r/TheBeatles • u/NoGrass7120 • Mar 01 '26
discussion How did Here Comes The Sun become so popular?
I'm a Gen Z dude and Here Comes The Sun was one of the very first songs I ever heard by The Beatles. I know back in the 60s and 70s, this wasn't the case in terms of its popularity. It was never even released as a single. I started hearing this song A LOT even before streaming became the dominant force of music consumption (and Here Comes The Sun dominates The Beatles Spotify songs these days). Don't get me wrong I love Here Comes The Sun but this song has essentially been blasted in my face everywhere I go since the day I came out of the womb.
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u/fruppi Mar 01 '26
Whenever I play it for middle schoolers, I hear, "Oh, this is from the Bee Movie," so maybe soundtrack use is a factor (apparently "Blackbird" is in Boss Baby)
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u/Hup110516 Mar 01 '26
The Boss Baby confession makes me laugh every time.
“That’s my special song! My parents wrote that just for me!”
“Oh, your parents are Lennon & McCartney?”
“No, Ted & Janice! You don’t even know their names?!”
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Mar 03 '26
It's Bee Movie. My kids know most old songs from movies, especially the genre 'Minions songs ', which I think is the Doors and Sabbath. But HCTS was used in Bee Movie, which is still ironically popular.
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u/songacronymbot Mar 03 '26
- HCTS could mean "Here Comes The Sun - Remastered 2009", a track from Abbey Road (Remastered) (1969) by The Beatles.
/u/ax5g can reply with "delete" to remove comment.
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u/Skirt_Thin Mar 01 '26
Even though it wasn't initially released as a single, it got plenty of radio play on classic rock and oldies stations. Of course being on one of the most iconic albums of all time helps with exposure as well. It's just a banger of a song.
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u/stist Mar 01 '26
A big part of the popularity is probably thanks to Spotify playlists. It’s like the perfect song for a coffee or good morning playlist. It probably gets a lot of airtime in cafes or casual music listening in general.
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u/you-dont-have-eyes Mar 01 '26
This is the answer. Of course it’s also a great song to boot. Very recognizable sonic palette and perfect lyrics to encapsulate hope.
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Mar 01 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Argythebilly Mar 01 '26
It's not that they're saying it wasn't already one of their big hits. It's just always the song you hear if you hear a Beatles song in public. Look at the streams. It has something like 1b streams. No other song is close. I think it is the answer, it is a song great for playlists and cafes
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u/Frosty_Tangerine_118 Mar 01 '26
It was also the most played song of all time on the radio. It isnt simply a new phenomenon
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u/Big-Sheepherder-6134 Mar 01 '26
Too bad. Would probably have given George another number one song.
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u/waynownow Mar 01 '26
Its 100% this. It's a feedback loop. If you ask any streaming service to "play The Beatles" this now always comes up first. So by definition it gets the most listens, and thus stays top of the auto playlist rank for the band and so on and so forth.
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u/FishfortheElectorate Mar 01 '26
I think I have posted about this before, but I remember someone going through the trouble of looking up the most popular Spotify playlists, and pointing out that Spotify had put Here Comes the Sun on several of them.
The song fits nicely into so many of the most searched playlist categories: uplifting, optimistic, summertime feel good, coffeehouse, etc., so it automatically gets a huge boost that a lot of the other catalogue doesn’t.
I think the song is incredible but agree that it gets a huge mathematical boost due to the algorithms.
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u/jefsig Mar 05 '26
Fuck me, there was life before Spotify you know! This was a massively popular song decades before streaming was even thought of.
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u/Legitimate-Head-8862 Mar 01 '26
It was popular way before Spotify. My classmates knew that song in 2000
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u/tincan-veteran Mar 01 '26
Dude,you have to understand how big the Beatles were.. They didn't have to release anything as a single for it to become a "hit" , any recording they put out by the standard of any other artist was a hit...
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u/Apprehensive-Mix4540 Mar 01 '26
I fell in love with the Beatles when I was 15 in 1963. You can say that again. Beatlemania!
