Paul McCartney and John Lennon Wanted to Limit George Harrison’s Songwriting in The Beatles

While George Harrison wrote several classic Beatles songs, most of their biggest hits were written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon. The Lennon-McCartney duo is credited with hundreds of Beatles songs, even if there is contention over who deserved more credit. According to McCartney, this was part of the plan as he wanted him and Lennon to handle most of the songwriting. 

George Harrison only wrote a few songs for The Beatles

John Lennon and Paul McCartney were a dynamic songwriting duo responsible for hundreds of Beatles classics like “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” “Eight Days a Week,” and “Can’t Buy Me Love.” While Ringo Starr and George Harrison were irreplaceable on the drums and guitar, they were only responsible for a handful of hits.

Harrison is a talented songwriter, as proven in his solo career. However, during his time with The Beatles, he could only prove his abilities a few times. His songwriting credits on The Beatles include “Something,” “Here Comes the Sun,” and “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” “Something” is one of The Beatles’ No. 1 hits, so Harrison always could write hits alongside McCartney and Lennon.

Paul McCartney wanted him and John Lennon to handle the majority of songwriting duties

There are many stories about Harrison feeling frustrated with his lack of involvement with The Beatles. He often felt his talents were never appreciated and that John Lennon and Paul McCartney had too much control. In an interview with The New Yorker, McCartney said that he did make an agreement with Lennon for the two to handle songwriting duties. He didn’t specifically say to leave Harrison out, but he said it “was implied.”

“I remember walking through Woolton, the village where John was from, and saying to John, ‘Look, you know, it should just be you and me who are the writers,’ ” McCartney recalled. “We never said, ‘Let’s keep George out of it,’ but it was implied.”

Harrison briefly left The Beatles after reaching a breaking point

During the recording sessions for Let it Be, tensions between the bandmates were high. While the band was able to complete the album, there was a moment where it was in doubt when Harrison said, “See you round the clubs,” and abruptly quit. The Beatles considered replacing him with Eric Clapton, but he returned six days later. However, in that time, he wrote a song to air out his grievances. 

The song is called “Wah-Wah” and is on his third studio album, All Things Must Pass. The track was a diss at the other Beatles, with “Wah-Wah” representing the headache-inducing sound of a foot pedal. In his autobiography, I, Me, Mine, Harrison admitted to feeling restricted with The Beatles and he was liberated creatively once the band ended. 

“There was too much restriction [in The Beatles],” Harrison stated. “It had to self-destruct … I could see a much better time ahead being by myself, away from the band … It was like a straitjacket.”