhythm guitar, Lennon on piano, McCartney on bass, Ringo Starr on drums, and guest musician Billy Preston playing Hammond organ. On 5 May, at Olympic Sound Studios, McCartney re-recorded his bass part and Harrison added lead guitar. At this point, the song ran to eight minutes, due to the inclusion of an extended, jam-like coda led by Lennon's piano.
Something (Beatles song) | Recording and production
In March 1969, Harrison gave "Something" to Joe Cocker to record, having decided that it was more likely to become a hit with Cocker than with Lomax. Referring to this and similar examples where Harrison placed his overlooked songs with other recording artists, Ken Scott has refuted the idea that he lacked confidence as a songwriter in the Beatles, saying: I think he was totally confident about the songs. The insecurity may have been, if the Beatles kept going, "How many songs am I going to be able to get on each album?", and with the backlog sort of mounting up ...
Something (Beatles song) | Joe Cocker demo
In the version issued on the Beatles' 1969 album "Abbey Road", which was the first release for the song, "Something" runs at a speed of around 66 beats per minute and is in common time throughout. It begins with a five-note guitar figure, which functions as the song's chorus, since it is repeated before each of the verses and also closes the track. The melody is in the key of C major until the eight-measure-long bridge, or middle eight, which is in the key of A major. Harrison biographer Simon Leng identifies "harmonic interest ... [in] almost every line" of the song, as the melody follows a series of descending half-steps from the tonic over the verses, a structure that is then mirrored in the new key, through the middle eight.
Something (Beatles song) | Composition
The melody returns to C major for the guitar solo, the third verse, and the outro. While Leng considers that, lyrically and musically, "Something" reflects "doubt and striving to attain an uncertain goal", author Ian Inglis writes of the confident statements that Harrison makes throughout regarding his feelings for Boyd. Referring to lines in the song's verses, Inglis writes: "there is a clear and mutual confidence in the reciprocal nature of their love; he muses that [Boyd] 'attracts me like no other lover' and 'all I have to do is think of her,' but he is equally aware that she feels the same, that 'somewhere in her smile, she knows.'" Similarly, when Harrison sings in the middle eight that "You're asking me will my love grow / I don't know, I don't know", Inglis interprets the words as "not an indication of uncertainty, but a wry reflection that his love is already so complete that it may simply be impossible for it to become any greater".
Something (Beatles song) | Composition
Harrison was inspired to write "Something" during sessions for the White Album by listening to label-mate James Taylor's "Something in the Way She Moves" from his album "James Taylor". After the lyrics were refined during the "Let It Be" sessions (tapes reveal Lennon giving Harrison some songwriting advice during its composition), the song was initially given to Joe Cocker, but was subsequently recorded for "Abbey Road". Cocker's version appeared on his album "Joe Cocker!" that November. "Something" was Lennon's favourite song on the album, and McCartney considered it the best song Harrison had written. Though the song was written by Harrison, Frank Sinatra once commented that it was his favourite Lennon–McCartney composition and "the greatest love song ever written".
Abbey Road | "Something"
Like Lennon, both McCartney and Starr held the song in high regard. In the 2000 book "The Beatles Anthology", Starr paired "Something" with "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" as "Two of the finest love songs ever written", adding, "they're really on a par with what John and Paul or anyone else of that time wrote"; McCartney said it was "George's greatest track – with 'Here Comes the Sun' and 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps'". Among Harrison's other peers, Paul Simon described "Something" as a "masterpiece" and Elton John said: "'Something' is probably one of the best love songs ever, ever, "ever" written ...
Something (Beatles song) | Critical reception, awards and legacy
"Something in the Way She Moves" is a song written by James Taylor that appeared on his 1968 debut album for Apple Records, "James Taylor". It has also been covered by other artists, including Tom Rush and Harry Belafonte. The opening line inspired George Harrison to write the No. 1 Beatles' song "Something". According to James Taylor's stage banter at The Star in Frisco July 31, 2017, this was the song he played for Paul McCartney and George Harrison as an audition before signing with Apple Records.
Something in the Way She Moves | Introduction
After taking a break from recording, the band returned to "Something" on 11 July, when Harrison overdubbed what would turn out to be a temporary vocal. With the resulting reduction mix, much of the coda, along with almost all of Lennon's playing on the main part of the song, was cut from the recording. The piano can be heard only in the middle eight, specifically during the descending run that follows each pair of "I don't know" vocal lines. On 16 July, Harrison recorded a new vocal, with McCartney overdubbing his harmony vocal over the middle eight and Starr adding both a second hi-hat part and a cymbal.
Something (Beatles song) | Recording and production
The Beatles undertook the recording of "Abbey Road" with a sense of discipline and cooperation that had largely been absent while making the White Album and "Let It Be". Having temporarily left the group in January 1969 partly as a result of McCartney's criticism of his musicianship, Harrison exhibited a greater level of assertiveness regarding his place in the band, particularly while they worked on his compositions "Something" and "Here Comes the Sun". In addition, like Lennon and McCartney, Martin had come to fully appreciate Harrison as a songwriter, later saying: "I first recognised that he really had a great talent when we did 'Here Comes the Sun.' But when he brought in 'Something,' it was something else ...
