The Beatles, led by George Harrison’s fascination with Indian music, significantly incorporated its elements into their work in the mid-1960s. This exploration began with “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)” in 1965, where Harrison first played the sitar, an Indian stringed instrument. Their albums “Revolver” and “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” featured songs like “Love You To” and “Within You Without You,” which not only utilized Indian instruments like the sitar, tabla, and tambura but also embraced Indian musical structures and philosophies. This phase marked a bold experimental turn in their music, introducing Western audiences to the sounds and spiritual aspects of Indian music and reflecting the Beatles’ artistic growth and openness to diverse musical influences.
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