The Enduring Legacy of George Harrison’s Apple Scruffs
The Inspiration Behind Apple Scruffs
Every great song has a story, and Apple Scruffs by George Harrison is no exception. The song was inspired by a group of young women who gathered daily outside the gates of Apple Records in London during the late 1960s. These diehard fans, known as the “Apple Scruffs,” would wait for hours just to catch a glimpse of their favorite Beatles. Harrison was deeply moved by their devotion and decided to honor them with a song.
The Significance of the Lyrics
The lyrics to Apple Scruffs paint a poignant picture of the fan-girl experience: “Now I’ve been searching high and low / And my love is coming to see me soon / Now I’m a believer and a feverish fan / And she’s the moon when the day is done.” The song speaks to the intense emotional connection that fans can feel with their idols and the lengths they are willing to go to be near them.
The Recording Process
Apple Scruffs was recorded during the sessions for Harrison’s 1970 triple album All Things Must Pass. The song features a sparse production, with Harrison’s acoustic guitar and vocals backed by a simple drum beat. Despite its stripped-down nature, the song is deeply affecting, highlighting Harrison’s abilities as a songwriter and performer.
The Legacy of Apple Scruffs
Apple Scruffs remains a beloved song among fans of Harrison and the Beatles. It has been covered by artists such as Elliott Smith, Yo La Tengo, and Big Star’s Alex Chilton. The song’s legacy speaks to the enduring power of music to connect people across boundaries of age, gender, and culture.
Quotes from George Harrison and others
“When I wrote ‘Apple Scruffs,’ the girls used to hang around outside Apple often, and they’d all be down there. It was like a club, a clique — the Apple Scruffs. I just wrote it about them, thinking, well, they could be singing it about me, my guitar … or Bob Dylan … so I put it into the third person.” – George Harrison
“The Apple scruffs were really beautiful little girls who’d wait outside the studio; they all looked like Pru [Pattie Boyd]. They were amazingly loyal to George … They deserved a song, much more than most other people.” – Paul McCartney
“Apple Scruffs may well have made the Greatest Hits of heaven, every one of them.” – George Harrison, speaking about the fans who inspired the song in the liner notes to his 1976 album Thirty Three & 1/3.
The Meaning Behind the Music
At its core, Apple Scruffs is a tribute to the power of fandom. The song celebrates the deeply emotional connections that can form between artists and their fans, and the loyalty that fans can show in return. It is a reminder that music is more than just sound waves, but a communal experience that has the power to bring people together across all boundaries. Harrison’s song may have been inspired by a group of young women in London, but its impact has been felt far and wide.
