Though George Harrison was technically credited as a co-writer earlier on with the Beatles’ 1958 song “In Spite Of All The Danger” written with Paul McCartney, and “Cry For A Shadow” which he penned with John Lennon in 1961, his first credited song to appear on one of the band’s albums was “Don’t Bother Me,” off their second release in 1963 “With the Beatles“. The song “Don’t Bother Me” was written by George Harrison in 1963.

George wrote the mid-tempo rocker while he was sick in bed at the Palace Court Hotel in Bournemouth, England in August of 1963. At the time, The Beatles were playing a residency of shows in the southern coastal town between August 19 and 24 with Tommy Quickly and Billy J. Kramer & the Dakotas at the Gaumont Cinema.
Laid up in bed with a doctor’s tonic, he began writing a song about a lost love, how he might never get her back again, and he’s not in the mood for visitors.

Though “Don’t Bother Me” made the cut on With the Beatles, and even appeared in the Beatles 1964 film A Hard Day’s Night, it was never Harrison’s favorite song but more of a self-test in songwriting.

“I was a bit run down and was supposed to be having some sort of tonic, taking it easy for a few days,” said Harrison. “I decided to try to write a song, just for a laugh. I got out my guitar and just played around til a song came. I forgot all about it til we came to record the next LP. It was a fairly crappy song. I forgot about it completely once it was on the album.”

“I was sick in bed, maybe that’s why it turned out to be ‘Don’t Bother Me,’” remembered Harrison. “I don’t think it’s a particularly good song. It mightn’t even be a song at all, but at least it showed me that all I needed to do was keep on writing, and then maybe eventually I would write something good.”

The lyrics are simple and direct, but they are also quite effective. The song’s mood is melancholic and reflective, and it is one of Harrison’s most personal compositions.

“Don’t Bother Me” was recorded by the Beatles in September 1963. The song was produced by George Martin, and it features a simple acoustic guitar accompaniment. Harrison’s vocals are understated but effective.

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