Something (Beatles song) | Recording and production
By 1978, however, he had begun correctly citing Harrison as its author. Harrison went on to adopt Sinatra's minor lyrical change (in the song's middle eight, singing "You stick around, Jack ...") in his live performances over 1991–92. In "The Beatles Anthology", Harrison says he viewed Sinatra as being part of "the generation before me" and so only later came to appreciate the American singer's adoption of the song.
Something (Beatles song) | Frank Sinatra
Bruce Springsteen opened his first show after Harrison's death on 29 November 2001 by playing an acoustic version of "Something" with violinist Soozie Tyrell, followed by a rendition of Harrison's solo hit "My Sweet Lord". Elton John gave a solo performance of the song at New York's Carnegie Hall in April 2002, as part of a one-hour Harrison tribute during the eleventh annual Rainforest Foundation concert. In honour of Harrison's fondness for the instrument, Paul McCartney played a ukulele rendition of "Something" throughout his 2002–03 world tour and included the track on his "Back in the U.S." live album. At the Concert for George, held at London's Royal Albert Hall on 29 November 2002, he and Eric Clapton performed a version that began with McCartney alone on ukulele, then reverted to the familiar rock arrangement with Clapton taking over as lead singer and backing from Starr, Preston and others.
Something (Beatles song) | Harrison tributes
To the disappointment of many fans, however, he chose to alter some of the song's lyrics (such as changing the first line to "If there's something in the way, remove it"). Further distancing himself from the Beatles' legacy, Harrison told journalists at the start of the tour that he would join a group with Lennon "any day" but rejected the idea of working again with McCartney, since he preferred Willie Weeks as a bassist. MacDonald comments that this statement was likely in reference to McCartney's "too fussily extemporised" bass part on the Beatles' 1969 recording. With Boyd having left Harrison for Clapton earlier in 1974, Larry Sloman of "Rolling Stone" described the reworked "Something" as "a moving diary of his love life".
Something (Beatles song) | Live performances by Harrison
"The Answer's at the End" is a song by English rock musician George Harrison, released in 1975 on his final album for Apple Records, "Extra Texture (Read All About It)". Part of the song lyrics came from a wall inscription at Harrison's nineteenth-century home, Friar Park, a legacy of the property's original owner, Sir Frank Crisp. This aphorism, beginning "Scan not a friend with a microscopic glass", had resonated with Harrison since he bought Friar Park in 1970, and it was a quote he often used when discussing his difficult relationship with his former Beatles bandmate Paul McCartney. Harrison's adaptation of the verse for "The Answer's at the End" coincided with a period of personal upheaval, following the severe criticism afforded his 1974 North American tour by several influential reviewers.
The Answer's at the End | Introduction
According to Walter Everett and Bruce Spizer: The Beatles Additional musicians
Something (Beatles song) | Personnel
Former Motown recording artist Kim Weston included her version on her 1970 album "Big Brass Four Poster". Ray Charles issued his version on the album "Volcanic Action of My Soul" in 1971, the same year that recordings appeared by Andy Williams and Junior Walker & the All Stars, while Buddy Rich, Blue Mink and Ike & Tina Turner were among the acts who covered it in 1972. Referring to the song's popularity among easy-listening artists, Harrison later said: "When even Liberace covered it [in 1970], you know that it's one of them that ends up in an elevator ..." "Something" was one of the rare Beatles songs that Elvis Presley chose to play, when he introduced it into the setlist for his third season at the International Hotel in Las Vegas, in August 1970.
Something (Beatles song) | Other artists
Richie Unterberger of AllMusic describes "Something" as "an unabashedly straightforward and sentimental love song" written at a time "when most of the Beatles' songs were dealing with non-romantic topics or presenting cryptic and allusive lyrics even when they were writing about love".
Something (Beatles song) | Composition
Apple Records issued "Abbey Road" on 26 September 1969, with "Something" sequenced as the second track, following Lennon's "Come Together". Lennon considered "Something" to be the best song on the album. Having ensured that "Old Brown Shoe" was chosen as the B-side for the Beatles' single "The Ballad of John and Yoko", according to his later recollection, Lennon now pushed Allen Klein to release "Something" as a single from "Abbey Road". Coupled with "Come Together", the single was issued on 6 October in America (as Apple 2654) and 31 October in Britain (as Apple R5814). The release marked the first time that a Harrison composition had been afforded A-side treatment on a Beatles single, as well as the only time during their career that a single was issued in the UK featuring tracks already available on an album.
Something (Beatles song) | Selection for single release
In late 1969, George Harrison's song "Something" was issued on the A-side of a single by the Beatles – the first time that one of his compositions had been given that honour. Discussing the song, Harrison remarked in an interview: "There's a lot of songs like that in my head. I must get them down. Maybe even other people would like to sing them." In the summer of 1970, "Something" gave Welsh singer Shirley Bassey her biggest UK hit in nine years, an achievement that led her to tell the press that she and Harrison could become a singer-and-songwriter pairing on the scale of Dionne Warwick and Burt Bacharach.
