Paul McCartney Initially Didn’t Want to Play on Beatles Songs Where George Harrison Used a Sitar
During his time with The Beatles, George Harrison developed a fascination with Indian musical composition. He learned how to play the sitar and used it on several famous Beatles tracks. However, Paul McCartney didn’t share George Harrison’s appreciation for the instrument, and Harrison said McCartney didn’t immediately want to play on Beatles songs that involved the sitar.
George Harrison first played the sitar on ‘Norwegian Wood’
Starting around 1965, The Beatles began to be more experimental with their music, often becoming more psychedelic and surreal. George Harrison developed an interest in Indian music, especially the sitar. After buying a sitar, he introduced the instrument on the song “Norwegian Wood” from the Rubber Soul album. Harrison later used the instrument in songs such as “Love You To,” “Tomorrow Never Knows,” and “Within You Without You.”
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Harrison was asked if he received any pushback from the other Beatles. He said there wasn’t a lot of hesitancy toward the sitar, and John Lennon encouraged it.
“At that time it was all experiments and stuff,” Harrison said. “In fact, I think it was John who really urged me to play sitar on ‘Norwegian Wood,’ which was the first time we used it.”
George Harrison said Paul McCartney didn’t play on Beatles songs that included the sitar
While Lennon encouraged George Harrison to use the sitar on more songs, Paul McCartney was initially against it, according to Harrison. The “Something” singer said McCartney didn’t want to play on Beatles songs that used the Indian instrument. However, during Harrison’s solo career, McCartney liked the sound and even asked him if he was working on any more of those types of songs.
“Now, Paul has just asked me recently whether I’d written any more of those ‘Indian type of tunes,’” Harrison revealed. “He suddenly likes them now. But at the time, he wouldn’t play on them. ‘Within You, Without You’ was just me and some Indian musicians in the studio by ourselves. It sounds a bit dopey now in retrospect, except the sitar solo’s good.”
Sitar player Ravi Shankar developed a strong friendship with Harrison
Despite skepticism from Paul McCartney, George Harrison wanted to hone his craft even further. He attempted to master the craft further by practicing with Indian sitarist and composer Ravi Shankar. The two met once a week and developed a strong friendship that lasted for years. The two even went on tour together for a brief time. In an interview per QZ, Shankar said he was surprised by Harrison’s humility, despite being in one of the world’s most famous groups.
“We fixed it that he would come to India to learn in more depth,” Shankar shared. “I felt strongly that there was a beautiful soul in him and recognized one quality which I always have valued enormously and which is considered the principal one in our culture—humility. Considering that he was so famous—part of the most popular group in the world ever!—he was nevertheless quite humble, with a childlike quality that he has retained to this day.”
