#114: I Want To Tell You

Written by: George Harrison
Released: August 5, 1966
Appears on: Revolver
Lead vocal: George

The Beatles really liked the fade-in and used it twice on Revolver: for the side-two opening "good Day Sunshine" and George's "I Want To Tell You". This song is also George's third - a record for him at the time. (In fact, the only time George has more than three is on The Beatles, a double album where he has two on each record.) 
The song features George on lead guitar, Paul on piano and bass (as well as adding some Indian style vocals at the fade-out), John on tambourine and Ringo on drums. 
Of his three songs, this is easily the slightest of them, only because it's just so normal. The lyrics aren't political like in "Taxman" nor are they philosophical like in "Love You To". George wrote only a small entry for "I Want To Tell You" in I, Me, Mine. Here it is:

I Want To Tell You is about the avalanche of thoughts that are so hard to write down or say or transmit. (As now in this book.)

If I were to re-write the bridge section now however I would have to say: 

Although I seem to act unkind

It isn't me - it is my mind -

That is confusing things 

The mind is the thing that hops about telling us to do this and to so that - when we need is to lose (forget) the mind. A passing though. 

"I Want To Tell You" was never issued anywhere else and was on the US Revolver. 
You know, quoting George's I, Me, Mine proves what an invaluable resource that book is. George was the only Beatle who wrote anything like it. Granted, his autobiography part (written with Derek
Taylor) is only 62 pages, but he wrote passages for every single song he wrote (save for the few he wanted to forget) up until 1979. Sometimes for George songs, I want to just quote the entire passage, but I have to maintain some sense of originality on this blog.


Also, this is being posted on Sir Paul McCartney's  68th birthday! So happy birthday Paul! 

#106: Love You To

Written by: George Harrison
Released: August 5, 1966
Appears on: Revolver
Lead vocal: George

Before listening to this song, it's a good idea to listen to "Norwegian Wood", which had been recorded less than a full year before. Even someone who has no idea how to play a sitar could clearly hear how rudimentary George's playing is on that song. Yet, by the time "Love You To" comes around, George seems like a virtuoso. George had time to take lessons from his new friend and sitar master, Ravi Shankar, which worked wonders on his ability to play the instrument. Unlike "Taxman", George is able to dominate his own song. Ringo, playing tambourine, is the only other Beatle on the recording. (Anhil Baghwat, who plays tabla, is actually credited on the cover, making him and Alan Civil, the French horn player on "For No One", the first outside musicians credited on a Beatles record.)
The song is marked by an extended introduction, before George's rather mundane and obvious lyrics come in. At first glance, you might think these lyrics are philosophical, especially with the other-worldly music backing it up. I will suggest here though that George doesn't mean to really go beyond a regular boy/girl relationship with his lyrics. He uses the rest of the world as an example as to why he needs his girl to Love me while you can. It's pretty clean cut - George says that everyone else is evil (They'll fill you in with all their sins, you'll see) so just fall in love with me and all will be right in the world. Still, the song's drone-like Indian sound makes it one of the more unique tracks in the Beatles' canon. It has a more upbeat feel than George's other sitar-based songs ("Within You Without You" and "The Inner Light"), making it much easier to listen to on a regular basis. 
The song's extended intro was used to introduce the George Harrison character in Yellow Submarine. Therefore, it made its first appearance outside of Revolver on 1999's Yellow Submarine Songtrack. 

#103: Taxman

Written by: George Harrison
Released: August 5, 1966
Appears on: Revolver
Lead vocal: George


"One, two, three...four...one...two..."


When I first started this blog, I must admit, I could not wait to get to, what I believe to be, the greatest album ever made. And so here we are finally...at the start of Revolver. 
"Taxman" is the first and only time that a George Harrison song was selected to open a Beatles LP and while it is distinctly George (only George could write lines like Now my advice to those who die/declare the pennies on your eyes), Paul totally dominates the song. Not only does it immediately introduce his pulsing, boosted bass, but it features probably the greatest lead guitar work he ever recorded. I honestly think you could make a case for it to be one of the best recorded by anyone.  
The story of how Paul got to play the solo is detailed in Geoff Emerick's book, Here, There And Everywhere: My Life Recording The Music Of The Beatles. Emerick writes that George had difficulty playing the solo and that Paul, who apparently was the better guitar player, was the only one who could figure out how to play it well. (Throughout the book, he gives more digs to George's guitar playing...um, didn't you record "Something"? Still, anyone interested in the technical aspect of the Beatles' music, the book is an absolute necessity.)
Nevertheless, the song is perfect and a great way to open the record. It defines how the rest of the album sounds, saying that the Beatles are not only going to break walls - but obliterate them. In fact, the phrase on the back of Let It Be would be more appropriate here - This is a new phase Beatles album. 


