Something
The Beatles, 1969. Solo by George Harrison.
26 seconds of sweet, low-gain melody.
Harrison's middle solo is short, but it is one of the clearest examples of his mature, singing lead style. His phrasing borrows the ornamented slides between notes found in Indian classical music, which he absorbed during his sitar studies, so the lines glide rather than jump. After an earlier attempt, he redid the solo at Abbey Road on the same day as the orchestral overdub, and it sits beautifully alongside the strings. It is low in gain and high in melody, a reminder that a solo can work as a second vocal. Listen for the slides into and between notes; they give the solo its gentle, sighing quality and set it apart from blues-based rock leads of the time.
Something by The Beatles is ranked #58 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by George Harrison and the song was released in 1969. It appears on 10 lists, placing as high as #5 (liamrecord.blog).
The story of Something
George Harrison started writing "Something" in September 1968, during the White Album sessions. The opening line borrowed from the title of James Taylor's "Something in the Way She Moves", and Harrison said he imagined Ray Charles singing the song as he wrote it. The tune is widely linked to his wife Pattie Boyd, though Harrison later played that down and also spoke of it in terms of spiritual, universal love.
Frustrated at how few of his songs made Beatles albums, Harrison at first considered giving it to Joe Cocker. He cut a solo demo on his 26th birthday, 25 February 1969, and the Beatles began recording it properly that spring, with a new basic track on 2 May featuring Harrison, John Lennon on piano, Paul McCartney on bass, Ringo Starr on drums and Billy Preston on organ.
Work continued through the summer: McCartney replaced his bass part, Harrison sang the final vocal in July, and on 15 August George Martin added an orchestral score of about 21 string players. A long instrumental coda led by Lennon's piano was cut during mixing. Released on Abbey Road and as a double A-side with "Come Together" in October 1969, it was the first Harrison composition to be the lead side of a Beatles single. It reached No. 1 in the US and No. 4 in Britain, and quickly became one of the most covered songs of the era.
The solo
Harrison played the song's melodic middle solo himself, and it is one of the clearest examples of his mature, singing lead style. Wikipedia notes that his phrasing uses gamaks, the ornamented slides between notes found in Indian classical music, which he absorbed during his sitar studies of 1965-68. The rhythm guitar on the basic track was played through a Leslie speaker, and Harrison added a lead part at Olympic Studios on 5 May 1969. The final solo, however, was redone on 15 August at Abbey Road, the same day as the orchestral overdub. Guitar World reports that tape logs suggest it was cut after the strings, while engineer Geoff Emerick recalled Harrison playing it live alongside the orchestra. Songfacts adds that Harrison can be heard humming along on the multitrack during the solo.
Legacy
John Lennon called it the best song on Abbey Road, and Frank Sinatra, no great Beatles fan, praised it as one of the finest love songs ever written. It won the 1970 Ivor Novello Award, and BMI later listed it as one of the most-performed songs of the 20th century. Mojo ranked it No. 14 among the greatest songs, Rolling Stone placed it No. 110 in 2021, and it remains the second-most covered Beatles song after "Yesterday".
Top 10 facts about Something
The opening line was taken from the title of James Taylor's song "Something in the Way She Moves".
WikipediaHarrison considered handing the song to Joe Cocker, who went on to release his own version in 1969.
WikipediaHarrison recorded a solo demo of the song on his 26th birthday, 25 February 1969.
WikipediaA placeholder lyric in the opening verse, "like a pomegranate", was used before Harrison found the final words.
WikipediaThe orchestral overdub on 15 August 1969 used 12 violins, 4 violas, 4 cellos and double bass.
The Beatles BibleEngineer Geoff Emerick recalled the final solo being cut at the same time as the orchestra, although tape logs suggest it came afterwards.
Guitar WorldHarrison's solo uses gamak-style ornaments drawn from Indian classical music.
WikipediaIt was the first Harrison composition to be the A-side of a Beatles single.
WikipediaHarrison said James Brown's version, released in 1973, was the most incredible cover of the song.
SongfactsDave Grohl has said this was one of the first guitar solos he learned.
Songfacts
Live versions
- The Concert for Bangladesh (Madison Square Garden) (1971) Harrison's first solo concert performance of the song, with Eric Clapton and Ringo Starr.
- Harrison-Shankar North American tour (1974) Harrison reluctantly added it to the set and reworked the opening lyric.
- Live in Japan (1991) From Harrison's 1991 Japanese tour, released as a double album in 1992.
- Concert for George (2002) Paul McCartney starts on ukulele before Eric Clapton takes over; Grammy-nominated.
Notable covers
- Joe Cocker (1969) Released on his album Joe Cocker! soon after the Beatles' version.
- Shirley Bassey (1970) Reached No. 4 in the UK and spent 22 weeks on the chart.
- Frank Sinatra (1970) Recorded as a single, then again for Trilogy in 1980.
- Ray Charles (1971) Fulfilled Harrison's original vision of the song, on Volcanic Action of My Soul.
- James Brown (1973) B-side version that Harrison said he loved most.
- Elvis Presley (1973) Performed on the Aloha from Hawaii television special.
In our lists
- Deep Cuts — #25
- The 25 Greatest Classic Rock Guitar Solos — #15
- The Pioneers: 1950s & 60s — #13
- Ballad Solos — #10
- Short & Perfect — #5
- Played on a Les Paul — #15
- Critics' Picks — #16
- Most Divisive — #2
Sources
- liamrecord.blog: 洋楽ロックを代表する心に刺さる 名曲ギターソロ、ベスト20 — #5
- uDiscover Music: The Best Guitar Solos Of All Time: 108 Amazing Moments — #7
- Magazyn Gitarzysta: 100 solówek wszech czasów [100 solos of all time] — #12
- Classic Rock (Louder): The 100 greatest guitar solos in rock — #23
- Guitar World: The 50 greatest guitar solos of all time — #25
- Rolling Stone: The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time — #32
- Digital Dream Door: 250 Greatest Rock Guitar Solos — #247
- Acesso Music: Os 10 melhores solos de guitarra da história do rock
- RAG Music: ギターソロがかっこいい洋楽の名曲まとめ
- Musician Tuts: The 51 Best Guitar Solos Of All Time
- Wikipedia: Something (Beatles song)
- Songfacts: Something
- Guitar World: Song Facts - Something
- The Beatles Bible: Something
What guitar was used on the Something solo?
A gibson les paul, according to widely reported accounts.
Where does Something rank among the greatest guitar solos?
#58 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 10 of them.
Who wrote Something by the Beatles?
George Harrison wrote both the words and music.
Who played the guitar solo on Something?
George Harrison played it himself, rerecording the final version on 15 August 1969.
Is Something about Pattie Boyd?
It is widely linked to his wife Pattie Boyd, though Harrison later said the connection came mostly from the promotional film.
What did Frank Sinatra say about Something?
Sinatra praised it as one of the greatest love songs ever written and performed it often.
What album is Something on?
It appears on Abbey Road (1969) and was also released as a double A-side single with "Come Together".