FROM THE ARCHIVE 299 -1970-

Something
Written by George Harrison.

Something
recorded: April, 1970
released:
UK: May ’70 on UA single UP 35125
US: Jun 26 ’70 on UA single UA 50698
charted:
UK Single: #4, Jun 20, 1970
US Easy Listening: #6, Sep 12, 1970
US Pop: #55, Sep 19, 1970

Released 1970 on a single and the album Something. Shirley Bassey’s version was a hit though that song had been a hit for The Beatles just a few months before. Shirley’s recording matched the No. 4 chart placing that The Beatles had achieved in the UK. And Shirley Bassey had a 22-week chart run in the Top 50 singles charts, her longest chart duration ever for a single, compared with only 12 weeks for the original Beatles version. Something is still one of her standards sung on almost every concert and contained on almost every collection. On the US Billboard The Beatles 1969 reached No. 3, but Shirley’s version did not reach that position, but it was a hit around the world – and is still a hit.

George Harrison was a lead guitarist of The Beatles. Paul McCartney had been his slightly older school friend. “Something” became the first Harrison song on the A-side of a Beatles single. It was on the The Beatles album “Abbey Road” (Released September 26 1969), the last Beatles album to be recorded (although it was not the last to be released).

The song was also sung by Lena Horne, included on her 1969 LP titled “Watch What Happens”, and by Carmen McRae, included on her 1970 LP titled “Just A Little Lovin'”, and by Jack Jones, included on his 1970 LP entitled “Live At The Sands”, and by many more artists.

Shirley Bassey wrote about Something: When I first sang it everybody said, “Oh, no, no, no.” Then, when I wanted to record it, they said, “No, no, no, it’s a Beatles song , it’s a group song.” And the more they told me not to do it the more I wanted to. And when I did do it I proved them wrong, because it was number four in England for me. And she said: I just went into the studio one evening with these songs, including Something which I had first heard sung by Peggy Lee on the Ed Sullivan show in the States. I didn’t even know that The Beatles had done it! I just caught the end of Peggy’s performance and I was so knocked out that I started ringing people up, asked if they knew the name of the song that she had sung. About two weeks later I found that it had been written by George Harrison.

Shirley Bassey performs this song on most live concerts, so it is available on the live albums too, and on the videos.

The recording of Something in the studio

Lyrics:

Something in the way he moves
Attracts me like no other lover
Something in the way he moves me
I don’t want to leave him now
You know I believe in how

Somewhere in his smile he knows
That I don’t need no other lover
Something in his style that shows me
Don’t want to leave him now
You know I believe in how

You’re asking me will our love grow
I don’t know, I don’t know
You stick around now it may show
I don’t know, I don’t know

Something in the way he moves
And all I have to do is think of him
Something in the things he shows me
I don’t want to leave him now
You know I believe in how

You’re asking me will our love grow
I don’t know, I don’t know
You stick around now it may show
I don’t know, I don’t know

Something in the way he moves
Something in the way he knows
Something in the way he smiles
Something in the way he moves
Something in the way he smiles
Something

(Transcribed by Roman)