Deconstructing George Harrison song ‘What Is Life’ through isolated tracks
It often feels as though George Harrison is the Beatle who doesn’t get nearly enough attention for the solo career he had following the Fab Four, and it’s high time to change that fact. His 1970 track ‘What Is Life’ is one of his many masterpieces, and it deserves a little examination.
Off the 1970 triple album All Things Must Pass, it was issued as a single in nearly every country aside from the UK, where it functioned as the B-side for ‘My Sweet Lord’. Regardless, it charted as a single and gained popularity in the United States, Canada, Australia, Switzerland and other countries where it was released as a leading single in 1971.
Originally, the song was actually written with another purpose in mind. George Harrison wrote the song in 1969 with the intention of giving it to his friend Billy Preston to record. However, it ultimately became a Harison song after all.
Harrison describes writing the song quickly, coming up with the tune while driving into the studio. What ultimately changed his mind about giving it to Preston was coming into the studio and seeing Preston working on funkier, more esoteric material that didn’t fit with what he described as the perfect pop song.
When you listen to the isolated tracks, you can see just how much goes into the mechanics of a “perfect pop song” like this one. The percussion, for example, while following a relatively simple upbeat structure, there are so many components that make up the rhythm. The song simply wouldn’t sound the same without its tambourine.
Although the horns and big band elements are relatively separated in the isolated tracks, that actually proves to demonstrate just how thorough they are as an inclusion in this song. Brass, strings, and saxophone and trumpet all appear on different isolated tracks within the breakdown, and even though they contribute to that same well-rounded sound that simply can’t be artificially achieved, each piece of it contributes to the layering in its own way.
As for the guitars, it’s interesting to note the way the electric, almost fuzzier sound and the bright acoustics play into one another. It’s almost simpler than one might expect, with the lead part sounding pointed and produced, while leaning into that classic acoustic guitar strum for the side guitars to round out the track.
The vocals are the element that people are probably the most eager to take a listen to. Harrison wasn’t the lead singer for the majority of notable Beatles tracks, but his solo vocals are certainly nothing to sneeze at—as most Harrison fans will already know. Listening to the backing vocals alongside his lead vocals, however, can still be pretty eye-opening. His range is frankly envious. He effortlessly slips and slides into high harmonies like it’s nothing. Like many isolated recordings, the vocals are among the highlights.
Even on the tracks that include vocals alongside other instrumentation, it stands to prove just how well rounded the track is in terms of vocals. But one shouldn’t mistake this for squeaky-clean perfection. These vocals, no matter how layered and abundant, don’t sound overproduced and robotic. They’re imperfect and human, giving the track a little bit of folky grit. And it clearly works. These elements have come together to produce one of George Harrison’s greatest.
If you want to take a listen and deconstruct George Harrison’s ‘What Is Life’ through the isolated tracks yourself, you can find them down below.
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