Audio | George Harrison Writes Something With John & Paul

Forty-five years ago today The Beatles released the double A-sided single combining the Lennon/McCartney track “Come Together” along with the George Harrison’s “Something,” which marked the first (and only) time the quartet released one of George’s songs as an A-side. “Something” has since been found on many lists of the best songs ever and is the most covered Beatles tune after “Yesterday.”

Harrison started to write “Something” during the sessions that yielded 1968’s The Beatles, aka “The White Album.” George didn’t finish “Something” in time to make the album, so The Beatles released it on their 1969 album Abbey Road. While the song’s second line of “attracts me like no other lover” sounds natural 45 years later, George struggled to come up with the lyric. Both “Attracts me like a cauliflower” and “Attracts me like a pomegranate” were used as placeholders until Harrison settled on “attracts me like no other lover.”

A studio outtake recorded at Abbey Road Studios in early 1969 finds Harrison working on the lyrics for “Something” and enlisting the help of John and Paul to figure out the best way to put it together. It’s a rare behind-the-scenes look at The Beatles at work. We’re just glad George didn’t use some of the suggestions Lennon brought up. Check it out: