Something

Something

• Abbey Road, (US: Apple SO 383, UK: Apple PCS 7088, Parlophone CDP 7 46446 2)
• The Beatles 1967-1970 (UK: Apple PCSP 718, US: Apple SKBO 3404, Apple CDP 0777 7 97039 2 0)
• The Beatles 1 (Apple CDP 7243 5 299702 2)

• Inspired by fellow Apple labelmate James Taylor's song "Something In The Way She Moves," this celebrated ballad was composed by George Harrison during the sessions for The Beatles (a/k/a "The White Album"). Finding himself with some time alone while Paul McCartney was overdubbing an unspecified song, George went into a separate studio in Abbey Road, sat down at the piano, and began to write.
• Harrison's original intention was to write a homage to the sort of soulful ballads Ray Charles was known for, but in order to jumpstart the writing process he used the first line of Taylor's tune, which actually begins "There's something in the way she moves / Or looks my way, or calls my name / That seems to leave this troubled world behind." George followed the opening line with the placeholder "attracts me like a pomegranate," which eventually became "attracts me like no other lover."
• The song never made the "white album," due to the wealth of material already in later stages of development. "Something" lay dormant for over six months until February 25, 1969 (Harrison's 26th birthday), when band demos were recorded for three of his latest songs, including "All Things Must Pass" and "Old Brown Shoe." ("Shoe" made it to the b-side of the "Ballad of John and Yoko" single; "Pass" was never officially released by the Beatles, though the band version can be heard on Anthology 3.) In April, another demo was recorded for singer Joe Cocker for consideration; the song was also briefly considered for fellow Apple labelmate Jackie Lomax, who had just released a version of George's "Sour Milk Sea." (Cocker would eventually record the song, which didn't get released until two months after the Beatles' version.) George himself confessed that he thought the song came to him "too easy" to be taken seriously as a Beatles release, and didn't want it subjected to the raw, anti-production style of the Get Back project (later released as Let It Be.)
• John and Paul felt differently, however, and at the second session for the band's new Abbey Road album on April 16, the band recorded the first version of "Something." Originally envisioned as a harder-driving, acoustic number, the bridge contained a vocal counter-melody and a piano part by John. The extraneous vocal was later edited out, as was most of the piano; John's entire contribution to "Something" in its final form consists of the descending piano chords heard intermittently in the bridge.
• Finally, on May 2nd, the band reconvened and turned "Something" into the gentle ballad we know today, albeit not without a great deal of infighting, most of it related to Paul's bass line, which George saw as too busy. (Ironically, this feature of the song is a favorite of many fans.) In addition, the counter-melody was replaced with a George guitar solo; most of the track's 35 takes at this session were dedicated to getting the solo correct. Take 36 was nearly eight minutes long, devolving into an extended jam; this and take 35 were edited together to form the basic track.
• Three days later on the 5th, Paul and George overdubbed extraneous bass and guitar parts, along with a lead vocal by George that went unused. Another lead vocal was attempted on July 11, and perfected on July 16. Finally, George Martin arranged a string accompaniment, which was overdubbed on August 15, 1969. At that same session, George attempted the solo again, but because there were no available tracks left to record on, George recorded his famous solo live, with the orchestra, on the same track.
• This song is viewed by many as the moment when George Harrison announced himself as a major songwriting force. John remarked publicly that "Something" was the best song on Abbey Road, while Paul considered it the best song in George's catalogue. This was also the first Harrison-penned song to make it to the a-side of a Beatles single.

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