"Taxman" was on Rock 'n' Roll Music, but that's really it. 

#99: If I Needed Someone

Written by: George Harrison
Released: December 3, 1965
Appears on: Rubber Soul
Lead vocal: George Harrison


"If I Needed Someone" has some of the most interesting lyrics on Rubber Soul. George provides the album with another biting, nasty track. The lyrics are drenched with interesting imagery. "Carve your number on my wall and maybe you will get a call from me,If I needed someone..." I love that line because its so direct. The singer tells us that he doesn't particularly need anyone, but if that ever happens, leave your number because I might call you. He never tells the girl that she is number one on his list. During the fantastic middle-eight, the singer even reveals that she was late: "Had you come some other day, then it might not have been like this. Can't you see now, I'm too much in love?"
Musically, the song is structured similar to songs by The Byrds. The group's lead guitarist Roger McQuinn was first influenced by seeing George's 12-string Rickenbacker in A Hard Day's Night, which lead to most the the Byrds' songs having a distinct, jangly guitar sound. George was then, in-turn, influenced into using this effect as the main driving force of the guitar sound of a song. If you listen to the intro of "If I Needed Someone" and then listen to virtually any Byrds song, you'll hear the direct influence. 
"If I Needed Someone" is definitely a great George track that leads right into the last song on the record.
Ironically enough, despite being influenced by the inventors of the folk/rock sound, the track was cut from the American Rubber Soul and did not surface until Yesterday And Today. Other than that, the song has never appeared anywhere but Rubber Soul.     

#91: Think For Yourself

Written by: George Harrison
Released: December 3, 1965
Appears on: Rubber Soul
Lead vocal: George


"Think For Yourself" is truly a song that only George could write. The song is filled with witty lines ("Although your mind's opaque, try thinking more if just for your own sake!") and considering how poorly it treats the girl, you automatically know that this isn't something Paul wrote. Maybe John could have done it, but this song is nastier than anything he ever wrote ("I left you far behind - the ruins of the life that you had in mind!"). 
I really like the song and I think it proves that George was finally getting on his own tracks. His songs on HELP! really felt like he was trying hard to copy his peers, but his two songs on Rubber Soul proves that he finally gave up doing that. 
On the technical side, the song is noteworthy for Paul's use of a fuzzbox on his bass. Since this cool, unique sound dominates the song, there is literally no lead guitar part. George's guitar acts more or less like a rhythm part and John only plays a piano. The song's basic track was recorded with Paul using a standard electric bass and then the fuzzbox bass sound was overdubbed on top of it. This is not the last time that Paul would wind up dominating a George Harrison tune, though. 
Like "You Won't See Me", "Think For Yourself" is a rather obscure tune. Capitol did not take it off its version of Rubber Soul, so the song feels a little out of place because it draws on no obvious folk influence. It also never appeared on a compilation, although it definitely would have been home on Rock 'n' Roll Music. Despite the fact that the song is not fully heard in Yellow Submarine (The Beatles sing a short sequence to wake up the Lord Mayor of Pepperland), it was included on the Yellow Submarine Songtrack. 

#80: You Like Me Too Much

Written by: George Harrison
Released: August 6, 1965
Appears on: HELP!
Lead vocal: George


HELP! is the first album to feature two songs written by George. "You Like Me Too Much", though, is a lot like "I Need You". It's just another simple love song without much meaning beyond 'I love you...a lot.' 
The recording features three different pianists, with John on piano during the bulk of the song. For the introduction, Paul and George Martin play piano parts simultaneously. The Steinway piano was played by both of them at the same time and is nowhere else in the song. 
This is definitely a filler track, without a doubt. It never appears anywhere else and, as previously mentioned during the "I Need You" entry, was forgotten by George in his I, Me, Mine autobiography. The song just pales in comparison to the Lennon/McCartney numbers that surround it. 
Thankfully, George's next songs would prove that he was actually in the same league as Lennon/McCartney, it just took him awhile. 


"You Like Me Too Much" (as well as two other songs on HELP!) appeared in the US prematurely on Beatles VI, a completely manufactured record. I'll talk more about the whole procedure for the "Bad Boy" entry, which won't come until after Revolver, since I'm following the UK sequence. I just wanted to let everyone know that I didn't forget! 

#75: I Need You

Written by: George Harrison
Released: August 6, 1965
Appears on: HELP!
Lead vocal: George


"'I Need You' by George Harrison!!"