I'll Still Love You | Background and composition
A version from Harrison's December 1991 tour of Japan with Clapton – Harrison's only other tour as a solo artist – appears on the "Live in Japan" double album (1992). Inglis writes of the track having "extra poignancy" by this time, "in that the woman for whom it was written had been married to, and divorced from, Harrison and Clapton in turn". Inglis adds: "It is not a new interpretation of the song, but it does suggest a new perspective, in which words and music are used by two close friends to reflect on the lives they have led."
Something (Beatles song) | Live performances by Harrison
Martin asked the individual Beatles if there was anything they personally did not like, to which George Harrison replied, "I don't like your tie." That was the turning point, according to Smith, as John Lennon and Paul McCartney joined in with jokes and comic wordplay, that made Martin think that he should sign them to a contract for their wit alone.
George Martin | The Beatles
Additionally, "Something" is placed again at number 30, representing the song's performance before the November 1969 Hot 100 rule change.
Something (Beatles song) | Commercial performance
Harrison played "Something" at the two Concert for Bangladesh shows, held at Madison Square Garden in New York on 1 August 1971. His first live performance as a solo artist, he was backed by a large band that included Starr, Preston, Clapton and Leon Russell. The version used on the live album and in the 1972 concert film was taken from the evening show that day, when Harrison played it as the final song before returning to perform "Bangla Desh" as an encore. Harrison included "Something" in all of his subsequent, and rare, full-length concert appearances. For his 1974 North American tour with Ravi Shankar, he had been reluctant to feature any material from the Beatles' catalogue, but at the urging of Shankar and Preston during rehearsals, he added "Something" to the setlist.
Something (Beatles song) | Live performances by Harrison
He went on to say: "We grew up together and we just had so many beautiful times together – that's what I am going to remember. I'll always love him, he's my baby brother." On the first anniversary of his death, McCartney played Harrison's "Something" on a ukulele at the Concert for George. He also performed "For You Blue" and "All Things Must Pass", and played the piano on Eric Clapton's rendition of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps".
Paul McCartney | George Harrison
Author John Winn notes similarities with both "Let It Be" and the middle-eight section of Harrison's composition "Something", which was also introduced during the Beatles' January 1969 sessions.
That's the Way God Planned It (song) | Background and composition
You know, it's hard to go back to anything thirty years later and expect it to be how you would want it now."
George Harrison | "All Things Must Pass": 1970
[to] get it out there, and get something from it. Assisted by Harrison, Cocker recorded a demo of the song at Apple. While musicologist Walter Everett suggests that this was the same recording of "Something" that appeared on the "Joe Cocker!" album in November 1969, Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn writes that Cocker subsequently remade the track.
Something (Beatles song) | Joe Cocker demo
Like "Sat Singing", "Lay His Head" was recorded during the sessions for "Somewhere in England", in April 1980. The title refers to a phrase from the gospels of St Matthew and St Luke that Harrison had taken to quoting when referring to the lack of privacy afforded him and his Beatles bandmates during the 1960s. In his adaptation, the phrase became: "Foxes have holes and birds have nests, but Beatles have nowhere to lay their heads." Leng views the song as a reflection on "what a man loses when he becomes a media entity: a connection with other people that everyone else takes for granted".
Songs by George Harrison | "Lay His Head"
Although he would later be dismissive of Bassey's version of "Something",Mark Ellen, "A Big Hand for the Quiet One", "Q", January 1988, p. 59. Harrison wrote a new song for her to record after reading these comments. Originally titled "Whenever", it became "When Every Song Is Sung" and later "I'll Still Love You". As he had with "Something", Harrison composed the melody on a piano, part-way through a recording session – in this case, while working on his first post-Beatles solo album, "All Things Must Pass" (1970). As reproduced in his 1980 autobiography, "I, Me, Mine", Harrison's original lyrics carried the title "W (by Shirley Bassey)".
I'll Still Love You | Background and composition
I have it on my jukebox at home. It's absolutely brilliant."
Something (Beatles song) | Other artists
Harrison's composition began accumulating cover versions almost immediately after the release of "Abbey Road". In addition to Joe Cocker, Peggy Lee and Tony Bennett each issued recordings of the song at the end of 1969. Lena Horne recorded "Something" in the jazz style for her 1970 album with guitarist Gabor Szabo, titled "Lena & Gabor". An instrumental version by Booker T. & the M.G.'s, from their "Abbey Road" tribute album "McLemore Avenue", peaked at number 76 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 in August 1970. Other artists who released covers of the song that year include Della Reese, Nancy Sinatra, Perry Como, Karina, Duane Eddy, the Ray Conniff Singers, Jerry Butler, Johnny Mathis, Engelbert Humperdinck, Isaac Hayes, King Curtis, Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, Ferrante & Teicher and the Shadows.
Something (Beatles song) | Other artists
George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer, songwriter, and music and film producer who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian culture and helped broaden the scope of popular music through his incorporation of Indian instrumentation and Hindu-aligned spirituality in the Beatles' work. Although the majority of the band's songs were written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, most Beatles albums from 1965 onwards contained at least two Harrison compositions. His songs for the group include "Taxman", "Within You Without You", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "Here Comes the Sun" and "Something".
