Written by: Harrison
Recorded: 25 July; 16 August; 3, 5, 6 September 1968
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Ken Scott
Released: 22 November 1968 (UK), 25 November 1968 (US)
George Harrison: vocals, backing vocals, acoustic guitar, Hammond organ
John Lennon: rhythm guitar
Paul McCartney: backing vocals, six-string bass, piano, organ
Ringo Starr: drums, tambourine, castanets
Eric Clapton: lead guitar
Available on:
The Beatles (White Album)
Anthology 3
Love
George Harrison's most celebrated song on the White Album, While My Guitar Gently Weeps was inspired by the I Ching, and featured his friend Eric Clapton on lead guitar.
Harrison began writing the music for the song in India, although the lyrics were mostly completed upon his return to England.
I wrote While My Guitar Gently Weeps at my mother's house in Warrington. I was thinking about the Chinese I Ching, the Book of Changes... The Eastern concept is that whatever happens is all meant to be, and that there's no such thing as coincidence - every little item that's going down has a purpose.While My Guitar Gently Weeps was a simple study based on that theory. I decided to write a song based on the first thing I saw upon opening any book - as it would be a relative to that moment, at that time. I picked up a book at random, opened it, saw 'gently weeps', then laid the book down again and started the song.
Anthology
A demo version of the song was recorded by The Beatles at Harrison's bungalow in Esher, Surrey, in May 1968. It featured several lines which were later left out.
I look at you all, see the love there that's sleeping
While my guitar gently weeps
Problems you sow are the troubles you're reaping
Still my guitar gently weepsI look at the trouble and hate that is raging
While my guitar gently weeps
As I'm sitting here, doing nothing but ageing
Still my guitar gently weeps
A solo version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps was recorded at Abbey Road on 25 July 1968, featuring just Harrison on acoustic guitar, with a subtle organ part appearing towards the end. These early versions deploy the fingerpicking guitar style taught to The Beatles by Donovan in Rishikesh.
Recorded in a single take, the June version was later included on Anthology 3, and, with a new orchestral arrangement written by George Martin, on the Love album.
It also included a verse that was dropped from later recordings:
I look from the wings at the play you are staging
While my guitar gently weeps
As I'm sitting here doing nothing but ageing
Still my guitar gently weeps
Harrison later complained that Lennon and McCartney didn't give the song the attention he felt it deserved. The presence of Eric Clapton on lead guitar, at Harrison's request, made the rest of the group take the song more seriously.
We tried to record it, but John and Paul were so used to just cranking out their tunes that it was very difficult at times to get serious and record one of mine. It wasn't happening. They weren't taking it seriously and I don't think they were even all playing on it, and so I went home that night thinking, 'Well, that's a shame,' because I knew the song was pretty good.The next day I was driving into London with Eric Clapton, and I said, 'What are you doing today? Why don't you come to the studio and play on this song for me?' He said, 'Oh, no - I can't do that. Nobody's ever played on a Beatles record and the others woulnd't like it.' I said, 'Look, it's my song and I'd like you to play on it.'
So he came in. I said, 'Eric's going to play on this one,' and it was good because that then made everyone act better. Paul got on the piano and played a nice intro and they all took it more seriously.
Anthology
In the studio
Following the 25 July solo demo, The Beatles returned to While My Guitar Gently Weeps on 16 August. They recorded 14 takes with Harrison on guitar, Lennon on organ, McCartney on bass and Starr on drums.
The song was left alone until 3 September, when a series of overdubs were added - the first on Abbey Road's new eight-track recording equipment. Harrison worked alone, spending the entire eight-hour session trying to record a backwards guitar solo.
The next day Harrison recorded two lead vocal parts, and maracas, drums and lead guitar were also added. However, upon hearing a playback of the recording so far, Harrison decided to scrap it and begin afresh.
The remake was started that same day. The Beatles recorded 28 takes; the basic track had Harrison on acoustic guitar and guide vocals, Lennon on guitar, McCartney playing piano and organ, and Starr on drums.
While My Guitar Gently Weeps was completed on 6 September. Eric Clapton, playing a Les Paul guitar, performed his guitar solo, which went uncredited on the album. During the mixing stage the solo was varispeeded to give it more of a 'Beatles sound'.
The same day also saw the addition of a distorted bass part, played by McCartney, some organ by Harrison, and percussion by Starr. Finally, Harrison taped his lead vocals, with backing harmonies from McCartney.
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Oh what I'd give to hear the original which george overdubbed his bits and pieces on to before the remake with Eric Clapton.
That really should have been an instant inclusion on Anthology 3! Craziness.
It says John played lead guitar; so did he play one of the solos, or were they both played by Eric? If not, which solo was John's and which Eric's?
George's demo version of this song which is on Anthology is so haunting and beautiful. On another note, I give George alot of credit for bringing his friend Eric Clapton in to play on the song.
All the lead guitar sounds like Clapton. Even on the remastered version, I only hear one lead guitar throughout and there's no doubt it's EC. Paul's bass and piano parts are amazing on this song as is George's vocal.
I've always wondered about that. The Lennon on lead guitar info came from Mark Lewisohn's Sessions/Chronicle books, where he says on 5 September 1968 they did a remake with Lennon on lead. But maybe his contribution was wiped or mixed out after Clapton recorded his solo the following day.
For now I've listed Lennon as rhythm guitar, but I suppose it's debatable whether he even played on the song.
Yea...Paul as usual giving it his all. Although in the beginning neither him nor John were too keen about it. When they got down to it, he contributed an amazing piano part, as well as bass, organ, and backing vocals.
john's playing a part that no one really noticed. in 'i don't know how' parts he played the exact notes with bass. only in higher octaves. you must listen to the bass track to hear it or listen to the song very carefully. and i'm sure that part wasn't one of clapton's leads because his playing his own lead during that part.