"I Need You" is the first song written by George to appear on an album since "Don't Bother Me" back on with the beatles. It hardly helps to prove that George was actually as good a songwriter as John and Paul. In fact, George 'forgot' to include both of the songs he wrote for HELP! in his autobiography, I, Me, Mine. A few others were left out, but these were the only ones written and released during the Beatles years that he dropped. 
Since George got a vocal shot in A Hard Day's Night, it's only right that he does get one in HELP! and like the last film, he gets the worst song. "I Need You" feels like a routine love song that he wrote just to prove that "Don't Bother Me" wasn't all that he could do. Still, the only thing interesting about the song is the use of the volume pedal that George used to give "Yes It Is" a unique sound. George does a pretty good vocal, but that's about it. 
The really funny thing about "I Need You" is during the HELP! credits. On the card that says "Songs written by John Lennon & Paul McCartney", we hear George yell "'I Need You' by George Harrison!!" This could be a jab at the fact that in A Hard Day's Night, the card also said the same thing, even though "Don't Bother Me" was partially used during the dancing sequence. Either that, or the boys and Richard Lester probably thought it was funny. During the film itself, the song is played during the same sequence as "The Night Before".


"I Need You" has only ever appeared on HELP! making it one of the more obscure Beatles songs. Considering it's not one of their best (and that George himself neglected it), I suppose it's for the best. 

#68: Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby

Written by: Carl Perkins
Released: December 4, 1964
Appears on: Beatles For Sale
Lead vocal: George

Carl Perkins makes another appearance on Beatles For Sale in the guise of "Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby", the closing number on the album. Now, the original is a great song, but the Beatles performance is lacking a little power. I think part of that is that they used it as the closer after the powerhouse duo of "Money" and "Twist And Shout" and the brooding "I'll Be Back". This song just isn't the type of song that could have been the closer. Personally, I think "Kansas City/Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey" would have been better here than at the end of side one. 

I also think the Beatles were a little trigger-happy with the technical wizardry here. The double-tracking of George's vocal is just useless. It doesn't add anything to the song, which in reality is just a straight up rock song. If you want to hear the song without double-tracked vocals, there's a take of it on Live at the BBC that proves how great the song is without having to hear two George vocals at once. Considering how well George sings the song ("Well, they took some honey from a treeeeeeeee..." I love that part when he drags that line out towards the end), I can't figure out why they thought it was necessary. It's also kind of sad that the only thing they could find George to sing on Beatles For Sale is a cover that they'd been doing since Hamburg. 

In the US, it was used as the closer for Beatles '65 and was performed at the Shea Stadium show in 1965 (that performance is on Anthology 2). 

Next up: "Oh...she's got a ticked to ride, and she don't care!"   

#63: Words Of Love

Written by: Buddy Holly
Released: December 4, 1964
Appears on: Beatles For Sale
Lead vocal: John, Paul & George



Despite their love of Buddy Holly, they had yet to cover the master until "Words Of Love". In fact, this is the only Holly cover they ever recorded in the studio for EMI. "That'll Be The Day", Holly's signature tune, was covered by them when they were still the Quarrymen and it appeared on their home-made 45 (that's currently in Paul's possession, as far as I know) that's on Anthology 1. 
The original version of "Words of Love" (heard here) was first released on Brunswick's Buddy Holly LP in 1958.  
Now, the interesting thing about the Beatles' version is that they copied Holly almost note-for-note. Ringo even went as far as playing a suitcase to get the sound of Holly's percussion right. This makes it a real rarity in the Beatles' catalog. Most of their covers add something unique, but here The Beatles copy an already perfect song. 
Sure, it's entirely possible that it was recorded because they needed to fill a slot on the LP...but, I like to think that it's the Beatles making sure that their single-most important influence is finally represented on one of their records.  

In the US, this was another song that got held over until Beatles VI, but it was not issued on a 45. 

#57: Baby's In Black

Written by: John Lennon & Paul McCartney

Released: December 4, 1964
Appears on: Beatles For Sale
Lead vocal: John, Paul & George

Harmony exercises were usually kept to B-Sides for the Beatles, but for the final part of John's opening trilogy, they chose to use probably their best three-part harmony as the closer. It's probably one of the most melancholy songs in the Beatles' catalog (aside from the song that proceeds it), but it certainly is a thing of beauty. Aside from the vocals on the track, put your ear's attention to George's clunky, sorrowful guitar, especially during the solo. It definitely optimizes the sadness that John's lyrics show. My favorite part is the bridge sequence. Sure, Paul sounds like he's straining his voice when they sing "Oh, how long will it take?", but the fact is that it shows the Beatles at the height of their harmonic powers.

