Frank Sinatra once described the George Harrison-penned Beatles song "Something" as "the greatest love song of the past 50 years", despite his generally frosty public attitude towards the British band during the 1960s. The remark, revisited in a Collider retrospective, highlights how even artists who publicly dismissed the Beatles' music and image often privately admired their songwriting, underlining the group's outsized influence on the wider music industry of the era.

Sinatra had previously mocked the band's appearance and sound in promotional material for his 1965 album A Man and His Music, yet he went on to record two versions of "Something" and also covered "Yesterday". Singer Billy Joel has credited Sinatra's endorsement with lending the Beatles credibility among sceptics. The article also notes that Elvis Presley, though openly critical of the band's politics and cultural influence, reportedly held a similar soft spot for Harrison's songwriting, according to his step-brother David Stanley.