So, I think it's easy to write about John and Paul, because they were such obvious front men. They were the song writing duo of a generation. They were the voices of the Beatles.
The year John Lennon died, I was about nine years old. My mom and I had talked about the Beatles many times over the years. She was an avid music fan just like me, but felt like she really wasn't old enough to be part of Beatle Mania. Sadly, she gravitated more toward the American Pre-fab four that was created for television--The Monkees. The times we talked about the Beatles, she always said that of the four, George Harrison was her favorite. I think she picked him just to be different, not necessarily because she really understood the merits of such a choice.
I think many people my age remember George Harrison's "Got My Mind Set On You," from the album "Cloud Nine." I owned that album on cassette. My favorite track off that record was "Someplace Else." It was a great album, but not the quintessential George Harrison album.
A great music loving friend of mine, Kat Hodes, reintroduced George Harrison to me about a year and a half ago. We spend a good portion of our days working together talking about our musical passions, and she urged me to listen to "All Things Must Pass," and I trust her taste so much that without hesitation, I pretty much immediately walked down the sidewalk to Best Buy and picked it up.
It's an album that splits open your heart and fills it at the same time. Those are always my favorite. George Harrison had the ability to pour himself, like a fine whiskey, into your soul and give you heartbreaking joy.
Over the last few days, I have been watching Martin Scorsese's "George Harrison: Living in the Material World," and again have been realizing what a great gift Harrison was.
He may have been the "quiet" Beatle, but in the early days of their first recording, he is described as being the first to voice opinions about the direction they were going. Paul McCartney credits Harrison for showing John Lennon that a guitar should have six strings--not just four. And he created one of the finest riffs ever for the song "And I Love Her." (If you're a Beatles fan, you know the one.)
Eric Clapton is arguably one of the greatest guitar players of all time. He was friends with George Harrison. He talks about Harrison strolling the grounds of Friar Park playing his guitar, and of Harrison writing "Hear Comes the Sun" in a matter of moments. There was an innate greatness in him that, perhaps, required a quiet nature. His low key persona never out shined his music.
As the years wore on, and the happy days of the Beatles were drawing to a close, George Harrison had been preparing. Through the years, he was lucky if maybe one or two of his own songs ended up on a Beatles album. John Lennon recognized Harrison's gift when he advocated that "Something" be a single, instead of a B-side like most of the other George songs that were released. Lennon's advocacy was dead on. Several years ago, I had the opportunity to work with a young man with some learning disabilities. He may not have known all of the words to "Something," but there was literally something about the melody and chorus that moved him. It resonated with someone for whom memorizing a list of simple tasks was difficult. He frequently hummed or sang the chorus as he worked.
The trials, tribulations, drug use, and misadventures with the media associated with the Beatles are pretty well documented. These were four young guys who did what most of us can never imagine: they got very famous and very rich--practically overnight--only to discover that this wasn't the destination they were trying to get to. Harrison may have come to that conclusion sooner than his band mates.
In Scorsese's documentary, Harrison talks about walking through a park where a large number of young people had gathered and the atmosphere of "free love" and drugs was all around. People were offering him a plethora of drugs. It occurred to him in that moment that the whole situation was completely messed up. It occurred to him that there had to be something more--a place that one could get to where you could achieve the feeling without the chemistry.
I'm not a religious person. In the words of Bono, "I still haven't found what I'm looking for." George Harrison started searching. I may not embrace what he found, but I respect the idea that he felt like he found it. I always respect anyone who finds a sense of faith and spirituality and is able to make it the foundation of their existence. George Harrison did that.
As he discovered what was true about himself and what he most wanted to be connected to, I think it was easier to look at what was going on around him and say 'hey, you know, I don't think this is for me.' Sadly, finding his own truth was part of the unraveling of the Beatles. He was the "quiet" Beatle, but I want to think that his truth was so bright, it shone a light on the dark truths that existed within the group.
For years, George Harrison had quietly done what he was asked to, even when he was hearing a different song. For years, he had quietly taken a back seat to John and Paul. He had literally been the B-side. At a point, even when you have believed in something that is fundamentally great, sometimes you have to believe in yourself more. You have to find and know yourself.
"All Things Must Pass" was George Harrison's invitation to the world to do just that.
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps"--The Beatles (written by George Harrison)
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