The Beatles' harmonies in their early period is one of the reasons why I prefer to this time period to the latter years. The Beatles' three-part harmonies would get just two more great showcases, so I can't write an obituary for it just yet.

Where else can you find "Baby's In Black"? Well, as one of the best Beatles songs, it's surprising to know that the only release of the song, aside from it's appearance on Beatles For Sale, was on Capitol's Beatles '65. A live take was issued on the "Real Love" CD single, but that's it. Oh well...I don't need alternate versions to prove that this is one of the Beatles' best songs.

#45: I'm Happy Just To Dance With You

Written by: John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Released: July 10, 1964
Appears on: A Hard Day's Night
Lead vocal: George

After George wrote "Don't Bother Me", he hit a serious dry spell. In

fact, he wouldn't get another writing credit until his two songs on HELP!. I really think George was at a point where he thought 'Why should I even try?' and his self-confidence was at an all-time low.

"I'm Happy Just To Dance With You" is the only George song on the album and only one of two Lennon/McCartney compositions given to George (the other is, of course, "Do You Want To Know A Secret?"). It was (rather reluctantly - I really think John & Paul were under the assumption that George would be able to write another song) written specifically for George and you can tell. The song is entirely formulaic and honestly kind of feels like a re-write of "I Saw Her Standing There" with all the energy sucked out. Now, you can't knock George's vocal performance, because he gives the best performance he could with the song he was given. Plus, Ringo does a pretty good job at the drums.

I've always been disappointed to see that this song was in the movie when the masterful "I'll Cry Instead" was cut. That's a much better song, but I guess they felt that George needed a spotlight.

Like all the other movie songs (except "Tell Me Why"), "I'm Happy Just To Dance With You" was released on a single during the summer of 1964 by Capitol. It landed on the B-Side of "I'll Cry Instead", which both Capitol and United Artists still assumed would be in the movie.

#35: This Boy

Written by: John Lennon & Paul McCartney Released: November 29th, 1963 Appears on: Past Masters, Vol. 1
Lead vocal: John, Paul & George [John on bridge]

If you look at the B-Sides on the singles before "I Want to Hold Your Hand", you notice (as I noted in their entries) that they are all harmony exercises."This Boy" is the last B-Side like this, until "Yes It Is" nearly two years later.

"This Boy" is, without a doubt, the best of them. It shows the boys taking that girl-group formula and putting it to use on their own song. Whereas "I'll Get You" was more or less John and Paul singing lead at the same time, "This Boy" features them actually using the harmonies. A great example is during the bridge, where John takes lead ("Oh and this boy, would be happy...." is probably one of John's best vocal moments) and Paul and George sing back-up, just like the bridges in the girl-group songs that influenced them so much. Then you have Ringo doing his perfect percussive shuffle behind them.

As a side note, "This Boy" got some funny attention when it was used in A Hard Day's Night as "Ringo's Theme" (of which the soundtrack recording was issued as a George Martin single in the US that actually charted!). In the US, "This Boy" was just an album track on Meet The Beatles! as Capitol used the much more upbeat "I Saw Her Standing There" as the B-Side to "I Want To Hold Your Hand".

#31: Devil In Her Heart

Written by: Richard Drapkin
Released: November 22nd, 1963
Appears on: with the beatles
Lead vocal: George

As the last girl-group song recorded by the Beatles, "Devil In Her Heart" is easily the worst.

Originally recorded as "Devil In His Heart" in 1962, it was first performed by a group called the Donays and, unlike many of the other covers by the Beatles, was never a hit single...anywhere. Hmm...I wonder why? (I can't even provide a YouTube link to the original, since the only performances of the song on the site are by the Beatles.)

The story of how George landed a copy has never been told, but we do know that he loved girl-group songs (since he and John sing most of the ones the boys covered). I think he loved the fact that the song was so obscure that no one would recognize it. The problem with "Devil In Her Heart" is that it is just not a song that allows the Beatles to show what they're good at. The best thing is the harmonies, though.

The song proves that some singles remain obscure for a reason. If it weren't for the Beatles, I doubt anyone would even know of the song.

#27: Roll Over Beethoven

Written by: Chuck Berry
Released: November 22nd, 1963
Appears on: with the beatles
Lead vocal: George

Side two of with the beatles kicks off like a firecracker with Chuck Berry's immortal "Roll Over Beethoven" (here's a really cool performance by Berry). Every rock and roll artist has probably always dreamed about being able to get on stage and rip off that guitar intro (I have and I can't even play guitar) and The Beatles got to do it numerous times as the song became a stage favorite. George was the perfect vocal choice, considering that he'd been doing it since Hamburg and the fact that he's the lead guitarist, so why not let him sing one of the ultimate guitar songs?

