TOP 100 SONGS OF THE BEATLES ― 10

“While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (Harrison – November 25, 1968) 

The BEATLES (a.k.a., The White Album) – Side 1, Track 7 (4:45)
YouTube The Concert for George: Eric Clapton (lead guitar and vocals), Dhani Harrison (acoustic guitar), Paul McCartney (piano and harmony), Ringo Starr (drums), Billy Preston (keyboards), et al – “The Concert for George”]

From Wikipedia, Rolling Stone, About.com, and Google –

"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" is a song written by George Harrison, first recorded by the Beatles in 1968 for their eponymous double album (also known as The White Album). The song features lead guitar by Eric Clapton, although he was not formally credited on the album.

"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" was ranked #136 on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", #7 on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time, and #10 on their list of The Beatles 100 Greatest Songs. In an online poll held by Guitar World magazine in February 2012, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" was voted the best of Harrison's Beatle-era songs.

History – 

Yet another song written during the band's spiritual journey to India in the spring of 1968, George's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" -- arguably his signature Beatles song, and definitely the strongest he'd contributed to that point -- was only finalized after the guitarist, back at his mother's home in Warrington, England and needing lyrical inspiration, decided to literally take a page from the I Ching, the Chinese philosophical "book of changes" that was said to have mystical relevance whenever any random rune was cast. Picking up a book at random, the phrase he immediately found under his finger was "gently weeps." Thus the song was written around it. 

However, when the song joined its White Album brethren in being demo'ed at George's home in Esher, John and Paul seemed less than thrilled with the song, an attitude which did not improve when proper attempts to record the song were first made on July 25, August 16, and September 3. Hard to believe, but then again, the song had undergone several lyrical changes, with seemingly endless permutations like "The problems you serve are the troubles you're reaping" and "I look at the trouble and see that it's raging."

Harrison himself was not pleased with the way the song was going, and midway through the session on September 3, began all over again. On September 5, this second version was also found wanting, and George started with a whole new arrangement: George on acoustic, Ringo on drums, Paul on piano, and John on electric rhythm guitar.  

The next day, Harrison's friend Eric Clapton, also his neighbor in the county of Esher, gave George a lift to Abbey Road studios. Unhappy with the band infighting and his own attempts at a guitar solo for "Weeps," George insisted on the way in that Eric come into the studio and lay down a track. Clapton originally refused, correctly noting that "nobody (famous) ever plays on the Beatle's records!" but George insisted. The invitation had its intended effects: the band were completely professional and Eric's solo sounded great. But listening to the playback, the ex-Yardbird decided the result "wasn't Beatle-y enough," so the solo was run through the Leslie rotating speaker of the Hammond B-3 organ cabinet, an effect the lads had been using at least as far back as "Tomorrow Never Knows." That same day, the remaining vocal and instrumental tracks were laid down. 

Musical structure –

The song is in Am, with a shift to a ♭7 (Am/G) on "all" (bass note G) and a 6 (D9 (major 3rd F#)) after "love" (bass note F#) to a ♭6 (Fmaj7) on "sleeping" (bass note F). This 8-♭7-6-♭6 progression has been described as an Aeolian/Dorian hybrid. Everett notes that the change from the minor mode verse (A-B) to the parallel major for the bridge might express hope that "unrealized potential" described in the lyrics is to be "fulfilled," but that the continued minor triads (III, VI and II) "seem to express a strong dismay that love is not to be unfolded." Clapton's guitar contribution has been described as making this a "monumental" track; particularly notable features include the increasing lengths of thrice-heard first scale degrees (0.17-0.19), the restraint showed by rests in many bars then unexpected appearances (as at 0.28-0.29), commanding turnaround phrases (0.31-0.33), expressive string bends marking modal changes from C to C# (0.47-0.53), power re-transition (1.21-1.24), emotive vibrato (2.01-2.07), and a solo (1.55-2.31) with a "measured rise in intensity, rhythmic activity, tonal drive and registral climb."

Composition and recording –

Inspiration for the song came to Harrison when reading the I Ching, which, as Harrison put it, "seemed to me to be based on the Eastern concept that everything is relative to everything else... opposed to the Western view that things are merely coincidental. "Taking this idea of relativism to his parents’ home in northern England, Harrison committed to write a song based on the first words he saw upon opening a random book. Those words were “gently weeps”, and he immediately began the song. As he said:

"I wrote "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" at my mother's house in Warrington. I was thinking about the Chinese I Ching, the Book of Changes... The Eastern concept is that whatever happens is all meant to be, and that there's no such thing as coincidence - every little item that's going down has a purpose. "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" was a simple study based on that theory. I decided to write a song based on the first thing I saw upon opening any book - as it would be relative to that moment, at that time. I picked up a book at random, opened it, saw 'gently weeps', then laid the book down again and started the song."

The initial incarnation was not final, as Harrison said: "Some of the words to the song were changed before I finally recorded it.” A demo recorded at George's home in Esher includes an unused verse: “I look at the trouble and see that it's raging, While my guitar gently weeps. As I'm sitting here, doing nothing but ageing, Still my guitar gently weeps.”

As well as an unused line in the very beginning: “The problems you sow, are the troubles you're reaping, Still, my guitar gently weeps.”

This line was eventually omitted in favor of the one appearing on The Beatles.

An early acoustic guitar and organ demo of the song featured a slightly different third verse:

“I look from the wings at the play you are staging, While my guitar gently weeps. As I'm sitting here, doing nothing but ageing, Still my guitar gently weeps.”

