The most streamed Beatles song, with 1.5 billion streams to date, is not one of the Lennon/McCartney mega hits, but George Harrison’s “Here Comes the Sun,” written on a cold, dreary day in February.
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Level 2/3: High Beginning / Low Intermediate

Here Comes the Sun

On a February morning in 1969, George Harrison was driving to London.  He was one of the four Beatles–a very popular band–and he was driving to their music studio.  He didn’t want to go.

As he drove, George thought back to the early 1960s, when the Beatles were a new band.  Work was fun then.  It was fun to travel with the other Beatles, it was fun to perform, and it was fun to record music in the studio.

Now the Beatles’ music was a big business, and work wasn’t fun anymore.  When the Beatles went to the studio, sometimes they didn’t make music.  They talked about money and they signed papers–lots of papers.  Sometimes they argued.  It made George sad.  The other Beatles–John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr–were George’s best friends.  He didn’t want to argue with them.

The weather made George feel sad, too.  It was cold, cloudy, and rainy–a typical English winter day.  “When was the last time I saw the sun?” George thought.  He couldn’t remember.  

George was so depressed that he couldn’t go to work.  Suddenly he turned off the road to London.  “I’m not going to the studio,” he decided.  “I’m going for a walk.”

George drove to a friend’s house, where there was a big garden.  George walked around the garden with a guitar in his hands.  And then–just for a minute–the sun came out.  The sunshine on George’s face made him feel better.  He began to play the guitar and sing a new song.  “Here comes the sun,” he sang.  “It’s all right.” 

Today George Harrison’s song “Here Comes the Sun” is the most streamed Beatles’ song, with 1.5 billion streams. Why is this old song still popular? Perhaps this is one reason: The song is about feeling better when the sun comes out. That is an idea that never gets old.

Here Comes the Sun.pdf

Story: Copyright © 2025 Sandra Heyer. All rights reserved. Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use.
Photo: Copyright © Phawat Khommai | Dreamstime.com. Reprinted with permission.

Comprehension, Here Comes the Sun.pdf       Comprehension, Here Comes the Sun (webpage)