The Beatles had a ton of fans, many of whom never had the chance to interact with the Fab Four other than to scream at them from a distance or fawn over them via a television screen. But there were a lucky, loyal few who had the opportunity to make the acquaintance of the group’s members and cross paths with them on a somewhat regular basis.
George Harrison immortalized these folks in the song “Apple Scruffs,” which is found on his classic 1970 triple album All Things Must Pass. It’s a charming, heartfelt performance by Harrison, dedicated with surprising affection to these intrepid fans.
Because he was generally allowed just one or two of the songs he wrote on any Beatles album, George Harrison found material piling up when he prepared to start his solo career. But that didn’t stop him from writing even more fresh songs for possible inclusion on All Things Must Pass. “Apple Scruffs” was one of those latecomers.
Even though The Beatles were deteriorating circa 1970, the four men still had business to conduct at Apple, the company they had formed with much fanfare a few years earlier. Harrison often groused about these requirements, especially as more and more of the meetings at Apple involved lawyers trying to sort through the band’s various entanglements.
Source: Jim Beviglia/americansongwriter.com