View source for Something (Beatles song)

{{Short description|1969 song by the Beatles}}
{{Featured article}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Something
| cover = Come Together-Something (single cover).jpg
| alt = 
| caption = 1989 UK reissue picture sleeve
| type      = single
| artist = [[the Beatles]]
| album = [[Abbey Road]]
| A-side = "[[Come Together]]" (double A-side)
| released = {{Start date|1969|10|06|df=y}}
| recorded = 2{{nbsp}}May{{snd}}15{{nbsp}}August 1969
| studio = [[Abbey Road Studios|EMI]] and [[Olympic Studios|Olympic]], London
| genre = *[[Soft rock]]<ref>{{cite book|title=Listen to Classic Rock! Exploring a Musical Genre|first=Melissa|last=Ursula Dawn Goldsmith|date=2019|page=32|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9781440865794|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D6W-DwAAQBAJ|accessdate=21 October 2022}}</ref> 
*[[Pop music|pop]]<ref 
name="Unterberger/AM">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/something-t720901|title=The Beatles 'Something'|last=Unterberger|first=Richie|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=18 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120221093446/http://allmusic.com/song/something-t720901|archive-date=21 February 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> 
| length = {{Duration|m=2|s=59}}
| label = [[Apple Records|Apple]]
| writer = [[George Harrison]]
| producer = [[George Martin]]
| chronology = [[The Beatles]]
| prev_title    = [[The Ballad of John and Yoko]]
| prev_year     = 1969
| title2        = [[Come Together]]
| next_title    = [[Let It Be (song)|Let It Be]]
| next_year     = 1970
| misc =  {{Audio sample
 | type   = single
 | header = Song sample
 | file   = Somethingsample.ogg
}}{{External music video|header=Promotional film|{{YouTube|UelDrZ1aFeY|"Something"}}
 }}
}}
"'''Something'''" is a song by the English rock band [[the Beatles]] from their 1969 studio album ''[[Abbey Road]]''. It was written by [[George Harrison]], the band's lead guitarist. Together with his second contribution to ''Abbey Road'', "[[Here Comes the Sun]]", it is widely viewed by music historians as having marked Harrison's ascendancy as a composer to the level of the Beatles' principal songwriters, [[John Lennon]] and [[Paul McCartney]].<ref>{{harvnb|Perone|2012|p=211: "[''Abbey Road'' marked] the full emergence of George Harrison as a songwriter of equal stature as Paul McCartney and John Lennon"}}; {{harvnb|Lavezzoli|2006|p=185}}: "[Harrison] would finally achieve equal songwriting status alongside Lennon and McCartney with his two classic contributions to the final Beatles LP, ''Abbey Road''"; {{harvnb|Weber|2016|p=82}}: "[By 1968] Harrison began to produce songs that many considered equal to some of Lennon and McCartney's best compositions. This became even more evident on{{nbsp}}... ''Abbey Road'', which contained two masterpieces by Harrison: 'Here Comes the Sun' and 'Something'."</ref><ref>Unterberger, Richie. [https://www.allmusic.com/song/here-comes-the-sun-mt0010100297 "The Beatles 'Here Comes the Sun']. [[AllMusic]]. Retrieved 22 May 2021: "After years of residing in the heavy shadow of the awesome Lennon–McCartney writing partnership, George Harrison obtained equal recognition for his songwriting on the Beatles' final album, ''Abbey Road'', with both 'Something' and 'Here Comes the Sun'."</ref> Two weeks after the album's release, the song was issued on a [[double A-side]] single, coupled with "[[Come Together]]", making it the first Harrison composition to become a Beatles A-side. The pairing was also the first time in the United Kingdom that the Beatles issued a single containing tracks already available on an album. While the single's commercial performance was lessened by this, it topped the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] in the United States as well as charts in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and West Germany, and peaked at number 4 in the UK.

The track is generally considered a love song to [[Pattie Boyd]], Harrison's first wife, although Harrison offered alternative sources of inspiration in later interviews. Owing to the difficulty he faced in getting more than two of his compositions onto each Beatles album, Harrison first offered the song to [[Joe Cocker]]. As recorded by the Beatles, the track features a guitar solo that several music critics identify among Harrison's finest playing. The song also drew praise from the other Beatles and their producer, [[George Martin]], with Lennon stating that it was the best song on ''Abbey Road''. The promotional film for the single combined footage of each of the Beatles with his respective wife, reflecting the estrangement in the band during the months preceding [[Break-up of the Beatles|their break-up]] in April 1970. Harrison subsequently performed the song at his [[Concert for Bangladesh]] shows in 1971 and throughout the two tours he made as a solo artist.

"Something" received the [[Ivor Novello Award]] for the "[[Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically|Best Song Musically and Lyrically]]" of 1969. By the late 1970s, it had been covered by over 150 artists, making it the second-most covered Beatles composition after "[[Yesterday (Beatles song)|Yesterday]]". [[Shirley Bassey]] had a top-five UK hit with her 1970 recording, and [[Frank Sinatra]] regularly performed the song, calling it "the greatest love song of the past 50 years." Other artists who have covered it include [[Elvis Presley]], [[Ray Charles]], [[Booker T. & the M.G.'s]], [[James Brown]], [[Smokey Robinson]] and [[Johnny Rodriguez]]. In 1999, [[Broadcast Music Incorporated]] named "Something" as the 17th-most performed song of the twentieth century, with 5&nbsp;million performances. In 2000, ''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]'' ranked "Something" at number 14 in the magazine's list of "The 100 Greatest Songs of All Time"; it was ranked 110th on ''[[Rolling Stone]]''{{'}}s 2021 list of the "[[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time|500 Greatest Songs of All Time]]". In 2002, a year after Harrison's death, McCartney and [[Eric Clapton]] performed it at the [[Concert for George]] tribute at London's [[Royal Albert Hall]].

==Background and inspiration==
[[File:Ray Charles (1967) - square crop.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.9|Harrison identified [[Ray Charles]] as one of his sources of inspiration for the song.]]
[[George Harrison]] began writing "Something" in September 1968, during a session for the Beatles' [[The Beatles (album)|self-titled double album]], also known as "the White Album".<ref name="Lewisohn/Mojo Beatles Final Years">Mark Lewisohn, "Something Else", in ''Mojo Special Limited Edition'', p. 118.</ref> In his autobiography, ''[[I, Me, Mine (book)|I, Me, Mine]]'', he recalls working on the melody on a piano, at the same time as [[Paul McCartney]] recorded [[Overdubbing|overdubs]] in a neighbouring studio at London's [[Abbey Road Studios]].{{sfn|Harrison|2002|p=152}} Harrison suspended work on the song,<ref name="bbc">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/soldonsong/songlibrary/something.shtml|title=Sold on Song – Top 100 – Something|publisher=[[BBC Radio 2]]|date=April 2005|access-date=18 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106184354/http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/soldonsong/songlibrary/something.shtml|archive-date=6 January 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> believing that with the tune having come to him so easily, it might have been a melody from another song.{{sfn|Clayson|2003|p=250}} In ''I, Me, Mine'', he wrote that the [[middle eight]] "took some time to sort out".{{sfn|Womack|2014|p=851}}

The opening lyric was taken from the title of "[[Something in the Way She Moves]]", a track by [[James Taylor]], another [[Apple Records]] artist.{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=306}}<ref name="pauldunoyer">{{cite magazine |first=Paul |last=Du Noyer |url=http://www.pauldunoyer.com/pages/journalism/journalism_item.asp?journalismID=238 |title=George Harrison's Uncertain Something |magazine=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]] |date=January 2002 |access-date=29 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130526073720/http://www.pauldunoyer.com/pages/journalism/journalism_item.asp?journalismID=238 |archive-date=26 May 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> While Harrison imagined the composition in the style of [[Ray Charles]],{{sfn|The Editors of ''Rolling Stone''|2002|p=177}} his inspiration for "Something" was his wife, [[Pattie Boyd]].{{sfn|Clayson|2003|pp=250–51, 271}}<ref>{{cite news|last=Welch|first=Chris|title=George Harrison 1943–2001|date=1 December 2001|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]}} Available at [http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/george-harrison-1943-2001 Rock's Backpages] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402162202/http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/george-harrison-1943-2001 |date=2 April 2015 }} (subscription required).</ref> In her 2007 autobiography, ''[[Wonderful Today]]'', Boyd recalls: "He told me, in a matter-of-fact way, that he had written it for me. I thought it was beautiful&nbsp;..." Boyd discusses the song's popularity among other recording artists and concludes: "My favourite [version] was the one by George Harrison, which he played to me in the kitchen at [[Kinfauns]]."{{sfn|Boyd|2007|p=117}}

Having begun to write love songs that were directed at both God and a woman, with his White Album track "[[Long, Long, Long]]",{{sfn|Schaffner|1978|p=115}} Harrison later cited alternative sources for his inspiration for "Something".{{sfn|Allison|2006|p=155}} In early 1969, according to author Joshua Greene, Harrison told his friends from the [[Hare Krishna Movement]] that the song was about the Hindu deity [[Krishna]];{{sfn|Greene|2006|p=142}} in an interview with ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' in 1976, he said of his approach to writing love songs: "all love is part of a universal love. When you love a woman, it's the God in her that you see."{{sfn|The Editors of ''Rolling Stone''|2002|p=132}} By 1996, Harrison had denied writing "Something" for Boyd.<ref name="pauldunoyer" /> That year, he told a music journalist that "everybody presumed I wrote it about Pattie" because of the promotional film accompanying the release of the Beatles' recording, which showed the couple together.<ref name="pauldunoyer" />
{{Clear}}

==Composition==
In the version issued on the Beatles' 1969 album ''[[Abbey Road]]'', which was the first release for the song,{{sfn|Clayson|2003|p=251, 283}} "Something" runs at a speed of around 66 [[beats per minute]] and is in [[common time]] throughout. It begins with a guitar figure, which functions as the song's chorus, since it is repeated before each of the verses and also closes the track.{{sfn|Everett|1999|pp=248, 249}} The melody is in the [[key (music)|key]] of [[C major]] until the eight-measure-long [[bridge (music)|bridge]], or middle eight, which is in the key of [[A major]].<ref name="Pollack/Something" />{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|pp=306, 452}} Harrison biographer Simon Leng identifies "harmonic interest&nbsp;... [in] almost every line" of the song, as the melody follows a series of descending half-steps from the [[Tonic (music)|tonic]] over the verses, a structure that is then mirrored in the new key, through the middle eight.{{sfn|Leng|2006|p=41}} The melody returns to C major for the guitar solo, the third verse, and the [[Conclusion (music)|outro]].<ref name="Pollack/Something">{{cite web |last=Pollack |first=Alan W. |date=1999 |url=http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/s.shtml |title=Notes on 'Something' |publisher=soundscapes.info |access-date=20 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150221204930/http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/s.shtml |archive-date=21 February 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Leng considers that, lyrically and musically, "Something" reflects "doubt and striving to attain an uncertain goal".{{sfn|Leng|2006|p=41}} Author Ian Inglis writes of the confident statements that Harrison makes throughout regarding his feelings for Boyd.{{sfn|Inglis|2010|p=15}} Referring to lines in the song's verses,{{sfn|Harrison|2002|p=154}} Inglis writes: "there is a clear and mutual confidence in the reciprocal nature of their love; he muses that [Boyd] 'attracts me like no other lover' and 'all I have to do is think of her,' but he is equally aware that she feels the same, that 'somewhere in her smile, she knows.{{'"}}{{sfn|Inglis|2010|p=15}} Similarly, when Harrison sings in the middle eight that "You're asking me will my love grow / I don't know, I don't know",{{sfn|Harrison|2002|p=154}} Inglis interprets the words as "not an indication of uncertainty, but a wry reflection that his love is already so complete that it may simply be impossible for it to become any greater".{{sfn|Inglis|2010|p=15}} [[Richie Unterberger]] of [[AllMusic]] describes "Something" as "an unabashedly straightforward and sentimental love song" written at a time "when most of the Beatles' songs were dealing with non-romantic topics or presenting cryptic and allusive lyrics even when they were writing about love".<ref name="Unterberger/AM" />

