Why George Harrison Decided to Record Music the Same Day John Lennon Was Killed

All of The Beatles processed John Lennon’s death in different ways. Paul McCartney had a tough time discussing it and initially called it a “drag,” while Ringo Starr left his trip in the Bahamas to fly to New York to be with Yoko Ono. The news crushed George Harrison, but instead of grieving in silence, the former Beatledecided to record music. 

George Harrison believed recording music after John Lennon’s death would be ‘therapeutic’

John Lennon was fatally shot outside his New York City apartment on Dec. 8, 1980. The news stunned the world as many networks and broadcasts stopped what they were doing to announce his death. Harrison was set to record music for his upcoming album, Somewhere in England. 

When he heard the news, many believed he would postpone the session to another day. However, drummer Dave Mattacks said Harrison wanted to go through with the session as recording a song would be “therapeutic.”

“Ray [Cooper] called on the morning of the sessions and said, ‘I’m not sure whether it’s going to happen,’” Mattacks told Uncut magazine. “I asked why. ‘Have you not heard? John Lennon has been shot.’ There was a two- or three-hour gap when nothing happened, then Ray called back and the conversation was something along the lines of, ‘I’ve spoken to George, and he thinks that trying to make music would be more therapeutic than him sitting around and being besieged by press and God knows what else.’ So the session went ahead.”

Harrison wrote ‘All Those Years Ago’ as a tribute to Lennon

“All Those Years Ago” was released by George Harrison in 1981 to honor John Lennon. The single was later included on Somewhere in England. Harrison initially wrote the song for Starr to sing, but Starr declined it as he thought the vocals were out of his range. After Lennon’s death, the “Here Comes the Sun” singer changed the lyrics to be more about his former bandmate. Drummer Ray Cooper told Uncut that Harrison had just finished the vocals for “All Those Years Ago” when Lennon died. 

“George had just finished the vocals on ‘All Those Years Ago’, of all things, and I was on my way back home to London in the early hours of the morning,” Cooper said. “On the radio it was announced that John had been murdered. I turned the car around on the M4 and came straight back. George was devastated. He and John had a very special relationship. He loved him, and he had just written a song about him.”

Lennon’s death also angered the former Beatle

George Harrison was shocked by John Lennon’s death, and his grief manifested in anger. In Martin Scorsese’s documentary George Harrison: Living in the Material World, Harrison’s wife, Olivia, said George was angry with Lennon because he didn’t do enough to prepare for his death. Harrison was very spiritual and did “daily practices” to ensure he had an easier transition when he died. 

“George put so much emphasis and importance on the moment of death, of leaving your body. That was very – that’s really what he was practicing for,” Olivia said. “‘And what do you do in the morning?’ He said: ‘I do my practice, I do my mantras, I do my spiritual practice.’ ‘And how do you know it will work?’ He said: ‘I don’t. I’ll find out when I die.'”