In one of the outtakes of the song (in The Beatles Rock Band) you can hear George saying "Ok, just trying, take one." followed by an acoustic guitar sound (John), piano (Paul), and a lead guitar (George).
And I think Ringo played drums
I've always preferred the Anthology 2/Love version of this song. I dunno, there's just something about the whole sound of the White Album recording that "breaks" the song.
Just George and his guitar (and an orchestral string section, I guess) is all this song needs. The Love version is George's "Yesterday".
Just another example of how messed up the whole deal was for George. This song is the best one off the White Album and got no serious imput from John or Paul until Eric showed up.
Can you say jealous? It seems the great writting team of Lennon and McCartney were too wrapped up in their own egos.
I have mentioned the following before and will do so again:
show me another successful group that had a third songwriter who contributed 22 songs to the canon of the group.
Sounds like a challenge to me! I assume you're talking about GOOD songs only. I'll give it some thought...
OK: Fleetwood Mac! (Had at least 4 writers with 22+)
Probably Blue Oyster Cult. Moby Grape and The Byrds have an outside chance. Some people (not me) would say Queen or the Eagles.
This is probably a discussion for the forum - feel free to continue it over there!
I read that John's guitar part was erased when Clapton did his part. So I do not believe John is even on this song
There's some clarification in Walter Everett's masterful book The Beatles As Musicians (Revolver to Anthology). He says that Lennon is only audible in the coda, notably at 3'43-3'46, 3'54-4'03 and 4'1-4'15. He plays his Epiphone Casino with added tremolo, and it's mixed in the centre of the stereo spectrum.
Had to go back and listen to that! The parts Joe mentions from the book, are John's vocal "moans" depicted at the times stated in his comment??? I can't really hear John's guitar specifically. Looks like there's another book I've got to buy.
Yeah, I'm not quite sure I can hear it either. I wonder if it's the 'clicking' rhythm sound best heard from 4'10 (that's what I should have written before, not 4'1).
Walter Everett's books are truly great, though very advanced for non-music graduates or students. He dissects the songs, paying less attention to the cultural stuff that surrounded The Beatles, and looks instead at what they played and how it was recorded.
I got both his Beatles volumes as Christmas presents, and I've found them really engrossing. They're like a more in-depth study than Ian Macdonald's Revolution In The Head.
I've already order this book from Amazon, and I've been reading some parts from Google Books. So far it's seems a pretty good work, and I think is way beyond more accurate than McDonald's. This one, along with Lewishon, Babiuk books (plus Martin, Emerick and Miles) and Alan W. Pollack "Notes on..." should be the basis for an accurate and detailed list of credits on each song, the ultimate list... so far.
I can hear Lennon's part at 4:10, VERY FAINT THOUGH. But, i wish more of it could be heard, imagine what John's guitar would sound like in the song
John is on electric rhythm, while George is on Acoustic lead. I can hear them very clearly throughout the song. Use headphones to get a better feel of their guitars.
George's voice sounds distorted.. any comments on this guys??
I think it is intentional.
One of my all time fave Fab songs. Always has been. This is George's premier White Album tune and it is one of his standout tracks. All four Beatles played on the song, and with a fine guitar part by Eric Clapton, it was among the White Album's best. George's vocal was amazing as was Paul's backing vocal.
After 'Something', it was the best song that George ever wrote.
If you listen with headphones you can hear throughout the song (white album version) the accoustic rhythm strummed guitar of George, the picking style electric guitar I presume of John in the background (similar to the style in parts of Happiness is a warm gun), and the Clapton lead.
Sounds like Chicago used this song for a bit of inspiration on the fantastic 25 or 6 to 4.
Are the screaming/moans at the end of the song George? My sister said it made the song sound dirty, but I never really thought of it that way.
Good question, I always assumed it was, but it in no way makes the song sound dirty, it is excellent musical expression
Did everybody see Prince play this song as a tribute to George? Off the hook!
One thing I'd like to mention is that I grew up in a small village in Cheshire from 1962 onwards (I was born just before Pleaase Please Me was released - good timing eh?), and when I bought Hunter Davies' 1978 reprint of the authorised biorgraphy I was really intrigued when I found out that he bought a bungalow for his parents in the Chehire village of Appleton. (Hunter mistakenly described this as being in Lancashire in his book, but that was one his minor errors - there were many far more serious!). Appleton was about 5 miles from my home and I often wondered about where the bungalow was, but I didn't make any effort to track it down until the internet age. One thing that slightly complicated matters was the construction of a large housing estate in the village in the 1980s, but eventually I realised where it was, and when George died I drove to the road and found it. As Hunter described it is a large L shaped bungalow now surrounded by a modern housing estate. I made a silent vigil to George, well aware of the story that he wrote 'While my guitar gently weeps' there, and wondered if the current owners even realised the Beatle connection. It was a strange moment; part of my heritage mixing with the legacy of the Beatles, and paying homage to my favourite Beatle. I wonder how many other fans have visited the place, although George's mother was the ulitimate parental fan by all accounts.
Does anyone know why George dropped the 'I look from the wings at the play you are staging' verse? I love it.
I listened to the song today with headphones, and concentrated on John's electric rhythm guitar (right-side). It is very subtle, but first-rate with a nice sound that complements the song very well. (And George's songs are never easy to get the rhythm down.) When John put his mind to it, he was a very good rhythm guitarist. My hunch is Clapton in the studio got his competitive juices going. This is one fine song.
Agreed. Lennon was always strong on rhythm throughout the Beatles. Just wish he participated more on George's songs the last few years.
I don't think John has a part in this song besides vocals. The part you are talking about is probably the disorted bass. Watch this video that has the drum and bass track: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPezuDg4hJE