John Lennon Taught George Harrison Something Important in the Songwriting Process, but ...
John Lennon taught George Harrison something important in the songwriting process. George used the technique for years until he began working with ELO frontman Jeff Lynne in 1987 on his album Cloud Nine. Lynne showed the former Beatle that he didn’t have to write songs as John taught him.
In Peter Jackson’s The Beatles: Get Back, fans found out that John taught George something potentially valuable to the younger Beatle’s songwriting process. George began writing songs in 1963; his first was “Don’t Bother Me.” After that, George tentatively increased his songwriting. Whether he could get those songs on Beatles albums was another issue.
To help his bandmate, John taught George always to finish a song once he started writing it.
In Jackson’s documentary, George tells John that he went to bed late. He had to finish writing a song. George explained that he kept hearing John’s voice “from about 10 years ago, saying, ‘finish ’em straight away, as soon as you start ’em, finish ’em.'” John replied, “But I never do it, though. I can’t do it, but I know it’s the best.”
Source: Hannah Wigandt/cheatsheet.com