==Pre-''Abbey Road'' recording history==
===The Beatles' ''Get Back/Let It Be'' rehearsals===
Harrison introduced "Something" at a Beatles session on 19 September 1968, when he played it to [[George Martin]]'s stand-in as producer of ''The Beatles'', [[Chris Thomas (record producer)|Chris Thomas]], while the latter was working out the [[harpsichord]] part for Harrison's track "[[Piggies]]".<ref name="Lewisohn/Mojo Beatles Final Years" /> Despite Thomas's enthusiasm for the new composition, Harrison chose to focus on "Piggies".{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=278}} He told Thomas that he intended to offer "Something" to singer [[Jackie Lomax]],<ref name="Lewisohn/Mojo Beatles Final Years" /> whose debut album Harrison was producing for Apple Records.{{sfn|Leng|2006|pp=55–56}} "Something" was not among the tracks released on Lomax's album,{{sfn|Castleman|Podrazik|1976|pp=75, 77}} much of which was recorded in Los Angeles after ''The Beatles'' was completed.{{sfn|Miles|2001|pp=312, 313}}

After Harrison rejoined the Beatles in January 1969 for their ''[[Let It Be (album)|Get Back]]'' film project (later released as ''[[Let It Be (1970 film)|Let It Be]]''), "Something" was one of many recent compositions that he offered to the group.<ref>Martin O'Gorman, "Film on Four", in ''Mojo Special Limited Edition'', p. 73.</ref> Leng describes this period as a prolific one for Harrison as a songwriter, comparing it with [[John Lennon]]'s peak of creativity over 1963–64,{{sfn|Leng|2006|p=39}} yet Harrison's songs received little interest from Lennon and McCartney amid the tense, uncooperative atmosphere within the band.{{sfn|The Editors of ''Rolling Stone''|2002|p=38}}{{sfn|Sulpy|Schweighardt|1997|pp=1–2, 292–93}} Martin was also unimpressed by "Something" at first, considering it "too weak and derivative", according to music journalist [[Mikal Gilmore]].{{sfn|The Editors of ''Rolling Stone''|2002|p=38}}

The Beatles rehearsed the song at [[Apple Studios (recording studio)|Apple Studio]] on 28 January.{{sfn|Sulpy|Schweighardt|1997|pp=291–92}} With the proceedings being recorded by director [[Michael Lindsay-Hogg]] for the planned documentary film,<ref>Martin O'Gorman, "Film on Four", in ''Mojo Special Limited Edition'', pp. 70–71.</ref> tapes reveal Harrison discussing his unfinished lyrics for "Something" with Lennon and McCartney, since he had been unable to complete the song's second line, which begins "Attracts me&nbsp;..."{{sfn|Hertsgaard|1996|p=119}} To serve as a temporary filler, Lennon suggested "like a cauliflower", which Harrison then altered to "like a pomegranate".<ref name="Lewisohn/Mojo Beatles Final Years" />{{sfn|Unterberger|2006|p=259}} In their study of the available tapes, Doug Sulpy and Ray Schweighardt write that the Beatles gave the song two run-throughs that day, which was the only occasion that they attempted it during the ''Get Back''/''Let It Be'' project.{{sfn|Sulpy|Schweighardt|1997|pp=291–92, 330}}

===Harrison solo demo===
Following the Beatles' brief efforts with "Something" on 28 January,{{sfn|Sulpy|Schweighardt|1997|pp=292–93}} Harrison talked with Lennon and [[Yoko Ono]] about recording a solo album of his unused songs, since he had already stockpiled enough compositions "for the next ten years", given his usual allocation of two tracks per album,{{sfn|Spizer|2005|p=220}} and to "preserve this, the Beatle bit, more".{{sfn|Hertsgaard|1996|p=283}} Lennon offered his support for the idea,{{sfn|Hertsgaard|1996|p=283}} similarly keen that his and Ono's recording projects outside the Beatles could continue without jeopardising the band's future.{{sfn|Sulpy|Schweighardt|1997|pp=292–93}} On 25 February 1969 – his 26th birthday – Harrison entered Abbey Road Studios and taped solo [[Demo (music)|demos]] of "Something", "[[Old Brown Shoe]]" and "[[All Things Must Pass (song)|All Things Must Pass]]",{{sfn|Miles|2001|p=335}}{{sfn|Winn|2009|pp=264–65}} the last two of which had also been rejected recently by Lennon and McCartney.{{sfn|Huntley|2006|pp=18–19}}

With [[Ken Scott]] serving as his engineer,{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=302}} he recorded a live take of "Something", featuring electric guitar and vocal.<ref>Mark Lewisohn, liner notes in booklet accompanying the Beatles' ''[[Anthology 3]]'' CD ([[Apple Records]], 1996; produced by George Martin), p. 37.</ref>{{sfn|Unterberger|2006|pp=264–65}} By this point, Harrison had completed the lyrics, although he included an extra verse, sung to a [[counter-melody]], over the section that would comprise his guitar solo on the Beatles' subsequent official recording.{{sfn|Leng|2006|p=41}} This demo version of "Something" remained unreleased until its inclusion on the Beatles' [[outtake]] collection ''[[Anthology 3]]'' in 1996.{{sfn|Spizer|2005|p=225}}{{refn|group=nb|The ''Anthology 3'' track omits a piano overdub that was present on the acetate from Harrison's birthday session.{{sfn|Winn|2009|p=264}}{{sfn|Unterberger|2006|p=265}}}}

===Joe Cocker demo===
In March 1969, Harrison gave "Something" to [[Joe Cocker]] to record,{{sfn|Everett|1999|p=249}} having decided that it was more likely to become a hit with Cocker than with Lomax.{{sfn|Clayson|2003|p=251}} Referring to this and similar examples where Harrison placed his overlooked songs with other recording artists, Ken Scott has rebutted the idea that he lacked confidence as a songwriter in the Beatles, saying:
<blockquote>
I think he was totally confident about the songs. The insecurity may have been, if the Beatles kept going, "How many songs am I going to be able to get on each album?", and with the backlog sort of mounting up&nbsp;... [to] get it out there, and get something from it.<ref>Ken Scott, in ''[[George Harrison: Living in the Material World]]'' DVD. [[Village Roadshow]], 2011. (Directed by Martin Scorsese; produced by Olivia Harrison, Nigel Sinclair, Martin Scorsese.) Disc 2: event occurs between 6:26 and 6:57.</ref>
</blockquote>
Assisted by Harrison, Cocker recorded a demo of the song at Apple.<ref name="Lewisohn/Mojo Beatles Final Years" /> While musicologist [[Walter Everett (musicologist)|Walter Everett]] suggests that this was the same recording of "Something" that appeared on the ''[[Joe Cocker!]]'' album in November 1969,{{sfn|Everett|1999|p=249}} Beatles historian [[Mark Lewisohn]] writes that Cocker subsequently remade the track.<ref name="Lewisohn/Mojo Beatles Final Years" />

==Recording and production==
{{Main|Abbey Road}}
{{quote box|quote= George's "Something" was out of left field. It was about Pattie, and it appealed to me because it has a very beautiful melody and is a really structured song&nbsp;... I think George thought my bass-playing was a little bit busy. Again, from my side, I was trying to contribute the best I could, but maybe it was his turn to tell me I was too busy.{{sfn|The Beatles|2000|p=340}}|source= – Paul McCartney, 2000|width=25%|align=right|style=padding:8px;}}
The Beatles undertook the recording of ''Abbey Road'' with a sense of discipline and cooperation that had largely been absent while making the White Album and ''Let It Be''.{{sfn|Hertsgaard|1996|pp=173, 294}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.clashmusic.com/feature/classic-albums-the-beatles-abbey-road|title=Classic Album: The Beatles – Abbey Road|last=Harper|first=Simon|date=12 November 2009|work=[[Clash (magazine)|Clash]]|access-date=25 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150225063302/http://www.clashmusic.com/feature/classic-albums-the-beatles-abbey-road|archive-date=25 February 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> Having temporarily left the group in January 1969, partly as a result of McCartney's criticism of his musicianship, Harrison exhibited a greater level of assertiveness regarding his place in the band, particularly while they worked on his compositions "Something" and "[[Here Comes the Sun]]".{{sfn|Inglis|2010|pp=15–16}} In addition, like Lennon and McCartney, Martin had come to fully appreciate Harrison as a songwriter, later saying: "I first recognised that he really had a great talent when we did 'Here Comes the Sun.' But when he brought in 'Something,' it was something else&nbsp;... It was a tremendous work – and so simple."{{sfn|The Editors of ''Rolling Stone''|2002|p=178}}

The group recorded "Something" on 16 April before Harrison decided to redo the song, a new basic track for which was then completed at Abbey Road on 2 May. The line-up was Harrison on [[Leslie speaker|Leslie]]-effected rhythm guitar, Lennon on piano, McCartney on bass, [[Ringo Starr]] on drums, and guest musician [[Billy Preston]] playing [[Hammond organ]]. On 5 May, at [[Olympic Sound Studios]], McCartney re-recorded his bass part and Harrison added lead guitar.{{sfn|Everett|1999|p=249}} According to EMI engineer [[Geoff Emerick]], Harrison asked McCartney to simplify his playing, but McCartney refused.{{sfn|Womack|2014|p=852}} At this point, the song ran to eight minutes, due to the inclusion of an extended, jam-like [[Coda (music)|coda]] led by Lennon's piano.{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=306}}

After taking a break from recording,{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=311}}{{sfn|Lewisohn|2005|p=177}} the band returned to "Something" on 11 July, when Harrison overdubbed what would turn out to be a temporary vocal.{{sfn|Everett|1999|p=249}}{{sfn|Unterberger|2006|p=269}} With the resulting [[Reduction mixing|reduction mix]], much of the coda, along with almost all of Lennon's playing on the main part of the song, was cut from the recording. The piano can be heard only in the middle eight, specifically during the descending run that follows each pair of "I don't know" vocal lines.{{sfn|Everett|1999|p=249}}{{refn|group=nb|Lennon later reprised the piano chords from the discarded coda in his 1970 song "[[Remember (John Lennon song)|Remember]]".{{sfn|Spizer|2003|p=58}}{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=306fn}} Music critic [[Richie Unterberger]] describes this coda as "unclassifiably strange" and at odds, in melody, mood and time signature, with Harrison's composition.{{sfn|Unterberger|2006|p=269}} The version of "Something" with the piano-led jam was one of several tracks considered but passed over for inclusion on the three ''Anthology'' albums.{{sfn|Badman|2001|p=542}}}} On 16 July, Harrison recorded a new vocal,{{sfn|Winn|2009|p=315}} with McCartney overdubbing his harmony vocal over the middle eight and Starr adding both a second [[hi-hat]] part and a cymbal.{{sfn|Everett|1999|p=249}}

