The Story Behind The Song: ‘Isn’t It A Pity’, George Harrison’s rejected Beatles hit about turning the other cheek
Often, when musicians sing about “humanity” and “doing the right thing”, what may seem like a good message can often come across as condescending and out of touch. Despite good intentions, it can feel patronising to have someone who lives in a completely different world from the general public giving them directives. However, one musician who practised what they preached and made it a way of life is George Harrison.
Harrison was always an advocate for compassion and understanding. While many songwriters inject their music with humanity, Harrison made kindness a lifelong quest that took him down a path of philosophy and meditation. His music presents these ideologies through the osmosis of the man who wrote it rather than a conscious effort to brandish such values. Much of this unique outlook on life can be attributed to his adoption of Eastern philosophies. But this behaviour is also rooted in the fertile ground of the Fab Four.
An ode to humanity that personifies Harrison’s mindset is ‘Isn’t It A Pity’. Dating back to 1966, a time when many of Harrison’s songs got pushed to the back of The Beatle’s priority list. The band had a certain sound well-established by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, meaning Harrison’s tracks were limited to about two an album. In fact, across the years, Harrison had tens of tunes knocked back by the group.
Thankfully, the reaction didn’t seem to bother Harrison beyond small irritation, and he simply kept on creating, turning to other inspirational figures such as Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan to give him the pop music pep talk he required. As Dylan notably shared, “George got stuck with being the Beatle that had to fight to get songs on records because of Lennon and McCartney. Well, who wouldn’t get stuck? If George had had his own group and was writing his own songs back then, he’d have been probably just as big as anybody.”
He took words of encouragement like this and continued writing tracks built from his own perspective on the world. While some numbers found their way onto Beatles records, arguably giving the group some of their most beloved later hits, such as ‘Something,’ and ‘Here Comes The Sun’ – written alongside Clapton, in fact – most of his compositions were kept on the shelf. This would prove to fall in Harrison’s favour as, when he came to create his first solo record following the band’s split, he was well-equipped with countless sonic concoctions. For that reason, All Things Must Pass would become a beacon for Harrison’s entire creative vision, and ‘Isn’t It A Pity’ is one of its brightest moments. As Delaney Bramlett said, “I didn’t think he had much to develop – he was ready.”
The recording sessions for the album reflected this artistic rebirth, and Harrison leant heavily on the friends he’d made in the Fab Four to give the record extra meat. Harrison had a lot of inspiration, and many musicians were keen to work with him; a massive array of A-listers helped out on his album. The number of people who worked with him means separating them on each track can be challenging. It’s likely that on ‘Isn’t It A Pity’ is Ringo Starr playing drums, Billy Preston on the piano and Bobby Whitlock on organ.
“That whole session was great,” said Whitlock, reminiscing on his time working with the Beatle. “George Harrison, what a wonderful man. All the time that I ever knew him, which was from 1969 to his passing, he was a wonderful man. He included everyone on everything he did because there was enough for all.”
His attitude towards music almost reflects his attitude towards the world. Unlike in his former group, Harrison believed there was always enough space for everyone, constantly trying to bring the best out in people working in the studio. ‘Isn’t It A Pity’ leans into that ethos, highlighting a need for people to be thankful for what they have and never take their blessings for granted. Part of this is learning to turn the other cheek and move on when someone has wronged you.
“‘Isn’t It A Pity’ is about whenever a relationship hits a down point,” Harrison said of the track in his autobiography, I Me Mine. “Instead of whatever other people do (like breaking each other’s jaws), I wrote a song. It was a chance to realise that if I felt somebody had let me down, then there’s a good chance I was letting someone else down. We all tend to break each other’s hearts, taking and not giving back.”
Given Harrison’s penchant for writing about the world around him, regularly taking aim at The Beatles and the situation he found himself in – being stifled creatively and rarely operating beyond session guitarist – there’s a good chance the jaws he would have liked to have break were that of John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. But, in typical Harrison fashion, he writes a sonic poem about humanitarian love instead.
The track is now regarded as one of Harrison’s best. It expertly highlights his lyrical structure, his unique vision for making music and his talented ear, which brings Eastern gospel into the pop format. The tune lives on beyond Harrison and has been extensively covered ever since its release in 1970, including beautiful renditions from Nina Simone and Eric Clapton.
The only sadness surrounding the song, which effortlessly blends the tropes of love, rock and hymnal brilliance within its encompassing chords, is that it wasn’t brought to the world sooner. It seems fitting, that the track rejected by The Beatles would not only go on to capture the brilliance of George Harrison as a songwriter but perhaps be centred on the acceptance of that very rejection.
