“Need” gets a bad rap. It is considered weak to be “needy”. But we all have needs. George wore his Liverpool tough guy persona when he wrote this song, one of his finest early compositions. The song demonstrated George developing his own distinctive voice as a songwriter with a solid contribution to the “Rubber Soul” album.
Every artist builds on what came before them. This jangly track was inspired by the Byrds' Rickenbacher guitar sound that itself was inspired by the Beatles. This creative dialogue pushed both bands toward new heights. The Byrds had taken Beatles' harmonies and added their own folk-rock sensibility, which then circled back to influence George's guitar sound.
Excellence requires a willingness to learn from the competition. George could have dismissed the Byrds as imitators, but instead he heard something worth exploring in their interpretation of his band's sound.
Donning his rock star image, George implies that he doesn’t “need” the girl he loves. The song's theme of not having time for romantic relationships reflected George's busy life. There is certainly truth in the theme. The demands of Beatlemania wreaked havoc on the romantic relationships of all four of them. It was only as they were breaking up, or later, that each of them were able to build a stable family life. As it turned out, George needed someone, just like we all do.
Today, I will acknowledge someone whose work has influenced mine and consider how I might return that creative generosity.
What artist or thinker has shaped your approach in ways you haven't acknowledged? How could openly celebrating that influence strengthen rather than diminish your own voice?
