“Tomorrow Never Knows” -- The Beatles (John Lennon)
“Something” -- The Beatles (George Harrison)
“My Sweet Lord’ -- George Harrison
“Never Without You” -- Ringo Starr (Ringo Starr, Mark Hudson, and Gary Nicholson)
This story is for my dear cousin June.
Once upon a time, four talented young lads from Liverpool pooled their talents and went out into the world to seek their fortune. John was the intellectual while Paul was the cute one. Ringo was the joker. But George? George was their soul.
Once upon a time, four talented young lads from Liverpool pooled their talents and went out into the world to seek their fortune. John was the intellectual while Paul was the cute one. Ringo was the joker. But George? George was their soul.
At 12 Arnold Grove in the Liverpool city ward of Wavertree, shop assistant Louise Harrison gave birth to her fourth and final child, a boy, on 25th February 1943. It must have been fate. Louise was a lover of music. The sound of her loud singing rattled her windows and carried into the street. While pregnant with her youngest child, Louise would tune each Sunday to Radio India so that her unborn son might absorb the sound of the sitars.
12 Arnold Grove, Wavertree, Liverpool
George Harrison was born and spent his first six years
in this humble home
lacking indoor pluming and possessing only a single coal-fired heater.
Named George by his proud parents, the boy seemingly possessed an affinity for string-driven music of George Formby, Slim Whitman, Django Reinhardt, Carl Perkins, and -- need I add -- Elvis (no last name required). When he should have been perfecting his math and history lessons at Liverpool Institute High School for Boys, George would sit in the rear of the class and draw guitars.
When George was 13-years-old, his father Harold gave him a Dutch Egmond flat top acoustic guitar -- a simple and sensible six-string box guitar. A friend of Harold taught the lad some chords and songs. On the bus one day, George discussed his love of music with another Liverpool Institute High School for Boys student by the name of Paul McCarthy.
That meeting set in motion a revolution in popular music.
Later as a member of the Quarrymen, a skiffle band in need of talent, Paul told his partner John Lennon of his friend George whom, he was certain, possessed talents the group sorely needed. John was skeptical at first, thinking the then 15-year-old George too young for the band. Still, George’s mastery on the guitar proved irresistible, and he soon joined the band. Later, with the addition of Ringo Starr, the Beatles were born.
That meeting set in motion a revolution in popular music.
Later as a member of the Quarrymen, a skiffle band in need of talent, Paul told his partner John Lennon of his friend George whom, he was certain, possessed talents the group sorely needed. John was skeptical at first, thinking the then 15-year-old George too young for the band. Still, George’s mastery on the guitar proved irresistible, and he soon joined the band. Later, with the addition of Ringo Starr, the Beatles were born.
The Beatles on the Cusp of Success
(1963)
The band hit it big in late 1962 with “Love Me Do.” Before disbanding in 1970, the “Fab Four” had redefined popular music, becoming one of the most successful and influential bands of all times. From birth, the Beatles were dominated by John and Paul. George constantly struggled to win room for his compositions on the band’s albums. But even so, George still steered the band into untested waters, primarily by his incorporation of eastern instruments into recordings. Much of today’s interest in “World Music” began with George’s prominently playing the sitar and tambura.
Consider “Tomorrow Never Knows,” the John Lennon penned 1966 account of an acid trip. It is easily one of the most seminal and power songs in the Beatles repertoire. But what demands the listener’s interest is not so much John’s cryptic mystical lyrics as the psychedelic music accompanying them, especially George’s in addition to playing lead guitar, employing the sitar and tambura.
Consider “Tomorrow Never Knows,” the John Lennon penned 1966 account of an acid trip. It is easily one of the most seminal and power songs in the Beatles repertoire. But what demands the listener’s interest is not so much John’s cryptic mystical lyrics as the psychedelic music accompanying them, especially George’s in addition to playing lead guitar, employing the sitar and tambura.
“Tomorrow Never Knows” -- The Beatles
Turn off your mind relax and float down stream
It is not dying, it is not dying
Lay down all thoughts, surrender to the void,
It is shining, it is shining.
Yet you may see the meaning of within
It is being, it is being
Love is all and love is everyone
It is knowing, it is knowing
And ignorance and hate mourn the dead
It is believing, it is believing
But listen to the colour of your dreams
It is not leaving, it is not leaving
So play the game "Existence" to the end
Of the beginning, of the beginning
And while George’s role as a songwriter was undoubtedly overshadowed by the stunningly creative team of John and Paul, his own talents are undeniable. George’s “Something” appeared on Abbey Road, the Beatles eleventh and final studio album. It would be the first George Harrison to top the charts. This song seized listeners as did few others. Paul thought it the best song George had ever composed. John insisted “Something” to be the finest work appearing on Abbey Road, itself believed by many fans and critics to contain the Beatles best efforts. Even the legendary Frank Sinatra proclaimed “Something” to be "the greatest love song of the past fifty years."
“Something” -- The Beatles
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 around and 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
Eventually, “Something’ would be covered by over 150 musical artists including Tori Amos, Avonlea and Sina, Count Basie, James Brown, George Benson, Shirley Bassey, Booker T. & the M.G.’s, Tony Bennett, Ray Charles, Eric Clapton, Joe Cocker, Larry Coryell, Bobby Darin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Neil Diamond, Phyllis Dillon, Céline Dion, Bob Dylan,Ella Fitzgerald, David Foster & Katharine McPhee, Ana Gabriel. Isaac Hayes, Helloween, Peggy Lee, Liberace, Martha & the Vandellas,Elvis Presley, Buddy Rich, Smokey Robinson, Johnny Rodriguez, Diana Ross, Telly Savalas, The Shadows, Frank Sinatra, Elliott Smith, Sonny & Cher, Bruce Springsteen, Tanya Tucker, Ike & Tina Turner, Twenty 4 Seven, Ween, Andy Williams, and the very impressively titled 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic. Of the hundreds of phenomenally popular hits in the Beatles catalogue, only Paul’s “Yesterday” has been covered more times than has “Something.”
On 27 November 1970, George released his first solo album. It’s title -- All Things Must Pass -- reflected both the finality of the Beatles as a band, and his embrace of new artistic paths. No longer eclipsed by John and Paul, George gave full license to his long simmering fascination with Hinduism. “My Sweet Lord,” the first number one hit by any former Beatle, was the most popular song on the album. A paean to Krishna, the most beloved of Hindu deities.
“My Sweet Lord’ -- George Harrison
My sweet Lord
Hm, my Lord
Hm, my Lord
I really want to see you
Really want to be with you
Really want to see you Lord
But it takes so long, my Lord
My sweet Lord
Hm, my Lord
Hm, my Lord
I really want to know you
Really want to go with you
Really want to show you Lord
That it won't take long, my Lord (hallelujah)
My sweet Lord (hallelujah)
Hm, my Lord (hallelujah)
My sweet Lord (hallelujah)
I really want to see you
Really want to see you
Really want to see you, Lord
Really want to see you, Lord
But it takes so long, my Lord (hallelujah)
My sweet Lord (hallelujah)
Hm, my Lord (hallelujah)
My, my, my Lord (hallelujah)
I really want to know you (hallelujah)
Really want to go with you (hallelujah)
Really want to show you Lord (aaah)
That it won't take long, my Lord (hallelujah)
Hmm (hallelujah)
My sweet Lord (hallelujah)
My, my, Lord (hallelujah)
Hm, my Lord (hare krishna)
My, my, my Lord (hare krishna)
Oh hm, my sweet Lord (krishna, krishna)
Oh-uuh-uh (hare hare)
Now, I really want to see you (hare rama)
Really want to be with you (hare rama)
Really want to see you Lord (aaah)
But it takes so long, my Lord (hallelujah)
Hm, my Lord (hallelujah)
My, my, my Lord (hare krishna)
My sweet Lord (hare krishna)
My sweet Lord (krishna krishna)
My Lord (hare hare)
Hm, hm (Gurur Brahma)
Hm, hm (Gurur Vishnu)
Hm, hm (Gurur Devo)
Hm, hm (Maheshwara)
My sweet Lord (Gurur Sakshaat)
My sweet Lord (Parabrahma)
My, my, my Lord (Tasmayi Shree)
My, my, my, my Lord (Guruve Namah)
My sweet Lord (Hare Rama)
My sweet Lord (hare krishna)
My sweet Lord (krishna krishna)
My Lord (hare hare)
“My Sweet Lord” would go on to become the best selling song of 1971 in the United Kingdom in addition to topping the charts worldwide. Controversy would soon enveloped “My Sweet Lord” when the copyright holders of Ronnie Mack's "He's So Fine" sued George for his having incorporating elements of the earlier song’s music into “My Sweet Lord.” The lawsuit did nothing to diminish the popularity “My Sweet Lord.”
George Harrison
(1974)
Note the button on his lapel denoting his devotion to Hinduism.
Three decades later, George was rapidly approaching death by cancer of the throat. Behind him lay a life of musical accomplishments few artists remotely approach. As a Beatle, he had been a member of the most popular music group in human history. Afterwards, he had recorded numerous hits as both a solo artist and in collaboration with other musicians. George’s contributions to music impacted the future of rock, jazz, country, and folk music not to mention the myriad subgenres of these categories. He was perhaps the leading pioneer of world music, newly arrived on the music scene and with a rapidly expanding fan base.
During his final months of life, Harrison elected to oversee the release of a remastered All Things Must Past. In January 2001, music lovers eagerly scooped up All Things Must Pass: 30th Anniversary Edition as soon as it reached the markets. Demand far outpaced availability. Capitol Records underestimated American response and found itself confronting a backorder of 20,000 copies. As a result of the frenzied reception to the release, George saw All Things Must Pass certified a platinum best seller for the sixth time in March of that year.
George succumbed to cancer on 29 November 2001. He was only 58-years-old. Following cremation, George’s ashes were scattered to the Ganges in keeping with Hindu custom.
Of all the Beatles, Ringo Starr remained closest to George, maintaining both a professional and personal affinity and friendship over the course of their entire adult lives. On his 2003 album Ringo Rama, Ringo enclosed a tribute to his recently deceased friend, recorded with the assistance of other of George’s friends and colleagues including Eric Clapton whom George had recruited to play lead guitar on “Something.” Ringo explains “Never Without You” expresses "how I miss him in my heart and in music."
A glance at the lyrics will reveal the use of verses found in many of George’s earlier compositions. Similarly, the acute listener will recognize riffs from various of George’s songs incorporated into the melody.
A glance at the lyrics will reveal the use of verses found in many of George’s earlier compositions. Similarly, the acute listener will recognize riffs from various of George’s songs incorporated into the melody.
“Never Without You” -- Ringo Starr
(Ringo Starr, Mark Hudson, and Gary Nicholson)
(Ringo Starr, Mark Hudson, and Gary Nicholson)
We were young, it was fun
And we couldn't lose
Times were right, overnight
We were headline news
Crazy days and reckless nights
Limousines and bright spotlights
We were brothers through it all
And your song will play on without you
And this world won't forget about you
Every part of you was in your song
Now we will carry on
Never Without you
(Without you Without You)
Within you without you
(Within you without you)
Here comes the song it's about you
Here today, not alone
With my memories
Life is strange how things change
It's reality
You played a beautiful melody
That keeps on haunting me
I can always feel you by my side
And your song will play on without you
And this world won't forget about you
Every part of you was in your song
Now we will carry on
Never Without you
(Never Without You)
Within you without you
(Within you without you)
Here comes the song it's about you
I know all things must pass
And only love will last
I'll always love the memory of you and me
Take it away Eric
And your song will play on without you
And this world won't forget about you
Every part of you was in your song
Now we will carry on
Never Without you
(Never Without You)
Within you without you
(Within you without you)
I think love is about you
No comments:
Post a Comment