George Harrison | Introduction
In his note, Harrison said that the riff was based on the one McGuinn had played on the Byrds' adaptation of "The Bells of Rhymney", and that the rhythm was based on the drum part in "She Don't Care About Time". McGuinn later recalled: "George was very open about it. He sent [the record] to us in advance and said, 'This is for Jim' – because of that lick [in 'The Bells of Rhymney']." Writing in "The Beatles Anthology", Harrison commented on the difficulties he faced as a nascent songwriter during the "Rubber Soul" period, relative to Lennon and McCartney, both of whom had been writing "since they were three years old".
If I Needed Someone | Background and inspiration
In October 1974 – towards the end of what Harrison termed a "bad domestic year", following his split with Boyd – he used the same quote in an interview with BBC Radio's Alan Freeman, when again discussing the current relationship among the four ex-Beatles."That's Entertainment", Contra Band Music, 10 October 2012 (retrieved 23 December 2013). Harrison wrote his first Friar Park-inspired composition, "Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)", within two months of moving in. As with the "Crispisms" that surfaced in the lyrics to his 1974 single "Ding Dong, Ding Dong", a number of years elapsed before he incorporated the "Scan not a friend" inscription into a song.
The Answer's at the End | Background and inspiration
"I'll Still Love You" is a song written by English musician George Harrison and first released in 1976 by his former Beatles bandmate Ringo Starr. Produced by Arif Mardin, the track appeared on Starr's debut album for Atlantic Records and Polydor, "Ringo's Rotogravure". The composition had a long recording history before then, having been written in 1970 as "Whenever", after which it was copyrighted with the title "When Every Song Is Sung". Harrison originally intended the song for Welsh singer Shirley Bassey, who had a hit in the summer of 1970 with a cover version of his Beatles composition "Something".
I'll Still Love You | Introduction
One example was "Shadows we are and shadows we depart", written on a stone sundial; another began: "Scan not a friend with a microscopic glass / You know his faults, now let his foibles pass ..." This four-line verse was written above an entrance-way in a garden wall, and it was an aphorism that Harrison soon took to quoting in interviews. On 28 April 1970, just over two weeks after the Beatles' break-up, he used the words during an interview for New York's WPLQ Radio, as "Village Voice" reporter Howard Smith repeatedly pushed for details on the animosity between Paul McCartney and the other three Beatles.
The Answer's at the End | Background and inspiration
He also performed it on his 1973 "Aloha from Hawaii" TV special, the recording from which appeared on the accompanying bestselling album. A live version from the 1970 Las Vegas concerts subsequently appeared on the Presley box sets "" (1995) and "Live in Las Vegas" (2001). In 1974, a recording by Johnny Rodriguez reached number 6 on "Billboard"s Hot Country Singles chart and number 85 on the Hot 100. In Canada, the song peaked at number 11 on the "RPM" country chart. The version by James Brown was said by Harrison to be his favourite cover of the song: "It was one of his B sides.
Something (Beatles song) | Other artists
"That Would Be Something" is a song written by Paul McCartney which was first released on his "McCartney" album on 17 April 1970.
That Would Be Something | Introduction
"Think for Yourself" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1965 album "Rubber Soul". It was written by George Harrison, the band's lead guitarist, and, together with "If I Needed Someone", marked the start of his emergence as a songwriter beside John Lennon and Paul McCartney. The song's lyrics advocate independent thinking and reflect the Beatles' move towards more sophisticated concepts in their writing at this stage of their career. The song has invited interpretation as both a political statement and a love song, as Harrison dismisses a lover or friend in a tone that some commentators liken to Bob Dylan's 1965 single "Positively 4th Street".
Think for Yourself | Introduction
The four segments were edited and compiled into a single film clip by Neil Aspinall. Writing in "The New York Times" following Aspinall's death in 2008, Allan Kozinn said: "What Mr. Aspinall's idyllic film avoided showing was that the Beatles were at that point barely on speaking terms. In the film, no two Beatles are seen together." In 2015, following restoration overseen by Apple's Jonathan Clyde, the "Something" promo film was included in the Beatles' video compilation "1" and its expanded edition, "1+". "Rolling Stone" journalist Rob Sheffield comments on the significance of the clip, with regard to the band's history: [E]ach couple projects a totally different vibe – George and Patti peacocking in their hippie-royalty finery, Paul and Linda on the farm in Scotland with Martha the sheepdog, Ringo and Maureen goofing around on motorbikes, John and Yoko serene in their matching black robes.
Something (Beatles song) | Promotional film
In 1975, it provided the central theme to "The Answer's at the End", a composition that, theologian Dale Allison has written, "expresses the personal doubts and religious uncertainty George experienced in the mid-1970s". This temporary uncertainty contrasted with his previous devotion to a Hindu-aligned spiritual path. It was also a period marked by Harrison's excessive use of alcohol and cocaine – a symptom of his despondency following his troubled 1974 North American tour with Ravi Shankar, and the generally unfavourable reception afforded his "Dark Horse" album.
