5 Facts About George Harrison’s Sitar on “Norwegian Wood”
- George Harrison played sitar on “Norwegian Wood,” marking the first time the Indian instrument appeared on a Western pop record.
- Harrison was introduced to the sitar by the Beatles’ friend David Crosby and later took lessons from Ravi Shankar.
- The track was recorded in October 1965 for the Rubber Soul album.
- The sitar is heard clearly during the instrumental break, with its buzzing, twangy sound.
- This use of sitar opened the door for Indian instrumentation in rock music, changing how Western pop musicians thought about texture and tuning.