50 years ago: The Beatles “Here Comes the Sun” released

Here Comes the Sun The Beatles

Writer(s): George Harrison (see lyrics here) Released: October 1, 1969 (album cut) First Charted: November 2010 Peak: 3 CL, 58 UK, 99 AU, 7 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 3.0 radio, 147.9 video, 1045.0 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Abbey Road was the eleventh studio album from the Beatles and the last they recorded, although Let It Be was completed and finished after Abbey Road. The album was mostly recorded in the spring and summer of 1969 and is best known for the double-A sided single “Something” and “Come Together” which topped the charts in the United States. The album can also boast having the Beatles’ most streamed song. Surprisingly, their only song as of this writing to surpass the billion airs mark on Spotify is not one of their twenty #1 songs in the United States but the album cut “Here Comes the Sun.” Astonishingly, the song is the first from the ‘60s decade to pass the mark. WK It was never even released as a single in the U.S. or UK, although it did see release as a B-side to “Oh! Darling” in 1970 in Japan. WK The cut was written by George Harrison, who was lucky to get one or two songs on an album amidst the songs co-written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. He wrote it in early 1969 at Eric Clapton’s country house on a day he chose to skip a Beatles’ company meeting with Apple. WK As Harrison said, “It was just sunny and it was all just the release of that tension that had been building up on me.” SF He also said, “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.’” WK Harrison plays acoustic guitar and his newly acquired Moog synthesizer on the cut. It was one of the first pop songs to feature the latter. SF Rolling Stone’s Mikal Gilmore called it a “graceful anthem of hope amid difficult realities.” WK Catholic Herald editor William Oddie said the song conveys “gratitude for the beauty of creation.” WK Tom Petty, who worked with Harrison in the Traveling Wilburys, said “No piece of music can make you feel better than this.” SF Beatles’ producer George Martin went so far as to say it was “in some ways one of the best songs ever written.” WK Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for The Beatles SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 7/30/2023.