The 1969 Beatles track Frank Sinatra called “the best love song” of the last 100 years
Love songs have always been the lifeblood of pop music.
Entire careers have been built on singing about romance, heartbreak and longing, and few did it better than Frank Sinatra. With his unmistakable voice and effortless charm, ‘Ol’ Blue Eyes became one of the definitive interpreters of love songs. Even so, there was one act whose grasp of romance impressed him enough to tip his hat: The Beatles.
Pop music was built upon pithy, long songs, so it makes sense that the early days of The Beatles were largely dominated by teeny-bopper love songs. The likes of ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ and ‘She Loves You’ were catchy enough to make the band a household name across the UK and Europe, with Paul McCartney and John Lennon proving a commendable ability to write timeless and universal love songs. Before too long, though, the songwriters were keen to explore other avenues of songwriting inspiration.
After all, it was The Beatles’ sonic diversity and expansive songwriting style that helped to make them such an iconic and enduring band. ‘Love Me Do’ soon gave way to mind-altering psychedelic explorations, with Lennon particularly keen to move away from teenage romanticism into something more profound and mature. This was the motivation that fostered groundbreaking records like Revolver and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Throughout it all, though, the band never strayed too far away from loved-up romanticism.
Lennon might have resented the inclusion of love songs towards the end of the band’s reign, but the other band members were still keen to flex their romantic muscles. This continued source of inspiration ended up producing some of the band’s most beloved anthems, such as McCartney’s ‘I Will’ or ‘Here, There and Everywhere’. One of the Fab Four’s most prominent love songs, however, came much later on in their tenure.
George Harrison’s songwriting was consistently underrated within The Beatles, despite the fact that the ‘Here Comes The Sun’ writer clearly had a knack for telling universal stories within his writing. On Abbey Road, as the band imploded around him, Harrison penned the timeless classic ‘Something’, which still goes down as one of The Beatles’ finest efforts, awash with romanticism and love.
Part of the song’s appeal lies in how restrained it is. Whereas many love songs lean on grand declarations and sweeping sentiment, ‘Something’ feels far more conversational. Harrison never overplays his hand, which gives the track a quiet confidence, which, it has to be said, has helped it age remarkably well. More than half a century later, it still sounds wonderfully sincere.
‘Something’ quickly became a fan favourite, renowned for its intimate nature, which perfectly reflected the appeal of Harrison as a songwriter. In the wake of its release, the track was covered by everybody from Shirley Bassey to Elvis Presley. One of the biggest supporters of ‘Something’ was Frank Sinatra, who loved the song so much that he chose to incorporate his own version of Harrison’s composition into his live show.
Reflecting on the appeal of the love song, Sinatra is quoted as saying, “It’s one of the best love songs I believe to be written in 50 or 100 years, and it never says ‘I love you’ in the song, but it really is one of the finest.” High praise indeed, particularly for a performer who initially dismissed The Beatles, along with the entirety of rock and roll music.
For Sinatra to speak about a Beatles song in those terms carried particular weight. He was a performer who had built much of the modern love-song template long before Lennon and McCartney had picked up guitars. By the late 1960s, popular music was increasingly being driven by younger artists, yet Sinatra recognised something timeless in Harrison’s writing, something that didn’t come easily to Ol’ Blue Eyes.
Sinatra was old-school in his approach to music. He disapproved of rock and roll immensely, regularly criticising Elvis Presley and expressing his animosity towards the period of the ‘British Invasion’, which The Beatles led. Seemingly, though, George Harrison’s incredible songwriting was enough to change that perception.
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