♫ While My Guitar Gently Weeps ♫ (Redux)

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, History, music

Time for some Beatles!  My last several nights’ songs have … er, shall we say not played well with our friend Clive … and thus I promised him something he’d like today.  Now, I know that Clive is a Beatles’ fan, and this is a Beatles’ song, but I’m still hedgine my bets, for this isn’t typical Beatles’ fare!

From when I last played this in February 2020 …

Did you know that at one point during their career, George walked out, said ‘I’m done’, and that John Lennon wanted to replace him with Eric Clapton?  Yes, my friends, Eric Clapton was almost a Beatle!  Harrison soon came back, however, and he and Clapton bonded.

By the time the Beatles were recording their 1968 self-titled album, also known as The White Album, things were tense among the four.  When they got to the song While My Guitar Gently Weeps, they started recording an early “draft” on July 25, 1968, with Harrison playing the guitars and McCartney following along on the harmonium.  But, it wasn’t until Harrison invited his best pal Clapton into the studio that they went back to the song. “Eric played that and I thought it was really good,” Harrison said, according to Rolling Stone. “Then we listened to it back and he said, ‘Ah, there’s a problem, though; it’s not Beatley enough.’ So we put it through the ADT to wobble it up a bit.”

But Harrison’s true purpose of inviting Clapton? To lessen the tension. “George knew everyone would behave themselves around Clapton — a classic George power move,” the Rolling Stone piece said. “The trick worked — in George’s words, ‘The other guys were as good as gold because he was there.’”

A few nights ago, our friend Keith mentioned that Eric Clapton had done a tribute to George Harrison, who died of cancer on 29 November 2001.  Of course, I had to check it out, and … well, I it moved me and I felt it was a fitting way to conclude Beatles’ Week 2020.  And so, my friends, I offer first, the Beatles version of the song, and last, Mr. Eric Clapton et al in a fitting tribute to a great and talented musician.

While My Guitar Genly Weeps

The Beatles

I look at you all, see the love there that’s sleeping
While my guitar gently weeps
I look at the floor and I see it needs sweeping
Still my guitar gently weeps

I don’t know why nobody told you
How to unfold your love
I don’t know how someone controlled you
They bought and sold you

I look at the world and I notice it’s turning
While my guitar gently weeps
With every mistake we must surely be learning
Still my guitar gently weeps

Well…

I don’t know how you were diverted
You were perverted too
I don’t know how you were inverted
No one alerted you

I look at you all, see the love there that’s sleeping
[LOVE version:] I look from the wings at the play you are staging.
While my guitar gently weeps
Look at you all
[LOVE version:] As I’m sitting here doing nothing but aging
Still my guitar gently weeps

Oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, oh, ooh

47 thoughts on “♫ While My Guitar Gently Weeps ♫ (Redux)”

  1. After the first flush of success in 1963/1964, I always thought The Beatles took themselves too seriously, and thought too much of themselves. I never bought another one of their records, and do not listen to them today.
    (And I am English!)
    Best wishes, Pete.

    Liked by 1 person

      • I was 11 when they had their first big hit in the UK. I had ther early hits on vinyl, but later became put off by the hysterical fans and the overall attitude of the band members. I also much preferred Soul and Tamla Motown to mainstream pop, so The Beatles disappeared from my radar musically. They are almost worshipped here, and it is unpopular to say anything bad about them. McCartney has become an institution, but to me he just seems old and sad, trying to cling to youth at the age of 80.

        Liked by 1 person

        • I, too, was a huge fan of soul and Motown, but still had a love of much of the Beatles’ music, as well as the Stones and others. I’m still a huge fan of Lennon’s “Imagine” and several of McCartney’s — “Blackbird” comes to mind first. We all have different tastes, which is what makes music so much fun, and I find that my mood is often the driver of what I wish to hear on a given day.

          Liked by 1 person

    • I hadn’t ever heard of Regina Spektor, but she’s good, and the video is great fun! I think I still prefer Clapton’s version, but I did enjoy this one, so thank you for sharing it!!!

