“So fruity”: The Beatles song George Harrison hated recording
Tempers were often fraught during the process of The Beatles recording their eleventh studio album, Abbey Road, and one track, in particular, brought guitarist George Harrison to the end of his tether.
It was a difficult time for the band, and through no fault of their own, they were left to record a chunk of the record as a three-piece. John Lennon had been injured in a car crash in Scotland, and when he did finally return to the studio, he and Yoko Ono largely stayed in the double bed they’d had installed in the studio.
After missing eight days of sessions, when Lennon finally did make his return, he found an unsettled atmosphere among his bandmates. Harrison was incredibly frustrated at the situation, and Ringo Starr felt the same, albeit to a lesser degree.
Paul McCartney had taken the reins of the operation and wanted to record ‘Maxwell’s Silver Hammer’. He’d begun writing the track almost 18 months prior, and even if nobody else in the group liked it, it was of personal significance to Macca.
However, none of McCartney’s bandmates were interested in contributing anything to his creation and, in truth, he wouldn’t allow them to get involved either. It took far longer for them to meet McCartney’s standards than they could have wished for the envisage, and Harrison found the experience hellish.
The frustration largely stemmed from how meticulous McCartney became in the studio during this period. By Abbey Road, he was increasingly focused on crafting songs down to the smallest detail, often pushing for countless takes to achieve the exact sound he had in mind. While that approach undoubtedly contributed to the album’s polish, it also tested the patience of the other members.
For Harrison in particular, it highlighted a growing imbalance within the group dynamic. Having developed into a formidable songwriter in his own right, he was no longer content to simply play along on tracks he didn’t believe in. Being sidelined on a song he actively disliked only intensified the sense that his creative voice was not being given equal weight.
“Sometimes Paul would make us do these really fruity songs,” Harrison later recalled. “I mean, my God, ‘Maxwell’s Silver Hammer’ was so fruity. After a while, we did a good job on it, but when Paul got an idea or an arrangement in his head…”
Harrison didn’t need to finish his sentence to get his point over, and we are all capable f filling in the blanks. While this perfectionist trait in McCartney made him brilliant, it also made him an insufferable colleague during the recording process of ‘Maxwell’s Silver Hammer’.
Starr also loathed recording the track and told Rolling Stone in 2008 it was the “worst session ever”. Detailing further, the drummer continued: “It was the worst track we ever had to record. It went on for fucking weeks. I thought it was mad.”
Despite his bandmates’ discontent towards the track, McCartney remains defensive of his baby. He explained: “The only arguments were about things like me spending three days on ‘Maxwell’s Silver Hammer.’ I remember George saying, ‘You’ve taken three days, it’s only a song.’ – ‘Yeah, but I want to get it right. I’ve got some thoughts on this one.'”
McCartney had every right to see through his vision to the end and make sure that it wasn’t diluted. However, Harrison was equally justified in letting Macca aware that he wasn’t digging ‘Maxwell’s Silver Hammer’, and allowing these feelings to be known is an integral part of the democratic process, which is part and parcel of being in a band.
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