Widely regarded as one of the greatest love songs ever written, 'Something' was George Harrison's first A-side single and a Billboard chart-topper. The track features a lush production blending bluesy guitar leads, melodic basslines, and a sweeping orchestral arrangement.
Something is a masterpiece of harmonic sophistication, blending traditional Tin Pan Alley 'line clichés' with rock modal interchange. The song's most distinctive feature is the bridge modulation to A major, which provides a bright, lifting contrast to the more…
Chords
verse:C - Cmaj7 - C7 - F - D7 - G - Am - Ab+ - C/G - D7/F# - F - Eb
bridge:A - Amaj7 - F#m - D - G - A
History
George Harrison began writing the song in September 1968 during the recording sessions for the 'White Album'. He utilized an empty studio at EMI to work out the melody on a piano. Initially, he felt the song was too simple and even considered giving it to Jack…
“Frank Sinatra frequently covered the song, calling it 'the greatest love song of the past 50 years', though he often mistakenly introduced it as a Lennon-McCartney composition.”
Full Musical Analysis
Something is a masterpiece of harmonic sophistication, blending traditional Tin Pan Alley 'line clichés' with rock modal interchange. The song's most distinctive feature is the bridge modulation to A major, which provides a bright, lifting contrast to the more melancholic, chromatic C major verse. The use of the Eb (bIII) in the turnaround is a classic Harrison signature, creating a sense of unexpected but smooth resolution.
George Harrison began writing the song in September 1968 during the recording sessions for the 'White Album'. He utilized an empty studio at EMI to work out the melody on a piano. Initially, he felt the song was too simple and even considered giving it to Jackie Lomax or Joe Cocker before the Beatles recorded it for Abbey Road.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest love songs ever written, 'Something' was George Harrison's first A-side single and a Billboard chart-topper. The track features a lush production blending bluesy guitar leads, melodic basslines, and a sweeping orchestral arrangement.
Deep Analysis Available
Detailed analysis of this section is not yet available for this song.
