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The Beatles’ Streaming Success: “Here Comes The Sun” Reigns Supreme on Spotify
The Beatles’ global influence on music is undeniable, transcending generations with their timeless repertoire. While their musical genius is well-documented, data underscores their enduring appeal in the modern streaming era. Despite originating in a pre-digital world of vinyl and radio, the iconic quartet continues to captivate audiences on platforms like Spotify. Astonishingly, one Beatles track has soared to 1.5 billion streams, establishing itself as their most popular digital hit.
Unprecedented Popularity in the Streaming Age
Widely recognized as the most successful band in history, The Beatles boast sales of over 600 million albums worldwide and an unmatched 20 chart-topping singles on the Billboard Hot 100. Their groundbreaking music revolutionized the industry, yet much of their initial acclaim predates the age of digital streaming.
The Beatles dominated music consumption through vinyl, cassettes, CDs, and radio airplay, long before streaming services became the primary method of music access. However, their continued popularity in today’s landscape is evident, with numerous songs accumulating hundreds of millions, and even billions, of streams.
“Here Comes The Sun”: The Crown Jewel of Beatles Streaming
According to Spotify, the leading music streaming platform, “Here Comes The Sun” stands out as The Beatles’ most streamed song, reaching a remarkable 1.5 billion streams. Intriguingly, this celebrated song was composed and performed by guitarist George Harrison, not the band’s usual lead vocalist, John Lennon.
With over 1.549 billion streams, “Here Comes The Sun” has firmly cemented its position as The Beatles’ most streamed track. Written by George Harrison in the garden of Eric Clapton, this signature song has received widespread praise from music critics over the years.
Alongside “Something,” another Harrison composition from the Abbey Road album, “Here Comes the Sun” elevated George Harrison’s songwriting status, placing him alongside bandmates John Lennon and Paul McCartney in terms of recognition.
A Streaming Milestone and Album Origins
In May 2023, “Here Comes The Sun” achieved a historic milestone, becoming the first Beatles song to surpass one billion streams on Spotify.
Interestingly, unlike many of their hits, “Here Comes The Sun” was never released as a single in the UK, similar to Paul McCartney’s “Yesterday.” It premiered as the opening song on side two of The Beatles’ 1969 album, Abbey Road, and is notable as one of the few tracks in their catalog where John Lennon does not feature.
Inspiration Behind the Song
The song’s genesis occurred during a turbulent period in George Harrison’s life in early 1969. He had briefly departed The Beatles, undergone a tonsillectomy, and faced legal issues regarding marijuana possession.
In his autobiography, ‘I, Me, Mine’, Harrison described the stressful environment within Apple Corps, The Beatles’ business organization, as the catalyst for writing “Here Comes the Sun”:
“Here Comes the Sun was written at the time when Apple was getting like school, where we had to go and be businessmen: ‘Sign this’ and ‘sign that.’ Anyway, it seems as if winter in England goes on forever, by the time spring comes you really deserve it.
“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 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.”
Eric Clapton’s Recollection
In the Martin Scorsese-directed documentary ‘George Harrison: Living in the Material World’ (2011), Eric Clapton commented on Harrison’s creative process:
“He was just a magical guy and he would show up, get out of the car with his guitar and come in and start playing … I just watched this thing come to life. I felt very proud that it was my garden that was inspiring it.”