From Guitar World · · 1m 20s
How Eric Clapton rescued a Beatles classic
George Harrison wrote one of the White Album's best songs, and his own band shrugged until an outsider walked in.
In brief
George Harrison wrote one of the White Album's best songs, and his own band shrugged until an outsider walked in. Sometimes a song does not need a rewrite, it needs a guest who changes how the room behaves. Originally reported by Guitar World.
A classic with a rocky start
While My Guitar Gently Weeps became one of the Beatles' most enduring songs, but it nearly died in the studio. The band abandoned it once and had to start over.
Nobody in the room cared
Harrison played it alone on acoustic guitar during the White Album sessions. Ringo was probably into it. John and Paul were not.
“It was just me playing the acoustic guitar and singing it and nobody was interested.”
Tired of Lennon and McCartney
Harrison described session after session churning through his bandmates' songs before he could even ask to try one of his own.
“Then I'd say, 'Can we do one of these?'”
He went home disappointed
Harrison knew the song was good, which made the indifference sting more. He left that night convinced the band had misjudged it.
“Well, this is really quite a good song, it's not as if it's shitty!”
A car ride changed everything
Driving back into London with Eric Clapton the next day, Harrison asked him to play on the track. Clapton refused, worried the other Beatles would resent it.
“Oh, I couldn't do that, the others wouldn't like it.”
An outsider fixed the room
Harrison insisted: sod them, it's my song. Clapton cut his overdubs on September 6, 1968, using Harrison's red 1957 Les Paul through a Fender Deluxe, and the band finally behaved.
“Same thing happened with Eric, and the song came together nicely.”
What it means
Sometimes a song does not need a rewrite, it needs a guest who changes how the room behaves.