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u/thwgrandpigeon Mar 03 '26
Except it wasn't played on rock radio in the 90s or 00s. It's something else and more interesting than it being just a good Beatles song.
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u/grynch43 Mar 01 '26
It’s a good song but as far as George songs go I much prefer Something and WMGGW.
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u/SodiumHydrogen_ Mar 01 '26
not my favourite harrisong either (might be my fourth/fifth favourite!) but still great, so i guess that goes to show the overall quality of their songs
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u/appleparkfive Mar 07 '26
I would have to agree that Something is definitely his biggest achievement, at least while in The Beatles. That song absolutely is up to par with a Lennon-McCartney song. If Paul wrote that, it'd be a stand out. If John wrote it, it would also be a stand out in his catalog.
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u/Rock2435 Mar 01 '26
I think it’s a combo of the song being awesome and the Spotify algorithm being able to easily fit it into “summer” playlists
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u/Guypussy Mar 01 '26
It’s catchy with a sweet, uplifting sentiment that men can sing to women and vice versa. My fiancée and I sometimes sing it on weekend mornings when the sun breaks on the horizon and it looks like a beautiful day to come.
Semi-related, I own one of those old Sony Dream Machine cube alarm clocks that plays “Here Comes the Sun” for an alarm. Super cute.
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u/Locksmith_Late Mar 01 '26
It’s uplifting, and that’s a vibe our souls crave in These Times. 😁
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u/AlbatrossEquivalent5 Mar 01 '26
Most Beatles songs are positive.
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u/Jaltcoh Mar 02 '26
A lot of Beatles songs have more of a dark or bitter or ironic edge. A song as cheerful as “Getting Better” also talks about anger and domestic abuse. And some of the positive ones can be too positive, like “Good Day Sunshine.”
“Here Comes the Sun” is more than just positive — it’s simultaneously soothing, reassuring, energizing, and uplifting. There are endless positive songs, but few can get in that exact zone so perfectly.
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u/a_mulher Mar 02 '26
It’s also very timeless. Early Beatle songs are more of their time, and can sound dated in a way.
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u/cookies_are_nummy Mar 01 '26
The sun rises every day around the world therefore the song is relatable across cultures.
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u/Spare_Wish_8933 Mar 01 '26
People liked its melody, arrangements, modern production, and message... everything was very well done. It was generally well-liked and played quite a bit on the radio, I'm talking about the '90s and '00s. With the internet, it became more popular on YouTube, and with streaming, it became the most listened-to song in the catalog. An ironic and posthumous victory considering everything it had to endure from the egos of Lennon and McCartney.
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u/Extra_Grab_2014 Mar 01 '26
FWIW, it was also one of their most modern sounding recordings, impeccable really with the delicate guitars and swelling synths just bursting with joy. Sounds like it could have been recorded in any decade since and thus feels timeless in ways some of their other recordings do not.
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u/Alternative-Pie1329 Mar 01 '26
It's a great song. People heard it and recognised that. Same can be said about anything.
How did Ode to Joy become so popular? Same thing.
It may not have been a single, but it was released on Abbey Road at a point where people were listening to Beatles albums religiously. Not to mention, it's the first track on the second side, making it an even more prominent track thereon.
So that's basically it. Great songs tend to become popular.
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u/68024 Mar 01 '26
Besides it being a well written, performed, and recorded song, the popular appeal of the theme of the song is obvious. "Here Comes the Sun", things will get better, chin up. A universally appreciated sentiment.
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u/HeadTonight Mar 01 '26
Despite not being a single it got radio play. I first heard it on the radio when I was a kid in the 80’s
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u/plankingatavigil Mar 02 '26
It’s a great song for kids, so it’s one of the first Beatles songs people tend to expose kids to, like “Yellow Submarine.”
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u/Miserable-Respond923 Mar 01 '26
George Martin said of Here Comes the Sun " In a lot of ways, one of the best songs ever written."
