Not only is this song in my top 5 favorite Beatle songs and my top 20 favorite songs of all time, it has another special meaning today. On January 21, 1966 George Harrison and Pattie Boyd were married in Surrey, England with Paul McCartney (serving as Best Man) and Brian Epstein(the Beatles manager) in attendance. John Lennon and Ringo Starr had gone on holiday abroad with their wives, distracting journalists from finding out about the wedding.
The Harrison's Wedding Photo
* I would love to look like that on my wedding day!*
I LOVE this picture!
This just makes me smile!
"Something" was written by George Harrison in 1968 and of course the song was written for Pattie. The song was released on October 6, 1969 on The Beatles Abbey Road album and was also the first song written by George Harrison to appear on the A-side of a Beatles single. "Something" was the only Harrison composition to top the American charts while he was in The Beatles.The song has been covered by over 150 artists including Elvis Presley, Shirley Bassey, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, James Brown, Radiohead, Julio Iglesias, Smokey Robinson and Joe Cocker, and is the second-most covered Beatles song after "Yesterday".
The song's first lyrics "Something in the way she moves attracts me like no other lover" were taken from an unrelated song by fellow Apple artist James Taylor called "Something In The Way She Moves" and was used as a filler while the melody was being developed.
Harrison later said that "I had a break while Paul was doing some overdubbing so I went into an empty studio and began to write. That's really all there is to it, except the middle took some time to sort out. It didn't go on the White Album because we'd already finished all the tracks."
Although Harrison himself had been dismissive of the song—he later said that he "put it on ice for about six months because I thought 'that's too easy'". Lennon and McCartney both stated that they held "Something" in high regard. Lennon said "I think that's about the best track on the album, actually", while McCartney said "For me I think it's the best he's written." Both had largely ignored Harrison's compositions prior to "Something", with their own songs taking much of the limelight. Lennon later explained:
"There was an embarrassing period when George's songs weren't that good and nobody wanted to say anything. He just wasn't in the same league for a long time—that's not putting him down, he just hadn't had the practice as a writer that we'd had."
I love George Harrison and I often consider myself to be a George Harrison. I feel that in life everyone is a Beatle.
You can be a Paul McCartney: slightly bossy, perfectionist, charming, romantic, slightly cheesy, humanitarian, a hard worker, an eternal optimist.
You can be a John Lennon: a dreamer, realist, slightly pessimistic, has some self doubt, a lover, a true artist, a fighter, a peace symbol, a comedian.
You can be a George Harrison: the mediator, goes with the flow, spiritual, loving, seclusive, loyal, hard working and often questions his talents, slightly forgetable.
You can be a Ringo Starr: does what ever he is told, comedian, everyone's favorite, follows the crowd, an entertainer.
I feel that I am 70% George Harrison with 15% Lennon, and 15% McCartney. I don't know, maybe I have too much time on my hands.
Anyways, please enjoy the following two videos. The first is the "music video" to "Something", which features all of the Beatles and their wives. The second is my favorite cover version of "Something", which was performed at "A Concert for George" (remembering George 1 year after his death). It features Paul McCartney on ukulele and Eric Clapton.
Enjoy!
Until tomorrow,
Ms. Janaury Black (one year older)
No comments:
Post a Comment