Abbey Road cover art

  Studio Album · No. 9

Abbey Road Songwriting Credits by The Beatles

1969 Apple 16 tracks 47 min

Produced by George Martin  ·  Engineered by Geoff Emerick (recording, mixing), Phil McDonald (recording), Alan Parsons (assistant engineer)

Apple RockPopBluesProgressive Rock
100%
Authorship
Complete Artist

Holds writing credit on 16 of 16 tracks

Authorship Breakdown 16 / 16 documented

Who wrote the songs?

Scored across the 16 tracks with documented writers, by whether The Beatles carries a lyricist or composer credit.

100%
16 trackswritten by The Beatles 0 tracksoutside writers
The Beatles's roles on this album

Share of the 16 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.

Lyricist100%
Composer100%
Producer0%
Performer100%

By the Numbers

16
Tracks
4
Lyricists
1
Producers
1
No.1 Single
31 million
Worldwide Copies Sold
1969
Released

Awards & Recognition 1

Grammy Award for Best Engineered Recording (Non-Classical) (1970)
Data Insight

George Harrison's finest contribution to any Beatles album, "Something" and "Here Comes the Sun" are two of the most beloved songs on the record, with "Something" described by Sinatra as "the greatest love song of the past fifty years." The side-two medley was McCartney's concept, stitching unfinished song fragments into a continuous suite. Recorded February-August 1969 at EMI, Olympic, and Trident Studios, Abbey Road was George Martin's final production with the band. Engineers Emerick and McDonald won the Grammy for Best Engineered Recording (Non-Classical) at the 12th Grammy Awards.

Abbey Road is the eleventh studio album by The Beatles, recorded in the summer of 1969 at EMI Studios under producer George Martin and released on Apple Records in September 1969, widely regarded as the band's finest final studio statement and one of the greatest rock albums ever made. Harrison's two contributions, 'Something' (which Paul McCartney has called the greatest love song ever written, and Frank Sinatra's most performed cover in his final decades) and 'Here Comes the Sun', are widely considered among the album's strongest tracks, representing the fullest flowering of Harrison's songwriting ability within the context of the Beatles catalog. The second side's celebrated medley, a suite of song fragments stitched into a continuous movement by McCartney and Martin, represents the most collaborative large-scale compositional effort in the Beatles' catalog, with fragments by Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison woven together by McCartney's production. Lennon's 'Come Together' opens the album; 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)' closes the first side with seven minutes of unresolved tension. Abbey Road was the last album the Beatles completed as a group, Let It Be was recorded earlier but released later, and it remains the most fully realized expression of their collective studio craftsmanship.

Track Listing & Credits 16 tracks

Written by the artist Written by outside writers
#TitleLyricist(s)Composer(s)Producer(s)Performers
1
Come Together
John LennonPaul McCartney John LennonPaul McCartney George Martin John Lennon (Lead Vocals)
2
Something #1
George Harrison George Harrison George Martin George Harrison (Lead Vocals)
3
Maxwell's Silver Hammer
John LennonPaul McCartney John LennonPaul McCartney George Martin Paul McCartney (Lead Vocals)
4
Oh! Darling
John LennonPaul McCartney John LennonPaul McCartney George Martin Paul McCartney (Lead Vocals)
5
Octopus's Garden
Richard Starkey Richard Starkey George Martin Ringo Starr (Lead Vocals)
6
I Want You (She's So Heavy)
John LennonPaul McCartney John LennonPaul McCartney George Martin John Lennon (Lead Vocals)
7
Here Comes the Sun
George Harrison George Harrison George Martin George Harrison (Lead Vocals)
8
Because
John LennonPaul McCartney John LennonPaul McCartney George Martin John Lennon (Lead Vocals)
9
You Never Give Me Your Money
John LennonPaul McCartney John LennonPaul McCartney George Martin Paul McCartney (Lead Vocals)
10
Sun King
John LennonPaul McCartney John LennonPaul McCartney George Martin John Lennon (Lead Vocals)
11
Mean Mr. Mustard
John LennonPaul McCartney John LennonPaul McCartney George Martin John Lennon (Lead Vocals)
12
Polythene Pam
John LennonPaul McCartney John LennonPaul McCartney George Martin John Lennon (Lead Vocals)
13
She Came In Through the Bathroom Window
John LennonPaul McCartney John LennonPaul McCartney George Martin Paul McCartney (Lead Vocals)
14
Golden Slumbers
John LennonPaul McCartney John LennonPaul McCartney George Martin Paul McCartney (Lead Vocals)
15
Carry That Weight
John LennonPaul McCartney John LennonPaul McCartney George Martin Paul McCartney (Lead Vocals)
16
The End
John LennonPaul McCartney John LennonPaul McCartney George Martin Paul McCartney (Lead Vocals)

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 6 contributors

More from The Beatles

Frequently Asked Questions Abbey Road

Who wrote Something on Abbey Road by The Beatles?
"Something" was written by George Harrison, one of only two Harrison songs on Abbey Road (the other being "Here Comes the Sun"). Frank Sinatra called it "the greatest love song of the past fifty years." The song reached number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 as a double A-side with "Come Together" in November 1969, becoming Harrison's first Beatles A-side.
Who wrote Here Comes the Sun on Abbey Road by The Beatles?
"Here Comes the Sun" was written by George Harrison in the garden of Eric Clapton's house in the spring of 1969, during a break from the stressful Beatles business meetings. Harrison has described it as one of his easiest writes. The song features an acoustic guitar melody against multi-tracked vocals and is among the most-streamed classic Beatles tracks.
Who wrote Come Together on Abbey Road by The Beatles?
"Come Together" was written by John Lennon, expanding on a piece originally written for Timothy Leary's California gubernatorial campaign. Lennon was sued by Chuck Berry's publisher Morris Levy for similarities to Berry's "You Can't Catch Me." The song opens Abbey Road as the first track on side one and was released as a double A-side with Harrison's "Something."
How many copies did Abbey Road by The Beatles sell worldwide?
Abbey Road has sold over 31 million copies globally as of 2011, making it one of The Beatles' best-selling albums. It is certified 12× Platinum by the RIAA in the United States and Diamond (1 million units) in Canada.
Did Abbey Road by The Beatles win a Grammy Award?
Yes, Abbey Road won Grammy Award for Best Engineered Recording (Non-Classical) at the 12th Grammy Awards in 1970, awarded to engineers Geoff Emerick and Phil McDonald. The album was not separately nominated for Album of the Year despite its commercial and critical success.
Who engineered Abbey Road by The Beatles?
Abbey Road was recorded and mixed by Geoff Emerick and Phil McDonald, with Alan Parsons (later of the Alan Parsons Project) as assistant engineer. George Martin produced the album alongside The Beatles. Sessions took place at EMI Studios (Abbey Road), Olympic Sound Studios, and Trident Studios in London from February 22 to August 20, 1969.
What is the medley on side two of Abbey Road by The Beatles?
The side-two medley of Abbey Road is a sequence of linked song fragments, "You Never Give Me Your Money," "Sun King," "Mean Mr. Mustard," "Polythene Pam," "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window," "Golden Slumbers," "Carry That Weight," and "The End", conceived by Paul McCartney. Each fragment transitions seamlessly into the next. It was a response to Lennon's increasingly fragmented compositional style and remains one of rock's most ambitious extended compositions.

Sources