3 Beatles Songs Lennon and McCartney Didn’t Write
via The Beatles / Youtube
When discussing The Beatles, it’s often assumed that their success rested largely on the songwriting partnership of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. While that’s certainly true, devoted fans recognize that the band’s other members also made meaningful contributions as songwriters. George Harrison and Ringo Starr wrote several notable tracks in the Beatles’ catalog.
“Here Comes The Sun”
George Harrison, the youngest member of the group, wrote this song during a quiet afternoon at Eric Clapton’s home. At the time, Harrison was seeking relief from the mounting pressures of the band’s business affairs, particularly the demands of Apple, the company the Beatles had launched in 1967. In his autobiography I Me Mine, Harrison reflected that Apple had begun to feel restrictive, “like school.” That brief escape ultimately inspired one of the band’s most enduring and widely celebrated songs.
“Don’t Pass Me By”
Ringo Starr may have only earned two songwriting credits during his time with The Beatles, but “Don’t Pass Me By” showcased his creative abilities. Although it took several years for the band to record it, the track eventually appeared on The White Album and even earned Starr a No. 1 songwriting credit in Denmark. In a 1967 radio interview, Starr described his simple, instinctive approach to writing:
“I only play three chords on the guitar and three on the piano… I just bang away. And then if a melody comes and some words, I just have to keep going.”
“For You Blue”
Harrison’s songwriting contributions extended well beyond a handful of tracks—he ultimately wrote more than twenty songs for the band. “For You Blue,” featured on the Let It Be album, reflected his growing fascination with blues music. At the time, Harrison realized he didn’t have material slated for the album, so he composed the song to fill that gap. In The Beatles Anthology, he spoke candidly about developing his craft alongside Lennon and McCartney, noting that he had to build his songwriting from scratch and strive to create work strong enough to stand beside their acclaimed hits.