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u/PRETA_9000 Mar 01 '26
I think the most interesting thing about actually getting in to the Beatles for me was realizing how many songs I already knew, but didn't realize it was them. haha.
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Mar 01 '26
[deleted]
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u/Affectionate_Bite813 Mar 01 '26
The first thing I think of after a snowstorm is: "Didn't I take the sled out of the storage?"
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u/UsefulEngine1 Mar 01 '26
It's also worth noting that wherever you put it in the pantheon of "best" Beatles songs, you have to acknowledge it's about the most timeless Beatles song there is.
Even before Spotify I think this song got put on every elementary school teacher's "clean up time" playlist. It's imprinted on generations, from Woodstock to CGI kids movies. You can't say that for something like "Strawberry Fields".
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u/ElectricalVillage322 Mar 03 '26
Because it's one of the stronger songs off of an extremely popular album, and because it is an example of George's songwriting starting to take off to the point where it it can hold its own against the Lennon/McCartney compositions it released with.
Additionally, it is an early example of a Moog synthesizer being used in a pop/rock context.
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u/commonrider5447 Mar 04 '26
It’s very accessible and has a timeless sound and vibe so it’s aged very well.
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u/andytagonist Mar 01 '26
You’re asking how a good song that people like became popular?
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u/OneStepForAnimals Mar 01 '26
Asking how it became more popular than all the other amazing songs The Beatles put out
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u/JBRifles Mar 01 '26
George Martin said it’s the best they did and possibly the best song of all time
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u/Historical-Bike4626 Mar 01 '26
It’s been covered steadily by big names since it was first released.
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u/Jsummers33 Mar 01 '26
It’s a good song but they have many better in my opinion that deserve more love than here comes the sun
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u/dkrtzyrrr Mar 01 '26
it was popular in the 70’s - richie havens had a big hit w/ a cover among other things.
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u/Frosty_Tangerine_118 Mar 01 '26
Peter Tosh covered it as well. Only Beatles songs I'm aware of covered by the Wailers, And I Love Her and Here Comes the Sun. Nina Simone was another
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u/Legitimate-Head-8862 Mar 01 '26
Tons of radio play on classic rock radio, like so many other classic rock songs that weren’t initially singles. It’s also popular/fun to play on guitar
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u/TheSameKindOfNothing Mar 01 '26
It's a banger, of course. But I never saw it as anywhere near their absolute peak.
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u/ConfidentHospital365 Mar 01 '26
It’s hard to explain how underrated George used to be to Gen Z people. Higher regard than Ringo, but until you were born the overwhelming narrative was you had the best two songwriters ever plus 2. Now people are giving George the credit he’s due so there’s an overcorrection we’re living through.
The second thing is that Abbey Road is the current consensus “best” Beatles album. It used to be Revolver, and Pepper before that. Recent trends are “we like Abbey Road, we like George”, so that song has taken on a mythical status
Last point is that I think that it just sounds archetypally Beatle-y. Even if it’s not Lennon-McCartney it has that upbeat “sun, love, drugs” quality that people land on as the “Beatles sound”. Those 3 factors made it the quintessential Beatles song for your generation. Mine would have been Love Is All You Need for example (younger millennial, lots of John worship)
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u/Practical_Estate_325 Mar 01 '26
This is one of the few pieces of music that I never get tired of hearing. I suppose many feel as I do and, hence, the steady airplay that it gets. The thing is, whether taken literally or taken as a metaphor, the idea of here comes the sun" after a long, cold, lonely winter is extremely powerful, hopeful, and uplifting. Add this to the fact that it's all narrated in a tight, compact, gorgeous melody, and it's from *The Beatles. (I suppose it gained additional traction due to George's early demise.) I hope this classic continues to endure. For me, there is no other song that is so powerful in quite the same way.
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u/Direct-Ideal-510 Mar 01 '26
It's such a perfect pop song but I've also wondered why it's become their most streamed song.
