Here Comes the Sun

(Harrison)

Quick Facts

Lead Vocal	George
Recorded	Jul–Aug 1969
Length	3:05
Key	A
Noted Takes	15
Producer	George Martin
Engineer	Geoff Emerick; Phil McDonald

Originally released on

Abbey Road (LP)

Apple — PCS 7088

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Story

"Here Comes the Sun" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their eleventh studio album Abbey Road (1969). It was written and sung by George Harrison, and is one of his best-known compositions. Harrison wrote the song in early 1969 at the country house of his friend Eric Clapton, where Harrison had chosen to play truant for the day to avoid attending a meeting at the Beatles' Apple Corps organisation. [Wikipedia]

Harrison wrote it at Eric Clapton's Surrey home in spring 1969 after skipping an Apple Corps business meeting on a sunny afternoon. The song captures a feeling of relief after a long winter — both meteorological and metaphorical (the band's business affairs were chaotic; George was tiring of them). George Harrison's 'Here Comes the Sun' emerged as one of the Abbey Road sessions' most instantly appealing compositions, recorded on 7 July 1969 during what Dave Harries recalls as a routine technical-equipment setup session. The song's optimistic major-key melody and sophisticated harmonic movement offered counterweight to both the preceding Get Back's turbulent sessions and the Abbey Road medley's experimental complexity. John Lennon's absence from the session enabled uninterrupted focus on Harrison's composition (Lewisohn 1988, p.178). The song's hopeful melodic gesture and technically accomplished songwriting secured Harrison's status as a principal composer within the band's catalog. (Kozinn 1995)

Cut 7 July 1969 at EMI with Harrison on acoustic guitar, McCartney on bass, Starr on drums (Lennon was hospitalised after a car crash in Scotland and absent from this and several other Abbey Road sessions). George overdubbed harmonium and the 1969 Moog Series III synthesizer (the first Moog on a Beatles record) in following weeks. The recording proceeded with characteristic efficiency, requiring only a modest take count to capture the essential arrangement. Dave Harries's engineering notes documented the session's technical simplicity: a straightforward instrumental-vocal capture with minimal multitrack overdubbing, establishing the track as one of Abbey Road's more traditionally recorded numbers. George Martin's production approach emphasized the song's natural melodic strength without elaborate orchestration (Lewisohn 1988, p.178). Emerick's capture of George's fingerpicked guitar established an intimate acoustic presence that provided essential textural contrast within Abbey Road's orchestral framework. (Emerick 2006)

Here Comes the Sun is far more substantial than Maxwell's Silver Hammer.- Allan Kozinn, Kozinn 1995

What's distinctive

At 3:05 it sits in the top fifth by length. One of 28 songs led primarily by George. One of 22 solely Harrison-credited compositions in the canon. Recorded approximately 9 of 17 into the Abbey Road (1969) sessions. Carries the unique tag 'claptons-garden' — no other song shares it. Take count: 15 — the 7 July basic ran to takes 1–13 (take 13 “best”); the 8 July vocal session reduced take 13 into takes 14 and 15, take 15 the “best”; every overdub (harmonium, Leslie’d guitar, orchestra, Moog) was superimposed onto take 15, and the one-and-only stereo remix derives from it.¹

Recording

Here Comes the Sun is the canonical Abbey Road example of a Beatles song whose released master is the one and only stereo mix the song ever received in the primary-source canon — “done with the original tape running at approximately 51 cycles per second, bringing the duration of the remixed song down to 3′05″.” The 51 Hz capstan-speed selector ran ~2% above the UK 50 Hz mains standard, so the 19 August 1969 mixdown captured a sped-up version of take 15; every commercial Abbey Road pressing carries that pitch shift and that duration.^1,2
The mix carries a second deliberate engineering choice on top of the speed-up. Alan Parsons (tape op on the session) recalled placing “vertical strips of editing tape around one of the rollers on the BTR2 STEED machine so that it wowed badly” — the Moog was sent through a chamber with the STEED-machine tape send wobbling on the modified roller, audibly fluctuating the Moog’s pitch on “some of the fluty Moog parts.” K/R liken the trick to the Lovely Rita piano-solo treatment.²
Source conflict per §1 — the Moog SI date. Kehew & Ryan place the Moog SI “two days later” after the 15 August 1969 orchestral session, implying 17 August. Lewisohn’s canonical session header dates the Moog SI to Tuesday 19 August 1969 (Studio Two), with the one-and-only stereo remix done immediately after. The page records both and follows Lewisohn as the tier-1 authority on session dates.^1,2

