Editing George Harrison (section)

===Songwriting===
Harrison wrote his first song, "Don't Bother Me", while sick in a hotel bed in Bournemouth during August 1963, as "an exercise to see if I ''could'' write a song", <!--emphasis in original-->as he remembered.{{sfn|Harrison|2002|p=84}} His songwriting ability improved throughout the Beatles' career, but his material did not earn full respect from Lennon, McCartney and producer [[George Martin]] until near the group's break-up.{{sfn|Gilmore|2002|pp=38–39}} In 1969, McCartney told Lennon: "Until this year, our songs have been better than George's. Now this year his songs are at least as good as ours".<ref>{{harvnb|Miles|1997|p=554}}: (primary source); {{harvnb|Fawcett|1977|p=96}}: (secondary source).</ref> Harrison often had difficulty getting the band to record his songs.{{sfn|Schinder|Schwartz|2008|p=174}}{{sfn|George-Warren|2001|p=413}} Most Beatles albums from 1965 onwards contain at least two Harrison compositions; three of his songs appear on ''Revolver'', "the album on which Harrison came of age as a songwriter", according to Inglis.{{sfn|Inglis|2010|pp=xv: most Beatles albums contain at least two Harrison compositions, 7:''Revolver''}}

{{Listen
| type        = music
| filename    = "Within You Without You" by the Beatles, written by George Harrison, 1967.ogg
| title       = "Within You Without You"
| description = An audio sample of Harrison's "Within You Without You", 1967
}}
Harrison wrote the [[chord progression]] of "Don't Bother Me" almost exclusively in the [[Dorian mode]], demonstrating an interest in exotic tones that eventually culminated in his embrace of Indian music.{{sfn|Everett|2001|pp=193–94}} The latter proved a strong influence on his songwriting and contributed to his innovation within the Beatles. According to [[Mikal Gilmore]] of ''Rolling Stone'', "Harrison's openness to new sounds and textures cleared new paths for his rock and roll compositions. His use of dissonance on&nbsp;... 'Taxman' and 'I Want to Tell You' was revolutionary in popular music – and perhaps more originally creative than the avant-garde mannerisms that Lennon and McCartney borrowed from the music of [[Karlheinz Stockhausen]], [[Luciano Berio]], [[Edgard Varèse]] and [[Igor Stravinsky]]&nbsp;...".{{sfn|Gilmore|2002|p=37}}

Of the 1967 Harrison song "Within You Without You", author Gerry Farrell said that Harrison had created a "new form", calling the composition "a quintessential fusion of pop and Indian music".{{sfn|Leng|2006|p=31}} Lennon called the song one of Harrison's best: "His mind and his music are clear. There is his innate talent, he brought that sound together."{{sfn|The Beatles|2000|p=243}} In his next fully Indian-styled song, "The Inner Light", Harrison embraced the [[Carnatic music|Karnatak]] discipline of Indian music, rather than the [[Hindustani classical music|Hindustani]] style he had used in "Love You To" and "Within You Without You".<ref>{{harvnb|Harrison|2002|p=118}}; {{harvnb|Lavezzoli|2006|p=183}}; {{harvnb|Tillery|2011|p=87}}.</ref> Writing in 1997, Farrell commented: "It is a mark of Harrison's sincere involvement with Indian music that, nearly thirty years on, the Beatles' 'Indian' songs remain the most imaginative and successful examples of this type of fusion – for example, '[[Blue Jay Way]]' and 'The Inner Light'."{{sfn|Leng|2006|p=316}}

Beatles biographer Bob Spitz described "Something" as a masterpiece, and "an intensely stirring romantic ballad that would challenge 'Yesterday' and 'Michelle' as one of the most recognizable songs they ever produced".{{sfn|Spitz|2005|p=837}} Inglis considered ''Abbey Road'' a turning point in Harrison's development as a songwriter and musician. He described Harrison's two contributions to the LP, "Here Comes the Sun" and "Something", as "exquisite", declaring them equal to any previous Beatles songs.{{sfn|Inglis|2010|p=15}}