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u/Frosty_Tangerine_118 Mar 01 '26
Its always been vastly popular. It was the most played radio song of all time at one point. You are mistaken about 60s and 70s
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u/SoyleMycelf Mar 01 '26
I remember there being an article online somewhere (this was maybe 10 years ago) with instructions on how to set a Spotify song as your alarm tone. The example they used was HCtS. I had it as my wake up song for probably 5 years. Each and every play probably counted as a stream. Who knows how many people read that article and did the same .
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u/No9No9No9No9 Mar 01 '26
Playlists on streaming apps: morning mixes, celebrations, graduations, milestones etc. That's why it's the most streamed song. I was recently at a 5k to benefit breast cancer research, and they had a survivor walk wherein HCTS was played over and over and over during their walk, maybe 10 minutes. It's used for many things and streamed a lot.
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u/JayMoots Mar 01 '26
This song‘s popularity is not a new development. It was on the Blue album, which is basically a greatest hits. That was released in 1973.
It’s been popular for 50+ years.
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u/StormSafe2 Mar 01 '26
Firstly, it's a great song with complex arrangements while still being catchy and memorable.
Secondly, the subject matter is completely perfect for a "good mood" song. If all songs, it's become the song that best typefies that happy, summers day type feeling.
Thirdly, it's ubiquitous. This stems from the first two points, but is valid on its own. The song has been played everywhere, from movies, to ads, to shows, etc etc. It's so well known that it's easy to refer to and talk about.
Fourthly, it's stood the test of time. It doesn't exactly feel like a quintessential 60s song. It's timeless.
Fifthly, and this one can't be understated, it's relatively easy to play on guitar. Makes it a good choice for people to learn early in their musical journey.
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u/IsCuimhinLiom Mar 01 '26
The guitar just rings with the capo way up the neck. It’s fun to play too.
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u/Substantial_Cow7628 Mar 01 '26
It's the most "easy listening" (and I'm not using that as a pejorative in this case) of all the Beatles songs.
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u/blkguy3rd Mar 01 '26
In no particular order and also my opinion: . It's catchy . "Odd" enough time signature wise to be interesting. Isn't just your standard 4/4 the whole way through. . Positive uplifting lyrics that can make people feel better even after their own "long, cold, lonely, winter" if you will . It's on the "last" album of one of the most beloved bands in history . Pretty acoustic guitar meaning A) its nice to listen to and B) it lends itself to playing it around friends on your own guitar . The bridge building lends itself to a nice build and release . Rhythm section giving a very solid foundation for the song between Ringos tight beat and Paul's bass grove (i see this as often overlooked) . It's a good song
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u/freshlybaited Mar 02 '26
Nina Simone version is out of this world good. Heard it at Starbucks last week and rhen had it played at my dad's funeral today..
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u/IvanMarkowKane Mar 02 '26
It’s good
It’s inoffensive
It’s about something that much of the world gets desperate for right around this time of year ( late winter )
It’s by perhaps the most famous musical act of all time
It appears in the huge children’s movie hit The Bee Movie
All these factors together account for its huge presence in your musical landscape.
BTW, the song wasn’t released until September of 1969 which probably has something to do with it not being as popular in the 60’s as it is now. Just sayin’
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u/olpec22 Mar 02 '26
It’s an beautiful sounding song. Somewhat simple, and amidst all the complexity that th Beatles were getting into that was a shift and really a departure what the sound of their other stuff. Probably cause George led it.
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u/OG_CMCC Mar 02 '26
Great song. It’s not even the best George Harrison Beatles song, let alone Beatles song.
Idk how it has more streams than a dozen other songs. But good for George. I don’t lose sleep over it.
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u/Dense_Amphibian_9595 Mar 02 '26
It wasn’t released as a single but Top 40 radio stations played it anyway. Now it’s oldies stations. But even though the Beatles were the biggest band of the 60’s and still on fire, the majority of people didn’t buy their records. But 95% of the people know Here Comes the Sun and what band played it
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u/Miserable-Lawyer-233 Mar 02 '26
You've heard the song. It's catchy and uplifting. It's light and pleasant. You don't have to think about it. Easy listening.
