Something almost wasn't a Beatles song.

Yes — “Something” was written by George Harrison for another artist. He originally gave it to Joe Cocker and also offered it to James Taylor, but both passed or ended up recording other versions.

Harrison was famously modest about his songwriting, and he figured this one wasn’t “Beatles material.” But Paul McCartney and John Lennon heard it and convinced him to keep it for the band. Good thing, too: it became one of the most-covered Beatles songs ever.

So that’s the backstory. “Something” was George’s gift to someone else, but the Beatles made it theirs.