We’re in the thick of winter and, unfortunately, we have six more weeks of it, according to a prediction from groundhog meteorologist Punxsutawney Phil. In times like these, I like to play hopeful music to help trudge through the end of the darkest season.
There may be no more hopeful or brighter song than “Here Comes the Sun” by The Beatles.
Released in 1969 on the band’s “Abbey Road” album, the song is currently the Fab Four’s most-streamed track on Spotify. Currently, it has over 1.7 billion streams, nearly double that of their runner-up track, “Come Together.” It’s one of guitarist George Harrison‘s relatively few songwriting contributions to the group.
He wrote it in the dead of winter while avoiding a business meeting with The Beatles’ multimedia company, Apple Corps.
“It seems as if winter in England goes on forever; by the time spring comes, you really deserve it,” he wrote in his memoir, I, Me, Mine. “So, one day, I decided I was going to sag off Apple, and I went over to Eric Clapton’s house. The relief of not having to go and see all those dopey accountants was wonderful, and I walked around the garden with one of Eric’s acoustic guitars and wrote ‘Here Comes the Sun.”
The original is a masterpiece that blossoms over three minutes. It opens with Harrison’s guitar and slowly adds instruments. The track features a full orchestration, including acoustic and electric guitars, bass, drums, harmonium, handclaps, a Moog synthesizer, and a small orchestra: four violas, four cellos, a double bass, two piccolos, two flutes, two alto flutes, and two clarinets.
However, the composition is so strong that it works in nearly any format. This cover by The Petersens is a perfect example.
The American family band performs bluegrass, country, and folk music. In this gorgeous rendition, they utilize a classic bluegrass sextet instrumentation of guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, double bass, and resophonic guitar, also known as a dobro.
“Here Comes The Sun” revolves around a simple three-note melody, and its harmony is almost entirely made up of major chords. This makes it well-suited to bluegrass, a genre that often relies on simple chord progressions to create powerful close-harmony vocals.
The Petersens do just that. Julianne Petersen delivers the lead vocal with a beautiful, pure tone, enriched by the harmony of sisters Ellen and Katie. Add the timbre of an all-acoustic band, and you’ve got a stunning, organic performance.
Another reason the song works as a bluegrass cover is its use of rhythm. Many bluegrass standards have extended measures, dropped beats, or offbeat chord changes. “Here Comes The Sun” employs creative, playful rhythms to create something memorable. Harrison wrote a polyrhythmic figure to wrap up each chorus, but an instrumental bridge alternates between 2/4, 3/8, 5/8, and 4/4.
Now, it’s time for you to shake off the winter blues. Get the sheet music for “Here Comes the Sun” and make the best of it:
