George Harrison credited The Byrds for Beatles song inspiration

George Harrison revealed that the Beatles song ‘If I Needed Someone’ from the 1965 album Rubber Soul was inspired by the Byrds’ recording of ‘The Bells of Rhymney’. Harrison noted that the song’s guitar melodies were derived from the open-position D chord used in the Byrds' version of the Pete Seeger original.

To acknowledge the influence, Harrison sent the record to Byrds frontman Roger McGuinn in advance, specifically noting the connection to McGuinn’s guitar work. McGuinn has recalled that Harrison was very open about the inspiration, sometimes communicating through the Beatles’ press officer, Derek Taylor.