Remembering George Harrison

Last Friday would have been the 68th birthday of singer George Harrison, often referred to as “the quiet Beatle.”

While Paul McCartney and John Lennon garnered the majority of the attention and headlines during the years the Beatles were active, mostly through their experimentation in the studio and their controversial interviews and lifestyles, George was content to sit in the background and perfect his songwriting craft and guitar techniques.

The result was some of the best music to come out of the mid- to late-60s, including “Something,” “Here Comes the Sun,” “The Inner Light,” and, my favorite hands-down, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”

listen to “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” here

While I am a huge fan of the Beatles and the sheer poetry of the Lennon-McCartney machine, Harrison always seemed to be looking for his meaning and purpose in life, leading to more introspective and ethereal music.

Listen to “The Inner Light” here

After the Beatles disbanded in 1970, it was George Harrison and Ringo Starr that immediately bounced back with successful albums while Lennon and McCartney struggled to find a new place with their audiences. George’s “All Things Must Pass” (1970) is widely regarded today as one of the very best of the Beatle/post-Beatle albums.

As cheesy as it sounds, one of my favorite Harrison songs is the one he did for the “Time Bandits” soundtrack, “Dream Away.” While not his deepest contribution, it is fun and catchy, and a tune this 10-year-old could not get out of his head after watching the movie.

Listen to “Dream Away” here.

In 1987, many “classic” artists were finding themselves in a resurgence of popularity, including Heart, the Grateful Dead, Fleetwood Mac, and Jefferson Starship. Harrison’s release that year, Cloud Nine, surprisingly went platinum and scored a few hits, including the autobiographical “When We Was Fab” and the #1 “Got My Mind Set on You.”
Many feel it is his best work next to “All Things Must Pass.”

Watch the? “When We Was Fab” video here.

His newfound success also paved the way for his stint in the 1980s supergroup The Traveling Wilburys.

Harrison’s personal life was an interesting amalgam of introspection and contradiction. While embracing eastern mysticism and the teachings of the Hindu faith, he also had his run-ins with vices such as drugs and cigarettes, as well as a sometimes-turbulent romantic life. He seemed to me to be one of the modern era’s best examples of a flawed human being constantly striving to improve, to make the world a better place, and find that ever-elusive “inner light.”

The world lost a truly deep soul when Harrison passed away from lung cancer in 2001. I am thankful his spirit and message live on in his music, which transcends rock and pop to influence a much wider audience to this very day.