The songs George Harrison and Eric Clapton wrote with and for each other
They say George Harrison was the quiet Beatle, but that moniker underestimates him in many senses; though he was silent, he could be stealthy. This was because he was perhaps the most prolific collaborator with other artists outside the band, owing at first out of necessity, as his musical contributions were chronically overlooked up to a point by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
One of Harrison’s strongest partnerships beyond the parameters of the Fab Four was with Eric Clapton, who, at the time of the height of Beatlemania, was treading the boards of Cream while also facing the dilemma of what was to come next after the group’s disbandment. In this sense, the two rock and roll giants found themselves both at a loose end and forged sonic kindred spirits in each other – notwithstanding Harrison’s worship for Clapton’s musicality.
Most famous within The Beatles catalogue is Clapton’s contribution to ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’, where he played the solo – albeit slightly reluctantly – after Harrison brought the idea forward to himself and the rest of the band.
However, as the Fab Four also eventually cracked and faltered, Clapton and Harrison’s writing partnership became ever more robust, as the pair churned out tune after tune together both for their solo careers and for other artists.
Returning the favour for his hand on the Beatles mega-hit, Harrison turned his attention to Clapton’s last Cream efforts, where he was stuck in a bit of a rut during the writing process for their 1968 farewell record Goodbye. He recounted in a 1977 interview: “I helped Eric write ‘Badge’, you know,” feeling compelled to offer his services as “Each of them had to come up with a song for that Goodbye album, and Eric didn’t have his written.”
In an individual capacity, Clapton’s influence on Harrison’s Wonderwall Music sessions and debut album All Things Must Pass permeated through almost every line and guitar riff, perhaps most predominantly on the opening track of the latter, ‘I’d Have You Anytime’. Joining forces with Bob Dylan, there could have never been any real doubt that Harrison’s solo career was set for the stratosphere because the power of rock and roll greatness was almost too much to bear.
For Clapton’s own part later down the line, in 1989 and 1990, respectively, Harrison once again dutifully played his role in helping to write his songs ‘Run So Far’ and ‘That Kind of Woman’. However, although this was a tight-knit partnership, the Clapton-Harrison songwriting dynasty wasn’t only mutually beneficial to themselves. Billy Preston also became one of the lucky custodians of their gems, as his seminal 1969 gospel-rock fusion, ‘That’s the Way God Planned It’, was another of the duo’s penned efforts.
George Harrison’s sonic legacy is largely comprised of Beatles magic, which is inevitable even though he didn’t always get his rightful time to shine. Clapton’s role in propelling him to new heights after the breakup of the band shouldn’t be underestimated in this sense – no doubt it was bound to be a success story, but it’s clear that the pair’s work together went far in creating some six-string sorcery.
Songs George Harrison and Eric Clapton created together:
- ‘Run So Far’ – Eric Clapton
- ‘That Kind of Woman’ – Eric Clapton
- ‘Cloud 9’ – George Harrison
- ‘I’d Have You Anytime’ – George Harrison
- ‘That’s the Way God Planned It’ – Billy Preston
- ‘Badge’ – Cream
- ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ – The Beatles
