The 1965 Beatles cover George Harrison couldn’t stand: “They’ve spoilt it”
He might have been known as ‘The Quiet One’, but George Harrison could be as damning as the rest of his bandmates. Although this more solemn aspect of his personality would rarely come to the fore, when it did, it was more impactful than a barb from John Lennon, given that fans were simply not used to such startling twists of hate.
That contrast is exactly what made moments like this stand out so sharply. Harrison wasn’t prone to casual criticism or throwing his weight around, so when he did speak up, it carried a different kind of authority. There was a sense that if something had pushed him to that point, it must have genuinely struck a nerve, especially when it involved his own material being handled in a way that didn’t sit right with him.
It also reflected how protective he was becoming of his songwriting during this period. Having spent years fighting for space alongside Lennon and McCartney, Harrison wasn’t about to be passive when one of his compositions started making waves beyond the band. These weren’t just throwaway contributions anymore; they were personal statements, and hearing them reshaped into something that felt impersonal or overly polished clearly didn’t align with how he believed the song should live and breathe.
Harrison delivered one of the most famous and intense critiques regarding a cover of his Beatles work. While he didn’t start writing comfortably until later in his career with the band due to Lennon and Paul McCartney finally recognising his talent, one of his earliest and most well-received was the 1965 track ‘If I Needed Someone’, which appeared on Rubber Soul and Yesterday and Today. Considered one of Harrison’s best efforts, the material is a love song written for his girlfriend, Pattie Boyd, whom he would marry only months after it was released.
However, before The Beatles released the track on Rubber Soul in December 1965, one of their most successful fellow acts from The British Invasion, The Hollies, were handed a demo of it by their producer. The band opted to record a version and, strangely, released it on the same day as Rubber Soul. The single made an impact, too, reaching number 20 on the UK Chart. However, George Harrison made it clear that he wasn’t a fan, despite receiving royalties.
In December 1965, NME reporter Alan Smith joined The Beatles for one of their final tours in their homeland. At one point during the run, Harrison provided his damning account of The Hollies’ version of ‘If I Needed Someone’. Decrying it as “rubbish”, the guitarist instructed the journalist to tell people he didn’t write it for the Merseybeat band.
Smith wrote: “George was getting ready for the first house performance, and I asked him about songwriting. ‘I see you’ve written one for the Hollies.’ George turned sharply away from the mirror. ‘Tell people that I didn’t write it for the Hollies,’ he said bluntly.”
He continued: “‘It’s called ‘If I Needed Someone’ and they’ve done it as their new single, but their version is not my kind of music. I think it’s rubbish the way they’ve done it! They’ve spoilt it. The Hollies are all right musically, but the way they do their records, they sound like session men who’ve just got together in a studio without ever seeing each other before. Technically good, yes. But that’s all.'”
Harrison’s incendiary comments started a feud with The Hollies. Only a week after they were published, their leader, Graham Nash, told the same publication that he was “sick and tired” of everything The Beatles did being taken as law.
Listen to both versions of ‘If I Needed Someone’ below.
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