Every song George Harrison recorded for movies
Every former Beatles will always be remembered first and foremost for their work as a group, no matter how many artistic successes they went on to achieve following their split. George Harrison was particularly prolific in later life, not only as a solo artist, but as a filmmaker. In 1978, when Monty Python’s financing for their film Life of Brian fell through, Harrison came to the rescue, mortgaging his home and forming a production company called HandMade Films to save the project from certain death.
After the controversial release of Brian, Harrison continued to produce films under the company for nearly two decades, including classics like The Long Good Friday, Time Bandits, and Withnail and I. Even before he began producing films, however, Harrison contributed original music to several soundtracks. In fact, his relationship with movies and his career as a solo artist are deeply intertwined.
Harrison’s debut solo album, 1968’s Wonderwall, was made as the soundtrack for Joe Massot’s movie of the same name, starring Jack MacGowran and Jane Birkin. The Bee Gees had originally been slated for the project but dropped out, prompting Massot to approach Harrison. It was his first musical project outside of the Beatles and was heavily influenced by his recent deep dive into Indian classical music. When the producers of the film decided not to release an album version of the soundtrack, Harrison decided to release it under the Beatles’ own Apple Records.
In 1974, the musician got another taste of pre-HandMade filmmaking when he produced and contributed incidental music to the soundtrack of the western Little Malcolm, starring John Hurt. It was the final production made under the film wing of Apple Corps, and was Harrison’s first experience with executive producing a movie independently of his bandmates.
During his career as a movie producer, the musician tried to stay out of the productions as much as possible to avoid overshadowing them. Occasionally, however, he contributed original songs, such as the Time Bandits theme song and several tracks for the soundtrack of the disastrous Madonna/Sean Penn film Shanghai Surprise. He also contributed to the soundtrack of Water, a 1985 comedy starring Michael Caine that fell flat.
In that same period, he also contributed two songs to movies that were not associated with HandMade Films, 1985’s Porky’s Revenge!, for which he recorded his own version of Bob Dylan’s “I Don’t Want to Do It,” and 1989’s Lethal Weapon 2, for which he performed the song “Cheer Down,” which he had written with Tom Petty.
Of course, Harrison’s music continues to play a big role in cinema, having been featured in everything from Ari Aster’s 2023 psychological horror film Beau is Afraid, to 2024’s Sonic the Hedgehog 3. But there were only a film films that feature tracks that the artist made specifically for that purpose.
Every song George Harrison recorded for movies:
- ‘Microbes’ in Wonderwall (1968)
- ‘Red Lady Too’ in Wonderwall (1968)
- ‘Tabla and Pakavaj’ in Wonderwall (1968)
- ‘In the Park’ in Wonderwall (1968)
- ‘Drilling a Home’ in Wonderwall (1968)
- ‘Guru Vandana’ in Wonderwall (1968)
- ‘Greasy Legs’ in Wonderwall (1968)
- ‘Ski-ing’ in Wonderwall (1968)
- ‘Gat Kirwani’ in Wonderwall (1968)
- ‘Dream Scene’ in Wonderwall (1968)
- ‘Party Seacombe’ in Wonderwall (1968)
- ‘Love Scene’ in Wonderwall (1968)
- ‘Crying’ in Wonderwall (1968)
- ‘Cowboy Music’ in Wonderwall (1968)
- ‘Fantasy Sequins’ in Wonderwall (1968)
- ‘On the Bed’ in Wonderwall (1968)
- ‘Glass Box’ in Wonderwall (1968)
- ‘Wonderwall to Be Here’ in Wonderwall (1968)
- ‘Singing Om’ in Wonderwall (1968)
- ‘Dream Away’ from Time Bandits (1981)
- ‘Focus of Attention’ (performed by Jimmy Helms) from Water (1985)
- ‘Celebration’ (performed by Jimmy Helms) from Water (1985)
- ‘I Don’t Want to Do It’ from Porky’s Revenge! (1985)
- ‘Shanghai Surprise’ from Shanghai Surprise (1986)
- ‘Breath Away from Heaven’ from Shanghai Surprise (1986)
- ‘Someplace Else’ (with Vicki Brown) from Shanghai Surprise (1986)
- ‘Hottest Gong in Town’ from Shanghai Surprise (1986)
- ‘Zig-Zag’ (with Jeff Lynne) from Shanghai Surprise (1986)
- ‘Cheer Down’ (co-written by Tom Petty) from Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)
