Greatest love songs ever: #31 “Something”
Sinatra said that “Something” was the best love song written in the last fifty years. He should know, as he crooned all of the best of the genre in his storied career. George Harrison’s moving love song rivets us with the first verse:
“Something in the way she moves,
Attracts me like no other lover,
Something in the way she woos me …”
Harrison captures the ineffable quality of love in these few words. It’s as if God sprinkles angel dust on two people allowing them to sense something lovely about the other that they don’t sense from anyone else. This is how romance begins.
George Harrison composed songs in the shadow of his Beatle bandmates, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, who penned most of the group’s hits. “Something” made the cut for the last album the Beatles recorded, Abbey Road, in 1969. (Although their Let It Be album was actually released in 1970, after Abbey Road.)
Even the cranky John Lennon acknowledged it was the best song on the album. Why? A classic melody and soulful lyric. The second verse presents an unexpected prelude to Christian love:
“Something in her smile, she knows
That I don’t need no other lover … “
Sinatra sings “Something”
True love is monogamous, married love. That certain ‘something’ that attracts us “like no other lover” sets the stage for deeper, sacrificial, love that grows with time, nurtured by Christ’s profound example.
Harrison embraced the Hare Krishna religion. But “Something” flirts with a Christian ethos by suggesting commitment.
The song’s bridge puts a pause on the romance for a minute by asking, “Will my love grow? I don’t know, I don’t know.”
It’s a fair question, because love usually needs some time to season as the first blush of romance subsides. Love is commitment, not just feelings. And “Something” resolves the question in the final chorus:
“I don’t want to leave her now,
You know I believe and how.”
What is the word that stands out in this last phrase? To me, it’s ‘believe.’ The dictionary says to believe means:
“To have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so.”
We believe in God, who IS love Itself, but ultimately this belief is a leap of faith, a choice.
“Something” echoes those sentiments, but in a different way. The songwriter believes in his lover, and makes the choice to stay, to commit to the relationship.
So many of the songs in my countdown of the 52 Greatest Love Songs Ever overwhelm through the sheer emotive-inducing beauty of the union of words and music. But ultimately, love comes down to a choice, not mere emotion.
“Something” conveys the power of love with the poet’s touch. Well, done, George Harrison!
This is the third and final song written by a member of the Beatles to make my list. (Paul McCartney’s “Silly Love Songs” was #52 and Lennon/McCartney’s “And I Love Her” was #48.) Next week presents the second entry to my list by another legendary songwriter, a love song that begs you to take your lover in your arms … and dance. Til then, remember that love is the antidote to abortion. If you spread the love by sharing this blog series with your friends, you’re taking a tangible step to creating a culture of life. What are you waiting for?
Here’s how to do it:
Text or email a friend with the link to this post. Write these words: “I’m really enjoying this series. I think you will, too.” Then hit send. You’ve just spread a little love and cultivated a culture of life.
One last thing: Pulse Life Advocates works overtime standing up for our unborn brothers and sisters. They can’t continue without your financial support. So take a minute right now and make a gift to Pulse, regardless of the size of the gift.
Thank-you.