The Answer's at the End | Background and inspiration
Asked about this gap in 1965, George Martin said that Harrison "got discouraged some time ago when none of us liked something that he had written". According to music critic Richie Unterberger, Martin was most likely referring to "You Know What to Do".
You Know What to Do | Background
Nor will there be any future when we cease to be." The quote was followed by Lennon's initials and accompanied by both the Hindu Om symbol and a Christian cross. Although unimpressed with "Somewhere in England" generally, Harry Thomas of "Rolling Stone" wrote: "Harrison has achieved the supreme gift of communicating, through the abstract medium of music (the words are secondary), a vision of the spiritual world he's glimpsed in his mystical explorations. Side two's "Writing's on the Wall," which makes discreet use of Indian instruments, is very nearly as gorgeous and haunting as 'Life Itself,' and a far more imaginative exercise in raga-rock than anything Harrison ever managed as a Beatle."Harry Thomas, "George Harrison: Somewhere In England", "Rolling Stone", 6 August 1981, p.
Writing's on the Wall (George Harrison song) | Release and reception
Lennon contributed piano to the recording and while most of the part was removed, traces of it remain in the final cut, notably on the middle eight, before Harrison's guitar solo. The song was issued as a double A-side single with "Come Together" in October 1969 and topped the US charts for one week, becoming the Beatles' first number-one single that was not a Lennon–McCartney composition. It was also the first Beatles single from an album already released in the UK. Apple's Neil Aspinall filmed a promotional video, which combined separate footage of the Beatles and their wives.
Abbey Road | "Something"
It's better than 'Yesterday,' much better ... It's like the song I've been chasing for the last thirty-five years." In a 2002 article for "The Morning News", Kenneth Womack included Harrison's guitar solo on the track among his "Ten Great Beatles Moments". Describing the instrumental break as "the song's greatest lyrical feature – even more lyrical, interestingly enough, than the lyrics themselves", Womack concluded: "A masterpiece in simplicity, Harrison's solo reaches toward the sublime, wrestles with it in a bouquet of downward syncopation, and hoists it yet again in a moment of supreme grace." "Guitar World" included the performance as the magazine's featured solo in June 2011.
Something (Beatles song) | Critical reception, awards and legacy
"If I Needed Someone" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by George Harrison, the group's lead guitarist. It was released in December 1965 on their album "Rubber Soul", except in North America, where it appeared on the 1966 release "Yesterday and Today". The song reflects the reciprocal influences shared between the Beatles and American band the Byrds. On release, it was widely considered to be Harrison's best song to date. A recording by the Hollies was issued in Britain on the same day as "Rubber Soul" and peaked at number 20 on the national singles chart.
If I Needed Someone | Introduction
George Harrison purchased the 33-acre Friar Park estate, in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, in January 1970, and soon afterwards composed "Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)" as a tribute to the property's original owner, an eccentric Victorian lawyer and horticulturalist named Frank Crisp. Harrison included the song on his "All Things Must Pass" triple album, released in November 1970, by which time he had begun incorporating into his new compositions some of the homilies and aphorisms that Crisp had inscribed around the property, 70 or more years before. A four-line verse beginning "Scan not a friend with a microscopic glass" particularly resonated with Harrison, who eventually used it in his 1975 song "The Answer's at the End".
Ding Dong, Ding Dong | Background and composition
"You Know What to Do" was one of the first songs written and recorded by George Harrison with the Beatles. It was recorded on 3 June 1964 but remained unreleased until its inclusion on the band's 1995 outtakes compilation "Anthology 1".
You Know What to Do | Introduction
In his 1980 autobiography, "I, Me, Mine", George Harrison recalls little about the inspiration behind "Think for Yourself". He said that his intention was to target narrow-minded thinking and identified the British government as a possible source. Partly as a result of the vagueness of his comments, the song has invited interpretation as both a political commentary and a statement on a failing personal relationship. The song reflects the influence of Bob Dylan, with whom the Beatles had spent time socialising in May 1965, in London, and then in mid August, following the band's concert at Shea Stadium in New York.
Think for Yourself | Background and inspiration
Shirley Bassey had a top-five UK hit with her 1970 recording, while Frank Sinatra regularly performed the song. Other artists who have covered it include Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Peggy Lee, James Brown, Tony Bennett, Andy Williams, Smokey Robinson and Ike & Tina Turner. In 1999, Broadcast Music Incorporated named "Something" as the 17th-most performed song of the twentieth century, with 5 million performances. In 2004, it was ranked at number 278 on "Rolling Stone"s list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", while two years later, "Mojo" placed it at number 7 in the magazine's list of the Beatles' best songs.
Something (Beatles song) | Introduction
All songs written by Lennon–McCartney, except "Something" by George Harrison, and those others as noted on the second DVD. All tracks produced by George Martin except "The Long and Winding Road" re-produced for disc by Phil Spector. CD tracks 1–3 are in mono; all others on CD are in stereo.
