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During the Sgt Peppers' recording sessions, Harrison brought members of the Asian Music Circle in London to record this track. The song is a departure from The Beatles’ previous works and fully embraces the Indian culture musically and lyrically.

The song features the drone, itar, tambura, dilruba and tabla. With the worldwide success of the album, the song would reach its peak of Indian music in western pop music, and it would contribute the philosophical direction of many of Harrison's peers during the Summer of Love (1967).

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The sitar is an Indian classical stringed instrument. It is mostly played by plucking its strings. The instrument has typically 11 to 20 strings. However, only seven of the strings are playable as the other strings are designed to be sympathetic to the seven primary strings. They are struck with the seven and vibrate alongside them, changing the tone of the note.

In this context, the most notable player of the sitar would be Ravi Shankar, friend and mentor of George Harrison.

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from left to right: (Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, George Harrison)

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The Beatles is argumentably, the most influential band in pop music history. The band consists of John Lennon (1940 -1980), Sir Paul McCartney (b. 1942), George Harrison (1943 - 2001), and Ringo Starr (b. 1940).

The band was formed in 1960, and had a massive successful career until their break-up in 1970.

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The Beatles was mainly influenced by the rock and roll music of the 1950s (artists like Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran, Chuck Berry, Lonnie Donegan and many others...)

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Early career and "Beatlemania" (1962-1963)

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Early career and "Beatlemania" (1962-1963)

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Throughout 1962 and 1963, they recorded two studio albums and hits like She Loves You, I Want to Hold Your Hand, I Saw Her Standing There, Twist and Shout and many others..

The success of those chart topping hits, led to the term "Beatlemania" where they cause mass hysteria no matter where they went.

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The Beatles in the Ed Sullivan Show, 1964

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The success of their song, I Want To Hold Your Hand brought them to America. Like Europe and the United Kingdom, Beatlemania came into America.

Their US television debut attracted 73 million viewers, and they held the first five spots of the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart for weeks.

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Stadium tours and an abrupt halt (1965-1966)

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Stadium tours and an abrupt halt (1965-1966)

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After a series of Ed Sullivan Show appearances, they've toured countless arenas and stadiums throughout America, Australia, Europe, and the UK.

Every show was fully packed with screaming teenage girls, and mass hysteria was everywhere. They became one of the first bands to popularize concert tours in sports stadiums and arenas.

In 1966, their career came to a slight halt due to John Lennon's comment of how The Beatles were "more popular than Jesus" and with the constant screaming. The band decide to call it quits for touring.

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The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's photoshoot, 1967

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After a short break, The Beatles decided to head back into the studio and record their revolutionary studio album, Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band.

The release of the album led to the "hippie movement" and the "summer of love" in 1967. Pop culture in 1967 would be driven more towards peace of love, psychedelic rock and Indian cultures like seeking spiritual enlightenment through Hinduism and other Eastern cultures.

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The Beatles and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, 1967

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The Maharishi and the trip to India (1967 - 1968)

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The Maharishi and the trip to India (1967 - 1968)

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The band met an Indian spiritual guru, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and they were all eager to learn about transcendental meditation which soon followed by The Beatles visiting India in 1968.

The visit to India later turned into a disaster. However, it inspired them to wrote a lot of classic songs that were later recorded into their classic self titled album, also known as the White Album (1968).

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The band later would go on and play their last concert on top of a rooftop in London, and record two albums, the influential Abbey Road in 1969, and Let It Be later in 1970.

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The Beatles at the EMI Manchester building, 1969

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After the release of Let It Be, Paul McCartney announce his departure from The Beatles in April 1970. The news would shocked fans all across the world.

The breakup of The Beatles is considered to be a cultural event, which marks the end of an era as it was defined by the band’s music and influence.

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The Beatles in their second movie, Help! 

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During the filming of their second movie - Help! in 1965, there's a scene where they ended up in an Indian restaurant. That particular scene was filled with Indian music and the sitar.

During a break, George Harrison picked up the prop sitar and started playing and he took a real liking to the instrument. He would later buy a sitar from an instrumental shop in London and began playing it like a guitar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahsDL_kMCBg&t=818s (watch from 17:43 - 22:43)

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During the recording of their 1965 album Rubber Soul, George Harrison decided to use the sitar on one of their classic hits, Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown).

The success of the Rubber Soul album, inspired other bands like The Kinks, The Rolling Stones to use the sitar and other classical Indian instruments on their songs.

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Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) (2023 Mix)

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From their 1966 album, Revolver. Love You To would become the Beatles' most Indian influenced song. George Harrison hired an ensemble of sitar, tabla and tambura players from London. The song adheres to the pitches of the Indian equivalent of Dorian mode and emulates the khyal vocal tradition of Hindustani classical music.

Harrison also drew inspiration from legendary Hindustani composer and sitar player, Ravi Shankar.

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Shortly after recording Love You To, George Harrison would meet Ravi Shankar at a dinner party. The two would struck up a friendship that would last until Harrison's death in 2001.

After the meeting, Harrison would begin his private sitar lessons with Shankar. He would follow Shankar around Bombay and Kashmir for lessons when The Beatles stopped touring in 1966.

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Ravi Shankar teaches George Harrison how to play sitar 1968 (Rishikesh, India HQ RARE)

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From the 1966 album Revolver, this track would feature the Indian drone throughout this entire track while John Lennon does a "psychedelic temple chant".

Musically, this would be the first time the Eastern culture would come together with psychedelic drug lyrics.

