Written by: Harrison
Recorded: 16 April; 2, 5 May; 11, 16 July; 15 August 1969
Producers: George Martin, Chris Thomas
Engineers: Jeff Jarratt, Glyn Johns, Geoff Emerick, Phil McDonald
Released: 26 September 1969 (UK), 1 October 1969 (US)
George Harrison: vocals, lead guitar, handclaps
John Lennon: guitar, piano
Paul McCartney: backing vocals, bass, handclaps
Ringo Starr: drums, handclaps
Billy Preston: Hammond organ
Unknown: 12 violins, 4 violas, 4 cellos, double bass
Available on:
Abbey Road
1
Anthology 3
Love
George Harrison's finest moment on the Abbey Road album was one of the record's undisputed highlights, and showed him finally leaving the songwriting shadow of Lennon and McCartney.
Something was written during the 1968 sessions for The Beatles (White Album), though it wasn't finished until the following year.
I had written Something on the piano during the recording of the White Album. There was a period during that album when we were all in different studios doing different things trying to get it finished, and I used to take some time out. So I went into an empty studio and wrote Something.
Anthology
The song, which took its first line from the James Taylor song Something In The Way She Moves, was written with Ray Charles in mind.
I could never think of words for it. And also because there was a James Taylor song called Something In The Way She Moves which is the first line of that. And so then I thought of trying to change the words, but they were the words that came when I first wrote it, so in the end I just left it as that, and just called it Something.
A demo version of Something, recorded by Harrison on 25 February 1969, his 26th birthday, was included on Anthology 3. Although originally offered to Jackie Lomax, the guitar-and-vocals demo was given to Joe Cocker. Cocker's version was recorded before The Beatles', but not released until November 1969.
In her autobiography Wonderful Today, Harrison's former wife Pattie Boyd claimed the song was written about her. Harrison downplayed the sentiment, saying it was, in fact, written with Ray Charles in mind.
When I wrote it, I imagined somebody like Ray Charles doing it. That's the feel I imagined, but because I'm not Ray Charles, you know, I'm sort of much more limited in what I can do, then it came out like this. It's nice. It's probably the nicest melody tune that I've written.
John Lennon and Paul McCartney both rated the song highly. Lennon said, "I think that's about the best track on the album, actually," while McCartney said "For me I think it's the best he's written."
George had a smugness on his face when he came in with this one, and rightly so - he knew it was absolutely brilliant. And for the first time, John and Paul knew that George had risen to their level.
Music Radar
Something has been recorded by a range of performers, including Elvis Presley, Shirley Bassey, Frank Sinatra, James Brown and Smokey Robinson. It has become the second-most covered Beatles song after Yesterday. Sinatra called it "the greatest love song ever written," and made it a fixture of his live set.
On a bootleg there's take 37, so there aren't only 36 takes.
True, but take 36 was, as I wrote, the basis of the version which ended up on the album. The Beatles did some reduction mixes to free up some extra space on the eight-track tapes; these were numbered 37-39 and contained a range of overdubs.
Oh, you're right, I'm sorry
By the way Ringo also overdubbed along with handclaps some percussions, like more toms and cymbals, and piano track was dropped from the master tape, there're only a little bits of piano which are left in the tape.
I have heard that John gave George some advice on the writing of this song and this advice was captured on tape during the recording sessions. Lennon also apparently insisted that Something should be the A side of the upcoming single when confering with manager Allen Klein.
I love the bootleg in which George is still working out the final lyric and is laughing at the ridiculousness of his temporary substitution of "...attracts me like a pomegranate"!
You left out how Ol' Blue Eyes also frequently introduced Something as his "favorite Lennon/McCartney tune."
My absolute favorite song of all time.
I'm a little put off by George Martin's comment that he was surprised George had it in him. By 1967 George was writing songs as good as or even better than Lennon/McCartney, just my opinion of course. Not sure why he'd be surprised that George could write a great song in 1969.
I pretty much like all of George's songs. "I Need You" is one of my favorites. So, I don't get why he would say that either.
George had been writing good songs prior to 1967 but perhaps George Martin did not notice the gradual improvement that Harrison was making. Yes, Within You, Without You is a great song and so is Something but one or two great songs per album does not an album make. He admitted his frustrations at not being prolific in the Hunter Davies book. Lennon and McCartney were writing album after album of great songs. It was just as well that George had a backlog after the Beatles were finished or else All Things Must Pass would not have been the great album that it was. George Harrison had to put up with several years of "toeing the line" but on the other hand he was learning the craft of songwriting by witnessing the workings of the greatest songwriting team ever in pop music.
Isaac Hayes does a fantastic version. It's mad long.
I kind of wish John's piano wasn't so buried in the mix. You can hear it right before the solo starts.
The original basictrack take 37 can be found on youtube.You'll hear Lennons piano
all the way through. Many of Ringos fills are played with Lennon, so his ideas are still on the record, you might say.
"Something" is the only song I have ever heard that I can replay over & over again and still have the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. What a shame I was born in 1973.All the concerts I missed!!!!