The two songs George Harrison wrote for his son
George Harrison may well have been labelled the ‘quiet Beatle’, but he had a wild streak in his personality that often threatened to shake this carefully curated persona and expose him as the womanising, drinking and rock and roll-loving man he was. Of course, eventually, Harrison would find spirituality and connect with himself on a whole new plane. Creating an entire album devoted to his new innate spirituality, with All Things Must Pass operating as a defining moment in The Beatles’ man’s life.
Music would continue to be a part of Harrison’s life as he searched for meaning in the material world. Eventually, he would marry Olivia Harrison and have a son, Dhani, who would confirm that while fame, fortune and fans were all well and good, they couldn’t come close to true love and familial contentment. As his career progressed and his times as a wild man of rock grew more distant, Harrison would pay tribute to his son and note the enormous effect he had on his life.
Whether it be with The Beatles or out on his own solo material, Harrison had a unique vision when creating music. The artist was able, unlike any other, to put the most complex and grandiose themes and ideas into sweetly wrapped morsels of musical gold. With a gentle touch and a completely captivating tone that felt both comforting and guiding, Harrison quickly became one of the most revered songwriters of his generation. It was a giant transformation from the ‘quiet Beatle’ tag that he was always labelled with.
Naturally, being a part of the biggest band to ever walk the earth is quite some moment to have on your CV. But, in truth, some of Harrison’s best work came from his solo efforts. Much of that was down to being behind John Lennon and Paul McCartney in the songwriting pecking order within the band. But, when he was finally given the opportunity to open up his mind and stretch his songwriting legs, he never looked back. By the time he reached his self-titled 1979 album George Harrison, he was fully committed to enacting his own artistic vision.
On that record was perhaps his most beautiful and emotional song, ‘Soft touch’, a track that would end up as an ode to his son, Dhani. Although likely written a few years before his birth, Harrison would later confirm the connection between the song and Dhani, “[‘Soft Touch’] actually came from a remark Jim Keltner made in one of his lighter moods about me being a soft touch,” Harrison told Timothy White. “I had Dark Horse Records at the time, and people think that you’re a bank and come to you for money. By the end of the song, though, I’d changed some of the words so that it became more about my baby boy.”
But there’s another song that was penned for Dhani. Olivia Harrison revealed to NPR that ‘Unknown Delight’ was also written about his son after direction from her: “There’s a song he wrote about our son when he was born that I really love, and it’s become a favourite. It’s called ‘Unknown Delight’, and it’s on the Gone Troppo album. He was saying, ‘What should I write about? What should I write a song about?’ I said, ‘Write a song about Dhani.’ And he wrote this beautiful song which was very prescient actually.”
While many would suggest that fatherhood changed Harrison, others have said he remained the same and that he had always been filled with love. however, listening to these pieces and remembering that his ‘quiet Beatle’ tag had come from somewhere, it’s clear that most of his emotion was put into song. Or, on this occasion, two songs.