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In 1968, George Harrison would travel to Bombay to record his first solo album, Wonderwall Music. One of the tracks recorded there was an instrumental track, The Inner Light. Harrison would later record vocals on it after returning from Bombay.

The song would be performed in a South Indian style, giving the track a Carnatic identity. It features classical Indian instruments like the sarod, shehnai, bansuri, tabla tarang, and pakhavaj, and the melody conforms to the pitches of Mixolydian mode, or its Indian equivalent, the Khamaj thaat.

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After meeting the Maharishi in 1967, the Beatles took a trip to the Maharishi's ashram in Rishikesh. During the trip, the band would be inspired and they would write classic songs like Dear Prudence, Blackbird, Mother Nature's Son, Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, I Will and many other songs..

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From the Let It Be album, this track would be the last to have any Indian influence. John Lennon would be heavily inspired from his transcendental meditation days lyrically and musically.

The hook of the song contains the lyrics: Jai guru deva om, which is a mantra phrase that pays tribute to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's spiritual teacher, Guru Dev.

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The tanpura is four-stringed classical instrument that originated 2,000 years ago. It is plucked, and it resembles a mini sitar as well. However, instead of playing a melody, the rhythmic plucking of its strings, the tanpura creates a constant harmonic drone effect.

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The tabla is a famous percussion used in classical Indian music. It is also known as the hand drums, and is a core instrument in Hindustani classical music. The tabla consists of two drums: the dayan (right, higher-pitched) and the bayan (left, lower-pitched).  Different tones can be achieved through a variety of finger strokes and hand positions on the two drums.

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After the Beatles use of Indian classical instruments in their songs, a lot of other artists and bands started using various instruments like the sitar, tambura, and the tablas in their own music.

Here are some notable examples:

The Rolling Stones - Paint It Black (1966)

Kenny Rogers and His First Edition - Just Dropped to See What Condition My Condition Was In (1967)

Donovan - Sunshine Superman (1966)

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With the Beatles' music, Eastern inspired philosophy and the LSD experience began exploding into the western music scene in the late 1960s, its experimental sound and often poetic or mind-altering lyrics, has a significant and often overlooked influence from Indian music, particularly the Hindustani classical music. Artists and bands like The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Jefferson Airplane, The Doors, Pink Floyd, The Moody Blues, Traffic and many others started using the influences in their music.

Here are some notable examples:

The Beach Boys - Good Vibrations (1967)

The Monkees - Can You Dig It? (1968)

Iron Butterfly - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (1968)

The Doors - Light My Fire (1967)

Jefferson Airplane - White Rabbit (1967)

Traffic - Dear Mr Fantasy (1967)

Cream - Sunshine Of Your Love (1967)

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Purple Haze (1967)

Pink Floyd - See Emily Play (1967)

Procol Harum - A Whiter Shade of Pale (1967)

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A Whiter Shade of Pale (50th Anniversary Stereo Mix)

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Progressive Rock and Pop Music (1970s-80s)

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Progressive Rock and Pop Music (1970s-80s)

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After the psychedelic rock era of the 1960s, the Indian classical music and philosophy influence can still be heard and blended in music of the 1970s and 1980s, more specifically towards progressive rock and pop music.

Bands and artists like Pink Floyd, Yes, Frank Zappa, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, King Crimson embraces the fusion of classical Indian music and philosophy into the music of their own.

Here are some notable examples:

Steely Dan - Do It Again (1971)

Pink Floyd - Shine On You Crazy Diamond (1975)

King Crimson - Larks' Tongues in Aspic (1973)

Queen - Jealousy (1978)

Yes - It Can Happen (1983)

George Harrison - When We Was Fab (1987)

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Yes - It Can Happen (Official Music Video)

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George Harrison in the middle of the Summer of Love at Frisco Park, 1967 

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In the summer of 1967, a large number of young people, mostly hippies, embracing ideals of peace, love, and communal living. The ideals were were drawn from Eastern religions and philosophies, including those found in India. This countercultural movement attracted around 100,000 individuals seeking an alternative lifestyle and expression through music, art, and social activism.

The Summer of Love changed the world of western fashion, music, art, and many others. It was built upon on how the American people wanted to escape and protest the horrors of the Vietnam War and the 1960s American orthodoxy.

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Jimi Hendrix performing The Star Spangled Banner at Woodstock, 1969

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Monterey Pop Festival and Woodstock (1967 - 1969)

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Monterey Pop Festival and Woodstock (1967 - 1969)

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The impact of the Summer of Love and the hippie culture led to multiple music festival where everybody came to preach peace and free love, and combining LSD philosophies. The Monterey Pop Festival (1967) and Woodstock (1969) were two of the most popular festivals to ever come out of the hippie movement.

Bands and the artists like the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Ravi Shankar, Buffalo Springfield, Grateful Dead, Simon & Garfunkel, The Who, Santana, Janis Joplin and many others performed at those two festivals in front of record breaking crowds, and some of them even would later incorporate Indian instruments and music into their own songs.

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Jimi Hendrix   National Anthem USA  Woodstock 1969

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In conclusion, Indian music, instruments, and philosophy is still being used in music today lyrically, and instrumentally. It is still being heard all around, and the Eastern culture also expanded into society and is everywhere around us.

In some way or another, the Beatles can be considered as one group of people that are responsible for introducing and exposing most of the mass public about the general Eastern culture whether it'd be music or philosophy.

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The Beatles’ Indian Influence on Western Pop Music and Culture