While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Many believe that While My Guitar Gently Weeps is George Harrison's best song. He wrote it for the album The Beatles (aka The White Album). Rolling Stone ranks it number 7 on its list of the 100 greatest guitar songs of all time, and as number 135 on its list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. The lyrics derived from Harrison's conclusion, based on text in the I Ching, that in Eastern philosophy, "whatever happens is all meant to be, and that there's no such thing as coincidence: every little item that's going down has a purpose." He then started his poem with a phrase chosen from a book at random: "Gently Weeps." Several versions of the song's lyrics are in existence: The version recorded for The White Album is the most well-known, but there's one from an earlier take (including acoustic guitar and organ) in which a different third verse appears. This one is in the Anthology 3 collection. The verse unique to this version is:

I look from the wings at the play you are staging, while my guitar gently weeps
As I'm sitting here doing nothing but ageing, still my guitar gently weeps

Still another version, a home-recorded demo made early on by George, includes a verse that appears nowhere else. It is:

I look at you all, see the love there that's sleeping, while my guitar gently weeps
Problems you sow are the troubles you're reaping, still my guitar gently weeps
I look at the trouble and see that it's raging, while my guitar gently weeps
As I'm sitting here, doing nothing but aging, still, my guitar gently weeps

After several attempts at recording the song, Harrison finally persuaded Eric Clapton to play a guitar solo for them. Clapton was dubious at first, but complied with the request. The final product was exactly what George had been looking for. He said that Clapton's presence not only added a great solo to the mix, but made the other band members work harder and get along better. In a long final section, Harrison and Clapton produce an intricate guitar duet, or perhaps more accurately put, a complex blend of two solos.

Clapton, Harrison and McCartney would reunite in 1987 for the "Prince’s Trust Rock Concert" (for Bangladesh) with Mark King playing bass. McCartney, Starr, Clapton and others also performed Harrison's song in the concert in his honor on November 29, 2002, after his death.

On August 16, 1968, the Beatles laid down 14 takes of a rhythm track of this song, with overdubs to be added on September 3 and 4. George was not happy with the results, so a new set of takes were made – 28 of them. On September 6 Clapton appeared and the final takes and overdubs were recorded. (On The White Album Clapton is not credited with the solo.)