No artist can claim to have everything perfect in the studio. Although certain songs lend themselves nicely to live recording, others can take months to complete. This frequently tests the artist’s patience. The Beatles were famed for creating the most outrageous music of their time, yet one of their most delicate tunes put their tolerance to the test.
However, toward the conclusion of their careers, every band member’s patience had worn thin. Following The White Album, The Beatles’ attempt to reconcile on the Get Back project was controversial and challenging. Midway through the project, George Harrison abruptly quit.
Even though the band could still play better than ever, their artistic differences caused them to dig down and give the fans one final album. Every artist on Abbey Road would perform to the best of their skills, resulting in some of the most daring material they had ever produced. These included Paul McCartney’s contributions to the medley on side two and Harrison’s best tunes yet, ‘Something’ and ‘Here Comes the Sun‘.
Despite composing avant-garde music with his wife, Yoko Ono, John Lennon could still perform rock and roll when he chose. Although the album began with the huge rocker ‘Come Together‘, Lennon had a more sophisticated approach to the ballad ‘Because‘.
After hearing Ono play the chords to Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata backward, Lennon wrote lyrics about the natural aspects of life. He reflected on their impact on the world around him. Although the Beatles chose not to use drums on the final recording, the piece’s centerpiece would be the vocal chemistry. Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison layered various sounds on top of each other to produce a nine-part harmony.
Even though the song was regarded as the group’s most daring vocal showcase, it was not without controversy. Despite working on the piece for hours, McCartney’s perfectionism damaged the session. It convinced the trio that they didn’t have the final product. This pushed them to continue working and striving to create something even greater.
According to engineer Geoff Emerick in Here There and Everywhere, the band would continue to work on the vocals before getting deflated when they entered the control room. They labored for a long time on their backing track. Paul was pushing them too hard that night, making them do take after take, playing well over their top.”
By the time they returned to the control room, Lennon was furious over what he had heard. Emerick added, “When the tired trio eventually came up to have a listen, they realized they had laid down a perfectly good take an hour ago. John said nothing but gave an ashamed Paul a filthy look. Fortunately, they appeared too weary to make a fuss over it.”
Even though the song would challenge everyone’s patience, ‘Because‘ would become a fan favorite once the album was completed. Harrison and McCartney described it as one of the greatest on the record. As much as the band had matured as musicians and songwriters, ‘Because’ returned them to what they did best: singing in harmony together.