Following another reduction mix, at which point the remainder of the coda was excised from the track, Martin-arranged string orchestration was overdubbed on 15 August, as Harrison, working in the adjacent studio at Abbey Road, re-recorded his lead guitar part live.{{sfn|Everett|1999|p=249}} Writing for ''Rolling Stone'' in 2002, [[David Fricke]] described the Beatles' version of "Something" as "actually two moods in one: the pillowy yearning of the verses&nbsp;... and the golden thunder of the bridge, the latter driven by Ringo Starr's military flourish on a high-hat cymbal".{{sfn|The Editors of ''Rolling Stone''|2002|p=178}} Leng highlights Harrison's guitar solo on the recording as "a performance that is widely regarded as one of the great guitar solos", and one in which Harrison incorporates the [[Gamaka (music)|gamaks]] associated with [[Indian classical music]], following his study of the [[sitar]] in 1965–68, while also foreshadowing the expressive style he would adopt on [[slide guitar]] as a solo artist.{{sfn|Leng|2006|p=42}}

==Release==
===Selection for single release===
{{quote box|quote= They blessed me with a couple of B-sides in the past, but this is the first time I've had an A-side. Big deal, eh?<ref name="Lewisohn/Mojo Beatles Final Years" />|source= – George Harrison to [[BBC]] reporter David Wigg, 8 October 1969|width=25%|align=left|style=padding:8px;}}
Apple Records issued ''Abbey Road'' on 26 September 1969,{{sfn|Miles|2001|p=354}} with "Something" sequenced as the second track, following Lennon's "[[Come Together]]".{{sfn|Castleman|Podrazik|1976|p=81}} Lennon considered "Something" to be the best song on the album.<ref name="pauldunoyer" />{{sfn|The Editors of ''Rolling Stone''|2002|pp=177–78, 201}} Having ensured that "Old Brown Shoe" was chosen as the [[B-side]] for the Beatles' single "[[The Ballad of John and Yoko]]", according to his later recollection,{{sfn|Sheff|2010|p=166}} Lennon now pushed [[Allen Klein]] to release "Something" as a single from ''Abbey Road''. Coupled with "Come Together", the single was issued on 6 October in America (as Apple 2654) and 31 October in Britain (as Apple R5814).{{sfn|Castleman|Podrazik|1976|p=81}}{{sfn|Lewisohn|2005|pp=193, 200}}

The release marked the first time that a Harrison composition had been afforded A-side treatment on a Beatles single,{{sfn|Miles|2001|p=355}} as well as the only time during their career that a single was issued in the UK featuring tracks already available on an album.{{sfn|Lewisohn|2005|p=193}} In a 1990 letter to Mark Lewisohn, Klein rebutted a claim made by Lewisohn in his book ''[[The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions]]'', that the single was intended as a money-making exercise: Klein said it was purely a mark of Lennon's regard for "Something" and "to point out George as a writer, and give him courage to go in and do his own LP. Which he did."<ref name="Lewisohn/Mojo Beatles Final Years" />{{refn|group=nb|Allan Steckler, Klein's colleague, dismissed another claim made by Beatles biographers, that Klein was merely attempting to win Harrison's support. Steckler said: "Klein believed in George's talent and wanted to enhance his reputation as a songwriter."{{sfn|Spizer|2003|p=59}}}} Following the Beatles' [[Break-up of the Beatles|break-up]] in April 1970, Harrison's ascendancy as a songwriter would continue with his triple album ''[[All Things Must Pass]]'',<ref>Adrian Thrills, "Ten Years After: George", in Hunt, p. 22.</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Clerk|first=Carol|title=George Harrison|date=February 2002|magazine=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]}} Available at [http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/george-harrison-2 Rock's Backpages] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141215032558/http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/george-harrison-2 |date=15 December 2014 }} (subscription required).</ref> building on the promise of White Album tracks such as "[[While My Guitar Gently Weeps]]"{{sfn|Schaffner|1978|pp=115, 140, 142}} and his two contributions to ''Abbey Road''.{{sfn|Sullivan|2013|p=563}}{{sfn|Ingham|2006|p=127}}

===Promotional film===
[[File:Harrison and boyd in promotinal video.jpg|right|thumb|Harrison and Boyd in the "Something" film clip]]
The promotional film for "Something" was shot in late October 1969, not long after Lennon privately announced that he was leaving the band. By this time, the band members had grown apart. As a result, the film consisted of separate clips, edited together, featuring the Beatles walking around the grounds of their homes with their respective wives.{{sfn|Winn|2009|p=335}} Harrison's segment shows him and Boyd together in the garden at Kinfauns; in author John Winn's description, Harrison appears "solemn" while Boyd is seen "smiling sweetly" and "sporting leather and fur coats". Winn also comments on the attractiveness of all the wives in contrast to the unkempt appearance of McCartney, especially, who had sunk into depression at the realisation that the Beatles were over.{{sfn|Winn|2009|p=335}} The four segments were edited and compiled into a single film clip by [[Neil Aspinall]].<ref name="Kozinn/NYT">{{cite news |last=Kozinn |first=Allan |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/24/arts/music/24cnd-aspinall.html?pagewanted=all |title=Neil Aspinall, Beatles Aide, Dies at 66 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=24 March 2008 |access-date=15 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140406221729/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/24/arts/music/24cnd-aspinall.html?pagewanted=all |archive-date=6 April 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> Writing in ''[[The New York Times]]'' following Aspinall's death in 2008, [[Allan Kozinn]] said: "What Mr. Aspinall's idyllic film avoided showing was that the Beatles were at that point barely on speaking terms. In the film, no two Beatles are seen together."<ref name="Kozinn/NYT" />

In 2015, following [[Film restoration|restoration]] overseen by Apple's Jonathan Clyde,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-beatles-1-films-videos-albums-reissue-20151009-story.html|first=Randy|last=Lewis|title=First Impression: The Beatles' '1/1+' delivers something new|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=9 October 2015|access-date=12 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212131441/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-beatles-1-films-videos-albums-reissue-20151009-story.html|archive-date=12 February 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> the "Something" promo film was included in the Beatles' video compilation ''[[1 (Beatles album)|1]]'' and its expanded edition, ''1+''.<ref>{{cite web |first= Matt |last= Rowe |title= The Beatles 1 To Be Reissued With New Audio Remixes{{nbsp}}... And Videos |work= [[The Morton Report]] |date= 18 September 2015 |access-date= 9 January 2016 |url= http://www.themortonreport.com/entertainment/music/the-beatles-1-to-be-reissued-with-new-audio-remixesand-videos |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151229085947/http://www.themortonreport.com/entertainment/music/the-beatles-1-to-be-reissued-with-new-audio-remixesand-videos/ |archive-date= 29 December 2015 |url-status= live }}</ref> ''Rolling Stone'' journalist [[Rob Sheffield]] comments on the significance of the clip, with regard to the band's history:
<blockquote>
[E]ach couple projects a totally different vibe – George and Patti peacocking in their hippie-royalty finery, Paul and Linda on the farm in Scotland with Martha the sheepdog, Ringo and Maureen goofing around on motorbikes, John and Yoko serene in their matching black robes. Each Beatle looks like he's found what he was looking for – but they're heading for four separate futures.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-beatles-new-1-video-collection-the-10-fabbest-moments-20151106|first=Rob|last=Sheffield|title=The Beatles' New '+1' Video Collection: The 10 Fabbest Moments|publisher=[[Rolling Stone|rollingstone.com]]|date=6 November 2015|access-date=9 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316051005/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-beatles-new-1-video-collection-the-10-fabbest-moments-20151106|archive-date=16 March 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
</blockquote>

In her review of ''1+'', for ''[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]'', Gillian Gaar says that with the Beatles' promotional films of their singles, from "[[Love Me Do]]" to "Something" (the last one they made during their career), "you can see the development of the promo clip, progressing from a short film that simply served up a straight performance to a piece of work that was striving to be something more artistic."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/11/the-beatles-1-review.html|first=Gillian G.|last=Gaar|title=The Beatles: ''1+'' Review|magazine=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]|date=10 November 2015|access-date=12 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180928144851/https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/11/the-beatles-1-review.html|archive-date=28 September 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Critical reception==
===Contemporary reviews===
''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine declared "Something" to be the best track on ''Abbey Road'',{{sfn|Schaffner|1978|p=124}} while [[John Mendelsohn (musician)|John Mendelsohn]] wrote in ''Rolling Stone'': "George's vocal, containing less adenoids and more grainy Paul tunefulness than ever before, is one of many highlights on his 'Something,' some of the others being more excellent drum work, a dead catchy guitar line, perfectly subdued strings, and an unusually nice melody. Both his and Joe Cocker's version will suffice nicely until Ray Charles gets around to it."<ref name="Mendelsohn">{{cite magazine|last=Mendelsohn|first=John|date=15 November 1969|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/abbey-road-19691115|title=The Beatles ''Abbey Road''|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|access-date=23 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140421055432/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/abbey-road-19691115|archive-date=21 April 2014}}</ref> Writing in ''[[Saturday Review (U.S. magazine)|Saturday Review]]'' magazine, Ellen Sander described "Something" as "certainly one of the most beautiful songs George Harrison has ever written" and added: "He feels his way through the song, instinctively cutting through its body and into the core, emoting so clearly and so gracefully that at the moment he peals 'I don't know, I don't know,' it is shown that even what is not known can be understood."<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Sander|first=Ellen|title=The Beatles: ''Abbey Road'' |date=25 October 1969|magazine=[[Saturday Review (U.S. magazine)|Saturday Review]]|page=69}}</ref>

According to Beatles biographer [[Nicholas Schaffner]], "Something" showed Harrison following McCartney's populist approach and some "long-haired music critics" were repelled by the song's use of lush [[Middle of the road (music)|MOR]]-style orchestration.{{sfn|Schaffner|1978|pp=123–24}} An outspoken critic of ''Abbey Road'', ''The New York Times''{{'}}s [[Nik Cohn]] derided it and "Here Comes the Sun" as "mediocrity incarnate".{{sfn|Womack|2019|p=1}} By contrast, Lon Goddard of ''[[Record Mirror]]'' described the song as "another beautiful Harrison composition" in the style of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", saying that "It leaps scales in its heavy orchestral arrangement, then drifts down to George's simple but effective guitar style."<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Goddard|first=Lon|title=The Beatles: ''Abbey Road'' (Apple Stereo PCS 7088)|date=27 September 1969|magazine=[[Record Mirror]]}} Available at [https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/the-beatles-iabbey-roadi-apple-stereo-pcs-7088 Rock's Backpages] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190125183606/https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/the-beatles-iabbey-roadi-apple-stereo-pcs-7088 |date=25 January 2019 }} (subscription required).</ref>

