George Harrison’s Son Said the Former Beatle’s Song ‘Behind That Locked Door’ Is About Bob Dylan
George Harrison‘s son, Dhani Harrison, helped remaster the former Beatle’s album All Things Must Pass. During an interview, he explained what he thought of the album. Dhani also said one of the songs from the album, “Behind That Locked Door,” is about Bob Dylan. Interestingly, George connected the song to Dylan in a different way.
George Harrison’s son said the former Beatle mimicked classic songs on ‘All Thing Must Pass’
In a 2021 interview with Guitar World, Dhani discussed his views on All Things Must Pass. “All Things Must Pass is coming from a time in George’s life that is very dualistic,” Dhani said. “It’s very dark, yet some of it expresses some of the most exalted states of clarity you can have. And somewhere in the middle is that whole experience and that whole record.”
Dhani felt George wanted the songs on All Things Must Pass to have the same sort of “big arrangements” as Beatles songs such as “I Am the Walrus” and “A Day in the Life.” “Dad had obviously built up so many songs after The Beatles,” Dhani said. “They didn’t get their day in court, you know? So he went big.”
How Bob Dylan influenced the song ‘Behind That Locked Door’
Dhani said he viewed All Things Must Pass as a country album. “I like to think of All Things Must Pass as the best country record of all time,” Dhani said. “That great Pete Drake pedal steel on ‘Behind That Locked Door,’ the song my dad wrote about Dylan. There’s a country hit if ever I’d heard one.”
During a 2000 interview with Billboard, George discussed “Behind That Locked Door.” Like Dhani, he felt the song could’ve been a hit on the country charts. “I think that was very much influenced by Bob’s Nashville Skyline period,” George said. “I actually wrote that the night before the Isle of Wight Festival in [August] 1970.”
The way the world reacted to George Harrison’s ‘All Things Must Pass’ and Bob Dylan’s ‘Nashville Skyline’
All Things Must Pass and Nashville Skyline are two of the most acclaimed albums ever made. One of them performed better commercially than the other. All Things Must Pass spent seven weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and 41 total weeks on the chart. Two singles from the album hit the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100: “What Is Life?” and a double A-side of “My Sweet Lord” and “Isn’t It a Pity?” “Isn’t It a Pity?” hit No. 10 while the double A-side topped the chart.
Meanwhile, Nashville Skyline peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the chart for 47 weeks. Only one of the singles from Nashville Skyline reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100: “Lay Lady Lay.” “Lay Lady Lay” peaked at No. 7. While All Things Must Pass was more popular than Nashville Skyline, the former might not be the same without Dylan.
