John Lennon Said 1 Beatles Song Revealed George Harrison’s ‘Innate Talent’
TL;DR:
- John Lennon praised one of The Beatles’ songs that George Harrison wrote.
- He said George’s mind and music were “clear” when he made the song.
- The track appeared on Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
John Lennon said one of The Beatles‘ songs from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band displayed George Harrison’s “innate talent.” He cited it as one of the best songs George ever wrote. In addition, George said the track was musically complex.
John Lennon repeatedly cited a Beatles song as 1 of George Harrison’s best compositions
The book All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono features a 1980 interview. In it, John was asked about “Within You Without You.” “One of George’s best songs,” John opined. “One of my favorites of his, too. He’s clear on that song. His mind and his music are clear. There is his innate talent; he brought that sound together.”
The book Lennon on Lennon: Conversations with John Lennon includes a quote from 1973 wherein John discusses his favorite Beatles songs. “Of mine, I like ‘Strawberry Fields [Forever]’ and ‘[I Am the] Walrus,'” he said. “Of Paul’s, I like ‘Here, There and Everywhere.’ Of Ringo’s, I like ‘Honey Don’t.’ And of George’s, I like ‘Within You Without You.’ Of course, I still like ‘Eleanor Rigby,’ and another I liked was ‘For No One.'”
George Harrison revealed why it was difficult to make the song
The book George Harrison on George Harrison: Interviews and Encounters includes an interview from 1992. In it, George discussed “Within You Without You.” “‘Within You Without You’ was the big one,” he opined.
George said the tune was complex. “More than just sitars and tabla [twin drums], it had all the sarangis [an Indian stringed instrument],” he added. “And that was quite a complicated one at the time because it was done in three sections, and then I edited the three sections together. It had a solo instrumental in a 5/4 kind of tempo, which was very unusual.”
How The Beatles’ ‘Within You Without You’ performed on the pop charts in the United States and the United Kingdom
“Within You Without You” was never a single, so it did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100. The song appeared on Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The album was No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for 15 weeks, remaining on the chart for 233 weeks in total.
According to The Official Charts Company, “Within You Without You” never charted in the United Kingdom. There, Sgt. Pepper reached No. 1 for 28 weeks. It lasted a total of 277 weeks on the chart.
“Within You Without You” was not a hit but John was a fan of the song.