In his review of the single, Derek Johnson of the ''[[NME]]'' lauded the track as "a real quality hunk of pop" with a "strident lead guitar which exudes a mean and moody quality". Johnson stated his regret that Harrison "isn't featured more regularly as a singer", and concluded of "Something": "It's a song that grows on you, and mark my words, it will – in a big way!"<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Johnson|first=Derek|title=Singer Harrison a Winner|magazine=[[NME]]|date=1 November 1969|page=8}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|editor=Sutherland, Steve|title=[[NME|NME Originals]]: Lennon|year=2003|publisher=IPC Ignite!|location=London|page=67}}</ref> As guest singles reviewer for ''[[Melody Maker]]'', [[Keef Hartley]] said it was "probably the best track" on ''Abbey Road'', adding: "What I was waiting for was that guitar solo because George Harrison is just about the only guitar player I know of who can plan a solo so it doesn't sound as though it is planned."<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Hartley|first=Keef|title=Blind Date|magazine=[[Melody Maker]]|date=1 November 1969|page=20}}</ref>

===Commercial performance===
Although its commercial impact was lessened by the ongoing success of the parent album,{{sfn|Clayson|2003|p=284}} "Something" / "Come Together" was certified [[Gold single|Gold]] by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] (RIAA) on 27 October.{{sfn|Castleman|Podrazik|1976|p=332}} During the single's chart run on ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' in the US, "Something" peaked at number 3 until the magazine changed its practice of counting sales and airplay separately for each song; following this change on 29 November,{{sfn|Schaffner|1978|p=133}} the single topped the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]],<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Billboard Hot 100 for week ending November 29, 1969|date=29 November 1969|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|page=90}}</ref><ref name="Mapes/BB">{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/list/464932/george-harrisons-10-biggest-billboard-hits|title=George Harrison's 10 Biggest Billboard Hits|last=Mapes|first=Jillian|publisher=[[Billboard (magazine)|billboard.com]]|date=5 February 2014|access-date=23 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150224225329/http://www.billboard.com/articles/list/464932/george-harrisons-10-biggest-billboard-hits|archive-date=24 February 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> for one week.{{sfn|Castleman|Podrazik|1976|p=351}} "Come Together" / "Something" became the Beatles' eighteenth number 1 single in ''Billboard'', surpassing [[Elvis Presley]]'s record of seventeen.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rockhall.com/blog/post/6901_today-in-rock--the-beatles-something-come-together/|title=Today in Rock: The Beatles hit Number One with 'Come Together/Something'|publisher=[[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum]]|access-date=28 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402152552/http://rockhall.com/blog/post/6901_today-in-rock--the-beatles-something-come-together/|archive-date=2 April 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> In the other US national charts, ''[[Record World]]'' listed "Something" / "Come Together" at number 1 for two weeks and "Come Together" / "Something" for the remaining three weeks at number 1,{{sfn|Spizer|2003|p=57}} while in ''[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]]'' magazine, which continued to rank each song separately, "Something" peaked at number 2 and "Come Together" spent three weeks at number 1.{{sfn|Hoffmann|1983|pp=32–34}}

As the preferred side, "Something" was number 1 in Canada (for five weeks), Australia (five weeks), West Germany (two weeks), New Zealand and Singapore.{{sfn|Sullivan|2013|p=563}} The combined sides reached number 4 in Britain.<ref name="UKchart">{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/Artist/10363/BEATLES/|title=The Beatles|publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|access-date=23 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160512024604/http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/10363/beatles/|archive-date=12 May 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> There, the release was highly unusual,<ref name="Lewisohn/Mojo Beatles Final Years" /> given the traditional preference for non-album singles.{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=201}} In addition, according to former ''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]'' editor [[Paul Du Noyer]], "so enormous were sales of ''Abbey Road'' that demand for the single was inevitably dampened."<ref name="pauldunoyer" />

Along with "Here Comes the Sun", "Something" was included on the Beatles' 1973 compilation album ''[[1967–1970]]'',{{sfn|Castleman|Podrazik|1976|pp=123–24}} thereby giving Harrison two of the four tracks representing ''Abbey Road''.{{sfn|Spizer|2003|p=232}} In 1976, Capitol sequenced it as the opening track of ''[[The Best of George Harrison]]'', a compilation that, against Harrison's wishes, combined his best-known compositions from the Beatles era with his hits as a solo artist.{{sfn|Badman|2001|p=197}}{{sfn|Ingham|2006|pp=137–38}} The song was subsequently included on the band's themed compilations ''[[Love Songs (Beatles album)|Love Songs]]'' and ''[[The Beatles Ballads]]''.{{sfn|Womack|2014|pp=94–95, 582}}

On 17 February 1999, "Something" was certified double [[Platinum single|Platinum]] by the RIAA.<ref name="RIAA"/> In its 2014 list titled "The Beatles' 50 Biggest Billboard Hits", ''Billboard'' places the double A-side single in sixth place, immediately after "[[Let It Be (song)|Let It Be]]" and ahead of "[[Hello, Goodbye]]".<ref name="BB50Biggest" />{{refn|group=nb|Additionally, "Something" is placed again at number 30, representing the song's performance before the November 1969 Hot 100 rule change.<ref name="BB50Biggest">{{cite web|author=Billboard Staff|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/list/5893869/the-beatles-top-50-songs-biggest-billboard-hot-100-hits?list_page=4|title=The Beatles' 50 Biggest Billboard Hits|date=7 February 2014|publisher=[[Billboard (magazine)|billboard.com]]|access-date=26 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150218202923/http://www.billboard.com/articles/list/5893869/the-beatles-top-50-songs-biggest-billboard-hot-100-hits?list_page=4|archive-date=18 February 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>}}

==Retrospective assessments and legacy==
{{quote box|quote= Harrison and Apple publicist [[Derek Taylor]] had a standing joke. Whenever either of them had an idea, they would quip "This could be the big one." "Something", written in mid-1968 on a piano in Abbey Road during a break from work on ''The Beatles'', really did become the big one for Harrison.{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=305}}|source= – Author [[Ian MacDonald]]|width=25%|align=right|style=padding:8px;}}
Along with "Here Comes the Sun", the song established Harrison as a composer to match Lennon and McCartney.{{sfn|Hertsgaard|1996|pp=297, 300}}{{sfn|Miles|2001|pp=355–56}} Writing in his book ''[[Revolution in the Head]]'', author and critic [[Ian MacDonald]] described "Something" as "the acme of Harrison's achievement as a writer". MacDonald highlighted the song's "key-structure of classical grace and panoramic effect", and cited the lyrics to verse two as "its author's finest lines – at once deeper and more elegant than almost anything his colleagues ever wrote".{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=306}}

Like Lennon, both McCartney and Starr held the song in high regard.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://time.com/3394132/original-abbey-road-review-1969/|title=Original ''Abbey Road'' Review: Record 'Crammed With Musical Delights'|last=Rothman|first=Lily|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=26 September 2014|access-date=25 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150204072043/http://time.com/3394132/original-abbey-road-review-1969/|archive-date=4 February 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|Winn|2009|p=326}} In the 2000 book ''[[The Beatles Anthology (book)|The Beatles Anthology]]'', Starr paired "Something" with "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" as "Two of the finest love songs ever written", adding, "they're really on a par with what John and Paul or anyone else of that time wrote"; McCartney said it was "George's greatest track – with 'Here Comes the Sun' and 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps{{'"}}.{{sfn|The Beatles|2000|p=340}} Among Harrison's other peers, [[Paul Simon]] described "Something" as a "masterpiece" and [[Elton John]] said: {{"'}}Something' is probably one of the best love songs ever, ever, {{em|ever}} written&nbsp;... It's better than 'Yesterday,' much better&nbsp;... It's like the song I've been chasing for the last thirty-five years."{{sfn|The Editors of ''Rolling Stone''|2002|pp=233, 235}}

In a 2002 article for ''[[The Morning News (online magazine)|The Morning News]]'', [[Kenneth Womack]] included Harrison's guitar solo on the track among his "Ten Great Beatles Moments".{{sfn|Womack|2006|pp=xi, 189}} Describing the instrumental break as "the song's greatest lyrical feature – even more lyrical, interestingly enough, than the lyrics themselves", Womack concluded: "A masterpiece in simplicity, Harrison's solo reaches toward the sublime, wrestles with it in a bouquet of downward syncopation, and hoists it yet again in a moment of supreme grace."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.themorningnews.org/article/ten-great-beatles-moments |title=Ten Great Beatles Moments |last=Womack|first=Ken|work=[[The Morning News (online magazine)|The Morning News]]|date=17 May 2002|access-date=26 February 2015}}</ref>{{sfn|Womack|2006|p=189}} ''[[Guitar World]]'' included the performance as the magazine's featured solo in June 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.guitarworld.com/deep-learn-play-guitar-solo-beatles-something|title=In Deep: Learn to Play the Guitar Solo from The Beatles' 'Something'|date=13 June 2011|author=Aledort, Andy|publisher=[[Guitar World|guitarworld.com]]|access-date=25 February 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150225015148/http://www.guitarworld.com/deep-learn-play-guitar-solo-beatles-something|archive-date=25 February 2015}}</ref> Later that year, "Something" was one of the two "key tracks" highlighted by ''Rolling Stone'' when the magazine placed Harrison at number 11 on its list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-guitarists-20111123/george-harrison-20111122|title=George Harrison – 100 Greatest Guitarists|publisher=[[Rolling Stone|rollingstone.com]]|date=23 November 2011|access-date=25 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150224020152/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-guitarists-20111123/george-harrison-20111122|archive-date=24 February 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>{{refn|group=nb|[[Dave Grohl]] of the [[Foo Fighters]] named their 1995 song "Oh, George" after Harrison<ref>{{cite web|first=Kenneth|last=Partridge|title=Foo Fighters' Self-Titled Debut at 20: Classic Track-by-Track Album Review|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/foo-fighters-self-titled-debut-at-20-6620072/|publisher=[[Billboard (magazine)|billboard.com]]|date=4 July 2015|access-date=25 November 2020}}</ref> and based his guitar solo on Harrison's playing on "Something".<ref name="Fontenot/About">{{cite web|first=Robert|last=Fontenot|title=The Beatles Songs: 'Something' – The history of this classic Beatles song ''[page 2]''|url=http://oldies.about.com/od/thebeatlessongs/a/something_2.htm|publisher=[[About.com|oldies.about.com]]|date=12 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170716091241/http://oldies.about.com/od/thebeatlessongs/a/something_2.htm|archive-date=16 July 2017|access-date=25 November 2020}}</ref>}}

In July 1970, "Something" received the [[Ivor Novello Award]] for "Best Song Musically and Lyrically" of 1969.{{sfn|Badman|2001|p=12}} In 2005, the [[British Broadcasting Corporation]] (BBC) named it as the 64th-greatest song ever. According to the BBC, the song "shows more clearly than any other song in The Beatles' canon that there were three great songwriters in the band rather than just two".<ref name="bbc"/> The Beatles' official website states that "Something" "underlined the ascendance of George Harrison as a major songwriting force".<ref name="something">{{cite web |url=http://www.beatles.com/html/something/ |title=Something |publisher=[[Apple Corps]]/beatles.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030206173346/http://www.beatles.com/html/something/ |archive-date=6 February 2003 |access-date=3 March 2015}}</ref>