Equipment

Studio	EMI Studios, Abbey Road — Studio Two (7/8 July basic + 11/19 August overdubs & mix) and Studio Three (16 July harmonium; 4 August rough remix); Studio One into Studio Two (15 August orchestra)¹
Tape machine	3M M23 eight-track — two tape generations: take 13 (7 July basic) → takes 14 and 15 (8 July reduction, 15 “best”); all later overdubs SI’d directly onto take 15^1,2
Console	EMI TG12345 transistor console (the new solid-state desk of the 1969 Abbey Road sessions, Studio Two)²
Microphones	U47, U67, AKG C12, AKG D19/D20 (drums), STC 4038
Outboard / effects	EMI RS124, EMT 140, Fairchild 660, ADT (on the acoustic guitar), BTR2 STEED chamber send (Moog wow), compression on every channel (TG)
Keyboards / guitars	Gibson J-200 acoustic (Harrison), Epiphone Casino / Leslie’d electric guitar, harmonium, Moog Series III synthesizer (the first Moog on a Beatles record)
Amplifiers	Fender Twin Reverb, Fender Bassman, Vox UL730, Leslie

Recording Timeline

7 July 1969 — backing track, Studio Two (takes 1–13) — Studio Two, 2.30–11.45pm. P: George Martin. E: Phil McDonald. 2E: John Kurlander. Lineup: bass (Paul), drums (Ringo), acoustic guitar/guide vocal (George); John Lennon absent (recovering from his 1 July car accident in Scotland). “The recording captures that feeling to perfection, right from the opening acoustic guitar chords which ring out, joyously.” Take 4 carries Ringo’s 29th-birthday aside (“Turn me down a little bit, if you don’t mind”); take 13 best; in the last hour George re-recorded the acoustic guitar as an overdub onto take 13.^1,2
8 July 1969 — vocal SI + reduction take 13 → takes 14 and 15 — Studio Two, 2.30–10.45pm. P: George Martin. E: Phil McDonald. 2E: John Kurlander. “The overdubbing of George’s lead vocal, wiping the previous guide track, and of superb harmonised backing vocals by George and Paul, manually double-tracked. These were sufficient to complete the eight-track tape, so take 13 was given a reduction mixdown (done twice to achieve the optimum version) and then a rough mono remix of take 15 was made for George to take away.” K/R specify the ‘sun, sun, sun…’ backing-vocal lyric; take 15 = ‘best’ reduction.^1,2
16 July 1969 — harmonium + handclaps SI, Studio Three — Studio Three, 2.30–7.00pm. P: George Martin. E: Phil McDonald. 2E: Alan Parsons. Recording: SI onto take 15. Lewisohn lists “handclaps and a harmonium being added to ‘Here Comes The Sun’”; K/R add that “George overdubbed harmonium, and then he and Paul double-tracked more backing vocals and handclaps on Tracks 7 and 8” (the per-track attribution is K/R’s).^1,2
11 August 1969 — Leslie’d guitar + drum-overdub SI, Studio Two — Studio Two, 2.30–11.30pm (shared with I Want You (She’s So Heavy) + Oh! Darling). P: George Martin. E: Geoff Emerick / Phil McDonald. 2E: John Kurlander. “George ended the session by adding more guitars to ‘Here Comes The Sun’”; K/R specify “some Leslie’d electric guitar, along with intermittent drum overdubs by Ringo, reinforcing certain fills and transitions”, catalogued at 0:26, 0:40 and 0:51 into the song.^1,2
15 August 1969 — orchestral SI via cross-studio CCTV (woodwind-led, no violins) — Studio One into Studio Two, 7.00pm–1.15am. P: George Martin. E: Geoff Emerick / Phil McDonald. 2E: Alan Parsons. Recording: SI onto take 15, on the same cross-studio CCTV booking that covered Something, Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight and The End. Orchestra distinct from Something: “four violas, four cellos, one string bass, two clarinets, two alto flutes, two flutes, two piccolos” — NO violins, an 8-piece woodwind section giving the overdub its characteristic colour.¹
19 August 1969 — Moog SI + the one-and-only stereo remix, Studio Two — Studio Two, 2.00pm–4.00am (shared with the medley crossfade/edit work + the Something stereo remixes). P: George Martin. E: Geoff Emerick / Phil McDonald. 2E: Alan Parsons. “George’s two songs were completed this day, ‘Here Comes The Sun’ receiving a Moog synthesizer overdub onto take 15, played by the composer, and then both this song and ‘Something’ being mixed for stereo.” The Moog (“still installed in Room 43”) went onto two tracks; the stereo remix (remix 1, from take 15) was the song’s sole mix.^1,2

