Here Comes the Sun
"Here Comes the Sun" is a song by George Harrison from The Beatles' 1969 album Abbey Road.
| "Here Comes the Sun" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Song by The Beatles | ||||
| from Abbey Road" | ||||
| Released | 26 September 1969 | |||
| Recorded | 7 July-19 August 1969 | |||
| Genre | Folk rock, progressive rock | |||
| Length | 3:05 | |||
| Label | Apple Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | George Harrison | |||
| Producer(s) | George Martin | |||
| Abbey Road track listing | ||||
| ||||
Origin
Harrison stated in The Beatles Anthology:
"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".[1]
Recording
Harrison, McCartney and Starr recorded the song in 13 takes on July 7, 1969. John Lennon did not contribute to the song as he was recovering from a car crash.[2] Towards the end of the session, Harrison spent an hour re-recording his acoustic guitar part. Harrison capoed his guitar on the 7th fret, resulting the final key of A major. 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 handclaps were added on July 16. Harrison's guitar solo was overdubbed 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.[3]
Personnel
- George Harrison – vocal, backing vocal, acoustic guitar, Moog synthesizer, handclaps
- Paul McCartney – backing vocal, bass, handclaps
- Ringo Starr – drums, handclaps
- Uncredited – four violas, four cellos, double bass, two piccolos, two flutes, two alto flutes, two clarinets
- Personnel per Ian MacDonald[2]
Here Comes The Sun Media
Hurt Wood windmill in Ewhurst, Surrey. Harrison wrote "Here Comes the Sun" in the garden at nearby Hurtwood Edge.
An early 1970s version of the Moog 3-series synthesizer used on the song
- George-Harrison-playing (tall crop).jpg
Harrison playing the song at the Prince's Trust Concerts, Wembley Arena, London, June 1987
Richie Havens had the biggest hit of his career with the song.
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Notes
- ↑ The Beatles 2000, p. 339.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 MacDonald 2005, p. 356.
- ↑ The Beatles Bible 2008.
Other websites
- The Beatles (2000). The Beatles Anthology. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. ISBN 0-8118-3636-3.
- "Here Comes the Sun". The Beatles Bible. 2008. Retrieved 26 October 2008.
- "Here Comes the Sun". Fretbase.com. 2010. Retrieved 7 January 2010.
- MacDonald, Ian (2005). Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties (Second Revised ed.). London: Pimlico (Rand). ISBN 1-844-13828-3.
- Sagan, Carl; Drake, Frank D.; Lomberg, Jon; Sagan, Linda Salzman; Druyan, Ann; Ferris, Timothy (1978). Murmurs of Earth: The Voyager Interstellar Record. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-394-41047-5.