"Something" became the second most covered Beatles song after "[[Yesterday (Beatles song)|Yesterday]]".{{sfn|The Editors of ''Rolling Stone''|2002|p=178}}<ref name=RollingStone100 /><ref name="Time">{{cite news |last=Sullivan |first=Michael |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1001409-4,00.html |title=His Magical, Mystical Tour |work=[[Time Magazine|Time]] |date=10 December 2001 |access-date=2 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120228071850/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1001409-4,00.html |archive-date=28 February 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1999, [[Broadcast Music Incorporated]] (BMI) named it as the 17th-most performed song of the twentieth century,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bmi.com/news/entry/19991214_bmi_announces_top_100_songs_of_the_century |title=BMI Announces Top 100 Songs of the Century|publisher=[[Broadcast Music, Inc.|BMI]]|date=13 December 1999|access-date=21 February 2021}}</ref> with 5&nbsp;million performances.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bmi.com/awards/1999/top100.asp |title=Awards: The BMI Top 100 Songs |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040211190114/http://www.bmi.com/awards/1999/top100.asp |archive-date=11 February 2004 |publisher=[[Broadcast Music, Inc.|BMI]]|access-date=26 February 2015}}</ref> In 2000, ''Mojo'' ranked "Something" at number 14 in the magazine's list of "The 100 Greatest Songs of All Time".{{sfn|Womack|2014|p=852}} It was ranked 273rd on ''Rolling Stone''{{'}}s 2004 list of the "[[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time|500 Greatest Songs of All Time]]",{{CN|date=December 2023}} 278th on the magazine's revised list in 2010,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-songs-of-all-time-151127/the-beatles-something-45818/|title=The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" > "278: The Beatles, 'Something'|publisher=[[Rolling Stone|rollingstone.com]]|date=11 December 2003|access-date=18 January 2021}}</ref> and 110th in 2021.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-songs-of-all-time-1224767/the-beatles-something-2-1225228/|title=The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" > "110: The Beatles, 'Something'|publisher=[[Rolling Stone|rollingstone.com]]|date=15 September 2021|access-date=23 September 2021}}</ref> In 2006, ''Mojo'' placed it 7th in the list of "The 101 Greatest Beatles Songs",<ref name="Mojo/101 Greatest">{{cite magazine|last=Alexander|first=Phil|title=The 101 Greatest Beatles Songs|magazine=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]|date=July 2006|page=92|display-authors=etal}}</ref> while four years later, the track appeared at number 6 on a similar list compiled by ''Rolling Stone''.{{sfn|Womack|2014|p=852}}<ref name=RollingStone100>{{cite web|title=100 Greatest Beatles Songs: 6. 'Something' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-beatles-songs-20110919/something-19691231 |publisher=[[Rolling Stone|rollingstone.com]]|access-date=28 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160215185806/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-beatles-songs-20110919/something-19691231 |archive-date=15 February 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2019, the staff of ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' ranked "Something" at number 5 in their list of the Beatles' best songs.<ref>{{cite magazine|author=EW staff|title=The 50 Best Beatles Songs Ever, Ranked from Fab to Far-out|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|date=19 June 2019|url=https://ew.com/article/2009/09/04/beatles-50-best-songs/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001193028/https://ew.com/article/2009/09/04/beatles-50-best-songs/|archive-date=1 October 2020|access-date=26 November 2020}}</ref>

==Cover versions==
===Shirley Bassey===
{{Infobox song
| name          = Something
| cover         = File:Somethingshirrley.PNG
| caption      = A-side label of the UK single
| type         = single
| artist        = [[Shirley Bassey]]
| album    = [[Something (Shirley Bassey album)|Something]]
| B-side        = [[Easy to Be Hard]]
| released      = {{Start date|1970|06}}
| recorded      = 
| genre         = [[Pop music|Pop]], [[easy listening]]
| length        = {{Duration|m=3|s=35}}
| label         = [[United Artists Records|United Artists]]
| writer        = [[George Harrison]]
| producer      = [[Johnny Harris (musician)|Johnny Harris]], Tony Colton
}}
Among the song's many cover versions, Welsh singer [[Shirley Bassey]] recorded a successful version of "Something".{{sfn|Clayson|2003|p=283}} It was released in 1970 as the title track to her album [[Something (Shirley Bassey album)|of the same name]].<ref name="Bassey/AM">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/r471370|title=Shirley Bassey ''Something''|last=Bush|first=John|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=26 February 2015}}</ref> Also issued as a single, it became Bassey's first top-ten hit in the UK since "[[I (Who Have Nothing)]]" in 1963, peaking at number 4 and spending 22 weeks on the chart.<ref name="Bassey UK" /> The single also reached the top twenty in other European countries<ref name="Bassey EUR" /> and peaked at number 6 on ''Billboard''{{'}}s [[Adult Contemporary (chart)|Easy Listening]] (later Adult Contemporary) chart.<ref name="Bassey US" />

Bassey said she had been unaware of the song's origins when recording "Something".<ref name="Bassey/AM" /> She later suggested that she and Harrison could become a singer-and-songwriter pairing on the scale of [[Dionne Warwick]] and [[Burt Bacharach]].<ref name="pauldunoyer" /> After reading these comments in 1970,{{sfn|Harrison|2002|p=228}} Harrison wrote "[[When Every Song Is Sung]]" with Bassey in mind, although she never recorded the composition.{{sfn|Inglis|2010|p=56}}

===Frank Sinatra===
[[Frank Sinatra]] was particularly impressed with "Something", calling it "the greatest love song of the past 50 years",<ref name="bbc" />{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|pp=305–06}} despite having long disapproved of the Beatles.<ref name="Lewisohn/Mojo Beatles Final Years" /> According to Du Noyer, he "especially admired the way the lyric evokes a girl who isn't even present".<ref name="pauldunoyer" /> Aside from performing "Something" numerous times in concert,{{sfn|Harry|2003|p=348}} Sinatra recorded the song for a single in October 1970<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Timothy |last=White |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XBIEAAAAMBAJ&q=George+Harrison |title=The Answer's at the End: George Harrison, 1943–2001|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=15 December 2001|page=86|access-date=3 March 2015}}</ref> and then for his 1980 triple album ''[[Trilogy: Past Present Future]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/trilogy-past-present-future-mw0000197932|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|title=Frank Sinatra ''Trilogy: Past, Present & Future''|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=28 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150218012035/http://www.allmusic.com/album/trilogy-past-present-future-mw0000197932|archive-date=18 February 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

During his live performances, Sinatra was known to mistakenly introduce "Something" as a [[Lennon–McCartney]] composition.{{sfn|Harry|2003|p=348}} By 1978, he had begun correctly crediting Harrison as its author.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://vegasblog.latimes.com/vegas/2006/12/sinatra_elvis_a.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061217022025/http://vegasblog.latimes.com/vegas/2006/12/sinatra_elvis_a.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 December 2006 |title=The Movable Buffet: Los Angeles Times |publisher=Vegasblog.latimes.com |date=13 December 2006 |access-date=12 December 2012}}</ref>{{refn|group=nb|Harrison recalled that when he appeared with [[Michael Jackson]] on a BBC radio show, in 1979,{{sfn|Badman|2001|p=229}} the show's host referred to "Something" and Jackson said, surprised: 'Oh, you wrote that? I thought it was a Lennon–McCartney."<ref name="pauldunoyer" />}} Harrison went on to adopt Sinatra's minor lyrical change (in the song's middle eight, singing "You stick around, Jack&nbsp;...") in his live performances over 1991–92.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=White|first=Timothy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QRIEAAAAMBAJ&q=Ray+Charles|title=Harrison Live, Here Comes the Fun|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=4 July 1992|page=3|access-date=24 November 2020}}</ref> In ''The Beatles Anthology'', Harrison says he viewed Sinatra as being part of "the generation before me" and so only later came to appreciate the American singer's adoption of the song.{{sfn|The Beatles|2000|p=340}}

===Other artists===
<!-- NOTE:
There are perhaps 200 cover versions of Something.
Other versions should only be added here IF they meet the criteria for inclusion: see WP:COVERSONG.
All entries need a verifiable source. ENTRIES THAT DO NOT RESPECT NOTABILITY GUIDELINES, OR ARE NOT VERIFIABLE, WILL BE REMOVED. -->
[[File:James Brown Live Hamburg 1973 1702730029.jpg|upright=0.75|thumb|left|[[James Brown]]'s recording was Harrison's favourite cover version of "Something".]]
Harrison's composition began accumulating cover versions almost immediately after the release of ''Abbey Road'', starting with Joe Cocker's recording.{{sfn|Clayson|2003|p=283}} The song became a [[Standard (music)|standard]] and was readily adapted by artists in a wide range of styles, including easy-listening and instrumental [[jazz]].<ref 
name="Unterberger/AM" /> In Nicholas Schaffner's description, the many interpretations made the song ubiquitous "from the [[Borscht Belt]] to the dentist's waiting room".{{sfn|Schaffner|1978|p=125}}

[[Lena Horne]] recorded "Something" in the jazz style for her 1970 album with guitarist [[Gabor Szabo]], titled ''[[Lena & Gabor]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/lena-gabor-mw0000197014|last=Jurek|first=Thom|title=Lena Horne & Gabor Szabo ''Lena & Gabor''|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=27 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150223084126/http://www.allmusic.com/album/lena-gabor-mw0000197014|archive-date=23 February 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> An instrumental version by [[Booker T. & the M.G.'s]], from their ''Abbey Road'' tribute album ''[[McLemore Avenue]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/something-mt0012120520|title=Booker T. & the M.G.'s 'Something'|last=Mason|first=Stewart|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=28 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151012014957/http://www.allmusic.com/song/something-mt0012120520|archive-date=12 October 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> peaked at number 76 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in August 1970.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kikEAAAAMBAJ&q=Booker+T|date=15 August 1970|title=Billboard Hot 100|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|page=72|access-date=28 February 2015}}</ref> The R&B groups [[the O'Jays]]<ref 
name="Unterberger/AM" /> and [[The Miracles|Smokey Robinson and the Miracles]] also covered it, as did easy-listening stars such as [[Bert Kaempfert]] and [[Liberace]].{{sfn|Clayson|2003|p=283}} Fulfilling Harrison's hopes, Ray Charles issued a version on his 1971 album ''[[Volcanic Action of My Soul]]''.<ref name=RollingStone100 />

Referring to the song's adoption by easy-listening artists, Harrison later said: "When even Liberace covered it [in 1970], you know that it's one of them that ends up [[Elevator music|in an elevator]]&nbsp;..."<ref name="pauldunoyer" /><ref name="Ellen/Q">{{cite magazine|first=Mark|last=Ellen|title=A Big Hand for The Quiet One|magazine=[[Q (magazine)|Q]]|date=January 1988|page=56}}</ref> Harrison attributed its popularity among other artists to the easily mastered, five-note melody. Du Noyer partly refutes this explanation, saying that it was equally a vehicle for "the most advanced vocalists" such as [[Peggy Lee]], along with Sinatra and Bassey.<ref name="pauldunoyer" />

