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.
In the studio
Following the 25 February solo demo, recording for Something began properly on 16 April 1969. The Beatles recorded 13 takes, with George Harrison on guitar, Paul McCartney on bass, Ringo Starr on drums and George Martin on piano. Although John Lennon was in the studio on the day, he didn't play on the recording, which also featured no vocals.
A re-make of Something was begun on 2 May. This time 36 takes were recorded, forming the basis of the eventually-released version. Again, on this day no vocals were recorded, but Lennon played piano, and Billy Preston contributed an organ part.
At this point the song was 7'48" long - a four-chord coda in 6/8 time, led by John Lennon on piano, nearly doubled the song's length. The chord pattern was later sped up by Lennon and used as the basis for the song Remember, which appeared on his 1970 album Plastic Ono Band.
On 5 May McCartney overdubbed another bass part, and Harrison taped a new guitar track, putting his instrument though a rotating Leslie speaker. Something was then left until 11 July, when Harrison recorded his lead vocal, and the song was edited down to 5'32'.
Paul started playing a bass line that was a little elaborate, and George told him, 'No, I want it simple.' Paul complied. There wasn't any disagreement about it, but I did think that such a thing would never happened in years past. George telling Paul how to play the bass? Unthinkable! But this was George's baby, and everybody knew it was an instant classic.
Music Radar
Handclaps and McCartney's backing vocals were added on 16 July. Recording was finally finished almost a month later, on 15 August, when the strings were overdubbed. Harrison also taped his guitar solo on this day.
George really hit a personal best as a guitarist, as well. He played a guitar solo, but a few days later he decided be wanted to redo it. By that point we only had one track left and that was for orchestral overdubs. George cut a new solo live with the orchestra. It was a gamble, but he did it in one take, and it was beautiful.
Music Radar
Something was completed on 19 August, when the extended instrumental jam was finally edited from the end.
Chart success
Initially released on Abbey Road, the song was issued in the US and UK as a double a-side single, along with Come Together, in October 1969. In the UK it was the only time that a single was taken from an already-released Beatles album; previously they had either released songs ahead of their albums, or on the same day.
Something was George's first single, released in October. It was a great song, and frankly I was surprised that George had it in him.
Anthology
Something peaked at number four in the UK. In America it fared better, topping the Billboard chart for a week. It also marked the first time a George Harrison song was the a-side of a Beatles single.
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.
Where was filmed the Beatle's videoclip "SOMETHING", what locations? please I need the answer.
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.
I think what he means is that it's in a completely different league than Taxman, Love You To and Within You.
Yes, George was starting to get good. Still, my favourite of his is his Lennon tribute: All those years ago. Although I'm not really much of a Lennon fan.
I also feel this is my favourite song of all time. My parents also love this song, and around the time it came out I used to lie in bed as a child and listen as it repeated on the record player in the lounge. 1969 was a magical year.
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.
To be honest, I don't care much for that piano part.
The deep notes are perfect before the solo, but all in all it's an out of tune "saloon" piano and doesn't fit.
Also his fast chords over the "I don't want to leave her now" part don't fit the rhythmic feeling, imo.
The final mix is just PERFECT!!
"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!!!!
The bass in "Something" is one of my favorites.
And right you are. Pure melodic genius by Paul, as usual on George's tracks.
McCartney really needed to stop showing off on Lennon's and Harrison's songs and play a majestic bass line on his compositions
Did Geoff say that the solo is in the same track of orchestra?
As I'm hearing Rock Band multitracks, I can say that the solo has his own track and there are two orchestra tracks.
George said about Something. "Actually, it's about Krishna. But I couldn't say he could I ? I had to say she, adding with a twickle in his eye, or they'd think I ws a poof ( British slang for Gay ).
A reporter once noted his inability to to tell if George was singing about Krishna or a woman. "That's good" , George replied, "I like that. I think individual love is just a little of universal love...Singing to the Lord, or an individual is, in a way, the same. I've done that consciously in some songs"
~ from Here Comes The Sun - The Spiritual and Musical Journey of George Harrison by Joshua M Greene p. 142
Another song that is about separation from Krishna which sounds like a love song to a woman is "Long , Long, Long"
The Patti Boyd book is titled "Wonderful Tonight", not "Wonderful Today"
Love the website.
In the UK (where I am, and where Pattie is from) it was published as Wonderful Today. Elsewhere it was published as Wonderful Tonight, though I'm not sure why. Incidentally, she's called Pattie not Patti.
Eric Clapton had a modest hit record with "Wonderful Tonight" in the '70s, which Wikipedia tells us was Pattie-inspired.
Yes, thanks. I'm aware of the song. What I'm not sure about is why the book title varies in different territories.
As a kid I had thought this was a Lennon/McCartney song sung by John or Paul. When I finally read the Abbey Road cover and saw George as the composer it peaked an interest in Harrison that I still have today. He is my favorite Beatle in part due to this classic song. Every bit deserving of the praise lauded on to it over the years. George's masterpiece!
Best song on Abbey Road. The best song on the White Album was "While my guitar gently weeps." Not bad considering Harrison was working with just the two greatest songwriters in the history of man.
What I don't understand is, if John played piano on the basic track. Who played the flanged guitar strumming on the verses? Is that just Harrison? Because I thought John and George both played guitar on this track. George being all the lead notes we hear and John being the wobbly "flanged" guitar strums we hear in the verses... Correct me if I'm wrong.