COVER THE SUN.

a pick six

by Hunter Jon

George was always my favourite. He still is. I’ve always assumed this has everything to do with the fact that “Here Comes the Sun” is my favourite song of all time and has been for as long as I can remember. I don’t recall hearing it for the first time, but I figure I must have been around five or six when I did. That’s when I was first introduced to (and went nuts for) the music of The Beatles. And this is what I've decided must have happened: I deemed Harrison’s tune my favourite of not only theirs but all tunes ever, and asked my mum which of the four fellows sang it. She would have surely not only told me that it was George, but that he also wrote the song. “Then he’s my favourite,” I’m certain I said. So despite have no proof or memory of this ever happening it’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Of course, in the years to come the quiet one would remain my favourite Beatle for a dozen or so other, far more impressive and profound reasons. But my life long love for the man and his music all begins with a seemingly simple song about the sun. It’s such a lovely one to love for so many reasons, one of which being that you can interpret the lyrics a hundred different ways. And I have. My affection for it only grows with every listen. It seems impossible to tire of. And much to my delight, I’m not alone - from what I can gather, it is one of the more universally popular and beloved Beatles songs. I'm talking, like, top five. But I’ve found it’s not just fans that love it so dearly - other musicians seem to just as much, both those who came before and after George. It’s been covered more times than one should ever bother trying to count. I’m always on the lookout for an alternative version that I’ve somehow never heard before. And like any proper fan I keep a very specific list of my favourites. A list I’m going to share right now. So here they are - my six favourite recordings of “Here Comes the Sun” that aren’t the original…

(I’ve included the appropriate amount of honourable mentions)