{{quote box|quote= At the time I wasn't particularly thrilled that Frank Sinatra did "Something" … I was more interested when Smokey Robinson did it and when James Brown did it. But I'm very pleased now, whoever's done it. I realise that the sign of a good song is when it has lots of cover versions.{{sfn|The Beatles|2000|p=340}}|source= – George Harrison, 2000|width=25%|align=right|style=padding:8px;}}
"Something" was one of the very few Beatles songs that Elvis Presley chose to play;{{sfn|Simpson|2004|p=212}} Lewisohn highlights his interpretation among the "dozens of high-profile covers".<ref name="Lewisohn/Mojo Beatles Final Years" /> Presley performed it on his 1973 ''[[Aloha from Hawaii]]'' TV special, the recording from which appeared on the accompanying [[Aloha from Hawaii Via Satellite (album)|bestselling album]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/aloha-from-hawaii-via-satellite-mw0000262453|title=Elvis Presley ''Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite''|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=27 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150213104114/http://www.allmusic.com/album/aloha-from-hawaii-via-satellite-mw0000262453|archive-date=13 February 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> A version from Presley's August 1970 Las Vegas concert season subsequently appeared on the box sets ''[[Walk a Mile in My Shoes: The Essential '70s Masters]]'' (1995)<ref>Jorgensen, Ernst Mikael; Semon, Roger; Rasmussen, Erik (1995). "Recording Data". ''[[Walk a Mile in My Shoes: The Essential '70s Masters]]'' booklet. [[RCA Records]]/[[BMG Music|BMG]]. pp. 50–51.</ref> and ''[[Live in Las Vegas (Elvis Presley album)|Live in Las Vegas]]'' (2001).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/live-in-las-vegas-mw0000006502|title=Elvis Presley ''Live in Las Vegas''|last=Planer|first=Lindsay|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=28 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130915073815/http://www.allmusic.com/album/live-in-las-vegas-mw0000006502|archive-date=15 September 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1974, a recording by [[Johnny Rodriguez]] reached number 6 on ''Billboard''{{'}}s [[Hot Country Songs|Hot Country Singles]] chart<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Billboard Hot Country Singles|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=awkEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Johnny+Rodriguez%22&pg=PA45-IA19|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=25 May 1974|page=42|access-date=17 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170317160846/https://books.google.com/books?id=awkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA45-IA19&dq=%22Johnny+Rodriguez%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjMlrTyr9zSAhVMxbwKHYkdC5I4FBDoAQgkMAM#v=onepage&q=%22Johnny%20Rodriguez%22&f=false|archive-date=17 March 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> and number 85 on the Hot 100.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Billboard Hot Country Singles|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bQkEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Johnny+Rodriguez%22|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=18 May 1974|page=64|access-date=17 March 2017 }}</ref> In Canada, Rodriguez's single peaked at number 11 on the ''[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]'' country chart.<ref>{{cite web|title=RPM Country Playlist (8 June 1974)|date = 17 July 2013|url=http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.5058&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.5058.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.5058|publisher=[[Library and Archives Canada]]|access-date=17 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170317154255/http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.5058&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.5058.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.5058|archive-date=17 March 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

By 1972, over 150 artists had recorded "Something".<ref name="Hennessey/RM">{{cite magazine|first=Mike|last=Hennessey|title=The Harrison Tapes|magazine=[[Record Mirror]]|date=15 April 1972}}</ref>{{sfn|Hertsgaard|1996|p=297}} In his 1996 Harrison biography ''The Quiet One'', [[Alan Clayson]] said the song had attracted "nearly 200 cover versions".{{sfn|Clayson|2003|p=283}} In 1972, Harrison told music journalist [[Mike Hennessey]] that the Robinson and Cocker versions were among his favourites.<ref name="Hennessey/RM" /> In later interviews, he said that the best cover version was a recording by [[James Brown]],<ref name="Ellen/Q" />{{sfn|Harry|2003|p=354}} in which the singer declares "I got to believe in something!" over the main riff.{{sfn|Clayson|2003|p=283}} Harrison commented that the recording was relatively obscure in Brown's catalogue: "It was one of his B-sides. I have it on my jukebox at home. It's absolutely brilliant."{{sfn|Harry|2003|pp=348–49, 354}}

===Harrison tributes===
[[Bruce Springsteen]] opened his first show after Harrison's death on 29 November 2001 by playing "Something", followed by a rendition of Harrison's solo hit "[[My Sweet Lord]]".<ref>{{cite web|first=Dave|last=Lifton|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/bruce-springsteen-tribute-covers/|title=The Video History of Bruce Springsteen's Tributes to Departed Friends and Influences|website=[[Ultimate Classic Rock]]|date=26 April 2016|access-date=26 November 2020}}</ref> Elton John gave a solo performance of the song at New York's [[Carnegie Hall]] in April 2002, as part of a one-hour Harrison tribute during the eleventh annual [[Rainforest Foundation US|Rainforest Foundation]] concert.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/sting-strips-for-charity-elton-puts-on-pearls/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131205133149/http://www.foxnews.com/story/2002/04/15/sting-strips-for-charity-elton-puts-on-pearls/|title=Sting Strips for Charity, Elton Puts on Pearls|last=Friedman|first=Roger|date=15 April 2002|publisher=[[FoxNews.com]]|archive-date=5 December 2013|url-status=live|access-date=27 February 2015}}</ref>

In honour of Harrison's fondness for the instrument, Paul McCartney played a ukulele rendition of "Something" throughout his 2002–03 world tour{{sfn|Sounes|2010|pp=512–13}} and included the track on his ''[[Back in the U.S.]]'' live album.{{sfn|Womack|2014|p=853}} At the [[Concert for George]], held at London's [[Royal Albert Hall]] on 29 November 2002,<ref>{{cite news|last=Du Noyer|first=Paul|url=http://www.pauldunoyer.com/pages/journalism/journalism_item.asp?journalismID=204#con|title=Concert for George, Royal Albert Hall, London, November 29, 2002|date=March 2003|work=[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]|access-date=2 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402121353/http://www.pauldunoyer.com/pages/journalism/journalism_item.asp?journalismID=204#con|archive-date=2 April 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> he and [[Eric Clapton]] performed a version that began with McCartney alone on ukulele, then reverted to the familiar rock arrangement with Clapton taking over as lead singer and backing from Starr, Preston and others.{{sfn|Inglis|2010|pp=126–27}} Following its appearance in [[David Leland]]'s film ''[[Concert for George (film)|Concert for George]]'' (2003) and on the accompanying [[Concert for George (album)|live album]], this performance of "Something" was nominated for the [[Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals]].{{sfn|Womack|2014|pp=200–01}}

[[Bob Dylan]] also played the song live during his November 2002 concerts, as a tribute to Harrison.<ref>{{cite news|last=Pareles|first=Jon|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0CE0D81530F935A25752C1A9649C8B63&n=Top%2FReference%2FTimes+Topics%2FPeople%2FD%2FDylan%2C+Bob|title=Dylan's After-Hours Side|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=28 February 2007|date=16 November 2002|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016194047/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0CE0D81530F935A25752C1A9649C8B63&n=Top%2FReference%2FTimes+Topics%2FPeople%2FD%2FDylan%2C+Bob|archive-date=16 October 2007|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="dylan2002_11_13">{{cite web |url=http://www.bobdylan.com/tour/2002-11-13-madison-square-garden |title=New York City, NY – Nov 13, 2002 – Madison Square Garden |publisher=bobdylan.com |date=13 November 2002 |access-date=15 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305083924/http://www.bobdylan.com/tour/2002-11-13-madison-square-garden |archive-date=5 March 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> McCartney continued to perform "Something", adopting the Concert for George mix of ukulele and rock backing.{{sfn|Sounes|2010|pp=519, 561–63}} A version with this musical arrangement was included on his 2009 album ''[[Good Evening New York City]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Paul McCartney: Good Evening New York City |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |last=Raposa |first=David |date=3 December 2009 |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13753-good-evening-new-york-city/ |access-date=2 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130205105327/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13753-good-evening-new-york-city/ |archive-date=5 February 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Live performances by Harrison==
Harrison played "Something" at the two [[Concert for Bangladesh]] shows, held at [[Madison Square Garden]] in New York on 1 August 1971.{{sfn|Badman|2001|pp=43–44}} His first live performance as a solo artist, he was backed by a large band that included Starr, Preston, Clapton and [[Leon Russell]].{{sfn|Lavezzoli|2006|pp=188, 189}}{{sfn|The Editors of ''Rolling Stone''|2002|p=42}} The version used on the [[The Concert for Bangladesh (album)|live album]] and in the 1972 [[The Concert for Bangladesh (film)|concert film]] was taken from the evening show that day, when Harrison played it as the final song before returning to perform "[[Bangla Desh (song)|Bangla Desh]]" as an encore.{{sfn|Madinger|Easter|2000|pp=437–38}}

Harrison included "Something" in all of his subsequent, and rare, full-length concert appearances.{{sfn|Madinger|Easter|2000|pp=446–47, 481–82, 485}} For his 1974 North American tour with [[Ravi Shankar]], he had been reluctant to feature any material from the Beatles' catalogue,{{sfn|Woffinden|1981|p=83}} but at the urging of Shankar and Preston during rehearsals, he added "Something" to the setlist.{{sfn|The Editors of ''Rolling Stone''|2002|p=128}} To the disappointment of many fans, he chose to alter some of the song's lyrics (such as changing the first line to "If there's something in the way, remove it").{{sfn|Lavezzoli|2006|pp=195–96}} Further distancing himself from the Beatles' legacy, Harrison told journalists at the start of the tour that he would join a group with Lennon "any day" but rejected the idea of working again with McCartney, since he preferred [[Willie Weeks]] as a bassist.{{sfn|Doggett|2011|pp=224–25}} MacDonald comments that this statement was likely in reference to McCartney's "too fussily extemporised" bass part on the Beatles' 1969 recording.{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=306}} With Boyd having left Harrison for Clapton earlier in 1974,{{sfn|Tillery|2011|p=94}} [[Larry Sloman]] of ''Rolling Stone'' described the reworked "Something" as "a moving diary of his love life".{{sfn|Leng|2006|p=165}}

A version from Harrison's December 1991 tour of Japan with Clapton – Harrison's only other tour as a solo artist<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Michael |last=Simmons |title=Cry for a Shadow|magazine=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]|date=November 2011|page=86}}</ref> – appears on the ''[[Live in Japan (George Harrison album)|Live in Japan]]'' double album (1992).<ref>{{cite web |first=Stephen Thomas |last=Erlewine |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/live-in-japan-mw0000334804 |title=George Harrison ''Live in Japan'' |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=15 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150404051853/http://www.allmusic.com/album/live-in-japan-mw0000334804 |archive-date=4 April 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> Inglis writes of the track having "extra poignancy" by this time, "in that the woman for whom it was written had been married to, and divorced from, Harrison and Clapton in turn".{{sfn|Inglis|2010|p=109}} Inglis adds: "It is not a new interpretation of the song, but it does suggest a new perspective, in which words and music are used by two close friends to reflect on the lives they have led."{{sfn|Inglis|2010|p=110}}