We placed vertical strips of editing tape around one of the rollers on the BTR2 STEED machine so that it wowed badly. That can be clearly heard on some of the fluty Moog parts which have unstable pitch. I hated the idea at the time and I do to this day!— Alan Parsons²

Studio Notes

51 cycles/second mixdown speed-up — The 19 August stereo remix from take 15 was made with the eight-track tape running at the 51 Hz capstan-speed setting (UK mains standard is 50 Hz). Playback during mixdown therefore ran ~2% faster than nominal, raising the pitch slightly and shortening the running time to the released 3′05″: “done with the original tape running at approximately 51 cycles per second.” The two-track stereo master captures the sped-up version permanently; every commercial Abbey Road pressing carries that pitch and that duration.^1,2
ADT on George’s acoustic guitar — “During mixing, George’s acoustic guitar track was treated with ADT, though the effect wasn’t fully applied until his vocal entered (portions of the guitar were apparently legitimately double-tracked as well).” The ADT engagement is deliberately asymmetric — the intro is dry-ish, then ADT fades in as the vocal arrives. (ADT is the in-house Townsend Artificial Double Tracking system.)²
Take 15 eight-track layout — Per the K/R take-15 diagram: T1 = Bass; T2 = Harmonium + Moog; T3 = Drums + Leslie’d Guitar + Drum Overdub + Moog; T4 = Acoustic Guitar; T5 = Strings + Woodwinds; T6 = Lead Vocal + Backing Vocals; T7 = Handclaps + Backing Vocals; T8 = Handclaps + Backing Vocals. The Moog occupies two tracks of the eight (the harmonium-share T2 and the drum-overdub-share T3).²
Two-generation tape stack on the released master — The 19 August stereo remix sits on top of just: (1) the 7 July 1969 take-13 basic (Studio Two, M23 eight-track); (2) the 8 July 1969 reduction take 13 → takes 14/15. All subsequent overdubs (harmonium + handclaps 16 July; Leslie’d guitar + drum overdubs 11 August; orchestral SI 15 August; Moog SI 19 August) were SI’d directly onto take 15, not via additional tape-generation reductions. Contrast Something’s four-generation stack; Come Together sits between (two generations + a cross-machine J-37→M23 transfer).^1,2
Source conflict per §1 — the Leslie’d-guitar SI date and studio. Lewisohn places the Leslie’d guitar + drum-overdub SI on Monday 11 August 1969 in Studio Two (canonical session header). K/R’s narrative says George “returned to Studio Three” “three weeks” after the 16 July harmonium SI, which would imply ~6 August and a different room. K/R’s “three weeks” is loose (the actual gap is ~3.5 weeks). The page records both and follows Lewisohn as the tier-1 authority on session date and studio assignment.^1,2

