George Harrison’s Song ‘Thanks for the Pepperoni’ Isn’t About Pizza; The Name Comes From a Famous Comedian
In his 1970 song, “Thanks for the Pepperoni,” George Harrison isn’t paying homage to pizza.” The former Beatle and his makeshift band weren’t hungry after a long day in the recording studio during the making of All Things Must Pass.
Instead, the song’s name comes from something a famous comedian said.
George Harrison’s ‘Thanks for the Pepperoni’ isn’t about pizza
During an interview with Billboard, George discussed the early 2000s reissue of his 1970 album, All Things Must Pass. George explained where he got the song’s name, “Thanks for the Pepperoni.” Interviewer Timothy White asked if he named the song because someone had ordered pizza.
George said no; he named the song after something a famous comedian said.
“No,” George said. “If you listen to Lenny Bruce’s ‘Religions, Inc.,’ he goes on about the pope and things, and then he goes, ‘And thanks for the pepperoni’ [laughs]. I mean, you got random tracks, so it’s like, ‘What can we call it?’ For the jams, I didn’t want to just throw in the cupboard, and yet at the same time, it wasn’t part of the record; that’s why I put it on a separate label to go in the package as a kind of bonus.”
George plays 1 of his longest recorded guitar solos on ‘Thanks for the Pepperoni’
According to Beatles Bible, George plays one of his longest recorded guitar solos on “Thanks for the Pepperoni.”
The former Beatle is one of three lead guitarists on the track, along with Dave Mason and his long-time friend and collaborator, Eric Clapton.
Writer Simon Leng said George’s solo starts from the beginning to 1:30, 3:00-3:17, and 4:47-5:52; Mason from 1:40-3:00; and Clapton from 3:18-4:46. However, it’s hard to hear because there is some overlap in the solos.
The future Derek and the Dominos played on the song
The tune isn’t one of George’s most well-known, but it is special for one reason.
George didn’t just assemble Clapton and Mason to jam on “Thanks for the Pepperoni.” He got keyboardist and singer Bobby Whitlock, bassist Carl Radle, and drummer Jim Gordon, all of whom formed Derek and the Dominos shortly after.
“Thanks for the Pepperoni” was the first song the future band jammed on. Billboard’s White pointed out that you can hear the musicians jell as a band.
George said, “Yeah! They were the first sessions for Derek & the Dominos. In fact, during those sessions, we actually recorded ‘Tell The Truth’ and ‘Roll It Over’; we did versions where I was playing on them.”
George Harrison’s “Thanks for the Pepperoni” might be a blip in his career, but it allowed another famous group to form and make good music.
