George Harrison, former Beatle, and solo artist, was nothing if not idealistic. For an example of this, look no further than his 1973 song “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth),” a song that was also a success, hitting No. 1 in the U.S.
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The sound, which plays as if it was born on an island vacation, is driven by acoustic guitars, nostalgic guitars, and Harrison’s loving voice. In the song, Harrison expresses his desire for a loving, peaceful life. What else could be better?
Let’s dive into the song’s meaning and history below.
The Meaning
The song opens with Harrison wishing for an existence seemingly outside of the human form. He sings, Give me love, give me love, give me peace on earth / Give me light, give me life, keep me free from birth.
Give me hope
Help me cope with this heavy load
Trying to touch and reach you with
Heart and soul
Om
My Lord
Please take hold of my hand
That I might understand you
Won’t you please
Oh, won’t you?
In the end, the song is one asking for help and guidance as much as it is a confident piece of work from one of the world’s most acclaimed artists.
Spirituality and Idealism
Known as perhaps the most idealistic Beatle, Harrison wrote “Give Me Love” in the early 1970s after the Fab Four had broken up. At the same time, he was helping refugees of the Bangladesh Liberation War, putting on two benefit concerts in New York City, along with a live album and concert film.
With all of this on his plate, Harrison was working on his then-forthcoming solo album, Living in the Material World, which included “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth).” Ever the searcher, Harrison was also diving into Hindu spirituality. Armed with this sense of inner peace and spiritual devotion, Harrison wrote a number of songs quickly, from “My Sweet Lord” to “What Is Life.”
“Sometimes you open your mouth and you don’t know what you are going to say, and whatever comes out is the starting point,” said Harrison in his autobiography, I, Me Mine. “If that happens and you are lucky, it can usually be turned into a song. This song is a prayer and personal statement between me, the Lord, and whoever likes it.’
Living in the Material World
Along with his own busy schedule, Harrison was beginning to grow frustrated with music producer Phil Spector, who wasn’t showing up for meetings or recordings. That led Harrison to produce the album alone.
He recorded the song in 1972 with Phil McDonald, a former engineer for the Beatles. While Spector is known for his big “wall of sound” approach to recording, “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace)” is more spare and intentional. The listener hears it as if sitting reclined on a hammock and Harrison comes up with a ukulele or acoustic guitar and begins to play. It sounds almost like a tall glass of pineapple juice, with a little slide guitar-shaped straw.
Photo by Dave Hogan/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