Releases

1969 UK stereo LP Abbey Road (26 September 1969, Apple [Parlophone] PCS 7088, stereo only) — Released master = remix stereo 1 (RS1) from take 15, Tuesday 19 August 1969, Studio Two. P: George Martin. E: Geoff Emerick / Phil McDonald. 2E: Alan Parsons. The eight-track playback ran at ~51 cycles/second during mix-down, raising the pitch ~2% and shortening duration to 3′05″; George’s acoustic guitar was treated with ADT (fully engaging only after the lead-vocal entry) and the Moog parts carry the deliberate Alan-Parsons STEED-roller wow. No second stereo remix was attempted in the primary-source canon; Abbey Road was issued stereo-only and no mono LP master exists.^1,2
1969 US stereo LP Abbey Road (1 October 1969, Apple / Capitol SO 383, stereo only) — The same 19 August 1969 RS1 stereo master was forwarded to Capitol for US pressing.
8 July 1969 unnumbered rough mono remix (unreleased) — An “unnumbered rough remix” (mono) from take 15 made in the Studio Two control room at the close of the 8 July session. P: George Martin. E: Phil McDonald. 2E: John Kurlander. “A rough mono remix of take 15 was made for George to take away” — a working reference, not a commercial release.¹
4 August 1969 unnumbered rough stereo remix (unreleased) — An “unnumbered rough remix, from take 15” (stereo) made in the Studio Three control room, in the same session as the parallel Something rough stereo remix from take 39. P: George Harrison. E: Phil McDonald. 2E: Alan Parsons. The rough remixes “revealed to him that both required additional overdubbing” — a working reference that drove the subsequent 11 August Leslie’d guitar SI.¹
Anthology 3 (28 October 1996, Apple) — Post-Lewisohn release documenting an alternate take of Here Comes The Sun; per §1 less-specific-when-uncertain, the page flags the variant without making claims beyond the primary-source canon (the compilation’s 1996 liner notes post-date Lewisohn’s 1988 catalogue).
2009 Stereo Remasters (9 September 2009, Apple) — Allan Rouse / Guy Massey remaster of the 1969 stereo master. Post-Lewisohn; documented in the remaster project’s liner notes rather than in the primary-source canon; flagged here for completeness.
2019 Abbey Road 50th-anniversary remix (27 September 2019, Apple) — Giles Martin and Sam Okell stereo remix from the multitracks (with more flexibility than the single-pass 1969 RS1 to address the 51-cps speed-up and the built-in Moog wow). Post-Lewisohn; documented in the album’s 50th-anniversary liner notes rather than in the primary-source canon; flagged here for completeness.

Sources

Mark Lewisohn, The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions (New York: Harmony Books, 1988), 178–80, 184, 187, 190.
Kevin Ryan and Brian Kehew, Recording the Beatles: The Studio Equipment and Techniques Used to Create Their Classic Albums (Houston: Curvebender Publishing, 2006), 522 (“A Closer Look: 7 July 1969”).

Frequently asked

Who wrote Here Comes the Sun?

“Here Comes the Sun” was written by George Harrison.

Who sings lead on Here Comes the Sun?

The lead vocal on “Here Comes the Sun” is by George Harrison.

When was Here Comes the Sun recorded?

The backing track was cut on 7 July 1969 at EMI Studios, Abbey Road (takes 1–13), with overdubs through August and the one-and-only stereo remix on 19 August 1969.¹

How many takes did Here Comes the Sun require?

The 7 July 1969 basic ran to takes 1–13; the 8 July reduction produced takes 14 and 15, take 15 being “best”, and every overdub and the one-and-only stereo remix derive from take 15.¹

On this page

Story

What's distinctive

Recording

Equipment

Recording Timeline

Studio Notes

Releases

Sources

Frequently asked