Written by: Harrison
Recorded: 15, 22 March; 3, 4 April 1967
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Geoff Emerick
Released: 26 May 1967 (UK), 2 June 1967 (US)
Available on:
Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Anthology 2
Love
Personnel
George Harrison: vocals, sitar, acoustic guitar, tambura
Anna Joshi, Amrit Gajjar: dilruba
Buddhadev Kansara: tamboura
Amiya Dasgupta: tabla
Unknown musician: svarmandal
Erich Gruenberg, Alan Loveday, Julien Gaillard, Paul Scherman, Ralph Elman, David Wolfsthal, Jack Rothstein, Jack Greene: violins
Reginald Kilbey, Allen Ford, Peter Beavan: cellos
Neil Aspinall: tambura
‘Within You Without You’ was composed on a harmonium following a dinner party at the London home of Klaus Voorman, the German artist and musician whom The Beatles first met in Hamburg. Written by George Harrison, it was the only non Lennon–McCartney song on the Sgt Pepper album.
The song was Harrison’s second full-blown Indian recording, after Revolver’s ‘Love You To’. Although regarded by some as a dull interlude in the otherwise masterful Sgt Pepper, ‘Within You Without You’ encapsulated the exploration of spiritual themes that had become popular in 1967’s Summer of Love.
Clear references to the counterculture (‘Are you one of them?’) and the LSD-related ego death (‘And to see you’re really only very small and life flows on within you and without you’) can be found amid the more other-worldly exploration of spiritual philosophy and religious teachings.
The laughter at the end of the track was Harrison’s idea. While some listeners initially thought it was the sound of the other Beatles mocking his songwriting effort, it was in fact meant to lighten the mood after five minutes of sad, almost mournful, music.
‘Within You Without You’ came about after I had spent a bit of time in India and fallen under the spell of the country and its music. I had brought back a lot of instruments. It was written at Klaus Voormann’s house in Hampstead after dinner one night. The song came to me when I was playing a pedal harmonium.I’d also spent a lot of time with Ravi Shankar, trying to figure out how to sit and hold the sitar, and how to play it. ‘Within You Without You’ was a song that I wrote based upon a piece of music of Ravi’s that he’d recorded for All-India Radio. It was a very long piece – maybe 30 or 40 minutes – and was written in different parts, with a progression in each. I wrote a mini version of it, using sounds similar to those I’d discovered in his piece. I recorded in three segments and spliced them together later.
The Anthology 2 album, released in 1996, featured an instrumental version of ‘Within You Without You’ slowed down to its original key and speed. The song also featured on the 2006 remix album Love, in which it was blended to the rhythm track of ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’.
One of George’s best songs. One of my favourites of his, too. He’s clear on that song. His mind and his music are clear. There is his innate talent; he brought that sound together.
All We Are Saying, David Sheff
In the studio
George Harrison was the only Beatle present during the recording of ‘Within You Without You’. He and Neil Aspinall played tamburas while Indian musicians performed traditional instruments.
Recording began on 15 March 1967. Initially it had the working title Untitled, and on the first day just one take of the basic track was taped. Although Harrison claimed that the song was recorded in three parts and later edited together, it was in fact taped as one, initially lasting six minutes and 25 seconds.
The Indian musicians were recruited from the Asian Music Circle in Finchley, north London. They were Anna Joshi and Amrit Gajjar on dilruba, Buddhadev Kansara on tamboura, and tabla player Amiya Dasgupta. Another two dilruba parts were overdubbed on 22 March.
On 3 April – the final day of recording for Sgt Pepper, apart from the album’s run-out groove gibberish taped on 21 April – George Martin conducted eight violinists and three cellists playing a score written to Harrison’s suggestions.
That evening Harrison also recorded his lead vocals, a sitar part and some acoustic guitar, and ‘Within You Without You’ was complete. The final mixes of the three parts were edited together on 4 April 1967.
On Monday 17 August 2009 Joseph Brush said:
Arguably George’s first great song
Well, back then, Joseph did say ‘arguably’….and I am going to argue it ! I think “Don’t Bother Me,” “You Like Me Too Much,” “Think For Yourself,” “If I Needed Someone,” “Taxman,” “Love You To” and “Only A Northern Song” were all great songs before “Within You, Without You,” and “I want To Tell You” was on a par with it.
That said, I love this song and think it’s marvellous.
I happen to be one of those Beatle lovers that doesn’t subscribe to the songwriting hierarchy or the predictable “George developed late as a writer in the presence of 2 masters” trope.
Arguably his development as a songwriter was even more remarkable than that of John and Paul because a]they wrote together and b] they had a 6-year head start on him. He was disadvantaged in every way, yet he was putting together songs as good as theirs {yes, I rate “Don’t Bother Me” that highly} right from ’63. He was also the only Beatle to truly influence both the lifestyle and the songwriting of the band members, with his philosophical shift eastwards, and his regard for Indian instruments and unusual time signatures. Paul didn’t influence the others with orchestral instruments ~ John got there first with the flute. John didn’t influence the band when he went Dylanesque. Paul was in there with “I’ll Follow The Sun.” But there was no precedent for Indian instruments or the eastern outlook being reflected in the lyrics until George….
Hennyon said on 29 April 2017:
I was 13….this piece of music was way over my head at that age; the lyrics, the droning tambouras, it just wasn’t really comprehenceable for a 13-year old kid (at least not for me)
Funnily enough, I first heard it at 13 and loved it.
Hennyon also said on 29 April 2017:
I also find the lyrics quite comforting; the thought of life going on within you and without you..
I always thought it was a great play on words and a brilliant meaning – life goes on within you, and it also goes on if you’re not around. But it doesn’t mean that. The old English use of “Without” means “outside.”
It’s a better word construction than I originally thought !
I first heard WYWY in mono, at age 7. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I eventually bought it in stereo (though mono sounded better).
I really enjoyed the statements above. George brought Indian musicians together and into The Beatles again. This time, it was big. I wish footage existed of rehearsal for this song.
It has been 58 years and WYWY is still a powerful song to me.
In March of 1967, when George recorded his vocal through ADT, it was already early in the morning and he was very tired from the long session. He recorded it last thing, and the sleepy, foggy sound of his voice was the perfect fit for it. (Neil is actually droning away on one of the tambouras).This stereo mix from Giles is fantastic! This song still gives me goosebumps after hearing it at 6 years old.