The Beatles,
Abbey Road (
1969)
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Perhaps the best known song by
George Harrison and one of the most popular tunes from The Beatles. It has been covered hundreds of times, by the likes of
Shirley Bassey,
Ray Charles,
James Brown,
Smokey Robinson, and even
Frank Sinatra. Sinatra called it "the greatest love song of the last fifty years". Unfortunately, in a famous illustration of how Harrison was in the shadow of his fellow bandmates, Sinatra also called it his favorite song written by
Paul McCartney and
John Lennon.
Harrison wrote this song during the sessions for
The White Album, though by the time it was composed, it was too late to include on that record. "When I wrote it, I had Ray Charles in mind," he said. He initially offered it to
Joe Cocker (who recorded it on
1969’s
Joe Cocker! along with another
Abbey Road tune, "
She Came in Through the Bathroom Window") and
Jackie Lomax, and then decided to record it himself for
Abbey Road. Recorded on
April 16, 1969,
Allen Klein insisted it be released as the first single from that album, and it became Harrison’s first A-side, with "
Come Together" as the B-side.
Harrison had an unfortunate tendency to be influenced by other songs, a tendency which would later get him sued. This time it was "
Something In the Way She Moves", a song from the full length album debut of singer-songwriter
James Taylor. Back in 1968, Taylor was the first artist signed to the Beatles’ label
Apple Records. He was recording his album at the same time as The Beatles were recording The White Album, so it seems nearly impossible that Harrison didn’t hear Taylor’s song. It opens:
There's something in the way she moves,
Or looks my way, or calls my name,
That seems to leave this troubled world behind.
Ironically, Taylor originally wanted to call this song "
I Feel Fine", but refrained because that was the title of an existing Beatles song, from the album
Beatles For Sale.
It’s often thought that Harrison wrote this song for his first wife, Pattie. Harrison and
Pattie Boyd married in
1966, though all wasn’t wine and roses, as she was unhappy, cheated on him, and used other men to make him jealous. One of them was Harrison’s close friend
Eric Clapton, who fell in love with her. The album
Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs was written about her, making her probably the most written about woman in the history of rock and roll. She ran off with Clapton and they were married in
1979, though they split in
1986. To Harrison’s credit, he said "I’d rather she was with him than some
dope."
Something 3:03
(George Harrison)
Something in the way she moves
Attracts me like no other lover,
Something in the way she woos me.
I don't want to leave her now,
You know I believe and how.
Somewhere in her smile she knows
That I don't need no other lover,
Something in her style that shows me.
I don't want to leave her now,
You know I believe and how.
You're asking me will my love grow
I don't know, I don't know
You stick me around now, it may show,
I don't know, I don't know
Something in the way she knows
And all I have to do is think of her,
Something in the things she shows me.
I don't want to leave her now,
You know I believe and how.
John Lennon - electric guitar
Paul McCartney - bass guitar, harmony vocal
George Harrison - double-tracked lead vocal, lead guitar, organ
Ringo Starr - drums
Billy Preston - keyboards
Sources:
Bill Harry, The Ultimate Beatles Encyclopedia
Steve Turner, A Hard Day's Write