Five George Harrison songs better than anything he wrote for The Beatles
Because most conversations about The Beatles quickly turn to the Lennon-McCartney writing partnership, many frequently overlooked unsung hero is the songwriting talents of George Harrison.
This makes sense, to a point: after all, Paul McCartney and John Lennon are both responsible for some of the greatest Beatles records across their entire career, like ‘She Loves You’, ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’, ‘And I Love Her’, and countless others, all songs that are still heavily associated with the Fab Four’s longstanding popularity and legacy.
However, Harrison came up with a fair few gems himself, many of which also went on to take on a life of their own. ‘Here Comes The Sun’ and ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’, for instance, are two songs that most people immediately think of whenever it comes to The Beatles, standing out as some of the band’s most celebrated material and showing a different side to their tone and style.
However, as was the case with some of the members’ solo careers once the band split, Harrison penned most of his best material after The Beatles. In many ways, the band stood as a thorough test-run of everything he’d go on to achieve after, with his later work demonstrating the best of his abilities both as a songwriter and an independent artist.
Five George Harrison songs that surpass his Beatles work:
‘My Sweet Lord’
It might seem excruciatingly obvious to include ‘My Sweet Lord’ in this list, but what do they say? Popular songs often become popular for a reason, and this is about as quintessentially George Harrison as it gets.
The song sounds completely ahead of its time, and with a melody that sticks in your head for a long while after, proving that Harrison not only had it in him to come up with a major, timeless hit, but that he could do it completely effortlessly, establishing himself as a major player in the same circles as his ex band mates – a fact that irritated Lennon, but which also goes to show that even the quiet ones are often capable of brilliance.
‘Got My Mind Set on You’
Another obvious pick, ‘Got My Mind Set on You’ is likely the song most people think of when thinking of Harrison’s solo material, but again, its popularity exists for a reason.
While Harrison didn’t exactly pen this song himself, with the original written by Rudy Clark for James Ray in 1962, Harrison’s 1987 cover for his album Cloud Nine proves that he really was the only one at the time who could refresh a quintessential 1960s classic and make it seem entirely new (and his own).
‘All Things Must Pass’
The last year of The Beatles was one of the most tumultuous years for any band in history, and yet, it birthed some of their best material – for both their final records and Harrison, who used one of his own rejected songs for Let It Be (then Get Back) on his debut 1970s record, All Things Must Pass.
The titular track is one of Harrison’s most mature, not just in terms of sound but also in its subject matter. After all, it tackles the transience of existence, where all meaning can be found in adopting a more spiritual, religious-leaning mindset and lifestyle. It’s also fairly reflective of the time in which it was written, signalling the slog towards the end of an era, and the excitement of exploring pastures new.
‘Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)’
Another spiritual gem, ‘Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)’ was released as Harrison’s lead single from his 1973 record Living in the Material World, continuing his penchant for spiritual and religious explorations, and the art of finding purpose by believing in a higher power.
With a gorgeous slide-guitar solo, it takes on a more laidback, understated feel to Harrison’s earlier work, both in his solo material and in The Beatles. It’s effortless, almost like it organically fell out of him, making for a quintessentially easy listening experience and one that forces you to take a moment of peaceful quiet for yourself.
‘What Is Life’
Another gem from All Things Must Pass, ‘What Is Life’ is one of Harrison’s best, coming together “very quickly” and initially intended to be a catchy pop song. However, this eventually morphed into something else, and Harrison decided to keep it to himself during the Abbey Road sessions until the time was right.
What is perhaps the best thing about ‘What Is Life’ is that it showed that Harrison wasn’t afraid to test the waters from time to time, breaking free from that familiar Beatles sound with his own flavourings, blending different styles to establish his own unique sound. Although it maintained similar themes to much of his solo material, it was the perfect departure from everything else they were doing at the time.
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