George Harrison mostly took The Beatles’ breakup in stride. Maybe he knew he had the goods to start up a solo career. Brimming with songs that his former band turned down, Harrison recorded the universally lauded All Things Must Pass.
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The triple album, released in 1970, contains an impressive wealth of profound, invigorating material. Here are some of the fascinating stories, many of which related back to the Fab Four, that accompanied those wonderful songs.
If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Buy ‘Em
Even casual fans likely know that Harrison was sued by the publishing company of The Chiffons’ song “He’s So Fine”. They felt that Harrison plagiarized that song for his own No. 1 hit “My Sweet Lord”. In 1976, a judge agreed, even while also ruling that Harrison didn’t knowingly copy the song. What most people don’t know is that the penalty phase dragged on for another two decades. After years of legal wrangling, it was finally settled when Harrison paid to secure the rights of both “My Sweet Lord” and “He’s So Fine” in 1998.
A Beatles-Sized Headache
We’ve all seen the infamous footage from the Let It Be documentary (later revived in Peter Jackson’s Get Back) where Paul McCartney and George Harrison passive-aggressively argue about what Harrison should be playing on a certain track. And many know that Harrison actually quit the group that day, albeit only momentarily. But you might not have known that Harrison didn’t waste his day away from the office. He went home and wrote “Wah-Wah”, the title being his slang for the headache that all the Beatles’ angst was causing him.
Paul’s Ears Are Burning
As mentioned above, Harrison peppered All Things Must Pass with songs that he’d written that had been turned down for recording by The Beatles. “Run Of The Mill”, which closes out the first of the three LPs in the collection, is an exception. That’s because he was writing it about his distant relationships with the members of the group, specifically Paul McCartney. Harrison comes at the lyrics from a stance of disappointment. He puts the ball in McCartney’s court when it comes to a possible reconciliation. “It’s you that decides,” he sings.
Sarcastic Singalong
Harrison clearly had his scuffle with Paul McCartney on his mind when he was making All Things Must Pass. The two had once battled over Harrison’s guitar part on “Hey Jude”. What better place to include a reference to “Hey Jude” than on “Isn’t It A Pity?”, yet another song that McCartney and Lennon felt wasn’t up to snuff for a Beatles’ release. In the longer version of the two included on the album, you can faintly hear a chorus of “na-na-na” vocals, a la “Hey Jude”. This is much easier to notice in the live version included in the posthumous tribute Concert For George.
Fan Service
If you’re not up on your Beatles’ history, you might be wondering what Harrison was talking about when he paid tribute to “Apple Scruffs”. Some kind of British dessert, perhaps? The Scruffs, as they were affectionately known, were the female fans who would camp out near the offices of Apple, The Beatles’ record company and (eventual) financial albatross. They hoped just for the slightest interaction with one of the Fab Four. Harrison appreciated their dedication and paid them the ultimate compliment with this sweet song.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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