George Harrison Was Brutally Honest but Completely Wrong About His Songwriting Skills
George Harrison was known as the quiet member of The Beatles. Still, when he spoke, he never minced words and tended to tell the truth, such as admitting working with John Lennon on the Imagine sessions was nerve-wracking. When George once assessed his songwriting skills, he was honest but also completely wrong.
George Harrison once called his songwriting ‘very simple’
George appeared on The Dick Cavett Show in November 1971. It came a few months after his trendsetting Concert for Bangladesh event and a few weeks before the album from the concert hit shelves.
Cavett asked George several questions during their wide-ranging interview, including some about The Beatles and George’s drug use. The former Beatle answered honestly, and he did the same when Cavett asked about songwriting (via YouTube):
“It’s not really music. There’s a difference between people who write music and classical things and big arrangements to the sort of thing I do. It’s just really very simple.”
Was George being modest? Maybe, and only he would have known. Modesty or not, George appeared brutally honest, but completely wrong, about his songwriting skills.
George was completely wrong about his songwriting skills
George seemed brutally honest with Cavett about his talents, calling what he did simple.
He wouldn’t admit it, but there was nothing simple about George’s musical talents.
He had to fight and scratch to get his songs on Beatles records, but they were disproportionately some of the most infectious tunes the band released. Tracks such as “I Need You” from 1965’s Help display George’s budding songwriting skills. Those talents already started blooming later in the year with his two Rubber Soul songs “Think for Yourself” and “If I Needed Someone,” which have intricate melodies that vary drastically between the verse and chorus.
Listen to “Within You Without You” from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and try to say there’s anything simple about it. It was the longest and most ambitious song in The Beatles catalog at the time, and they pulled it off because of George’s songwriting skill.
With the Fab Four and in his solo career, George wrote songs across genres. He effortlessly floated between ballads and rock music while writing songs that incorporated his love for Eastern music, country-like slide guitar, and even soul/R&B elements (“What Is Life”).
George called his work simple, but he was wrong. If writing a pop song were easy, then more people would be churning out infectious tunes like “Got My Mind Set on You.” They aren’t, which proves that George’s songwriting skills came easily to him but were elite-level talents few possess.
The former Beatle found success in his solo career
George took his songwriting talents with him when The Beatles broke up.
His first solo album, All Things Must Pass, went gold within two days of its December 1970 release, per the Recording Industry Association of America. It performed better on the charts than John or Paul McCartney’s first solo records. All Things Must Pass has gone platinum seven times over, and George achieved platinum status again with 1988’s Cloud Nine. His 1973 album Living in the Material World spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart.
Fifteen of George’s solo songs hit the Billboard singles chart. Three of them — “My Sweet Lord,” “Give Me Love,” and “Got My Mind Set on You” spent a combined six weeks at No. 1.
George appeared honest when he said his songwriting was simple. We’re here to remind everyone he was 100% wrong.
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