“While My Guitar Gently Weeps” is one of the most memorable and poignant works of The Beatles. This song was created in 1968, at a time when the preconditions for the band’s breakup were already in place. But the contradictions in the quartet that eventually led to the band’s demise did not have a negative impact on Harrison. On the contrary, he devoted more and more time to his art and became more and more popular.
Why are we talking about this particular member of the band? It’s because this song was written entirely by George Harrison. And the majority of the Liverpool Four fans thought that all the songs belonged to McCartney and Lennon. And the band members themselves underestimated the compositional ability of George.
In addition, he had no advisor in the team. Lennon and McCartney competed with each other, but still supported each other when faced with difficulties. The two also perfected writing together.
Harrison, on the other hand, always stayed on the sidelines, creating something that did not fit with the Beatles’ usual creativity, mostly because of his “eastern hobbies”.
How the tenderly crying guitar hit was created
Harrison began writing the music for the future “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” while in India. And the lyrics were written in England when George was visiting his parents’ home in Warrington, pondering the I-Tsing, the Book of Changes. This philosophical text asserts that everything that happens is destined to happen. That there are no coincidences. That everything always has a meaning.
The lyrics of the song “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” arose out of Harrison’s desire to test this judgement. The musician decided to create a work based on the first lines of a randomly opened book picked out of a shelf. That’s how the phrase “gently weeps” came to be the starting point of the text.
The difficulties of recording a future hit
When Harrison introduced his creation to the other members of the quartet, they took it with skepticism. The creator of the hit claims that such a reaction was due to the desire to promote only their work.
The work on the record was very hard. A lot of versions were recorded. Some were purely acoustic, others were more electric. But they weren’t good enough for the album. George Harrison wanted the song to be recorded in the acoustic version, but Paul McCartney opposed it. He said the song sounded “un-Beatlesque.”
Some believe that McCartney, who had recorded several acoustic songs, was simply afraid that Harrison’s work would overshadow them.
There was also no guitar “wail” that was needed in this song. Harrison and Lennon took turns performing the solo part. But neither of them could achieve that very sound.
Eric Clapton rushes to the rescue
In an effort to rectify the situation, Harrison called his buddy Eric Clapton to perform the long-suffering solo. At first, the latter was reluctant, because there had never been anyone involved with the Beatles’ recordings before. But George changed his friend’s mind, saying that he would choose who would play his musical creation himself.
In the end, all the band members claimed that Clapton’s involvement was very helpful and helped to ease the tension in the studio. In addition, according to Harrison, McCartney and Lennon initially did not make the necessary effort, and it was only Clapton’s presence that forced them to start treating the recording diligently.
Almost as soon as he showed up, McCartney gave out a suitable introduction on the piano, and the whole subsequent process of recording the song went in the right direction. So there is no doubt that the Beatles were able to finish the record thanks to Eric Clapton.
Satisfied with the result, the Beatles decided to enter “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” into the “White Album”, which was released the same year.
The composition is considered Harrison’s most popular song from that album. The public liked it for its “juicy realism” and Clapton’s brilliant solo.
Interesting facts
1) The first version of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” had an extra verse. It differed from the final text by a couple of lines.
2) Because of the dissatisfaction with the versions of the composition in the studio about 28 versions of the hit song were recorded in the period from August 17th till September 6th 1968.
3) In 2002, McCartney and Clapton performed Harrison’s song at a concert celebrating the 50th anniversary of Elizabeth II’s accession to the throne.
4) This song was the first that Ringo Starr played after he returned to the quartet (the drummer had left it for a while due to a falling out with McCartney).
5) Numerous compliments for the song prompted Harrison to write its sequel. Thus emerged “This Guitar (Can’t Keep From Grieving),” whose title translates as “This Guitar (Can’t Keep From Grieving).” But it wasn’t quite as successful.
6) Rolling Stone magazine listed “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” as one of the top 100 guitar songs, as well as the 500 greatest songs of all time. On the latter list, it is placed 136th, while the former lists it as 7th.
7) Dhani Harrison, Prince, Jeff Lynn, Tom Petty, Billy Preston and Steve Winwood performed the song at George Harrison’s posthumous induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It took place in 2004.
8) As any real rock hit should be, there have been many people willing to record their cover of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” or a localized version over the years: Santana, Jimmy Ponder, Kenny Rankin, Marc Ribot, Phish, The Rippingtons, Bobby Bryant and even DDT.
Among the modern performers the most original versions belong to the American metallers Spineshank, the indie rockers from Texas Girl in a Coma, the Ukrainian ethno-rock band Kam’yany Gist, the Norwegian cover metalist Leo Moracchioli, the Moscow punks Plan Lomonosov and the Russian metal band Fear Factor.
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