George Harrison Said Bob Dylan Should’ve Sung on a ‘Cloud Nine’ Track
George Harrison said his friend, Bob Dylan, should’ve sung a song on his 1987 album, Cloud Nine. The former Beatle always craved to work with Dylan, whom he loved very much and often quoted like Scripture.
George didn’t have to wait long. He finally became bandmates with his friend a year later.
George Harrison and Bob Dylan wrote ‘I’d Have You Anytime’ together
In November 1968, George visited Dylan at his Woodstock, New York home. When he arrived, he was greeted with something unexpected. In his 1980 memoir, I Me Mine, George wrote that Dylan was closed off. The singer/songwriter recently got into a motorcycle accident that left him with a broken neck. He’d also entered a self-imposed exile.
During a 1977 interview with Crawdaddy (per George Harrison on George Harrison: Interviews and Encounters), George said he found it strange that his friend didn’t seem to have much confidence and didn’t speak a word during his visit. Finally, George got sick of how Dylan acted and proposed they make some music.
“Anyway, we finally got the guitars out and it loosened things up a bit,” George told Crawdaddy. “It was really a nice time with all his kids around and we were just playing.
“He sang me that song and he was, like, very nervous and shy, and he said, ‘What do you think about this song?’ And I’d felt very strongly about Bob… I felt somehow very close to him, or something, you know, because he was so great, so heavy, and so observant about everything. And yet to find him later very nervous and with no confidence….
“But as far as I was concerned, it was great for him to realize his own peace; and it meant something. You know, he’d always been so hard … and I thought, ‘a lot of people are not going to like this.’ But I think it’s fantastic because Bob has obviously had the experience.”
Later, in Martin Scorsese’s documentary, George Harrison: Living in the Material World, George’s wife, Olivia, explained that George was “talking directly to Bob” in the song. She said, “He’d seen Bob and then he’d seen Bob another time and he didn’t seem as open and so that was his way of saying, ‘Let me in here, let me into your heart.'”
George wrote “I’d Have You Anytime” about wanting to be closer to Dylan, but the song also served as a good opening track for All Things Must Pass.
George said Dylan should’ve sung on a ‘Cloud Nine’ track
In 1971, George managed to get Dylan out of hiding to perform at the Concert for Bangladesh. Dylan was reluctant but enjoyed performing. After that, George didn’t see much of his friend and idol.
In a 1987 interview with Creem Magazine, George talked about his friendship with Dylan. The former Beatle admitted that he didn’t think he was a good friend to the “Blowin’ in the Wind” singer.
“I don’t know how good a friend I am; he’s my good friend, but I don’t know how good I am to him,” George said. “But I love him, I really do, and I think he’s funny… I’m sure we’ve all enjoyed and influenced each other.
“I don’t want to embarrass him because I’d like to meet him again some day, but he’s special. And there’s not a lot of people I’d say that about.”
That same year, George told Timothy White at Musician Magazine that he thought Dylan should’ve sung one of his songs on his 1987 album, Cloud Nine. Apparently, he thought Dylan would’ve sung “Devil’s Radio” perfectly.
George explained that the song came about after he saw the Eurythmics perform and a church poster that said, “Gossip! The Devil’s Radio! Don’t be a Broadcaster!” The former Beatle said the only thing that the song was missing was that Dylan should’ve sung it.
The pair eventually became bandmates
In 1987, George’s record company wanted him to record an extra single for Cloud Nine. By some miracle, George got Dylan, Tom Petty, and Roy Orbison in the recording studio with him and his co-producer, Jeff Lynne. George needed a recording studio at the last minute. So, Dylan offered his. When Petty and Orbison found out what was happening, they tagged along.
George didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity of a lifetime and invited his friends to record the song with him. They recorded “Handle With Care.” The records company thought the song was too good to be a European single. So, George held on to it, hoping the rock stars could come back and record a whole album.
In 1988, George got Dylan, Lynne, Petty, and Orbison back in the recording studio for The Traveling Wilburys: Vol 1. Finally, George became bandmates with Dylan. The former Beatle said he was amazed at how the singer/songwriter worked in the studio.
George no longer had to picture Dylan singing some of his songs; Dylan was.
