loveless.

George Harrison at The Beatles’ Kansas City press conference, 17 September 1964

Photo: unknown, copyright PhotoOffice.de/Frank Seltier

George Harrison’s demo of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” (The Beatles Anthology 3)

This demo was recorded by George on 25 July 1968, at Abbey Road Studios. The song had been written while George visited his parents in Warrington:

“Around the time of writing While My Guitar Gently Weeps I had a copy of the ‘ Ching - the (Chinese) Book of Changes’ which seemed to me to be based on the Eastern concept that everything is relative to everything else, as opposed to the Western view that things are merely coincidental.

This idea was in my head when I visited my parents’ house in the North of England. I decided to write a song based on the first thing I saw upon opening any book - as it would be relative to that moment, at that time. I picked up a book at random - opened it - saw ‘Gently weeps’ - then laid the book down again and started writing the song. Some of the words to the song were changed before I finally recorded it - as can be seen here:

I memorized the wayward expressions Never look down Never let you see me down I memorized the way no directions Can I come over now I’d like to stay a little while I memorized your body exposed I could fuck you all night long From a memory alone