This version was released on the 1996 compilation Anthology 3 and was used as the basis of the 2006 Love remix, with a string arrangement by George Martin.

The band recorded the song several times. Take I on 25 July 1968 involved Harrison on his J-200 guitar and an overdubbed harmonium. Sessions on 16 August and 3 and 5 September included a version with a backward guitar solo (as Harrison had done for "I'm Only Sleeping" on Revolver), but Harrison was not satisfied. On 6 September 1968, during a ride from Surrey into London, Harrison asked his friend Eric Clapton to add a lead guitar solo to the song. Clapton was reluctant; he said, "Nobody ever plays on the Beatles' records"; but Harrison convinced him and Clapton's solo, using a Gibson Les Paul guitar, was recorded that evening. Harrison later said that in addition to his solo, Clapton's presence had another effect on the band: "It made them all try a bit harder; they were all on their best behavior."

This is one of three songs on the White Album where Paul McCartney experiments with the Fender Jazz Bass (the others being "Glass Onion" and "Yer Blues") instead of his Hofner and Rickenbacker basses.

Towards the end of the song, Harrison's voice is heard crying: "Oh, Oh", which some of the Beatles fans thought that he was crying: "Paul, Paul", indicating that theory about Paul McCartney being dead, and that George was weeping for Paul.

Takes: 25

Personnel

John Lennon: Rhythm guitars (1965 Epiphone E230TD(V) Casino)
Paul McCartney: Harmony vocals, bass guitar (1961 Fender Bass VI), piano (1905 Steinway Vertegrand "Mrs. Mills")
George Harrison: Lead vocals (double-tracked), rhythm guitar (1968 Gibson J-200), organ (Hammond B-3)
Ringo Starr: Drums (Ludwig), tambourine, castanets
Eric Clapton: Lead guitar (1957 Gibson Les Paul Standard)

Trivia –

The original EMI demo of "Weeps," which can be heard on Anthology 3, shows the song to be essentially complete. In fact, some think it holds even more emotional power than the original. There's also a third verse left out of the final recording: "I look from the wings at the play you are staging / While my guitar gently weeps / As I'm sitting here doing nothing but aging / Still my guitar gently weeps." 

The first two attempts at recording the song feature a harmonium, the aforementioned third verse, and a backwards guitar solo by George. The mono mix of "Weeps" differs from the stereo in that the solo is louder in the mix and also "wobblier," while George's vocal track does not include the ending "yeah yeah yeah" from the more famous stereo version. 

"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" was played live by George on at least two occasions: once with Clapton in Japan in 1992, and once in 1987 at the Prince's Trust Rock Concert in London.
George would later write a solo song puckishly titled "This Guitar (Can't Keep From Crying).

Today in Beatles History (From The Internet Beatles Album) March 31 –

1963 – Performance in the Poll Winner's Concert. at the Wembley Empire Pool, organized by New Musical Express.

– Number 1 Studio, Piccadilly Theatre, London. 2.30-6.30pm. Recording for BBC's Side By Side: 'Side By Side": "I Saw Her Standing There"; "Do You Want To Know A Secret"; "Baby It's You"; "Please Please Me"; "From Me To You"; "Misery". First Side By Side performance.

– Number 1 Studio, Piccadilly Theatre, London. 6.30-10.30pm. Recording for BBC's Side By Side: "Side By Side"; "From Me To You"; "Long Tall Sally"; "A Taste Of Honey"; "Chains"; "Thank You Girl"; "Boys". 

1964 – Please Please Me LP, 54th week in the Top 10 (UK New Musical Express chart). With The Beatles number 1, 19th week (UK New Musical Express chart).
"Can't Buy Me Love" number 1, 2nd week (UK New Musical Express chart). 

1965 – Brian becomes a controlling director of Japspic Productions Limited, the lessees of the Saville Theatre, and of Stramsact Limited. Brian thus becomes leaseholder of the Saville Theatre. 1967Studio 1. 7.00pm-6.00am. Recording: "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)" (takes 1-9). Mono mixing: "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)" (remixes 1-9, from take 9). Producer: George Martin; Engineer: Geoff Emerick; 2nd Engineer: Richard Lush.

– Sixth and last performance of Fats Domino and his orchestra at the Saville Theatre

– Support acts: Gerry and the Pacemakers, and the Bee Gees. 

1969 – John speaks about his idea of sending acorns of peace to the world leaders.

– John reveals that his fortune is about 50,000 pounds.– John and Yoko return to London.

– Television House, London. John and Yoko appear live on Associated-Rediffusion's

– "Today", with Eamonn Andrews. Reconstitution of their bed-in.

– Theatre Royal, London. Shooting for The Magic Christian.

1970 – Studio 1 and control room Studio 3. 7.00pm-? Recording:"Across The Universe" (tape reduction take 8 into take 9, overdub onto take 9); "The Long And Winding Road" (tape reduction of 31 January 1969 recording into takes 17-19, overdub onto take 18); "I Me Mine" (tape reduction extended edit of take 16 into takes 17, 18, overdub onto take 18). Producer: Phil Spector; Engineer: Peter Bown; 2nd Engineer: Richard Lush.

– Orchestra and choir overdub. Last session of Ringo. Last recording session for a Beatles album.

– The London Art Gallery appeals for the closing of John's exhibition.