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Apple Scruffs (song)

"Apple Scruffs"
Wil norway.jpg
Norwegian picture sleeve for the 1971 single, "What Is Life" backed with "Apple Scruffs"
Song by George Harrison from the album All Things Must Pass
Published Harrisongs
Released 27 November 1970
Genre Folk rock
Length 3:04
Label Apple
Writer(s) George Harrison
Producer(s) George Harrison, Phil Spector
All Things Must Pass track listing

"Apple Scruffs" is a song by English musician George Harrison, released on his 1970 triple album All Things Must Pass. It was written as a tribute to the die-hard Beatles fans known as Apple scruffs, who would wait in certain London locations where the band members were likely to appear, even long after the group's break-up in April 1970.

The recording has been noted for its Bob Dylan influence, featuring Harrison on acoustic guitar and harmonica, and is recognised as a departure from the big sound synonymous with All Things Must Pass. "Apple Scruffs" was also released as the B-side to "What Is Life", gaining further popularity through airplay on US radio, and became the preferred side of the single in some countries.

The name "Apple scruffs" was first coined by George Harrison during the late 1960s. Although well known for his aversion to fan worship, particularly to the Beatlemania phenomenon, Harrison had formed a bond with a number of the scruffs; he acknowledged in an April 1969 interview with Disc magazine: "their part in the play is equally as important as ours". His song "Apple Scruffs" was written as a tribute to the fans who had kept vigil outside the various recording studios he had been working in since late May 1970, during the sessions for his All Things Must Pass triple album, as well as the Apple headquarters on Savile Row. Although Harrison makes no mention of the song in his 1980 autobiography, Derek Taylor, in his role as editor, describes the Apple scruffs as the "central core" of fans, long after Beatlemania had subsided, adding that "We were all very fond of them".

New York Post writer Al Aronowitz was present during much of the All Things Must Pass sessions. He later wrote: "Outside the studio door, whether it rained or not, there was always a handful of Apple Scruffs, one of them a girl all the way from Texas. Sometimes George would record from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. and there they would be, waiting through the night, beggars for a sign of recognition on his way in and out."


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