Bob Dylan Said George Harrison Could Have Been ‘As Big as Anybody’ if He Wasn’t With The Beatles

George Harrison was an excellent songwriter, often overshadowed by his fellow bandmates in The Beatles: John Lennon and Paul McCartney. His talent shone through, but it was often restricted, something he was frustrated by. Fellow songwriter and friend Bob Dylan agreed with his frustrations, saying he believed George Harrison could have been “as big as anybody” if he wasn’t with The Beatles. 

Paul McCartney and John Lennon were the main songwriting duo of The Beatles

McCartney and Lennon are among the most successful songwriting duos ever. While there are debates on who primarily wrote different songs, the Lennon-McCartney credit is attached to plenty of The Beatles’ biggest hits. Meanwhile, Harrison’s songwriting contributions were limited. Still, he was responsible for some memorable tracks, such as “Something” and “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”.

In an interview with The New Yorker, McCartney admitted that Harrison’s limited role wasn’t accidental. He wanted him and Lennon to share a majority of the songwriting duties. 

“I remember walking through Woolton, the village where John was from, and saying to John, ‘Look, you know, it should just be you and me who are the writers,’” McCartney shared. “We never said, ‘Let’s keep George out of it,’ but it was implied.”

Bob Dylan once said George Harrison could have been more successful by himself

Bob Dylan and George Harrison built a strong friendship, and the two often collaborated once Harrison entered his solo career. Dylan knew how talented he was, both as a songwriter and as a guitar player. In an interview with Rolling Stone, the “Like a Rolling Stone” singer said Harrison was “stuck” in The Beatles and could have been more successful if he started alone. 

“George got stuck with being the Beatle that had to fight to get songs on records because of Lennon and McCartney,” Dylan said. “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.”

Dylan also praised Harrison for his guitar skills, saying he had a knack for creating rhythms from chords that shouldn’t connect. 

“George had an uncanny ability to just play chords that didn’t seem to be connected in any kind of way and come up with a melody and a song,” he added. “I don’t know anybody else who could do that, either. What can I tell you? He was from that old line of playing where every note was a note to be counted.”

Harrison proved how talented he was in his solo career

Bob Dylan is correct that George Harrison had the talent to be a star without The Beatles, and he proved that in his solo career. Shortly after The Beatles broke up, he released his triple album, All Things Must Pass. The album featured “My Sweet Lord,” which hit No. 1 on the charts, making him the first Beatle to hit that mark in their solo career. 

He then had two more No. 1 hits: “Got My Mind Set on You” and “Give Me Love.” While McCartney has the most successful solo career of any Beatle, Harrison surprised many fans with his solo career and made them rethink how crucial he was to the success of the band.