The George Harrison song that reunited The Beatles: ”We went into the studio”
In 1980, whether you were a fan of The Beatles, pop or even music at large, the death of John Lennon rocked the entire globe. The fact that such a behemoth figure in pop culture could be slain in front of his own home by a supposed fan was utterly incomprehensible. When you add to the fact that Lennon spent much of his time outside of The Beatles promoting a message of world peace, it becomes a genuinely heinous moment in 20th-century history.
There’s a good case to suggest that along with the assassinations of John F Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr, it was perhaps the most noteworthy death of the last 100 years. At the same time, it was most certainly a moment that reverberated around the world but resonated more heavily with three specific people: Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison.
At the time of his death, each Fab Four experienced life out on their own solo path. The Beatles had been done and dusted for a decade, and the group had only briefly spent time in each other’s company. Members had enjoyed each other’s company and even worked together on a song or two, but in comparison to the previous decade spent on tour buses in Europe, stadiums in America and the hearts and minds of millions across the world, they had barely crossed paths.
Harrison, in particular, enjoyed being released by The Beatles. Away from the shadow of the songwriting powerhouse of Lennon-McCartney, Harrison’s spiritual sounds were finally given ample room to breathe, and with that space, his voice had grown immeasurably. However, Harrison specifically welcomed Starr and McCartney’s talents in one song, and they all paid tribute to their fallen friend, John Lennon. The track in question was ‘All Those Years Ago’.
After All Things Must Pass, George Harrison’s seminal solo LP, it was confirmed that Harrison needed never to reunite with The Beatles. He had clearly made his mark on music all by himself, and the need for Messrs McCartney, Lenno, and Starr was pretty low. Though not ever taking himself out on tour, beyond one failed attempt in 1974, Harrison was happy to sit back in his studio, his point made, and continue to churn out albums that pleased him. But, on 1981’s Somewhere in England, there was one moment that not only saw Harrison at his emotionally rawest but also requested the help of his former bandmates to help him.
‘All Those Years Ago’, released in May 1981, six months after Lennon’s tragic murder, was Harrison expressing his sadness at losing not only a mentor and a bandmate but one of his best friends. The tune had originally started as a track for a new Ringo Starr album that Harrison had penned for his former drummer. However, following Lennon’s death, and perhaps in a nod to his appreciation for authenticity, Harrison took the song back and adapted the lyrics to the circumstances.
In Backstage Passes and Backstabbing Bastards, Harrison’s friend and collaborator remembers the ‘My Sweet Lord’ singer’s reaction to the news of Lennon’s death: “George was in the kitchen, white as a sheet, real shook up. We all had breakfast. He took calls from Paul and Yoko, which actually seemed to help his spirit, and then we went into the studio and started the day’s work. Ray and I kept George’s wine glass full all day.” Some of these sessions would end up featuring on the LP.
By this time in Harrison’s career, he was more than a dab hand on his own in the studio, but he was well aware of the song’s meaning and that it required an extra special touch. As such he invited Paul and Linda McCartney to add backing vocals to the song. Meanwhile, Ringo Starr filled in on drums while Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick helped Harrison fine-tune things while ‘The Fifth Beatle’ George Martin oversaw the production.
The truth is, that Harrison and Lennon had developed a stronger relationship following the end of The Beatles. They had worked together more often than any other of the members and their willingness to collaborate spoke highly of their kinship.
The tragedy of Lennon’s death will never quite be placated, but it did provide one of the sporadic moments that the Beatles, and such a heavy collection of those who worked with them, joined together in the studio. Though the world would have drooled at the thought of Lennon joining them, we can only hope that he was at least there in spirit.
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