Behind the Meaning of George Harrison’s “When We Was Fab”

Towards the end of the Beatles’ career, it would’ve been hard to imagine George Harrison had much good to say about his time with the band. He, like his other bandmates, was burnt out to the point that calling one of the biggest bands of all time quits seemed like a good option. Nevertheless, he eventually looked back on his time being “fab” with softer eyes. Uncover the meaning behind “When We Was Fab,” below.

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Behind the Meaning of George Harrison’s “When We Was Fab”

Back then long time ago when grass was green
Woke up in a daze
Arrived like strangers in the night

Harrison released this track in the late ’80s, delighting many Beatles fans for the mention–even if it was slightly covert. Harrison recalls his time with the band and likens it to the idealist view of grass being greener on the other side. Though Harrison’s music career was still up and running, it didn’t evoke the exact same mystique that the Fab Four did.

Caresses fleeced you in the morning light
Casualties at dawn
And we did it all

And while you’re in this world
The fuzz gonna come and claim you
But you mo’ better wise
When the buzz gonna come and take you away
Take you away, take you away

Overall, this song has a positive tone to it. Though it’s a bit tongue-in-cheek, Harrison has a much better view on his stint with the foursome than he would’ve in the wake of their breakup.

“No [I couldn’t have written When We Was Fab in 1974],” Harrison once said. “I would have been too hung on the past, you know, The Beatles. But now it’s good. You can look back at it and just think of the funny stuff. We just knocked it out on the piano one night and somebody just put a cassette on so we just taped all the… whatever we were doing. We got a bit legless and this… kept giving us bottles of champagne in this person’s house.”

The microscopes that magnified the tears
Studied warts and all
Still the life flowed on and on

You can hear that raucous spirit on the song. Harrison certainly evoked the good times from the Beatles’ heyday with this up-tempo hit. Revisit “When We Was Fab,” below.

Long time ago when we was fab
But it’s all over now, baby blue

(Photo by Dave Hogan/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)