How would "Here Comes the Sun" have done as a single for The Beatles?*

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Pizza, Sep 12, 2018.

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  1. Paul Gase

    Paul Gase Everything is cheaper than it looks.

    Location:
    California
    I recall hearing HCTS on AM back in 69/70 anyhow.
     
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  2. MikeM

    MikeM Senior Member

    Location:
    Youngstown, Ohio
    My criteria for whether a song would have been a big hit is not only if it's a good song, but if it would sound good coming out of the top-of-the-hour jingle on the Top 40 radio stations of the day (or at least if it would integrate well into a block of music featuring the other hit songs that were current).

    I believe "Here Comes the Sun" would have met both of those criteria. However, as noted, there is no way John and Paul would have allowed TWO singles by George Harrison in a short period of time. After all, they had just given him his first A-side ever.
     
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  3. 2141

    2141 Forum Resident

    Plus, it was the first song of side 2. Not bad at all. OTOH, where else could it have gone??
     
  4. O Don Piano

    O Don Piano Senior Member

    Which is why there should truly be a better Beatles comp covering hits and songs like "Here Comes The Sun", "Birthday", "Twist And Shout", etc.
    The 'Red' and 'Blue' comps come close, but contain some songs that didn't necessarily reflect true popularity, and leave out key tracks.
     
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  5. Encuentro

    Encuentro Forum Resident

    I can't believe it wasn't released as a single. Maybe The Beatles were sick of #1 hits at that point. :D
     
  6. Price.pittsburgh

    Price.pittsburgh Forum Resident

    Location:
    Florida
    [​IMG]
    I know the "Here Comes The Son" play on words was too hard to pass up but I was 15 and it annoyed me that a non John song was being applied to his son.
     
  7. BeatlesObsessive

    BeatlesObsessive The Earl of Sandwich Ness

    No brainer... Abbey Road like Rubber Soul and Pepper had some natural singles within it. To my mind if they'd released Here Comes the Sun on March 18, 1970 as a single in place of Let It Be it would have certainly been top 5 and a global hit. UK or US #1 ..very possible but not certain.

    I'm torn... Abbey Road is such a great album it shimmers and sheens... but in my fanfic mind, that could have been a different set of songs on side 1... Maxwell, Darling, and Octopus's could have been stripped out as b sides... Something, Come Together, and Here Comes the Sun could have been A's and if they could have devoted a whole side or both sides to the medley concept and gotten George on it OR devoted side 1 to some of the better songs all three had on hand, that would have been a run for the Beatles equivalent to 1965 or mid 67!
     
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  8. BeatlesObsessive

    BeatlesObsessive The Earl of Sandwich Ness

    Paul brought b level material to Abbey road...and made a silk purse out of it but he had amazing material stashed away but oddly brought no single level songs to Abbey Road side 1. Whether Here Comes the Sun was the best or 2nd or 3rd best on Abbey Road it IS in the iTunes era the most popular Beatles song of all. It's always been beloved if underrated and overshadowed by its presence as an album track. I second you... it might have stalled at 2 or 3 but it could easily have been 1 with a bullet worldwide smash.
     
    Last edited: Sep 13, 2018
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  9. BeatlesObsessive

    BeatlesObsessive The Earl of Sandwich Ness

    I wonder if a song like Heart of the Country or That Would Be Something wouldn't have summed up Beatle reality better and have been more likely to have gotten Harrison's buy in...
     
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  10. BeatlesObsessive

    BeatlesObsessive The Earl of Sandwich Ness

    John and Paul were almost out of business in terms of singles making during the Abbey Road era...Cold Turkey.. Come and Get It ..Instant Karma... If the band hadn't been alternating between walking on eggshells and battling each other during that time, Harrison had a clean shot during that post Get Back recording era to have done a lot of work. He was playing hooky and sulking a lot of the time but had it come to September and Apple or Klein is picking singles ... how could they overlook Something and Here Comes the Sun? Lets not forget they gave George the B side of the previous single too.
     
  11. Purple Jim

    Purple Jim Senior Member

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    #1 for weeks and weeks and weeks.
     
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  12. ohnothimagen

    ohnothimagen "Live music is better!"

    Location:
    Canada
    I think McCartney would have insisted on "Come And Get It" being on the A-side. At best it would have been a "double A-side" single.

    The "Here Comes The Sun"/"Octopus' Garden" single that was released in some countries actually makes sense. Who says Lennon/McCartney need to dominate both sides of a single?

    Nope, to give credit where it's due John Lennon plays some of the best lead guitar of his entire career on "You Never Give Me Your Money"- the solo during the "1,2,3,4,5,6,7..." section at the end is Lennon. I want to say his guitar part was recorded in May '69 when they started working on the track. Pretty sure Lennon's doing some of the harmony vocals as well. He isn't on "Sun" or "Slumbers", though, those were recorded during the time he was convalescing from the Scotland car smash in early July '69.
     
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  13. BeatlesObsessive

    BeatlesObsessive The Earl of Sandwich Ness

    ...though I heard an interview where John said "George and Ringo were worn out because he ran THEM through so many takes" and I recently saw some reference to John refusing to take part in the recording... it is possible that he does the harmonies at the end and maybe that's him on acoustic?
     
  14. Very well I suspect. It's a great song with broad appeal. And it's The Beatles.
     
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  15. BeatlesObsessive

    BeatlesObsessive The Earl of Sandwich Ness

    Participated in a thread on this some months ago... if Lennon played that lead why wouldn't he have bragged about it at least once while assessing his humble guitar gifts? I know what Lewisohn and Beatles Bible state by way of clerically telling us how the basic track recording went... but in those 3 months there has to be some possibility that Harrison did a lead overdub...there is no way Lennon did some of those bends particularly the one at the very end of the released version that occurs just at the fadeout and which is very similar in sound to the lead guitar overdub on Carry That Weight. Someone must REMEMBER this session and remembers Lennon playing this amazing solo.
     
  16. action pact

    action pact Music Omnivore

    That's very sweet. :)
     
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  17. action pact

    action pact Music Omnivore

    HCTS would have sounded GREAT on AM radio. The lyrical message is wonderful too.
     
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  18. MikeM

    MikeM Senior Member

    Location:
    Youngstown, Ohio
    What is the source for the assertion that John Lennon is playing this lead? This is something I've never heard before.

    However, I agree that it sounds very much like John doing one of the harmony parts on the "1-2-3-4-5-6-7" section.
     
  19. adm62

    adm62 Senior Member

    Location:
    Ottawa, Canada
    Similar to Something which made no. 4 in UK.
     
  20. mmars982

    mmars982 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pittsburgh, PA
    It would have been cool if released as a double-A side with Something. Come Together could have been released as an A side with something else.
     
  21. majorlance

    majorlance Forum Resident

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    That "1,2,3,4,5,6,7..." lead always sounded like Macca to me. And I'm not so sure that Lennon is present on those harmonies, either.
     
  22. majorlance

    majorlance Forum Resident

    Location:
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    Not only that, but Julian appears to be wearing lipstick on this cover. Apparently, he didn't get the memo that glam-rock had been out of vogue for a decade or more at that time!
    :tiphat:
     
  23. gottafeelin

    gottafeelin Forum Resident

    Location:
    Georgia
    Sun King
     
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  24. McLover

    McLover Senior Member

    This track got airplay like a hit single. I think as a second single off of "Abbey Road" it would have been a major hit single.
     
    Last edited: Sep 13, 2018
  25. majorlance

    majorlance Forum Resident

    Location:
    PATCO Speedline
    I'm not aware of a second single off AR. :confused:
     
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