==Personnel==
According to [[Walter Everett (musicologist)|Walter Everett]],{{sfn|Everett|1999|p=249}} [[Bruce Spizer]]{{sfn|Spizer|2003|pp=58–59}} and [[Kenneth Womack]]:{{sfn|Womack|2019|p=174}}

'''The Beatles'''
* [[George Harrison]]&nbsp;– lead vocal, lead and rhythm guitars
* [[John Lennon]]&nbsp;– piano
* [[Paul McCartney]]&nbsp;– bass guitar, backing vocal
* [[Ringo Starr]]&nbsp;– drums

'''Additional musicians'''
* [[Billy Preston]]&nbsp;– [[Hammond organ]]
* [[George Martin]]&nbsp;– [[String instrument|string]] [[arrangement]]
* Unidentified [[session musician]]s&nbsp;– twelve [[violin]]s, four [[viola]]s, four [[cello]]s, [[Double bass|string bass]]

==Charts and certifications==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
===Beatles version===
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (1969–1970)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
| scope="row"| Australian ''[[Go-Set]]'' National Top 40 Singles<ref name="GoSet">{{cite web|url=http://www.poparchives.com.au/gosetcharts/1969/19691220.html|title=Go-Set Australian Charts – 20 December 1969|publisher=poparchives.com.au|access-date=23 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150328000951/http://www.poparchives.com.au/gosetcharts/1969/19691220.html|archive-date=28 March 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
|-
| scope="row"| [[Ö3 Austria Top 40|Austrian Singles Chart]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://austriancharts.at/showinterpret.asp?interpret=The+Beatles |title=Discography The Beatles |publisher=austriancharts.at |access-date=23 February 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150322035638/http://austriancharts.at/showinterpret.asp?interpret=The%2BBeatles |archive-date=22 March 2015 }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"| 11
|-
| scope="row"| Canadian [[RPM (magazine)|''RPM'' 100]] Singles<ref name="RPM">{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.6082&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=5ppv5gl1nvtb61pjd64e29bap6|title=''RPM'' Top Singles – Volume 12, No. 15, November 29, 1969|publisher=[[Library and Archives Canada]]|access-date=23 February 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150223133236/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.6082&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=5ppv5gl1nvtb61pjd64e29bap6|archive-date=23 February 2015}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
|-
| scope="row"| Finnish [[Suomen virallinen lista|Suomen Virallinen Lista]]<ref name=Finland>{{cite book|first=Jake|last=Nyman|year=2005|title=Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja|edition=1st|publisher=Tammi|location=Helsinki|isbn=951-31-2503-3|language=fi}}</ref>
| align="center"| 12
|-
| scope="row"| [[Irish Singles Chart]]<ref name="Ireland">{{cite web|url=http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement?page=3 |title=Search by Artist > The Beatles |publisher=irishcharts.ie |access-date=23 February 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721125307/http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement?page=3 |archive-date=21 July 2011}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"| 3
|-
| scope="row"| New Zealand ''[[New Zealand Listener|Listener]]'' Chart{{sfn|Sullivan|2013|p=563}}
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
|-
| scope="row"| Norwegian [[VG-lista]] Singles<ref name="nochart">{{cite web |url=http://norwegiancharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=The+Beatles |title=Discography The Beatles |publisher=norwegiancharts.com |access-date=23 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150102114716/http://norwegiancharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=The+Beatles |archive-date=2 January 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"| 2
|-
| scope="row"| Swedish [[Sverigetopplistan|Kvällstoppen Chart]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hitsallertijden.nl/charts/swedish%20charts/SwedishCharts%200969-0872.pdf |title=Swedish Charts 1969–1972/Kvällstoppen – Listresultaten vecka för vecka > 'December 1969' ''(in Swedish)'' |publisher=hitsallertijden.nl |access-date=24 February 2015 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130220053554/http://hitsallertijden.nl/charts/swedish%20charts/SwedishCharts%200969-0872.pdf |archive-date=20 February 2013 }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"| 5
|-
| scope="row"| Swedish ''[[Tio i Topp]]'' Chart<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Hallberg |first1=Eric |title=Eric Hallberg, Ulf Henningsson presenterar Tio i topp med de utslagna på försök: 1961-74 |last2=Henningsson |first2=Ulf |publisher=Premium Publishing |year=1998 |isbn=919727125X |location= |pages=53}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"| 4
|-
| scope="row"| [[UK Singles Chart]]<ref name="UKchart" />
| style="text-align:center;"| 4
|-
| scope="row"| US [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]<ref name="Whitburn">{{cite book |last=Whitburn |first=Joel |date=2015 |title=The Comparison Book |location=Menonomee Falls, Wisconsin |publisher=Record Research Inc. |page=37 |isbn=978-0-89820-213-7}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
|-
| scope="row"| US ''Billboard'' [[Adult Contemporary (chart)|Easy Listening]]<ref>{{cite book|first= Joel |last= Whitburn |author-link= Joel Whitburn |year= 1993 |title= Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993 
|publisher= Record Research |page=25}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"| 17
|-
| scope="row"| US ''[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]]'' Top 100<ref name="Whitburn" />
| style="text-align:center;"| 2
|-
| scope="row"| West German [[Musikmarkt|''Musikmarkt'' Hit-Parade]]<ref name="MediaControl">{{cite web|url=http://www.musicline.de/de/chartverfolgung_summary/artist/The+Beatles/2278/?type=single |title=The Beatles Single-Chartverfolgung ''(in German)'' |publisher=musicline.de |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213203848/http://www.musicline.de/de/chartverfolgung_summary/artist/The%2BBeatles/2278/?type=single |archive-date=13 December 2013 |access-date=20 September 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (2015)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
| Sweden Heatseeker ([[Sverigetopplistan]])<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sverigetopplistan.se/chart/215?dspy=2015&dspp=53|title=Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 53, 2015|language=sv|publisher=[[Sverigetopplistan]]|access-date=2 May 2021}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"| 11
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (2019)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
{{single chart|Billboardrocksongs|12|artist=The Beatles|access-date=2 May 2021}}
|}

===Shirley Bassey version===
{|class="wikitable sortable" style="clear: left;"
! scope="col"| Chart (1970–71)
! scope="col" align="center"| Peak<br />position
|-
| scope="row"| Australian ''Go-Set'' National Top 60 Singles<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.poparchives.com.au/gosetcharts/1971/19710116.html|title=Go-Set Australian Charts – 16 January 1971|publisher=poparchives.com.au|access-date=24 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150329012701/http://www.poparchives.com.au/gosetcharts/1971/19710116.html|archive-date=29 March 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"| 47
|-
| scope="row"| Austrian Singles Chart<ref>{{cite web |url=http://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=Shirley+Bassey&titel=Something&cat=s |title=Shirley Bassey – Something |publisher=austriancharts.at |access-date=24 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150328024754/http://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=Shirley+Bassey&titel=Something&cat=s |archive-date=28 March 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"| 19
|-
| scope="row"| Belgian [[Ultratop|Ultratop Singles Chart]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ultratop.be/nl/song/403c/Shirley-Bassey-Something |title=Shirley Bassey – Something |publisher=ultratop.be |access-date=24 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161108221422/http://www.ultratop.be/nl/song/403c/Shirley-Bassey-Something |archive-date=8 November 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"| 11
|-
| scope="row"| Dutch [[MegaCharts|MegaChart]] Singles<ref name="Bassey EUR">{{cite web |url=http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Shirley+Bassey&titel=Something&cat=s |title=Shirley Bassey – Something |publisher=dutchcharts.nl |access-date=24 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316215629/http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Shirley+Bassey&titel=Something&cat=s |archive-date=16 March 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"| 10
|-
| scope="row"| French [[SNEP|SNEP Singles Chart]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://infodisc.fr/Bilan_B.php |title=Tous les Titres par Artiste > Shirley Bassey ''(in French)'' |publisher=infodisc.fr |access-date=24 February 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130920063547/http://infodisc.fr/Bilan_B.php |archive-date=20 September 2013 }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"| 34
|-
| scope="row"| Irish Singles Chart<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement |title=Search by Artist > Shirley Bassey |publisher=irishcharts.ie |access-date=24 February 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090602061251/http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement |archive-date=2 June 2009 }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"| 13
|-
| scope="row"| UK Singles Chart<ref name="Bassey UK">{{cite web |url=http://www.officialcharts.com/Artist/4336/SHIRLEY-BASSEY |title=Shirley Bassey |publisher=[[Official Charts Company]] |access-date=24 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150320003849/http://www.officialcharts.com/Artist/4336/SHIRLEY-BASSEY/ |archive-date=20 March 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"| 4
|-
| scope="row"| US ''Billboard'' Hot 100<ref name="Bassey US">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/shirley-bassey-mn0000029867/awards |title=Shirley Bassey: Awards |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=24 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151006071541/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/shirley-bassey-mn0000029867/awards |archive-date=6 October 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"| 55
|-
| scope="row"| US [[Billboard Adult Contemporary|''Billboard'' Easy Listening]]<ref name="Bassey US" />
| style="text-align:center;"| 6
|-
| scope="row"| West German Media Control Singles Chart<ref name="Bassey EUR" />
| style="text-align:center;"| 40
|}
{{col-2}}

===Certifications (Beatles version)===
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Spain|artist=The Beatles|title=Something|award=Gold|relyear=1969|certyear=2024|type=single|access-date=21 October 2024}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|artist=Beatles|title=Something|award=Platinum|certyear=2025|type=single|source=radioscope|access-date=22 September 2025}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|artist=Beatles|title=Something|award=Platinum|relyear=2005|certyear=2025|type=single|id=6078-1786-1|refname=BPI|access-date=18 February 2025}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|artist=The Beatles|title=Something|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=1969|certyear=1999|type=single|refname=RIAA|access-date=14 May 2016}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|streaming=true}}
{{col-end}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist|30em|group=nb}}

