George Harrison once picked “the nicest melody” he ever wrote

As the youngest of three children, I can’t deny that my childhood experiences were wildly easier than those of my siblings. The boundaries had been tested, irritations experienced, and all that was left was dewy-eyed sentimentalism at my mere performance of mundane tasks. You could say I was the Paul McCartney of my family, blissfully grinning my way out of trouble. But praise was a little harder to come by for my siblings, who respectively represented John Lennon and George Harrison-type figures.

In my case, I’m keen to stress that my siblings are just as average as I am. No, mediocrity won’t be monopolised on my watch. But in McCartney’s case, Lennon—most definitely—and Harrison—arguably—were equally brilliant. Still, the cultural history books have seemed determined to relegate Harrison to a lower tier of genius than his counterparts. His songwriting talent lurked in the shadows of Lennon and McCartney’s unrelenting brilliance, patiently waiting for its time in the sun.

By the late 1960s, his songwriting for The Beatles was soon becoming apparent. Somewhere between the twisted realms of John Lennon and the sun-kissed utopia of Paul McCartney sat Harrison. He blended his introspective curiosity and fascination with off-beat cultures, with the palatable sensibilities of modern pop-rock to create songs with a profound melodic signature.

When it was time to release Revolver into the world, Harrison was beginning his travels to India and subsequent journey into the world of Buddhism. Combining a deep collaboration with Ravi Shankar and the learning of the sitar, Harrison’s songwriting outlook was about to become more global altogether.

But Harrison’s genius lay in his ability to root his experimentation back into melody, for that was the bedrock of his songwriting style. And while Beatles fans squabble over what album of theirs is rightly considered their opus, it’s hard to argue which album showcases Harrison at his songwriting best. For the band’s 1969 epic Abbey Road celebrated two songs on the A-side that would go on to become their most prized hits. And they had Harrison to thank.

‘Here Comes The Sun’ is rightly boasted as one of the middle child’s finest moments, but it’s the record’s second track, ‘Something’, that made any remaining sceptics stand up and take notice of Harrison’s undoubted ability to compete with his contemporaries. Widely regarded as the ultimate love song, it was a patiently crafted melody that somehow managed to blend virtuoso guitar playing with cohesive band arrangement.

But its greatness wasn’t steeped in some transcendental learning Harrison picked up from his travels, but rather the simple following of an innate feeling. He said, “When I wrote it, I imagined somebody like Ray Charles doing it. It’s, you know, that’s how I – the feel I imagined. But because I’m not Ray Charles. Then you know, I’m sort of much more limited in what I can do, then it came out like this. It’s nice. It’s probably the nicest melody tune that I’ve written,”

In keeping with his demeanour, it’s a relatively reductive take on a moment of musical genius and, ironically, sees him pit himself against another musician. Perhaps a decade of living in the shadows has developed a predisposition for humility, but if the chapters of musical history have proven anything, it’s that only Harrison and his genius could deliver us that song.