On This Day in 1969, The Beatles Recorded 36 Takes of This George Harrison-Penned Love Song

John Lennon and Paul McCartney are largely considered the “brains” behind The Beatles’ lyricism. Between October 1962 and May 1970, the duo penned about 180 jointly credited songs such as “Help!” and “Eleanor Rigby”. As a result, lead guitarist George Harrison often felt shut out of the creative process, which eventually contributed to him quitting the band for five days during rehearsals for what would become their final studio album, 1970’s Let It Be. He returned, but insisted that his bandmates allow him more songwriting opportunities. On this day (May 2) in 1969, The Beatles recorded “Something”, the song that proved Harrison’s mettle as a lyricist.

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George Harrison Offered This Beatles Track to Joe Cocker

Featured on The Beatles’ landmark 1969 album Abbey Road, “Something” was the band’s first A-side written by George Harrison.

The most widely accepted interpretation is that Harrison wrote it about his first wife, British model Pattie Boyd, although the ex-Beatle later went on to offer several varying accounts.

John Lennon and Paul McCartney were initially dismissive of the Harrison composition, as was producer George Martin, who found it “too weak and derivative.” In March 1969, Harrison gave the song to Joe Cocker, who later recorded a demo at Apple.

Later, Harrison played “Something” for producer Chris Thomas while working on another song, “Piggles.”

“I said, ‘That’s great! Why don’t we do that one instead?’ and he replied, ‘Do you like it, do you really think it’s good?’” Thomas later recalled.

After recording 13 takes during an April 1969 recording session, the Fab Four reconvened on Abbey Road to remake “Something”. The song required 36 takes, and overall, the session lasted from 7 p.m. to 3:40 a.m. (with a three-hour break at 11 p.m.)

“Oh, You Wrote That? I Thought It Was Lennon/McCartney”

“Something” topped the Hot 100 for one week in 1970. It has since been covered by everyone from Ray Charles to Frank Sinatra, the latter of whom used to introduce the track “as his favorite Lennon/McCartney song.”

[RELATED: 3 George Harrison Lyrics That Prove He Was the Most Underrated Songwriting Beatle]

Sinatra wasn’t alone. “I met Michael Jackson somewhere at the BBC,” George Harrison later recalled. “The fellow interviewing us made a comment about ‘Something,’ and Michael said: ‘Oh, you wrote that? I thought it was a Lennon/McCartney’.”

“I first recognized that he really had a great talent when we did ‘Here Comes the Sun,’” said George Martin, the Beatles’ longtime producer. “But when he brought in ‘Something,’ it was something else … It was a tremendous work – and so simple.” 

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