George Harrison spun musical gold throughout a four-decade-long career. Whether his talents were lent to the Beatles, the Traveling Wilburys, or to his own solo endeavors, he crafted great masterpieces in song. His works sounded unearthly and were lyrically profound, textured by inventive arrangements, and set alive with spirituality.
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[RELATED: Meaning Behind “Got My Mind Set on You” by George Harrison]
While the Harrison name itself carries a lot of weight, his style is unmistakable and instantly recognizable in the recordings of others. We’ve touched on a few, but here are three more songs George Harrison wrote for other artists that still echo his mystifying songcraft.
1. “Far East Man” – Ron Wood (1974)
Written by George Harrison and Ron Wood
Harrison joined forces with another great rocker, The Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood, to produce the slow grooving 1974 hit, “Far East Man.” They both would release recordings of the tune that year only months apart. Wood’s appeared on his solo debut, I’ve Got My Own Album to Do, released that September with Harrison’s arriving on his acclaimed Dark Horse in December.
While it was a collaboration that was born from the pair’s various romantic entanglements at the time, the result was a song about friendship. Harrison can even be heard lending his vocals and slide guitar skills to Wood’s recording.
2. “Sue Me, Sue You Blues” – Jesse Ed Davis (1972)
Written by George Harrison
Penned by Harrison, “Sue Me, Sue You Blues” was a hit for him when he released it on his 1973 album Living in the Material World. However, he let another artist record and release it first. Guitarist Jesse Ed Davis recorded the song in 1972, releasing it on his album Ululu. The song was a thank you from Harrison to Davis for his participation in the benefit show, Concert for Bangladesh, that the former Beatle had organized.
3. “You and Me Babe” – Ringo Starr (1973)
Written by George Harrison and Mal Evans
Fellow former Beatle Ringo Starr’s tune, “You and Me Babe,” had more than one tie to the Fab Four. The song, which appeared on his 1973 album, Ringo, was penned by Harrison and a longtime roadie for the iconic group, Mal Evans.
According to Robert Rodriguez’s book, The Beatles’ Solo Years, 1970–1980, Evans had been playing around with the lyrics of what he considered “a meditation song” when he asked Harrison for help on the melody.
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