All Those Years Ago-Remembering George Harrison
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In a few of days it will be George Harrison’s birthday, the youngest member of the “fab four” aka the Beatles. He was born on February 25, 1943, and he died in 2001 at the age of 58 from lung cancer. It was a very sad day when George passed away, although he left this world with his family beside him and in his own home. This is the way that he wanted to go, with respect and dignity.
George Harrison was an unassuming man, rather shy when he was young and had a special relationship with John Lennon. He actually looked up to Lennon quite a bit. He was often referred to as the “quiet Beatle“, because he was kind of always in the shadow of Paul and John. In fact I think that if it hadn’t been for Paul and John, George might have become one of the biggest musicians in his own right.
I am certainly not blaming John and Paul, it was what it was,it would have been almost impossible for George to have lived up to their expectations. They were clearly genius’s and certainly made their mark in history and I have a special place in my heart for every single Beatle.John and Paul were amazing song writers and I love Ringo because he has such a carefree attitude about life; he is fun to watch. George Harrison is special to me because he touches my heart and I like his spirit.
George was not taken too seriously as a song writer when the Beatles were together. There were only a few songs that he actually wrote with the Beatles and they happen to be the ones that he sang vocals on. Such as Something, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, All Things Must Pass to name a few and the ones that happen to be my favorites, My Sweet Lord and Here Comes the Sun, they really show the depth of his talent.
Although there was a slight rift in the relationship between George and John when George Harrison wrote his Biography called I, Me, Mine, because John felt that George didn’t mention him very much in the book as having had much influence on him, John took this as an insult and felt that he was slighted by George and was only mentioned as an afterthought. I don’t know what the relationship between John and George was right before the death of John, but I do know that 6 months after John’s death, George released the song, All Those Years Ago, which is really quite a tribute to John and very touching.
Remembered As A Wonderful Guy
For all those that knew the youngest Beatle, such as family, friends and musicians who worked with George all describe him as a funny, sincere, kind, wonderful guy. He has been described as a very humble man and extremely kind to others. He was a very spiritual person and was one of the first musicians who started doing work for humanitarian endeavors. He was named as one of the greatest guitar players in Rolling Stone magazine and, although he struggled with his music during the Beatle years, he certainly invented a style that was all his own.
It’s sad that George had to die so young but I read the tribute from People magazine after his death, and they mention that George was very brave till the very end, and accepted his death with much dignity; as if he knew why he was put on this earth, and his work was finished. I'm sure he went without any fear and hopefully with much peace in his soul. He had a supportive wife and loving son that were with him when he passed away peacefully in his own bed. George Harrison the baby of the Beatles will always be missed, but never forgotten. Happy Birthday George and R.I.P.
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![All Things Must Pass [BOXED EDITION]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51lvtUMR6FL._SL75_.jpg) | Amazon Price: $12.48 List Price: $24.98 |
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Lady Jane, a wonderful tribute to my favorite of the fab four, ironically followed by John, Ringo and personally had no use for Paul and I won't trample the tribute with the whys. I grew up with them all and watched every media there was, as an avid guitarist I saw in Georges hands an instrument he impressively commanded. I suppose the ranking of talent will, like the band be eternally split, Maybe another 5 or so years George would have stepped forward in the group and shined as well as the publicist presented John an undeniable genius. I heard The Ballad Of Frankie Lee And Judas Priest by Dylan was done for George in his darker hours, fact or fiction?
Great job here, peace 50
Awesome hub!You put together a great combination of information :)
Pamela thanks for reading and you are right it would be nice to be ready when your time is up and have peace and no regrets. Cheers.
50 thanks for stopping by and you are right George was definitely talented with that guitar and I think that he really didn't reach his potential because of Paul and John and I think that is the reason for the Dark Horse logo because he definitely was the dark horse of the Beatles. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Cheers.
mindyjgirl thanks so much for your nice comment. Cheers.
This is a very nice tribute. Thank you for taking the time to enlighten us.
mckbirdks thank you very much I appreciate your reading my hub. Cheers.
Very nice tribute to George, alot of good info too great hub sis :) ge
Thanks sis I appreciate ya!
Great stuff, he was a great artist and I was a big fan. I was sad he died on my birthday.
I think the song with the lyric "while my guitar gently weeps" to be one of the best written. Thank you for sharing.
