49. SOMETHING
The Beatles
GUITARIST: GEORGE HARRISON (1969)
The Quiet Beatles’ most expressive guitar moment.
Following the sprawling White Album, George sessions, culminating in “Something,” one of the most stunning compositions of his career. The symphonic ballad saw Harrison, for a moment at least, outdo fellow songwriters John Lennon and Paul McCartney, with Lennon himself referring to it as the best song on . The simple piece is mostly in the key of C major, moving to A major in the bridge. As eloquent as the song’s words and music, Harrison’s guitar solo is a masterpiece of emotion that he releases with teasing restraint. Just one year before, he’d invited Eric Clapton to record the solo for “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” (see No. 10). Here, a more confident Harrison — fresh from the sessions, where he stood up to Lennon and McCartney and, briefly, walked out of the Beatles — resumes his role as the band’s lead guitarist, and the result is masterful. The yearning, melodic playing is arguably his finest that was ever committed to tape.
