Who did George Harrison try to give ‘My Sweet Lord’ to?
The question of which track is the most defining song from George Harrison’s career could have many answers; ‘Something’, ‘Here Comes The Sun’, ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’. But when considering his solo career and his years as a deeply spiritual man, one track comes out on top; ‘My Sweet Lord’.
However, it almost never was a George Harrison song. Despite being written by the musician, he initially handed it over to someone else, thinking that he would never get the chance to record it. Written in 1969, the track was caught up in the carnage of the end of the Beatles when Harrison especially was fed up. He felt that his talent was ignored as several of the tracks that later appeared on All Things Must Pass were rejected by his band.
But back then, the idea of going solo still felt like a distant dream. So, to him, each rejected track felt like a weight sinking deep into his archive and doomed to never see the light of day. He had no clue if or when he’d ever get the chance to record them, so when it came to ‘My Sweet Lord’, a song he was deeply proud of, he’d rather hear another artist sing it than never hear it be sung at all.
Initially, he wanted to give the track to Edwin Hawkins, an American gospel singer. Given the deeply religious lyricism, it would have been a perfect fit, transforming the song into what would likely have been a rich and rousing gospel tune.
However, the song was actually offered to a friend who was close by. When Harrison wrote the track, he was away in Copenhagen with Eric Clapton and the official fifth member of The Beatles, Billy Preston. He and Preston were close as they collaborated not only within the band on their last albums but on their own individual creations, too. So ‘My Sweet Lord’ was given to Preston as a gift, with Harrison hoping to at least hear his friend and collaborator release the track if the Beatles wouldn’t.
Together, they recorded Preston’s version in January 1970, still thinking that he would be the first one to release the song. However, by that time, it was pretty clear that The Beatles were done. Their relationships had crumbled, and Lennon and McCartney were already working on their own solo records, so Harrison followed their lead. Throughout the second half of the year, he made All Things Must Pass, including his own version of his song on the tracklist.
In the end, Harrison’s original came out first, on November 23rd, 1970. Preston’s take followed shortly behind on December 3rd that same year. Now able to compare and contrast the two, there are clear differences between them. Harrison leans heavily into his own spirituality, packing it with Hare Krishna chants and the Vedic prayer. Preston’s take omits the prayer and downplays the more spiritual side in favour of a more straightforward gospel take with clear roots influence and a real groove to it. Both their takes beautifully represent the artist singing it, but it’s interesting that, really, Preston’s was the original.
Who sang ‘My Sweet Lord’ at the Concert For George?
After George Harrison sadly died in 2001, a tribute concert to celebrate his legacy was organised for the first anniversary of his passing. On 29th November 2002, a cast of his friends, loved ones, peers and collaborators gathered for Concert For George, a memorial show at London’s Royal Albert Hall, each taking turns to play his songs.
As a way to honour their friendship and the history of the track, Billy Preston performed ‘My Sweet Lord’, the song Harrison had gifted to him. At the show, he played Harrison’s version of the track but with his own signature groove.
Throughout the show, Preston played as part of “George’s band”, a troupe of musicians made up of his closest friends and creative partners like Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Jeff Lynne and even his son Dhani Harrison amongst many more stars.
