All The Number 1 Hits George Harrison Wrote With The Beatles

George Harrison rose up to the challenge as one of the prolific songwriters amid the Lennon-McCartney songwriting partnership. But being inside one of the greatest bands of all time whose songs are still listened to this day, Harrison struggled to find a spot where he can be recognized for his talents in writing hit songs.

George Harrison Began to Develop His Talents for Songwriting Inside His Time with the Fab Four

Harrison’s more introspective, thoughtful attitude was mirrored in his iconic songs he created throughout his 11-plus years with John Lennon and Paul McCartney and after the band broke up. His songs are characterized by a sparse simplicity that belies his considered compositional choices. Inside their second album, With the Beatles (1963), Harrison penned his first-ever song, “Don’t Bother Me.” The song was conceived at a time when a sick George was bedridden; with his guitar, George began to pen its arrangement and lyrics “as an exercise to see if I could write a song.”

Harrison had Written a Lot of Classic Songs Inside The Beatles, But It Would Take a While For Him To Land One On the Top Spot

After a while, the shy Beatle began to pen some underrated Beatle classics, such as “Taxman,” “Within You Without You,” and “I Me Mine.” Moreover, he sealed his name and status with hits such as “My Guitar Gently Weeps” and “Here Comes The Sun.” But the real deal of all time was when he wrote “Something,” a love song that Frank Sinatra dubbed as the “greatest love song of all time.”

“Something” shared the bill with Lennon’s “Come Together” as a double A-side single. In terms of airplay and sales, the latter did better, while “Something” nevertheless topped the US Billboard Hot 100.

Harrison Scored More No. 1’s Post Beatles

Harrison had 15 songs appear on the Hot 100 over the course of his solo career, with five of those making the top 10 and three reaching the top spot. His first single, “My Sweet Lord”/”Isn’t It a Pity,” topped the charts for four consecutive weeks in 1970–1971. Harrison was the first Beatle to have a solo single at the top of the Hot 100 with that one.

Both “Give Me Love — (Give Me Peace on Earth)” and “Got My Mind Set on You,” were also no. 1 singles – the latter, the final one to be scored by a former Beatle.