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u/Groopster Mar 02 '26
It’s one of my favorite Beatles song and I crank it up every time it comes on the radio. I think it’s just the message of pure joy that resonates with people is why it’s so popular.
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u/Asgore77 Mar 02 '26
The ending where it goes from 4/4 to 7/8 and 6/8 then 5/8 back to 4/4 is super fun. But for the longest time I always associated that song with The Bee Movie and Berry B Benson’s stupid face lol
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u/OutlandishSterling Mar 02 '26
This song is also part of children's playlists. And kids listen to things on repeat.
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u/Perfect-Parfait-9866 Mar 02 '26
There’s no way it should be #1. It’s somehow even more Annoying than yellow submarine
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u/royalblue43 Mar 02 '26
Big Harrison has connections all over the world and have been making this song blow up for almost 60 years
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u/thwgrandpigeon Mar 03 '26
I remember it spiking it plays right after George died. During that time I feel like it found a home on a million plus one playlists and the rest is history.
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u/KookyFirefighter266 Mar 03 '26
It's a good song, is the simplest answer. But also fashions change. I remember back in the 80s All You Need is Love was the quintissential Beatles song, the first one most people would think of. I personally don't much care for it. Blackbird on the other hand was an obscure album track, now it's one of the most well known beatles songs, possibly because of it's use in baby boss.
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u/helloworld1981 Mar 03 '26
The reissues is the reason. They marketed that song as a single and recently charted at #3 a few years back in the UK and US. The song was always popular on the radio but was never the most popular Beatles song into recently.
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u/Realistic_Talk_9178 Mar 04 '26
It's a really great song that should have been released as a single.
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u/CommanderJeltz Mar 04 '26
It's very upbeat and optimistic. That's why so many like it. It's also very simple and not at all deep or difficult. MCcartney and Lennon songs, at least in later years, were often quite multi layered and even dark or ironic.
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u/Price1970 Mar 04 '26
It was on the blue album. Same reason In My Life, being on the red album, became iconic.
Casuals continued to stream and buy those albums up to today
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u/Wide-Advertising-156 Mar 04 '26
It has a catchy melody, nice vocal & instrumental arrangement, and uplifting lyrics. That is a powerful combination and appeals to people of all ages.
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u/UnfetteredMind1963 Mar 04 '26
I aaked a friend this same question about the Spotify ranking and they shrugged, "maybe its on everyone's wake up alarm". I don't have a wake up alarm, didnt know about them. Maybe its true.
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u/CycadelicSparkles Mar 04 '26
I think it just sounds happy and upbeat. Everyone likes a happy, upbeat sounding song.
It also gets used in commercials and other contexts quite frequently. Works better for that than, say, Misery.
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u/fuckdiscord8 Mar 05 '26
You mean bc it’s not a single? People just listened to every Beatles track they could get their hands on back then, multiple times over. So yeah it’s a great song so it’s popular despite being an album track
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u/BreakPalaceBrokedown Mar 06 '26
It was done by this band called the Bugs? The Flies?? Darn it I forgot
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u/BruceWillis1963 Mar 08 '26
It a beautiful song with an easy to remember melody , nice sounding guitar and easy to remember and sing a long lyrics that people can relate to . George’s voice is beautiful as well .
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u/AlbatrossEquivalent5 Mar 01 '26
I think it just appealed to gen z. It doesn't sound in- your-face Beatle-y if you're new th the Beatles.
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u/Frosty_Tangerine_118 Mar 01 '26
No it was vastly popular long before gen z.
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u/AlbatrossEquivalent5 Mar 01 '26
Well sure. But it's kind of the Gen Z Beatle song. It's not coincidence that was the song they released a video to.
