40 Years Ago: Beatles Reunite for a John Lennon Tribute Song
When George Harrison released “All Those Years Ago” in May 1981, it was a heartfelt tribute to his Beatles bandmate John Lennon.
When George Harrison released “All Those Years Ago” in May 1981, it was a heartfelt tribute to his Beatles bandmate John Lennon.
When fans listened to George's words about his lost friend, they also heard the three surviving Beatles together for the first time since the band broke up a decade earlier.
The number had started out as a song for Ringo, but didn’t like the lyrics, so George scrapped them in November 1980, while keeping Ringo’s drum track in place. The recording was on a back burner when the news of John’s murder flashed around the world the following month.
In his 2008 memoir Backstage Passes and Backstabbing Bastards, keyboardist Al Kooper recalled that “George was in the kitchen, white as a sheet, real shook up. We all had breakfast. He took calls from Paul and Yoko, which actually seemed to help his spirit, and then we went into the studio and started the day's work.” He added that they made sure to keep “George’s wine glass full all day” to help bolster him against the emotional pressure.
Perhaps predictably, George began writing new lyrics for that shelved song. “I’m shouting all about love / While they treated you like a dog,” he wrote directly to John. “But you point the way to the truth when you say / All you need is love.” He told his friend: “And you were the one they backed up to the wall / You were the one who imagined it all / All those years ago.”
George admitted later that he knew the lyrics contained “strange” lines, but he was fairly sure of the message he wanted to send. “The way I saw it was, I’m talking all about God and he’s the only reason we exist – now that’s something I believe to be true,” he told Creem. “What I was saying is there’s all these weird people who don’t actually believe in God and who go around murdering everybody, and yet, in the broad sweep, it’s like they were the ones pointing fingers at John, saying he’s a weirdo. Sometimes my lyrics get a bit abstract in places.”
He laid down his lead vocal track in early 1981. When it came time to adding backing vocals, he invited Paul, he brought along wife Linda plus Wings guitarist Denny Laine.
“They were just the same as they always were,” Laine said of the session. “The same as the public sees them … they just had a sort of natural way of doing things. They weren't any different in front of me and Linda than they would have been when they were in a Beatles session … just Paul and George as you know them.”
“All Those Years Ago” was released the month before George's album Somewhere in England and reached No. 2. It became one of George's most popular songs. Looking back, he said in a 1988 TV interview: “I know John … he knew who he was – a soul that happened to be in this body for this period of time. … It’s just the method by which you die. You know, I think it’s nicer if you can consciously leave your body at death, as opposed to some lunatic shooting you on the street or having a plane crash. ... I think it's unfortunate the way he went out, but it doesn't really matter – he's okay, and life flows on within you and without you.”
The number had started out as a song for Ringo, but didn’t like the lyrics, so George scrapped them in November 1980, while keeping Ringo’s drum track in place. The recording was on a back burner when the news of John’s murder flashed around the world the following month.
In his 2008 memoir Backstage Passes and Backstabbing Bastards, keyboardist Al Kooper recalled that “George was in the kitchen, white as a sheet, real shook up. We all had breakfast. He took calls from Paul and Yoko, which actually seemed to help his spirit, and then we went into the studio and started the day's work.” He added that they made sure to keep “George’s wine glass full all day” to help bolster him against the emotional pressure.
Perhaps predictably, George began writing new lyrics for that shelved song. “I’m shouting all about love / While they treated you like a dog,” he wrote directly to John. “But you point the way to the truth when you say / All you need is love.” He told his friend: “And you were the one they backed up to the wall / You were the one who imagined it all / All those years ago.”
George admitted later that he knew the lyrics contained “strange” lines, but he was fairly sure of the message he wanted to send. “The way I saw it was, I’m talking all about God and he’s the only reason we exist – now that’s something I believe to be true,” he told Creem. “What I was saying is there’s all these weird people who don’t actually believe in God and who go around murdering everybody, and yet, in the broad sweep, it’s like they were the ones pointing fingers at John, saying he’s a weirdo. Sometimes my lyrics get a bit abstract in places.”
He laid down his lead vocal track in early 1981. When it came time to adding backing vocals, he invited Paul, he brought along wife Linda plus Wings guitarist Denny Laine.
“They were just the same as they always were,” Laine said of the session. “The same as the public sees them … they just had a sort of natural way of doing things. They weren't any different in front of me and Linda than they would have been when they were in a Beatles session … just Paul and George as you know them.”
“All Those Years Ago” was released the month before George's album Somewhere in England and reached No. 2. It became one of George's most popular songs. Looking back, he said in a 1988 TV interview: “I know John … he knew who he was – a soul that happened to be in this body for this period of time. … It’s just the method by which you die. You know, I think it’s nicer if you can consciously leave your body at death, as opposed to some lunatic shooting you on the street or having a plane crash. ... I think it's unfortunate the way he went out, but it doesn't really matter – he's okay, and life flows on within you and without you.”
Speaking on TV a decade after Lennon’s killing, George said: “I hadn’t seen him for so long. I didn’t see him for two years anyway, occasionally [I’d] maybe send a postcard.”
He noted that what he missed most was “knowing that he’s on the other end of the telephone if you do want to call.”
He noted that what he missed most was “knowing that he’s on the other end of the telephone if you do want to call.”
👉All that you need ￫ HERE
....................................................................................
No comments:
Post a Comment