1 (Beatles album) | Track listing
"All Those Years Ago" is a song by English musician George Harrison, released in May 1981 as a single from his album "Somewhere in England". Having previously recorded the music for the song, Harrison tailored the lyrics to serve as a personal tribute to his former Beatles bandmate John Lennon, following the latter's murder in 1980. Ringo Starr is featured on drums, and Paul McCartney (along with his Wings bandmates Linda McCartney and Denny Laine), overdubbed backing vocals onto the basic track. The single spent three weeks at number 2 on the US "Billboard" Hot 100, behind "Bette Davis Eyes" by Kim Carnes and it peaked at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart.
All Those Years Ago | Introduction
Shortly after the "McCartney" album's release, George Harrison described this song and "Maybe I'm Amazed" as "great". Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic said the song was "light folk-pop". In a review for the "McCartney" album, Langdon Winner of "Rolling Stone" described "That Would Be Something", along with "The Lovely Linda", as having "virtually no verbal or melodic content whatsoever." "That Would Be Something" was also released on the 1991 album "Unplugged (The Official Bootleg)". The song was first performed live by McCartney, in Barcelona, on 8 May 1991.
That Would Be Something | Release and Reception
Michael Lydon, who interviewed Lennon and McCartney for "Newsweek"s laudatory feature on the Beatles in early 1966, quoted the song's chorus in the conclusion to his 1972 article for "The Boston Globe", in which he reflected on the passing of the 1960s cultural revolution. He introduced the lyrics with a statement on the Beatles' impact: "Freedom to have a good time, to boogie, they showed, was a practical possibility for the average human. I'm glad I got the message." "Think for Yourself" was one of the seven Beatles tracks that Capitol Records included on the 1976 compilation album "The Best of George Harrison", released following the expiration of Harrison's contract with EMI.
Think for Yourself | Release and reception
Another factor was Harrison's tendency to limit his single releases to a minimum: he had been reluctant to issue any single from "All Things Must Pass" originally, and the scheduled second single from "Material World", "Don't Let Me Wait Too Long" – a "certain #1", in biographer Simon Leng's opinion – was cancelled altogether. In addition, authors Chip Madinger and Mark Easter write, a potentially offensive reference to the Catholic Church in "Awaiting on You All", from "All Things Must Pass", prevented that song from "being the hit single it could have been otherwise". The big-hits requirement was not applied to the Beatles selections, only one of which, "Something", had been issued as the A-side of a single.
The Best of George Harrison | Song selection
All songs written by George Harrison, except where noted.
All Things Must Pass | Track listing
Harrison first discussed the possibility of making a solo album of his unused songs during the ill-tempered "Get Back" sessions, held at Twickenham Film Studios in January 1969. At Abbey Road Studios on 25 February, his 26th birthday, Harrison recorded demos of "All Things Must Pass" and two other compositions that had received little interest from Lennon and McCartney at Twickenham. With the inclusion of one of these songs – "Something" – and "Here Comes the Sun" on the Beatles' "Abbey Road" album in September 1969, music critics acknowledged that Harrison had bloomed into a songwriter to match Lennon and McCartney.
All Things Must Pass | Background
During the Beatles' Apple Studio session on 28 January, Harrison talked with Lennon and Ono about possibly doing a solo album of his unused songs, in order to "preserve this, the Beatle bit, more". Lennon offered his support for the idea. While author Bruce Spizer has suggested that Lennon was keen to "spare" the band from having to work on Harrison's songs, Sulpy and Schweighardt consider that Lennon's enthusiasm was because such a solo project would allow him and Ono to continue their own recording activities "without causing friction within The Beatles". On 25 February 1969, his 26th birthday, Harrison entered Abbey Road Studios alone and recorded a demo of the song, along with other recent compositions "Old Brown Shoe" and "Something".
All Things Must Pass (song) | Harrison's solo demo
All songs composed by George Harrison, except where noted. Side one Side two
Somewhere in England | Official release
Inglis continues: Here is a man who has lived through the extravagances of the 1960s, received global acclaim for the humanitarian and spiritual facets of his music, experienced the darker side of popular music's excesses, seen the murder of one of his closest friends [John Lennon], and has now settled on a life away from the constant spotlight of public scrutiny.
That's the Way It Goes (George Harrison song) | Background and inspiration
As recorded by the Beatles, "If I Needed Someone" is in the key of A major, over the verses, and B minor in the middle eights (or bridges). The time signature throughout is 4/4. After its introduction, the composition consists of two verses, a bridge, three verses (the second of which serves as an instrumental break), followed by a repeat of the bridge, a further verse, and an outro. The song is in the folk rock style, but incorporates aspects of Indian music through the suggestion of drone over the main musical phrase and its partly Mixolydian harmony. Harrison uses a capo on the guitar's seventh fret, thereby transposing the D major chord shape to sound as A major.
If I Needed Someone | Music
All songs written by Lennon–McCartney except "Here Comes the Sun" and "Something", by George Harrison
McLemore Avenue | Track listing
McCartney later stated that Harrison called Lennon's demo recording "fucking rubbish." McCartney told "Q Magazine" in 1997 that "George didn't like it. The Beatles being a democracy, we didn't do it." An unnamed participant in the sessions told the "Daily Express": "George just didn’t want to rework it because it’s not a matter of putting some vocals, or a bit of bass and drums to finish it. With this, you have to really build the song."
