Remembering When the “Quiet Beatle” Spoke up With His First Songwriting Effort in 1963

By the end of their recording career, The Beatles had the benefit of three standout songwriters. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison all possessed the ability to spin out a classic at a moment’s notice.

But that wasn’t always the case. It took a while for Harrison to find his songwriting legs. His first song recorded with the band was a bit of an oddball that reflected George’s willingness to push against the norms, a characteristic that would remain a hallmark of his writing throughout his career.

When considering George Harrison’s late-bloomer status as a songwriter within The Beatles, it’s important to remember that he was the youngest member of the group. John Lennon and Paul McCartney were both writing songs at a very young age.

As a result, they had a massive head start in terms of honing their songwriting craft. Not only that, but Lennon and McCartney understood the financial edge that they possessed by cultivating a stronghold on the songwriting duties. While they might have encouraged Harrison to write, they didn’t exactly twist his arm.

For his part, Harrison didn’t force himself to write until he was ready. There were no Harrison originals on Please Please Me, the first Beatles album in the UK. But he had one on the follow-up, With The Beatles. A sick day provided the impetus for Harrison’s first-ever songwriting credit with The Fab Four.
No “Bother”

The Beatles were touring in the summer of 1963 when Harrison spent a day in bed under the weather in a hotel room. With nothing else to do, he decided he’d give songwriting a go. At the end of the day, he’d written “Don’t Bother Me”.

When you look at the Lennon/McCartney originals that The Beatles had recorded to that point, they generally fell into one of two categories. Mostly, they were upbeat songs of romance that doubled as fan service. Or they were songs of lost love.

Source: americansongwriter.com/Jim Beviglia

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