The most streamed Beatles song isn’t “She Loves You,” “Hey Jude,” or “All You Need Is Love.” It isn’t even “Yesterday.” If you were about to guess “Something,” you’re on the right track, at least as far as the source album and songwriter. In fact, it’s George Harrison’s other signature song “Here Comes the Sun,” which has racked up 1,433,830,334 Spotify streams as of this writing, nearly a million more than “In My Life” right below it. The You Can’t Unhear This video above breaks down what makes “Here Comes the Sun” stand out even amid the formidable Beatles catalog, from its conception through its recording process.
Though it comes off as a simple song — whose inviting quality may well have something to do with its outsized popularity — “Here Comes the Sun” turns out to be the result of a technically complex and unconventional process fairly characteristic of the late Beatles. Starting with a melody crafted while playing an acoustic guitar in Eric Clapton’s garden (having recused himself from yet another business meeting), Harrison enriched it with such techniques as running his guitar through a revolving Leslie speaker meant for an organ and having his hulking Moog synthesizer transported to Abbey Road so he could add a layer of electronic sublimity.
At this point in the life of the Beatles, everyone involved could surely feel that the band’s end was near. Regardless, none of the Fab Four was quite working in isolation, and indeed, the “Here Comes the Sun” sessions — which, of course, ended up on Abbey Road, the final album they recorded — represent some of their last work as a unit. It’s not surprising that such a context would produce, say, John Lennon’s grimly descending “I Want You (She’s So Heavy),” which ends side one; what startles no matter how many times you hear it is the gentle optimism with which Harrison’s side two opens immediately thereafter, especially if you’re not turning an LP over in between.
Even in isolation, “Here Comes the Sun” has made such a cultural impact that Carl Sagan lobbied for its inclusion on the Voyager “Golden Records,” which were launched into outer space with the intent to give other forms of intelligent life a glimpse of human civilization. The Beatles also liked the idea, but they didn’t own the necessary rights; those belonged to the label EMI, who in the recollection of Sagan’s widow Ann Druyan demanded a prohibitive fee for the song’s use. Had it been included, perhaps it could’ve ended up the first intergalactic hit song — one enjoyed in the orbit of another sun entirely.
Related content:
The Beatles Release the First Ever Video for “Here Comes the Sun”
Hear The Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun” With a Re-Discovered George Harrison Solo
Flashmob Performs The Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun” in Madrid Unemployment Office
How George Martin Defined the Sound of the Beatles: From String Quartets to Backwards Guitar Solos
Watch George Harrison’s Final Interview and Performance (1997)
Based in Seoul, Colin Marshall writes and broadcasts on cities, language, and culture. His projects include the Substack newsletter Books on Cities and the book The Stateless City: a Walk through 21st-Century Los Angeles. Follow him on Twitter at @colinmarshall or on Facebook.