Now and Then (John Lennon song) | The Beatles' version
A teenager at the time, Gill Pritchard later recalled that Harrison told them: "Well, you had your own magazine, your own office on the [studio] steps, so why not your own song?"Cliff Jones, "We're Waiting for the Beatles", "Mojo", October 1996, p. 71.
Apple Scruffs (song) | Recording
Harrison wrote the song while ill in bed at a hotel room in Bournemouth, England, where the Beatles were playing some shows during the summer of 1963. He considered it an exercise in whether he could write a song, later saying, "at least it showed me that all I needed to do was keep on writing, and then maybe eventually I would write something good." Harrison received a writing credit for two earlier songs, "In Spite of All the Danger" (McCartney/Harrison) and "Cry for a Shadow" (Harrison/Lennon). Both were recorded by The Beatles but neither was released officially by the band until 1995's "Anthology 1" compilation.
Don't Bother Me | Composition
75 (retrieved 19 July 2016). In the "NME", Neil Spencer opined: "'You' seems at least to proclaim a return to energy. It has the kind of semi-Spector production that was spread all over All Things Must Pass. It bounds along OK, Harrison's double-tracked vocals gasp convincingly, and it deserves to be the hit that it will be." Reviewing for "Melody Maker", Ray Coleman highlighted Harrison's vocal and the musical contributions from Horn and Russell, and said: "It's a dead cert disco smash, his finest single since 'My Sweet Lord'." Coleman added that the lyrics were "deceptively simple" since, as with Harrison's 1969 composition "Something", "they say a lot by saying a little."Ray Coleman, "Extra Texture: Back to the Sixties!", "Melody Maker", 6 September 1975, p.
You (George Harrison song) | Contemporary reviews
The early months of 1969 were a difficult period for Harrison: he had quit the Beatles temporarily, he was arrested for marijuana possession, and he had his tonsils removed. Writing in "Oz" magazine at the end of the year, Barry Miles commented on the "isolated life" of the individual Beatles, with "George strangely upset by his bust, uncertain about his friends but singing "Hare Krishna"." Harrison wrote "Here Comes the Sun" at the house of his friend Eric Clapton, in response to the dark mood surrounding the Beatles. Harrison states in his autobiography, "I, Me, Mine": Clapton's house at the time was Hurtwood Edge, in Ewhurst, Surrey, and he later said the month was possibly April.
Here Comes the Sun | Composition
Lennon's working title for the composition was "Come on, Come on". An Esher Demo of the song, recorded in George Harrison's Esher home in May 1968, features all-acoustic instrumentation, and a vocal sung in a more Bob Dylan-like spoken word style than the released version. "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey" evolved from a jam session and was originally untitled. The final mix was sped up by mixing the tape running at 43 hertz instead of the usual 50. According to Harrison, the title came from one of the Maharishi's sayings (with "and my monkey" added later).
Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey | Recording
The murder of John Lennon on 8 December 1980 disturbed Harrison and reinforced his decades-long concern about stalkers. The tragedy was also a deep personal loss, although Harrison and Lennon had little contact in the years before Lennon was killed. Following the murder, Harrison commented: "After all we went through together I had and still have great love and respect for John Lennon. I am shocked and stunned." Harrison modified the lyrics of a song he had written for Starr in order to make the song a tribute to Lennon. "All Those Years Ago", which included vocal contributions from Paul and Linda McCartney, as well as Starr's original drum part, peaked at number two in the US charts.
George Harrison | "Somewhere in England" to "Cloud Nine": 1980–1987
Ginell, "George Harrison "Extra Texture"", AllMusic (retrieved 9 July 2012). Along with "You" and "This Guitar (Can't Keep from Crying)", Ginell rates the song "among the best" from Harrison's solo career. In his book covering the Beatles' first decade as solo artists, "Fab Four FAQ 2.0", Robert Rodriguez includes "The Answer's at the End" in a chapter discussing eight overlooked Harrison compositions, and comments that the song's "grace and majesty" is reminiscent of "Isn't It a Pity". In December 2001, "Billboard" editor-in-chief Timothy White, a longstanding friend of the former Beatle, titled his Harrison obituary "The Answer's at the End".
The Answer's at the End | Retrospective assessment
Harrison wrote the chord progression of "Don't Bother Me" almost exclusively in the Dorian mode, demonstrating an interest in exotic tones that eventually culminated in his embrace of Indian music. The latter proved a strong influence on his songwriting and contributed to his innovation within the Beatles. According to Mikal Gilmore of "Rolling Stone", "Harrison's openness to new sounds and textures cleared new paths for his rock and roll compositions. His use of dissonance on ... 'Taxman' and 'I Want to Tell You' was revolutionary in popular music – and perhaps more originally creative than the avant-garde mannerisms that Lennon and McCartney borrowed from the music of Karlheinz Stockhausen, Luciano Berio, Edgard Varèse and Igor Stravinsky ..." Of the 1967 Harrison song "Within You Without You", author Gerry Farrell said that Harrison had created a "new form", calling the composition "a quintessential fusion of pop and Indian music".
