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George Harrison wrote this for his girlfriend Pattie Boyd. They eventually got married.

Pattie has inspired a lot of songs. Harrison also wrote "Something" about her, and Eric Clapton wrote "Layla" and "Wonderful Tonight" for her. She and Harrison officially divorced in 1977. She and Clapton were married from 1979-1988.

The strange guitar sound is Harrison playing with a tone pedal.

Since this was the only song of his in the movie Help!, Harrison made a point of saying "I Need You by George Harrison," twice during the end credits. (thanks, Adrian - Wilmington, DE)

This is the second song written by Harrison that the band recorded. "Don't Bother Me" was the first. (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)

Comments:

George didn't write 'Something' about Patti
- Alison, Queens, NY

beautifull. classic george.
- Nick, Seattle, Albania

This song is so cute, I love this part in the movie, when they're in the field. George always makes me smile.
- helbs, liverpool, Austria

Some trivia: I Need You and Hold Me Tight were titles of songs produced by George Martin for both the Beatles and the 70's group America. Although the Beatles' and America's songs were totally different.
- Ken, Louisville, KY

This song was about Pattie but "Something" was not. I love this song.
- Rosario, Naples, FL

I love this song i love the way George sings!
- Kayla, Nashville, TN

This is one of my favorite songs of all time. Goerge loved to take a chord and work around with it till he found a melody. If I Needed Someone was built around the D. This around the A. (Sally - whadda ya mean he didn't sing If I Needed Someone? Of course he did!) If you haven't seen the tribute to George with Eric, Ringo, Paul, Tom, Jeff etc, it is one of the best concerts ever. No ego's, just a wonderful moving expression of their love for someone they all loved deeply. Seeing Dahni, his son perform brings such melancholy because of his AMAZING relemblance to George. I never appreciated George's contribution to The Beatles sound until I became a musician. He was as crtiical as any of them. I miss him so much.
- Charles, Bronxville, NY

This song has a haunting faraway sound to it and the lyrics tell a story I'm sure many people can relate to.This is a very good song with a strong melody and showed that Harrison started to develop into a formidable songwriter himself.
- George, Belleville, NJ

One of the first uses of the volume pedal and the technique of volume swells the first song he uses the volume pedal was Yes It Is the B side to Ticket To Ride and he used harmonics to make it like a cross between a violin and a horn. On this song it sounds like a organ and it's an ok song but it helps the popularity of another instrumnet. Sal,Bardonia, NY
- sal, bardonia , NY

Sarah, in answer to your question, James Taylor wrote a song called "Something in the Way She Moves" prior to "Something", and George took that linb and wrote a whole new song. As for his insipiration, I quote the man himself: PC: You're also performing "Something" on the live album. Now, you wrote that about Patti, is that right? GH: We'll no, I didn't, I just wrote it and then somebody put together a video and what they did, was they went out and got some footage of me and Patti, Paul and Linda, Ringo and Maureen, it was at that time, and John and Yoko and they just made up a little video to go with it, so then everybody presumed I wrote it about Patti, but actually when I wrote it I was thinking of Ray Charles. PC: He's not as good looking, but well, you know.... GH: Yeah, but he's a better singer (laughs) but that's what I was thinking of, I could hear in my head Ray Charles singing it. http://www.undercover.com.au/idol/georgeharrison.html
- Tom, Newark, DE

This sounds like something Paul would have written, rather than George.
- Linus, Hamilton, ON, Canada

You claim George didn't write 'Something' about Patti. And if that's true, would you care to enlighten us with just who he wrote it about? I can see if he and Patti were dating he might do that, but helloooo, they had been married quite a while when he wrote this.
- sarah, Pittsburgh, PA

It wasn't the first song he wrote solo either, Christopher from NY. He actually wrote 'Don't Bother Me' for their second album in 'With The Beatles.' 'If I Needed Someone' is a Harrison song, not just sung by him. I don't recall George ever denying 'Something' was written for Pattie Boyd. In other news, I love this song. It's just gorgeous. One of my favorite tracks on the whole of the 'Help!' album, it's so rarely mentioned and picked out for the special praise it deserves. It should have been a single. I only wish he was still with us, or that I had at least been alive for the release of this single. Darn.
- Sally, Dublin, Ireland

This is a great song....it ranks with some of the better Lennon/McCartney songs. I wonder why George didn't comment on it in his I Me Mine book.
- Steve, Fenton, MO

George did NOT write "Something" about Patti! Arrrrgghh..
- Amanda, New York City, NY

"You Like Me Too Much" is also on the cd version of Help. If I remember correctly, the British versions of albums were the ones that were made into cd's.
- Stefanie magura, Rock Hill, SC

how fitting, the beatles didn't realize how much they needed george.
- lee, clearwater, FL

'If I Needed Someone" is on the cd-version of "robber soul' also.
- Stefanie magura, Rock Hill, SC

Actually "If I Needed Someone" is from the British version of Rubber Soul. His other song on the British version of "Help!" is "You Like Me Too Much" Not a great song but it's not terrible.
- Josh, Plainview, NY

This may have been the only Harrison tune on the American "Help!" release but on the British version I believe George also sang "If I Needed Someone." Songs from the British albumn were spread across several American albumn such as "Yesterday and Today." -Rob, Baltimore, MD
- Robert, Lutherville, MD

This is one of George's most underrated songs along with his first song he wrote for the Beatles. (In case people don't know, "Don't Bother Me" was the first song he wrote with the boys)
- Christopher, Greenfield Center, NY

This should have been an A side of a single.
- Randy, St Marys, OH

This song echoes what a lot of people feel after being dumped.
- Tyson, Ruidoso, NM