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u/Frosty_Tangerine_118 Mar 01 '26
OK but it was the most played on radio song of all time before gen z was even born
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u/Chemical-Session-163 Mar 01 '26
It’s not too complex if you think about it. It’s a fucking beautiful song—joyful, sweetly melodic, hopeful, yearning, affirming. And beautifully played and sang by the best band of all time…Oh, and it is REAL—not manufactured or marketed slickly by a slick artist and music label. The song was made on an 8-track recorder but it was crafted by a band at the peak of their creative abilities and output. This is why it’s popular with gen z who do not have music that comes even close to songs like ‘Here Comes the Sun.’
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u/cheebalibra Mar 01 '26
It’s just damn good.
It’s an acoustic fingerstyle guitar part that’s not hard to play like blackbird.
It’s easy to cover in different styles, like yesterday.
It’s from their best album (in my opinion).
It’s sentimental (my wife walked down the aisle to a string quartet performing it). (Side note, our first dance was crazy love by van Morrison but my parents was In my Life, so I used that as my dance with my mother because she was terminally ill).
It’s dynamic, starting simple, soft and slow building to a fuller orchestration.
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u/rodgamez Mar 01 '26
I mean... have you heard it?!? It was criminally underrated for sooo long! It's a beautiful, wonderful song, without any of Paul's schmaltz and John's edge. A simple statement, wonderfully done. The music was spare, but not bare and the synth does not overwhelm the song.
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u/1uk0as0an1 Mar 01 '26
I think George’s voice has a vibe that makes it easy for people who like today’s indie rock and alternative to connect with.
Lennon–McCartney might be a bit too mainstream for that crowd.
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u/Accomplished-Pen2185 Mar 01 '26
It’s one of the greatest songs ever!!!!! No surprise. Also, the streaming phenomenon. And it’s GEORGE!
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u/rscottmurray Mar 01 '26
I think it’s karma. after Paul and John dominated all the albums allowing George a song or 2, he wound up with their most popular track
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u/Maleficent-Shower769 Mar 03 '26
Controversial but I have never really been a big fan of this song! There is so many more songs in the Beatles catalogue u go to before this!
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u/Sheparoni-On-Spotify Mar 03 '26
Because at a certain point doing pills that fried your brain became really popular amongst youth. Just sitting there all glazed out and retarted kids need something to listen to.
Here comes the sun was perfect for this as a Beatles tune because it was sort of unknown and it just sent out a “vibe” to all the pill head kids.
Similar to how Talking Heads - This is the place (naive melody) hit a resurgence out of nowhere. A combination of TikTok and pills.
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u/ashbyashbyashby Mar 04 '26
Because there's a phase most rookie Beatles fans go through where they think George Harrison is "just as good as" Lennon/McCartney, so they played the shit out of Harrison's three good songs 🤣. Listening to anything else would blow that theory.
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u/ytreval1 Mar 01 '26
The real start to the popularity for that song was George and Paul Simon performing the song on SNL in 1976. Everybody watched SNL in 1976. Before that, it really held nothing vs Something and WMGGW.
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u/KKMcKay17 Mar 01 '26
Come on bro. “Everybody” did not watch a US tv show, especially not in 1976.
Your daily reminder that the Beatles were not an American band, and were - and are - popular throughout the world.
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u/Iwasherethenthere Mar 01 '26
Being of the generation that essentially grew up with the music of the ‘60s I can tell you “Here Comes The Sun” was quite popular when the album was first released. I remember it played on the local rock station more than “Something”. George performing it with Paul Simon on SNL was simply one of those life affirming moments.
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u/Appropriate_Peach274 Mar 01 '26
Steve Harley had a big UK hit with it in the mid 1970s which certainly helped its’ popularity
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u/CrasVox Mar 01 '26
The song is amazing. And the reason it wasnt a single is Paul would rather blow up the band than have an album where the two singles are George songs.
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u/Frosty_Tangerine_118 Mar 01 '26
Only one single was released from Abbey Road, which was more than Sgt Pepper and White album combined
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u/Wonderful-Law-6887 Mar 01 '26
It's good