An interesting historical note (coming from Bruce Spizer's fascinating books): When Capitol of Canada issued "Roll Over Beethoven" as a single after "I Want To Hold Your Hand", it became a top-ten single. Capitol in the US was actually considering issuing the single here, especially since imported copies of the Canadian single charted on Billboard. However, when George Martin caught wind of this idea, he told them to just wait a few weeks for "Can't Buy Me Love". Martin hated the idea that The Beatles' next his single might not only be a cover, but an older recording that didn't reflect how the group was at the time.

I find it interesting that, unlike many of the group's other covers, "Roll Over Beethoven" is able to stand next to Berry's original. I think everyone in the general public know that it is a cover and by one of the greats in rock and roll, whereas songs like "Twist And Shout" or "'Til There Was You" became part of America's conscious thanks to the Beatles. "Roll Over Beethoven" was a song that everyone knew in 1964 as a Chuck Berry song, yet people also warmed up to the idea of this British band succeeding with an American standard. This even surprised Capitol. Meet The Beatles! was built on the originals of with the beatles and the only cover they put on it was "'Til There Was You" because why would Americans want to hear American songs done by British musicians? The success of the Canadian "Roll Over Beethoven" 45 convinced Capitol that people would love to hear the Beatles no matter what song they do, so The Beatles' Second Album was built on the remaining covers. The front even advertised "Roll Over Beethoven" along with "She Loves You" as the hits on the album!

#23: Don't Bother Me

Written by: George Harrison
Released: November 22nd, 1963
Appears on: with the beatles
Lead vocal: George

Most groups are lucky if they have one good songwriter. The Beatles not only were blessed with two...but three.

Sure, George's "Don't Bother Me" isn't anything special. In I, Me, Mine, George wrote that it came about while he was sick in bed and thought he would write a song 'just to see if I could do it'. This obviously would lead to a song about how you want people to just go away. The weird thing about this song, though, is that you'd expect it to be slow, dull and depressing, but that's hardly the case. It's the complete opposite. In fact, we even see people dancing to it in A Hard Day's Night!

"Don't Bother Me" is certainly a cornerstone in Beatles lore, simply because it is George's first song, but other than that, it doesn't do much to stick out. George was obviously trying to write a song much like John and Paul's. Thankfully, he would figure out how to make his songs feel and sound different that a John or a Paul song pretty soon.

#12: Do You Want To Know A Secret?

Written by: Paul McCartney & John Lennon
Released: March 22nd, 1963
Appears on: Please Please Me
Lead vocal: George

"Do you want to know a secret?
Promise not to tell?
We are standing by the Wishing Well!"

Three years before John Lennon was born, Walt Disney released the first full-length animated film made in the United States, Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs. When exactly Julia Lennon could have taken a young John to see it is a little bit of a mystery (the film was re-released in the US in 1944 to recoup losses made by World War II and was put out in several European countries during and immediately after the war, but IMDb does not have a UK date during this time), but anyway somehow Julia took John to see it and, as he had said, the above quoted lines from the film provided inspiration for George's second spotlight, "Do You Want To Know A Secret?".
As for the song itself, it's obviously based on a classic doo-wop structure, with the boys singing "doo-la-loop" after every line. Plus, George is perfect for this delicate song, which is probably the same reason why Ringo sings "Good Night". John really didn't want to be associated with these cuddly little songs, even if he wrote them...it was all about holding up that rough-and-tough, smart-ass, leader persona.
As a child listening to this album, this was always the one song that stuck out to me, just because it has that cute and cuddly idea to it (it was, after all, derived from an animated film).

#8: Chains

Written by: Gerry Goffin & Carole King
Released: March 22nd, 1963
Appears on: Please Please Me
Lead vocal: George

The strangest thing about the early days of the Beatles is their infatuations with girl groups. In fact, on the first two Beatles albums, there are at least two tracks that were originally recorded by girl groups. In the case of "Chains", George's debut vocal, the song was a hit for The Cookies, best-known as Little Eva's back-up singers and would later become the Realettes, who recorded with Ray Charles. It was written by the fantastic Goffin/King duo and I hope I don't have to give you a list of the numerous hits they produced.
The Beatles' performance kicks off with a classic John harmonica intro and the rest of the song is rather unimpressive, compared to the first three tracks on the album. George tries his hardest to pull off a good vocal, but after such powerful vocals from Paul and John, George's performance falls a little flat. Even the Beatles weren't immune to the fact that on every album, there's going to be at least one dud. "Chains" is the first on Please Please Me.