TOP 100 SONGS OF THE BEATLES ― 28

"Here Comes the Sun” (Harrison – October 1, 1969)



Abbey Road – Side 2, Track 1 (3:05) 
YouTube (Harrison, live)

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

"Here Comes the Sun" is a song by George Harrison from The Beatles' 1969 album Abbey Road. It is regarded as one of the most popular Beatles songs, and upon being released to iTunes in 2010, charted at #64, higher than all but one ("Twist and Shout" at #48) of their chart entries at that time.

History –

In early 1969, the Beatles were embroiled in several economic disputes -- their Apple enterprises, set up to ease their tax burden, were hemorrhaging money, and the band was belatedly discovering that EMI hadn't paid them what they were worth for all those years of Beatlemania. To make matters worse, the band was split on who should save the group's finances: Paul thought his father-in-law, entertainment lawyer John Eastman, should get the nod, while John was keen on rock manager Allen Klein, who had literally turned the Rolling Stones' and fortunes around. An endless series of business negotiations followed.

One day, perhaps as early as April 1969, George Harrison decided simply not to show up for one of these meetings. Likening it later to "playing hookey" or "sagging off" from school, he instead visited the Surrey, England home of his friend Eric Clapton. There, while wandering around the garden with one of Eric's guitars, the sun came out for the first time that spring. Seeing it as a good omen, Harrison wrote "Here Comes The Sun" on the spot.

The recording of the song, which came to symbolize George's eventual freedom from the group, was almost a solo endeavor. Paul and Ringo did lay down a rhythm track along with Harrison's acoustic on July 7, and Paul helped George with vocals the next day, but thereafter, most of the work was done by George. On the 16th, he added hand claps (heard during the instrumental bridge) and harmonium (heard most prominently during the bridge and in the last verse). More acoustic guitars were laid down on August 6 and 11, and George Martin arranged and recorded the tasteful strings and wind instruments on the 15th. Finally, on August 19th, rushing to complete the album for master, Harrison added the Moog, which can be best heard in the intro and bridge.

Origin –

"Here Comes the Sun" is one of Harrison's best-known Beatles' contributions alongside "Something". The year 1969 was a difficult one for Harrison: he was arrested for marijuana possession, he had his tonsils removed, and he had quit the band temporarily. The song was written while Harrison was away from all of these troubles.

Harrison stated in his autobiography:

"Here Comes the Sun" was written at the time when Apple was getting like school, where we had to go and be businessmen: 'Sign this' and 'sign that'. Anyway, it seems as if winter in England goes on forever, by the time spring comes you really deserve it. So one day I decided I was going to sag off Apple and I went over to Eric Clapton's house. The relief of not having to go see all those dopey accountants was wonderful, and I walked around the garden with one of Eric's acoustic guitars and wrote "Here Comes the Sun".

There is a lost photo from the Anthology 3 of Harrison working on the song, with the capo on the seventh fret.

Recording –

Harrison, McCartney and Starr recorded the rhythm track in 13 takes on 7 July 1969. John Lennon did not contribute to the song as he was recovering from a car crash. Towards the end of the session Harrison spent an hour re-recording his acoustic guitar part. He capoed his guitar on the 7th fret, resulting in the final key of A major (in fact, slightly above A major due to the track being vari-speeded by less than a semitone). He also used the same technique on his 1965 song "If I Needed Someone", which shares a similar melodic pattern. The following day he taped his lead vocals, and he and McCartney recorded their backing vocals twice to give a fuller sound.

A harmonium and hand claps were added on the 16th of July. Harrison added an electric guitar run through a Leslie speaker on 6 August, and the orchestral parts were added on 15 August. "Here Comes the Sun" was completed four days later with the addition of Harrison's Moog synthesizer part.

Takes: 15

Personnel –

Paul McCartney – Harmony vocals, bass guitar (1964 Rickenbacker 400IS)
George Harrison – Harmony vocals, rhythm guitars (1968 Gibson J-200), synthesizer (1968 Moog IIIP), harmonium, handclaps)
Ringo Starr – Drums (1968 Ludwig Hollywood Maple)

Voyager proposal –

Astronomer Carl Sagan had wanted the song to be included on the Voyager Golden Record, copies of which were attached to both spacecraft of the Voyager program to provide any entity that recovered them a representative sample of human civilization. Although The Beatles favored the idea, EMI refused to release the rights and when the probes were launched in 1977 the song was not included. 

