The extremes of George Harrison‘s personality came shining through in the songs he wrote. While he could wax spiritual as well as anyone, he also harbored a healthy cynicism he often expressed via a biting sense of humor.
Videos by American Songwriter
Those twin poles of his persona both show their faces on “Brainwashed,” the title track from his final studio album. The cynical side mostly wins out, however, showing that Harrison, even in his final days on Earth, still remained skeptical about the material world.
His Final Message
It’s clear George Harrison held “Brainwashed” in high regard. Not only did he choose it to be the title track of what would be his final musical statement, he even gave it pride of place as the final song on the record. In that respect, it would also be a kind of farewell message from the former Beatle.
When Harrison began the process of making the Brainwashed album, he didn’t know that it would be his last. It was during the making of the record, which was delayed in the ’90s by his involvement in The Beatles Anthology, that he was first diagnosed with cancer. A 1999 incident when he was attacked by a knife-wielding man in his home also damaged his health.
In 2001, his cancer having returned, he received a terminal diagnosis. Determined to finish the album, George worked with his son Dhani and Jeff Lynne, the ELO mastermind who had collaborated with Harrison on Cloud Nine and then joined him in the Traveling Wilburys. Ace drummer Jim Keltner was another key component.
Harrison died in November 2001, but he left behind a plan for completing the album with Dhani and Lynne. Brainwashed was released a year later. And although some of the album makes room for somber reflection on his condition, Harrison used the title track to rail against hypocrisy and nonsense with the same intensity he mustered on classic songs, such as “Taxman” and “Piggies,” he wrote during his Beatles days.
Behind the Lyrics of “Brainwashed”
“Brainwashed” lashes out at a number of societal scourges and the malefactors who perpetrate them. The title suggests those being scammed are partly complicit, because they refuse to open up their eyes to the subterfuge. Harrison elucidates how it all begins in youthful days, setting the table for a lifelong pattern of deceit.
Schools, world leaders, financial institutions, and technology all make the list of bad actors in Harrison’s book. Toward the end of the song, he starts to have a little fun with his tirade: They brainwashed my great uncle / Brainwashed my cousin Bob / They even got my Grandma / When she was working for the mob.
God, God, God, the refrain cries out, Harrison’s way of putting the focus where he believes it should be. An eternity of darkness / Someone turned out the spiritual light, he bemoans. You are existence, knowledge, bliss, he sings to the deity.
Harrison takes time out from all this drama to give us a bit of a spiritual cleanse, as a spoken-word tidbit from How to Know God: The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali interrupts the proceedings. He then charges right back into the main thrust of the song, lamenting the wrong turns onto Bulls–t Avenue. His final wish is for God to step to the forefront and set humanity straight: Wish that you’d brainwash us too.
The final moments of “Brainwashed” feature both George and Dhani Harrison chanting gently in beatific praise. His final song on his final album was an attempt to both point a finger at the darkness and carve out a path to the light, which makes it about as fitting a farewell as could be expected from this transcendent artist.
Photo by Lester Cohen/Getty Images
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.