4 Beatles Songs That Display the Unique Songwriting Sensibility of George Harrison

It took George Harrison a few years into the Beatles’ recording career before he started to show a comfort level as a songwriter. Once he reached that point, his unique perspective on the world brought something indispensable to the group’s music.

It’s hard to imagine any of these four songs coming from any other member of the group besides George. His candor and point of view truly set these lyrics apart.

“Don’t Bother Me”

Partly because they got off to a much earlier start as writers, John Lennon and Paul McCartney did most of the composing on early Beatles records. In fact, from 1962 through 1964, Harrison managed just a single writing credit for the group. That came with “Don’t Bother Me”, released in 1963 on the group’s sophomore LP, With The Beatles. Harrison, under the weather one night in a hotel room, forced himself to write a song just to prove he could do it. “Don’t Bother Me” immediately established his fondness for somewhat unorthodox chord patterns. And its standoffish message represented a stark contrast from the typical Lennon/McCartney affability.

“You Like Me Too Much”

After “Don’t Bother Me”, Harrison retreated from his songwriting efforts for another year or so. When he returned to it on the Help! album in 1965, he came up with two originals. The lovely “I Need You” deserves credit as being the better song of the two. But its message is a tad on the conventional side. In terms of this list, the better choice is “You Like Me Too Much”. For all their massive success, The Beatles projected an air of humility. In their songs, McCartney and Lennon often presented themselves as the lovable underdogs. But Harrison tells it like it is in this song. He explains to the girl he’s addressing that he doesn’t believe she’d actually leave him. As a famous rock star, Harrison likely knew that feeling well.

“Taxman”

Most people consider John Lennon to be the main rabble-rouser of the four Beatles when it comes to courting controversy with his songs. But Harrison actually blazed the trail in that department within the group with “Taxman”, from the Revolver album. Up to that point, the group had released some songs that were a bit risqué compared to their image. (Think of “Norwegian Wood”, Lennon’s clandestine retelling of an extramarital affair.) But they hadn’t come close to anything resembling a protest song until “Taxman”. Harrison, furious at the high taxation rates in Great Britain, doesn’t hide his disgust at the scenario. His biting humor only intensifies the attack.

“Within You Without You”

Harrison said in later years that he wasn’t as fond of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band as the rest of the world. Perhaps because he only managed to squeeze one of his originals into the track list. But he certainly made an impact anyway with “Within You Without You”. The other songs on the record focus on storytelling, with Lennon and McCartney using characters outside themselves to get to the heart of it. But Harrison doesn’t go that route. Instead, he tackles the spiritual malaise that he sees creeping into his generation with refreshing fearlessness. He comes off as both the empathetic listener and the wise prophet all at once on this marvelous song.

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