George Harrison | Songwriting
George Harrison wrote "I Want to Tell You" in the early part of 1966, the year in which his songwriting matured in terms of subject matter and productivity. As a secondary composer to John Lennon and Paul McCartney in the Beatles, Harrison began to establish his own musical identity through his absorption in Indian culture, as well as the perspective he gained through his experiences with the hallucinogenic drug lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). According to author Gary Tillery, the song resulted from a "creative surge" that Harrison experienced at the start of 1966. During the same period, the Beatles had been afforded an unusually long time free of professional commitments due to their decision to turn down "A Talent for Loving" as their third film for United Artists.
I Want to Tell You | Background and inspiration
In 1994 Harrison began a collaboration with McCartney, Starr and producer Jeff Lynne for the "Beatles Anthology" project. This included the recording of two new Beatles songs built around solo vocal and piano tapes recorded by Lennon as well as lengthy interviews about the Beatles' career. Released in December 1995, "Free as a Bird" was the first new Beatles single since 1970. In March 1996, they released a second single, "Real Love". Harrison refused to participate in the completion of a third song. He later commented on the project: "I hope somebody does this to all my crap demos when I'm dead, make them into hit songs."
George Harrison | "The Beatles Anthology": 1994–1996
Each Beatle looks like he's found what he was looking for – but they're heading for four separate futures. In her review of "1+", for "Paste", Gillian Gaar says that with the Beatles' promotional films of their singles, from "Love Me Do" to "Something" (the last one they made during their career), "you can see the development of the promo clip, progressing from a short film that simply served up a straight performance to a piece of work that was striving to be something more artistic."
Something (Beatles song) | Promotional film
Something for Everybody is a 1961 album by Elvis Presley Something for Everybody may also refer to:
Something for Everybody (disambiguation) | Introduction
In a review for the "McCartney" album, Langdon Winner of "Rolling Stone" described "The Lovely Linda", along with "That Would Be Something", as having "virtually no verbal or melodic content whatsoever." George Harrison disregarded the song during an interview in 1970, stating: "'That Would Be Something' and 'Maybe I'm Amazed' I think are great and everything else I think is fair, you know. It's quite good, but a little disappointing, but maybe I shouldn't be disappointed, it's best not to expect anything, then everything's a bonus. I think those two tracks are very good and the others just don't do anything for me." Personnel per "The Beatles Bible".
The Lovely Linda | Reception
Songs of the Beatles is a 1981 album by Sarah Vaughan of songs by The Beatles. The album contains songs written and originally performed by The Beatles with contemporaneous pop and jazz arrangements. On "Something" Vaughan was accompanied by the Brazilian singer and musician Marcos Valle. It was recorded in 1977 but was not released until 1981 due to a recording contract problem.
Songs of the Beatles | Introduction
The song is basically of rock construction, but built around one endless note which trails behind." In his lengthy assessment of the track, Barry Miles of "International Times" wrote: "Endless, mantric, a round, interwoven, trellised, tessellated, filigreed, gidouiled, spiralling is It's All Too Much [–] George's Indian-timed, with drums fading-in-and-out, spurts of life to a decaying note, multi-level, handclapping number ... High treble notes flicker like moths around the top register. Happy singalong music." In his 1998 book "The Beatles Diary", Miles praised it further as "the most striking piece of psychedelia The Beatles ever recorded" and concluded: "Discordant, off-beat and effortlessly brilliant, the song was (alongside 'Taxman') Harrison's finest piece of Western rock music to date."
It's All Too Much | Release and reception
The song begins in the key of D, before changing key to F for the choruses. In its musical mood, authors Robert Rodriguez and Elliot Huntley liken the released recording to "Isn't It a Pity", which, like "Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp", was co-produced by Phil Spector and issued on Harrison's 1970 triple album "All Things Must Pass". Harrison biographer Simon Leng describes "The Answer's at the End" as a ballad set to a "mellow, reflective soul mood", like much of its parent album, "Extra Texture (Read All About It)". According to the way he renders Crisp's inscription in his 1980 autobiography, "I, Me, Mine", Harrison made a minor alteration to the original text's third line ("Life is one long enigma, true, my friend") for his opening verse: In another passage from "I, Me, Mine", read out by his son Dhani in the 2011 documentary "", Harrison explains that these words helped him reach a better understanding of human relationships and others around him.
The Answer's at the End | Composition
In 1973, "Here Comes the Sun" and "Something" were included on the double album "The Beatles 1967–1970", giving Harrison half the quota of songs representing "Abbey Road" on the compilation. Although the Beatles never released the track on a single in Britain, new rules implemented to the UK Singles Chart in 2007 allowed any song to enter the charts based on download sales. After the group's back catalogue became available for download on iTunes in 2010, "Here Comes the Sun" charted at number 64 in late November; it returned to the chart in April 2012, peaking at number 58. The song reached number 14 on the US "Billboard" Hot Rock Songs chart in 2017.
Here Comes the Sun | Release and reception