He was the one who taught John Lennon how to play the guitar. He was the one who organized what's considered to be among the first benefit concerts. He was the one who befriended other legends like Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan and even indirectly influenced "Layla," a song Clapton wrote about Harrison's wife. He was the one who wrote "Something," the song Frank Sinatra called "the greatest love song ever written," and the only Beatles tune the man from Hoboken would record himself.

And George Harrison was the Quiet Beatle, the mysterious, brooding one to the clever John Lennon, the cute Paul McCartney and the lovable Ringo Starr. He was Paul's childhood friend, his "baby brother," as McCartney said yesterday. He was the Beatles' lead guitarist and lead spiritualist. His songs among the Beatles anthology always seemed the most recognizable, whether the touching "Something" (written off the first line to James Taylor's "Something In The Way She Moves), the uplifting "Here Comes The Sun," the wrenching "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," and the - forgive me - horrendous "Within You Without You." And while he remained the Quiet One even after the breakup - despite becoming the first to release a solo album and continuing to record both on his own and with the Traveling Wilburys - his influence was always there.

I woke up at 10 a.m. today and walked into the living room, where Lori was drinking coffee and watching TV. She had MTV on, and as the grungy dork came on to read the news, he spoke of George Harrison, and I realized why. I imagine much of the current MTV generation was flipping to MTV2 for videos, rather than watching a memorial montage to a rock legend, but then I remembered the release of "1" last year and how it went to the top of the charts itself. With that I realized - again - just how wonderful and amazing the Beatles were. While music today can be so thin and horrible, with many bands and acts essentially replicating one another, there is still a lasting uniqueness to the Beatles and their work. As the sappy and melodramatic DJ on New York's Q104.3 said this afternoon, George may be gone, but his music and his spirit and his influence will live on forever through the magic of the music.

I'm just glad I'm lucky enough to have discovered the Beatles so long ago.

Something in the way she moves
Attracts me like no other lover,
Something in the way she woos me.
I don't want to leave her now,
You know I believe and how.

Somewhere in her smile she knows
That I don't need no other lover,
Something in her style that shows me.
I don't want to leave her now,
You know I believe and how.
You're asking me will my love grow
I don't know, I don't know
You stick me around now, it may show,
I don't know, I don't know

Something in the way she knows
And all I have to do is think of her,
Something in the things she shows me.
I don't want to leave her now,
You know I believe and how.