Trivia –

This song was played by George in A, with a capo on the 7th fret. It's surely one of the group's more rhythmically complex offerings: the bridge, for example, features measures of 11/8, 4/4, and then 7/8 time!

Although a mono mix was reported to have been made, it has never surfaced. The final stereo mix is sped up slightly, which contributes to the "wobbling" sound of the Moog.

George performed this song live on numerous occasions: at the all-star Concert For Bangla Desh benefit in 1971, as a gentle duet with Paul Simon on Saturday Night Live in 1976, during the 1987 Prince's Trust Rock Gala Concert (with Ringo!), as part of a medley in the studios of the nationally syndicated radio show Rockline in 1988, during his '91 tour of Japan, and for the last time during a one-off concert at London's Royal Albert Hall in 1992.

Noted astronomer Carl Sagan lobbied to have this song included on the record sent out with the Voyager spacecraft in 1977, a record meant to provide other life forms with a sample of Earth culture. Sadly, EMI refused permission.

Today in Beatles History (From The Beatles Internet Album) March 13 –

1963 – Studio 2. 10.00am-1.00pm. Recording: "Thank You Little Girl" (working title of "Thank You Girl") (overdub takes 14-28). Editing: "Thank You Little Girl" (working title of "Thank You Girl") (of takes 6, 13, 17, 20, 21, 23). Mono mixing: "Thank You Little Girl" (working title of "Thank You Girl") (from edit of takes 6, 13, 17, 20, 21, 23). Stereo mixing: "Thank You Little Girl" (working title of "Thank You Girl") (from edit of takes 6, 13, 17, 20, 21, 23). Producer: George Martin; Engineer: Norman Smith; 2nd Engineer: Geoff Emerick.

– Concert at the Rialto, York (Chris Montez and Tommy Roe Tour).

1964 – Brian flies to the Netherlands to arrange the Beatles visit.
– Gatwich Airport South, West Sussex. Shooting for A Hard Day's Night. 

– 10.00am. The Beatles arrive. They change clothes at the Beehive, Room 64.
– Shooting of final sequence of the film (running to a helicopter and lifting).
– Lunchtime. Crew spreads rumor that there would be no more filming. Most equipment is loaded up and driven away. Few spectators remain.
– Afternoon. Shooting "Can't Buy Me Love" sequence, at launch-pad.
– Gatwick railway station. Photographic session with David Hurn for the film, not used.
– 5.30pm. Beatles and crew leave.

1965 – The Beatles, Cynthia, Maureen and Pattie, fly from London to Austria to shoot scenes for "Eight Arms To Hold You" (working title of Help!) at the village of Obertauern (Austrian Alps). While in Obertauern, the Beatles stay at the Hotel Edelweiss.

– "Eight Days A Week" number 1, 1st week (Billboard).

1966 – Brian presents the first concert by Herp Alpert and the Tijuana Brass in Britain, at the Odeon Cinema, Hammersmith, London. Support acts: the Silkie, and Sounds Incorporated.

1967 – Studio 2. 7.00pm-2.30am. Recording: 'Good Morning Good Morning' (overdub onto take 10). Producer: George Martin; Engineer: Geoff Emerick; 2nd Engineer: Richard Lush. 

– Recording of brasses for 'Good Morning Good Morning'.

– Brian flies to Mexico, on vacation.

1969 – Compilation and banding of an EP containing the new tracks on 'Yellow Submarine', plus 'Across The Universe'. Never released.

– Olympic Sound Studios. Time unknown. Stereo mixing: 'I've Got A Feeling'; 'Dig It' (version 1); 'Dig It' (version 2); 'Maggie Mae'; 'Shake Rattle And Roll'; 'Kansas City'; 'Miss Ann'; 'Lawdy Miss Clawdy'; 'Blue Suede Shoes'; 'You Really Got A Hold On Me'. Producer: George Martin; Engineer: Glyn Johns; 2nd Engineer: unknown.

1970 – End of sessions for LP Sentimental Journey.

1976 – Jim McCartney dies.

1981 – U.S. single release: "Watching the Wheels"/"Yes I'm Your Angel".

1990 – Paul's concert in Tokyo (Get Back Tour).