Michael Jackson Thought This 1969 George Harrison Hit Was a Lennon–McCartney Song

It’s not a secret that when most people think of iconic songwriting duos, Paul McCartney and John Lennon of The Beatles often come to mind. That doesn’t dismiss the hit-making efforts of the other Beatles, though. I mean, after all, it was George Harrison who penned “Here Comes The Sun”, one of the group’s most streamed songs ever.

He also singlehandedly wrote “Something”, another Abbey Road track that only serves as further evidence of his songwriting chops.

However, it would seem that even when Harrison scored a hit on his own, people were still quick to assume that McCartney and Lennon played some role in the crafting of the song. One of those people, as Harrison explained in The Beatles Anthology, was Michael Jackson.

“I met Michael Jackson somewhere at the BBC,” the “Quiet Beatle” explained. “The fellow interviewing us made a comment about ‘Something’, and Michael said: ‘Oh, you wrote that? I thought it was a Lennon/McCartney’.”

Even Frank Sinatra, who covered “Something” multiple times, once gave credit to Lennon and McCartney for writing it. He also said it was “the greatest love song of the past 50 years,” though, so I guess that sort of makes up for the misattribution.

Pattie Boyd Says That “Something” Is About Her

For those who didn’t know, “Something” was allegedly inspired by Pattie Boyd, Harrison’s ex-wife, whom he was married to from 1966 to 1977. When Harrison wrote this one, they were knee-deep in the middle of their relationship, which started in 1964.

In her book, Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Me, Boyd explained how even though the song was covered by so many artists, her favorite version was the one that Harrison played for her at home.

“George wrote a song called ‘Something.’ He told me in a matter-of-fact way that he had written it for me. I thought it was beautiful and it turned out to be the most successful song he ever wrote, with more than 150 cover versions. George’s favorite version was the one by James Brown. Mine was the one by George Harrison, which he played to me in our kitchen…”

Honestly, Sinatra had a point. To this day, “Something” is still one of the most beautiful love songs out there.

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