Savoy Truffle

"Savoy Truffle"
Cover of the Apple Publishing sheet music (depicting Paul McCartney)
Song by the Beatles
from the album The Beatles
Released22 November 1968
Recorded3, 5, 11 and 14 October 1968
StudioTrident and EMI, London
GenreSoul, blues rock,[1] pop rock[2]
Length2:54
LabelApple
Songwriter(s)George Harrison
Producer(s)George Martin

"Savoy Truffle" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 album The Beatles (also known as "the White Album"). The song was written by George Harrison and inspired by his friend Eric Clapton's fondness for chocolate. The lyrics list the various flavours offered in Mackintosh's Good News chocolates and serve as a warning to Clapton about the detrimental effect that his gorging would have on his teeth. Along with Clapton's guest appearance on the White Album track "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and Harrison reciprocating on Cream's "Badge", it is one of several songs that mark the start of a long-lasting musical association between the two guitarists.

The Beatles recorded "Savoy Truffle" in October 1968, towards the end of the five-month sessions for the album. An upbeat rock track in the soul genre, the song reflects Harrison's return to the guitar as his main musical instrument after two years of studying the Indian sitar. The recording includes a Chris Thomas-arranged horn section, and introduced the horn-heavy sound that became a feature of Harrison's music as a solo artist. Through the lyrics' reference to "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da", the song is also an example of the Beatles' use of self-quotation in their later work.

On release, "Savoy Truffle" was viewed by many commentators as a sign of Harrison's growing maturity as a songwriter. Among more recent assessments, Ian MacDonald cited it as an example of the lesser material found on The Beatles, while Daryl Easlea of BBC Music describes it as one of the "doodles that delight" and "a fine counterweight" to "While My Guitar Gently Weeps".[3] Ella Fitzgerald, Terry Manning and They Might Be Giants have also recorded the song.

  1. ^ Thompson, Dave (25 January 2002). "The Music of George Harrison: An album-by-album guide". Goldmine. p. 15.
  2. ^ Quantick 2002, p. 148.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Easlea/BBC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).