George Harrison’s first non-Beatles number one showcased everything he was
Out of all The Beatles, George Harrison had the most to prove with his solo career. During his time in the band, the guitarist had felt underappreciated. Dubbed “the quiet Beatle”, the label likely stung as he felt like any time he raised his voice, no one seemed to hear it, as his songs were rejected or lay unappreciated. But when he finally got his first number one outside of the group, that was certainly no longer the case.
When talking about Harrison, people jump quickly to his contributions to The Beatles, like ‘Something’ or ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’, or focus solely on his solo debut, All Things Must Pass. Especially when it comes to the latter, that attention is deserved. Finally free from the band he was beginning to see as his shackles, his 1970 debut was a point being proved.
Across the 17 songs, Harrison not only dusts off the tracks his band rejected to show their worth, but he puts the full spectrum of his skill on display. ‘My Sweet Lord’ goes all in on his spiritual side. The title track shows he could write a rousing ballad, too. ‘I’d Have You Anytime’ is smoother and folkier, while ‘Wah Wah’ is an all-out rock song. He covered all bases and did it masterfully, but it was later, on ‘Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)’, that he did it all at once.
It starts tender and folk-infused, then immediately adds bluesy slide guitars, instantly checking two boxes and merging two important influences. When the lyrics start up, a skilful balance is there, too. Even in the title lyric, “Give me love, give me love, give me peace on earth,” the artist balances a vague, universal sentiment of desire with a more spiritually and politically charged sentiment.
While ‘My Sweet Lord’ swung fully towards the latter as a song packed with prayers and chants, ‘Give Me Love’ feels like the same song but subtler. “Oh, my Lord, Please take hold of my hand, That I might understand you,” he sings, but still, the religious sentiment could also be read as a plea to a lover for affection, with the opening chorus line also sounding like an exclamation of “oh my lord”.
By loosening the strictness of the song’s interpretation, the track appears as a perfect middle ground. It exists somewhere in between his beloved Beatles tunes, which have remained totally timeless due to their universal appeal, and his more specific solo stuff, which felt lyrically less accessible to many.
But what it does take from his prior solo album is the musical power. ‘Give Me Love’ is a gorgeous song that swells into a kind of immersive ballad that sweeps the listener up. While still managing to be approachable and radio-ready, the song is full of Harrison’s incredible talent as he melts genres and influences together, managing to balance a whole array of musical textures in one rock song. Featuring all his best elements, from unique acoustic guitar tones to bluesy breakdowns, this one song seems to capture every corner of his capabilities.
It’s no wonder that this song was the one that worked for him. ‘Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)’ became Harrison’s first number-one hit outside of The Beatles, even seeing him kick Paul McCartney off the top spot as her usurped Wings’ ‘My Love’, allowing the song to be his big statement that he would no longer be underestimated in his old bandmates’ shadow.
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