Recording, mixing: Because, Something, Here Comes The Sun – 4 August 1969

August 4, 2026

Monday 4 August 1969 | Studios Two and Three, EMI Studios, Abbey Road, London

On 4 August 1969, The Beatles returned to EMI Studios on Abbey Road to continue work on what would become their final recorded album, Abbey Road. The session produced one of the most extraordinary vocal recordings in the Beatles catalogue — the nine-part harmony of ‘Because’ — and concluded with George Harrison overseeing rough stereo mixes of ‘Something’ and ‘Here Comes The Sun’ to allow George Martin to prepare orchestral scores.

The session was produced by George Martin, with engineers Geoff Emerick and Phil McDonald.

Recording ‘Because’: Nine Voices in Harmony

The backing track for ‘Because’ had been recorded three days earlier. On 1 August 1969, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison had overdubbed one track of three-part harmonies. The 4 August session added two more layers, bringing the total to nine voices on tape — three singers, recorded three times over.

The vocal recording took place in Studio Two from 2.30pm to 9pm. The new vocals were recorded on tracks seven and eight of the eight-track tape. George Martin directed the singers on the precise notes to sing, as he recalled in two separate interviews:

“Having done the backing track, John, Paul and George sang the harmony. Then we overlaid it twice more, making nine-part harmony altogether, three voices recorded three times. I was literally telling them what notes to sing.”

— George Martin, The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions, Mark Lewisohn

“On ‘Because’, for example, very much a John song, it needed the combined singing of the three men. So obviously it became a joint effort… The three boys sang together in harmony, the whole song. And then we overlaid another three voices, and another three voices, so we had nine-part harmony all the way through. And that was ‘Because’.”

— George Martin, interview with Richard Buskin, 3 March 1987

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Mixing ‘Something’ and ‘Here Comes The Sun’

From 7.15pm to 8.45pm, a brief mixing session was held in the control room of Studio Three. George Harrison oversaw the creation of rough stereo mixes of ‘Something’ and ‘Here Comes The Sun’ — both Harrison compositions that would become two of the most celebrated tracks on Abbey Road. The purpose of the mixes was to allow George Martin to study the songs and prepare orchestral scores for the string and brass overdubs that would follow.

‘Something’ would go on to be released as a double A-side single with ‘Come Together’ in October 1969, becoming the first Harrison-penned Beatles single. Frank Sinatra later called it “the greatest love song of the past fifty years.” ‘Here Comes The Sun’, written by Harrison during a morning in Eric Clapton's garden, became one of the most streamed Beatles songs of the digital era.

Key Facts

Date	Monday 4 August 1969
Studios	Studio Two (vocals, 2.30–9pm) and Studio Three control room (mixing, 7.15–8.45pm), EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Producer	George Martin
Engineers	Geoff Emerick, Phil McDonald
Songs worked on	Because (vocal overdubs — tracks 7 & 8); Something and Here Comes The Sun (rough stereo mixes)
Vocal layers on ‘Because’	Nine voices total — Lennon, McCartney and Harrison recorded three times over
Purpose of mixes	To allow George Martin to prepare orchestral scores for Something and Here Comes The Sun

EMI Studios, Abbey Road, London — where The Beatles recorded the nine-part vocal harmonies of ‘Because’ on 4 August 1969.

Abbey Road — officially licensed Beatles merch

The Beatles Abbey Road & Logo T-Shirt in white.

The Beatles Abbey Road & Logo T-Shirt (White) →

Frequently Asked Questions

How many vocal tracks are on ‘Because’ by The Beatles?

Because features nine vocal tracks in total. John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison sang three-part harmonies, which were then recorded three times over to create nine voices on tape. George Martin directed the singers on the precise notes to sing.

When were the vocals for ‘Because’ recorded?

The first layer of three-part harmonies for Because was recorded on 1 August 1969. Two further layers were added on 4 August 1969 in Studio Two at EMI Studios, Abbey Road, completing the nine-part harmony.

Who wrote ‘Because’ by The Beatles?

Because was written by John Lennon, inspired by Yoko Ono playing Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. Lennon asked her to play the chords in reverse, and the resulting progression became the basis of the song.

Why did George Harrison mix ‘Something’ and ‘Here Comes The Sun’ on 4 August 1969?

George Harrison oversaw rough stereo mixes of Something and Here Comes The Sun on 4 August 1969 to allow producer George Martin to study the songs and prepare orchestral scores for the string and brass overdubs that would follow.