      Like

      • I guess Ms Spektor is not very famous then. Maybe I liked her version cause I was so impressed with the movie. One of the bestest stop-motions features I’ve ever seen. Profoundly sad but also optimistic and has its very own humour.

        Like

  4. Jill, thanks for the shout out. This is one of the better songs on The White Album due to Clapton and Harrison. It is interesting that Harrison’s wife was the muse for two great songs – “Something” by Harrison and “Layla” by Clapton. She left Harrison for Clapton as he was enamored with her. Harrison does not get enough credit for his own guitarsmithing. Clapton was better, but not by as much as people think. Keith

    Liked by 2 people

      • I have not heard that. George Martin first noticed The Beatles based on Harrison’s playing. McCartney is a talented musician though. He suggested Harrison to Lennon even though he was younger.

        There is a cool story in Malcolm Gladwell ‘s “Outliers” about how Martin suggested The Beatles go to Hamburg to learn how to perform and play better. They had to play seven shows a day six days a week, so they had to learn and practice new material or would have bored themselves silly.

        Keith

        Liked by 1 person

          • Orca, there is a great, but tough book to read called “And in the end,” which focuses on the last year of The Beatles as they produced their last album “Abbey Road.” There are multiple reasons for the break-up, but one of them is George was writing some good songs that The Beatles did not put on the albums. Arguably the best two songs on Abbey Road are “Something” and “Here comes the sun” by George. As a Beatles’ fan, it was sad to see them come to this, but it was time for them to move on. Keith

            Liked by 1 person

  5. A great way to start my day. It was such a full production (all those drum kits!) and could have been messy, but Clapton pulled it all together with his beautiful guitar playing. That must have been George Harrison’s son playing alongside Clapton. He is a dead ringer for George. (BTW, I couldn’t be bothered with the ballet one.)

    Liked by 1 person

    • I’m so happy to have started your day with a smile and a great song! Yes, I think that was his son standing next to Clapton! I’m surprised how many people loved this one, considering it wasn’t a big hit back in the day. Perhaps it’s true that some things are better with age!

      Like

  9. Omg, this was a super treat. Funnily, I‘m with Clive on this one, whether old or new, I LOVE the Cirque du Soleil version. So melancholically and mindblowingly beautiful – but then I always loved everything Beatles and although at the time I didn‘t know what a new kind of music this was, it always spoke to me, touched me and all available money went into LPs….

    Liked by 2 people

  11. I’ve said before that you should play songs for you, not for me! But thank you for playing this, one of the best Beatles songs, and no coincidence that it was written by George. Funnily enough neither of these is the original album version. The Concert for George version stays fairly true to the original, but the first one you’ve played is a newer version released in 2016 to mark the 10th anniversary of Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Love’ show. The album of that show included the slowed down song, which has been given a strings/acoustic guitar treatment by George Martin. I think it’s beautiful and the accompanying video goes so well with it.

    Liked by 4 people

    • And I do play them for me, Clive, but sometimes I also like to play something that I know my readers will enjoy! And since you are the biggest commenter on my music posts, naturally I like to try to bring a smile to your face! That said, I’m really surprised by how many people liked this one! Why was it not a hit when it was first released, I wonder? Anyway, I’m glad you enjoyed it, as did so many others!

      Liked by 1 person

      • You did bring that smile – I loved both versions, and then played the album original to complete the set. I think many others recognised what a good song it is. It was released as a double A-side single with Ob La Di in several European countries, making #1 in most of them, but was never a single in the UK or the US, hence why it wasn’t a hit here or there.

        Liked by 1 person

          • After 1965 or so they released relatively few singles, which is why you still get comments from people hearing their songs for the first time. If you didn’t have the albums you wouldn’t know them.

            I look forward to your playing of ‘Oh Bloody’ 😊

            Liked by 1 person

  12. I wonder how I ever missed this song? I thought I had heard every song by the Beetles, but this one is new to me. I love it, both versions, but the first one suits my mood today, kind of bittersweet and sad. Thanks Jill — and thank you Clive for inspiring Jill to post this one now. It has touched me in a few ways best left unsaid.

    Liked by 3 people

Comments are closed.