Keith Richards’ favourite George Harrison songs
In the 1960s, music was utterly transformed, partly down to several British bands. At the forefront of this musical and cultural revolution were The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, two bands who completely redefined rock and roll’s potential. Both groups formed part of the British Invasion, taking the world by storm with their innovative approach to creating popular music, as well as their fashionable image.
The Beatles and The Rolling Stones had a monumental impact on youth culture, encapsulating the younger generation’s desire to break free from the chains of post-war complacency and malaise. The ‘Swinging Sixties’ were a period of experimentation and freedom for many youngsters, and these bands provided the soundtrack.
Despite rumours of a supposed rivalry between the two bands, who were naturally engaged in some friendly competition during the ’60s, the members have often asserted that they were always close. For the Stones’ guitarist Keith Richards, he found a particular kinship with George Harrison. Upon Harrison’s passing in 2001, Richards contributed to an edition of Rolling Stone called ‘Remembering George’.
He said: “George and I kind of formed -without talking too much about it, although we did have a laugh here and there- a bond, in that we felt we were kind of fulfilling the same role within our respective bands. It was a nod and a wink to say, ‘Well, they’d be nowhere without us.'”
Adding: “So George and I always used to have that thing of, ‘Well, how’s your end holding up?’ He was a very quiet and enigmatic guy in many ways. He had a very sly sense of humour, very quiet. But there was always this unspoken bond between us.”
Richards has always been a big fan of The Beatles’ work, especially the songs penned by Harrison. In the ‘Remembering George’ issue, the guitarist picked out three songs written by him that he loved the most. “‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’, ‘Something’, ‘My Sweet Lord’. When he did put something out, he worked on it a long time and got it right the way he wanted it, which is a very difficult thing to do, especially when you’re part of something else,” Richards explained.
While the first two songs appeared on The Beatles’ albums, The Beatles and Abbey Road, respectively, ‘My Sweet Lord’ was featured on Harrison’s acclaimed solo album All Things Must Pass. As the UK’s biggest-selling single of 1971, Harrison cemented his excellence outside of The Beatles with the song, which remains one of his finest works.
Keith Richards’ favourite George Harrison songs:
- ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’
- ‘Something’
- ‘My Sweet Lord’
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