When we talk about The Beatles and their iconic music, we often talk about the wonderful songwriting partnership that existed between John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Rightly so, as the two of them managed to create some of the greatest songs that have ever been recorded. Their partnership didn’t just make The Beatles famous; it changed the way people viewed music as a whole.
Of course, while we heap praise on what McCartney and Lennon did, we can’t forget that there were two other members in the band. Sure, Ringo Starr has never been much of a songwriter, but his drumming technique was exceptional, as it gave them a bounce that allowed people to move to their music and be infected by it. It also made their live shows better, which was a very important aspect of their career in the early days.
Then you have George Harrison, who may have been the most frustrated member in The Beatles. While each band member had their disagreements about what made a good song and how they should write, at least Lennon and McCartney had songs which were making the cut. Harrison never got so lucky, as despite coming forward with some great suggestions, they were persistently pushed to the side because they didn’t fit the Lennon-McCartney mould that the band was trying to champion.
When Harrison came in with ideas, it was rare that they were given the attention they deserved. That being said, there were some exceptions to this rule. One of the most iconic instances of a song which every member of the band knew would be an instant classic was when he came forward with the blueprint for ‘Something’.
Geoff Emerick, who worked as a sound engineer for the Fabs for a long time, remembered the moment that Harrison rose to the same level as McCartney and Lennon. “George had a smugness on his face when he came in with this one, and rightly so, he knew it was absolutely brilliant,” Emerick recalled, “And for the first time, John and Paul knew that George had risen to their level.”
It wasn’t just smugness; George had a clear vision of how he wanted this song to sound. The direction was simple but effective, one that was stripped back and added emphasis to the overall message of the song. As such, when McCartney had some suggestions on how they could change the song, Harrison was brutal in his rejection of those ideas. There was nothing mean about what he said, but the bluntness was delivered by a man with intent.
“Paul started playing a bass line that was a little elaborate, and George told him, ‘No, I want it simple’,” recalled Emerick, “Paul complied. There wasn’t any disagreement about it, but I didn’t think that such a thing would never happen in years past.”
Emerick laughed at the notion of someone telling Paul McCartney, arguably the greatest bass player of all time, how to play the instrument he was an expert in. “Unthinkable!” he said, “but this was George’s baby, and everybody knew it was an instant classic”.