==References==
{{Reflist|20em}}

==Sources==
{{Refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite book|last=Allison|first=Dale C. Jr|author-link=Dale Allison|title=The Love There That's Sleeping: The Art and Spirituality of George Harrison|url=https://archive.org/details/lovetherethatssl00dale|url-access=registration|publisher=Continuum|location=New York, NY|year=2006|isbn=978-0-8264-1917-0}}
* {{cite book|last=Badman|first=Keith|title=The Beatles Diary Volume 2: After the Break-Up 1970–2001|publisher= Omnibus Press|location=London|year=2001|isbn=978-0-7119-8307-6}}
* {{cite book| author = The Beatles|author-link=The Beatles| title = The Beatles Anthology| year = 2000| publisher = Chronicle Books| location = San Francisco, CA| isbn = 0-8118-2684-8| url-access = registration| url = https://archive.org/details/beatlesanthology0000unse}}
* {{cite book|last1=Boyd|first1=Pattie|author-link=Pattie Boyd|last2=with Junor|first2=Penny|year=2007|title=Wonderful Today: The Autobiography|location=London|publisher=Headline Review|isbn=978-0-7553-1646-5|ref={{SfnRef|Boyd|2007}}}}
* {{cite book|last1=Castleman|first1=Harry|last2=Podrazik|first2=Walter J.|title=All Together Now: The First Complete Beatles Discography 1961–1975|publisher=Ballantine Books|location=New York, NY|year=1976|isbn=0-345-25680-8|url=https://archive.org/details/alltogethernowfi0000cast|url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book|last=Clayson|first=Alan|author-link=Alan Clayson|title=George Harrison|publisher=Sanctuary|location=London|year=2003|isbn=1-86074-489-3|url=https://archive.org/details/littleboxofbeatl0000clay_t4a9|url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book|last=Doggett|first=Peter|author-link=Peter Doggett|title=You Never Give Me Your Money: The Beatles After the Breakup|publisher=It Books|location=New York, NY|year=2011|isbn=978-0-06-177418-8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=luOMJFxe-bYC}}
* {{cite book|author=((The Editors of ''Rolling Stone''))|title=Harrison|publisher=Rolling Stone Press|location=New York, NY|year=2002|isbn=978-0-7432-3581-5|url=https://archive.org/details/harrison00fine|url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book|last=Everett|first=Walter|author-link=Walter Everett (musicologist)|title=The Beatles as Musicians: ''Revolver'' Through the Anthology |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York, NY |year=1999 |isbn=0-19-509553-7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K-8OhZhmoyQC}}
* {{cite book|last=Greene|first=Joshua M.|title=Here Comes the Sun: The Spiritual and Musical Journey of George Harrison|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|location=Hoboken, NJ|year=2006|isbn=978-0-470-12780-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WVYIAQAAMAAJ}}
* {{cite book|last=Harrison|first=George|author-link=George Harrison|title=I, Me, Mine|publisher=Chronicle Books|location=San Francisco, CA|year=2002|orig-year=1980|isbn=978-0-8118-5900-4}}
* {{cite book|first=Bill|last=Harry|author-link=Bill Harry|title=The George Harrison Encyclopedia|publisher=Virgin Books|location=London|year=2003|isbn=978-0-7535-0822-0}}
* {{cite book|last=Hertsgaard|first=Mark|author-link=Mark Hertsgaard|title=A Day in the Life: The Music and Artistry of the Beatles|publisher=Pan Books|location=London|year=1996|isbn=0-330-33891-9|url=https://archive.org/details/dayinlifemusicar0000hert|url-access=registration}}
*{{cite book|last=Hoffmann |first=Frank |year=1983 |title=The Cash Box Singles Charts, 1950–1981|location=Metuchen, NJ |publisher=The Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-1595-7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=djbaAAAAMAAJ}}
*{{cite book|editor-last=Hunt|editor-first=Chris |title=[[NME|NME Originals]]: Beatles – The Solo Years 1970–1980|year=2005|publisher=IPC Ignite!|location=London}}
* {{cite book|last=Huntley|first=Elliot J.|title=Mystical One: George Harrison – After the Break-up of the Beatles|publisher=Guernica Editions|location=Toronto, ON|year=2006|isbn=978-1-55071-197-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rcg50S6jLnoC}}
* {{cite book|last=Ingham|first=Chris|title=The Rough Guide to the Beatles|publisher=Rough Guides/Penguin |location=London|year=2006|isbn=978-1-84836-525-4|url=https://archive.org/details/roughguidetobeat0000ingh|url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book|last=Inglis|first=Ian|title=The Words and Music of George Harrison|publisher=Praeger|location=Santa Barbara, CA|year=2010|isbn=978-0-313-37532-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5wOrCQAAQBAJ}}
* {{cite book|last=Lavezzoli|first=Peter|title=The Dawn of Indian Music in the West|publisher=Continuum|location=New York, NY|year=2006|isbn=0-8264-2819-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OSZKCXtx-wEC}}
* {{cite book|last=Leng|first=Simon|title=While My Guitar Gently Weeps: The Music of George Harrison|publisher=Hal Leonard|location=Milwaukee, WI|year=2006|isbn=978-1-4234-0609-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NRoFPFvI1joC}}
* {{cite book|first=Mark|last=Lewisohn|author-link=Mark Lewisohn|title=The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions: The Official Story of the Abbey Road Years 1962–1970|publisher=Bounty Books|location=London|year=2005|orig-year=1988|isbn=978-0-7537-2545-0|url=https://archive.org/details/the-beatles-recording-sessions}}
* {{cite book|last=MacDonald|first=Ian|author-link=Ian MacDonald|title=Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties|publisher=Pimlico|location=London|year=1998|isbn=0-7126-6697-4|url=https://archive.org/details/revolutioninhead0000macd|url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book|last1=Madinger|first1=Chip|last2=Easter|first2=Mark|title=Eight Arms to Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium|publisher=44.1 Productions|location=Chesterfield, MO|year=2000|isbn=0-615-11724-4}}
* {{cite book|last=Miles|first=Barry|author-link=Barry Miles|title=The Beatles Diary Volume 1: The Beatles Years|publisher= Omnibus Press|location=London|year=2001|isbn=0-7119-8308-9}}
* {{cite book|title=[[Mojo (magazine)#Special editions|Mojo Special Limited Edition]]: 1000 Days of Revolution (The Beatles' Final Years – Jan 1, 1968 to Sept 27, 1970)|publisher=Emap|location=London|year=2003|ref={{SfnRef|''Mojo Special Limited Edition''|2003}}}}
* {{cite book|last=Perone|first=James E.|title=The Album: A Guide to Pop Music's Most Provocative, Influential and Important Creations|year=2012|publisher=Praeger|location=Santa Barbara, CA|isbn=978-0-313-37906-2}}
* {{cite book|editor1-first=Patricia|editor1-last=Romanowski|editor2-first=Holly|editor2-last=George-Warren|title=The New Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll|publisher=Fireside/Rolling Stone Press|location=New York, NY|year=1995|isbn=0-684-81044-1|url=https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonee00patr|url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book|last=Schaffner|first=Nicholas|author-link=Nicholas Schaffner|title=The Beatles Forever|publisher=McGraw-Hill|location=New York, NY|year=1978|isbn=0-07-055087-5|url=https://archive.org/details/beatlesforever00scha|url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book
| last=Sheff
| first=David|author-link=David Sheff
| year=2010
| title=All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono
| publisher=Macmillan
| location=London
| orig-year=1981
| isbn=978-1-4299-5808-0
| url=https://archive.org/details/allwearesayingla00lenn
| url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book|last=Simpson|first=Paul|title=The Rough Guide to Elvis|publisher=Rough Guides|location=London|year=2004|isbn=1-84353-417-7|url=https://archive.org/details/roughguidetoelvi0000simp_u6b4|url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book|last=Sounes|first=Howard|author-link=Howard Sounes|title=Fab: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney|publisher=HarperCollins|location=London|year=2010|isbn=978-0-00-723705-0|url=https://archive.org/details/fabintimatelifeo0000soun_f0l0|url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book|last=Spizer|first=Bruce|author-link=Bruce Spizer|title=The Beatles on Apple Records|publisher=498 Productions|location=New Orleans, LA|year=2003|isbn=0-9662649-4-0}}
* {{cite book|last=Spizer|first=Bruce|title=The Beatles Solo on Apple Records|publisher=498 Productions|location=New Orleans, LA|year=2005|isbn=0-9662649-5-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Sullivan|first=Steve|title=Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings, Volume 2|publisher=Scarecrow Press|location=Lanham, MD|year=2013|isbn=978-0-8108-8296-6|url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofgr0000sull|url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book|last1=Sulpy|first1=Doug|last2=Schweighardt|first2=Ray|title=Get Back: The Unauthorized Chronicle of The Beatles' Let It Be Disaster|publisher=St. Martin's Griffin |location=New York, NY|year=1997|isbn=0-312-19981-3}}
* {{cite book|last=Tillery|first=Gary|author-link=Gary Tillery|title=Working Class Mystic: A Spiritual Biography of George Harrison|publisher=Quest Books|location=Wheaton, IL|year=2011|isbn=978-0-8356-0900-5|url=https://archive.org/details/workingclassmyst0000till|url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book|first=Richie|last=Unterberger|author-link=Richie Unterberger|title=The Unreleased Beatles: Music & Film|publisher=Backbeat Books|location=San Francisco, CA|year=2006|isbn=978-0-87930-892-6}}
*{{cite book|last=Weber|first=Erin Torkelson|title=The Beatles and the Historians: An Analysis of Writings About the Fab Four|publisher=McFarland|location=Jefferson, NC|year=2016|isbn=978-1-4766-6266-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZHEBDAAAQBAJ}}
* {{cite book|last=Winn|first=John C.|year=2009|title=That Magic Feeling: The Beatles' Recorded Legacy, Volume Two, 1966–1970|publisher=Three Rivers Press|location=New York, NY|isbn=978-0-307-45239-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JcdvDwAAQBAJ}}
* {{cite book|last=Woffinden|first=Bob|author-link=Bob Woffinden|title=The Beatles Apart|publisher=Proteus|location=London|year=1981|isbn=0-906071-89-5}}
*{{cite book|last=Womack|first=Kenneth|author-link=Kenneth Womack|chapter=Ten Great Beatles Moments|editor1-last=Skinner Sawyers |editor1-first=June|title=Read the Beatles: Classic and New Writings on the Beatles, Their Legacy, and Why They Still Matter|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780143037323|url-access=registration|publisher=Penguin |location=London |year=2006|orig-year=2002|isbn=978-0-14-303732-3 }}
* {{cite book|last=Womack|first=Kenneth|year=2014|title=The Beatles Encyclopedia: Everything Fab Four|publisher=ABC-CLIO|location=Santa Barbara, CA|isbn=978-0-313-39171-2|url=https://archive.org/details/thebeatlesencyclopedia}}
* {{cite book|last=Womack|first=Kenneth|year=2019|title=Solid State: The Story of ''Abbey Road'' and the End of the Beatles|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yU2WDwAAQBAJ|publisher=Cornell University Press|location=Ithaca, NY |isbn=978-1-5017-4685-7}}
{{Refend}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite web|last=Aspden|first=Peter|title=Something – Sinatra called it 'the greatest love song of the past 50 years'|url=https://ig.ft.com/life-of-a-song/something.html|publisher=[[Financial Times|ft.com]]|date=23 September 2019|access-date=24 November 2020}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote|Abbey Road}}
* [https://www.thebeatles.com/something Full lyrics for the song at the Beatles' official website]
* {{discogs master|type=single|54558}}

{{Frank Sinatra singles}}
{{The Beatles singles}}
{{Abbey Road}}
{{Ivor Novello Best Song}}
{{Shirley Bassey}}
{{Andy Williams}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Something (Beatles Song)}}
[[Category:1969 songs]]
[[Category:1969 singles]]
[[Category:The Beatles songs]]
[[Category:Apple Records singles]]
[[Category:Songs written by George Harrison]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by George Martin]]
[[Category:Music published by Harrisongs]]
[[Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles]]
[[Category:RPM Top Singles number-one singles]]
[[Category:Number-one singles in Australia]]
[[Category:Number-one singles in Germany]]
[[Category:Number-one singles in New Zealand]]
[[Category:Joe Cocker songs]]
[[Category:Shirley Bassey songs]]
[[Category:Frank Sinatra songs]]
[[Category:United Artists Records singles]]
[[Category:1960s ballads]]
[[Category:Pop ballads]]
[[Category:Rock ballads]]
[[Category:British soft rock songs]]