Bob Dylan singing George Harrison's "Something"

This RealAudio stream ought to be legal since it's from Dylan's official site. I'm a big fan of Something as one of the best love songs ever written, a real tour de force of songwriting by George Harrison.

Harrison had to compete in the Beatles with two of the greatest songwriters ever, John Lennon and Paul McCartney. It has always been utterly amazing to me that he was able to grow in skill to the point that he could, at times, actually challenge the two of them; in fact I think his Something and Here Comes the Sun are the best two examples of classic songwriting on Abbey Road. That achievement appears to make Harrison one of the best songwriters ever, as well.

But it really can't be, by pure coincidence, that the Beatles just happened to have not two, but three, of the best songwriters in the world. Well, it could be, but it's highly unlikely. Rather, to me it seems much more likely that Harrison achieved what he did through effort, learning, and competitive spirit added to whatever "pure" genetically-given talent he had.

So, to me, it's an example of what humans are capable of if they choose to really try to learn and grow.

Anyway, Bob Dylan and George Harrison were friends, so Dylan's performance of Something is a heartfelt tribute from Bob to George. It can't compare with the utter beauty of the Beatle's performance, but it's interesting and worth hearing nonetheless, at least if you're a fan of both of them. As I am.