A great tribute to a great musician, thank you!
He had amazing talent. Great piece for good ole' George!!
We share a love of The Beatles. Thanks for the great hub.
I seem to recall reading years ago that the main reason John and Paul allowed young George to join the band was because he had a mum who would tolerate their noisy practice sessions. I'll have to check on this, but isn't it funny how the universe plays itself out?
Uninvited Writer thanks for reading, I agree George was wonderful, and Happy birthday a couple days early. Cheers.
A.A. Zavala thanks for reading and yes that song is another good one. George was very talented. Cheers to you.
nextstopjupitor thank you and thanks for stopping by...cheers.
kindacrazy love your name! Thanks for reading and thanks for the comment. Cheers.
Shogan there arent that many people out there who don't like the Beatles.......even most of the younger generations are appreciating that they were a great band. I have the Beatles Anthololgy on CD and I think you are right about George, I think he was bugging John cuz he wanted to be in the band but he was so young but they allowed him anyway...thanks for the comments. Cheers.
I always loved the Beatles. Although George was the "quiet one" he had an enormous influence on the evolution of their music...embracing the Indian culture and the rhythms and instruments. It was he who befriended Ravi Shankar and introduced the sound of the sitar to western music lovers.
Later in his career he recorded some of his best music with the Traveling Wilburys...a group of superstars just having fun.
And I will always respect George for the honest expression of his opinion, (which I share), when he said of the music of U2, "they suck".
Quiet but truthful!
CP
Very informative!! LOVE the pic of the sons...wonderful!!
Lovely tribute to George Harrison. Young Beatlemaniacs always had a favorite and George was and still is mine. He was the spiritual side of the Beatles and went on to introduce so many spiritual aspects to the music of his generation.
I love all of the Beatles, but I always identified with George because he was so talented and "quiet". I think he knew that he was as talented as John and Paul, but why battle with those two... they were both ego-maniacs. I think they were great but I think they thought so too. George was probably not as good of a singer as Paul but he was as good as John at songwriting and better at the guitar...That's all I have to say. haha...I love the Beatles and always will...all 4!
A great tribute and a great hub. I love the Beatles. Voted up and awesome. Thanks for sharing.
Sweet wishes Rhonda
freshlaundry71 thanks for reading I thought the pic of the sons was awesome myself. Cheers.
Dolores you are right George did introduce the Beatles to many different spiritual aspects to the Beatles and although I may not agree with many of his religious views I do appreciate that he was a spiritual person and that he had a loving soul. Just to watch him later in his life he spoke with such tenderness and you could tell there was just this peaceful aura about him. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Cheers.
P.R. I do agree with you in so many ways. I believe that George certainly didn't want to deal with the huge egos that John and Paul had and he was one of those talents that was humble and he probably didn't even realize how good he was. Thanks for sharing. cheers.
Rhonda thank you very much you are much too kind. Thanks for sharing your love for a great Beatle on his birthday. Cheers.
Christopher thanks for stopping in and I remember the Wilburys well and they were having fun but they had a lot of talent. Thanks for sharing your love of George. Cheers.
I always loved George's gentleness, and he stood out from the other Beatles for me for that reason (mind you, each Beatle stands out from the others for different reasons - maybe that's one of the secrets to their success). My Sweet Lord and Here Comes the Sun are two of my favourite songs of all time (so far). This is a sensitive and beautiful hub. Thanks for sharing your feelings about George.
Linda.
This was so beautiful. Thanks for writing this. I am fans of George Harrison. Congratulation for you as a Hubpages Elite. This is a great achievement for you. God bless you and take care!
Prasetio
George's music had to come into its time. Had it surfaced early in the Beatle movement, I am not sure that it would have been received that well...we were all growing at that point as music critics. His timing was good and his success was much like his guitar playing...very good but subdued. I am not sure that younger generations beyond our own will ever will grasp the impact that the Beatles had on music...not just rock n roll but music in totality. Behind them came a wave of musical genius as impressive and endearing as that which preceded them. The era between Buddy Holly and that which ended with Cream and the Moody Blues will live on in the genre of rock as a frontier and as a revolution of music which likely will never be seen again. All we do today...tomorrow and beyond will be based on those influences. This was an excellent piece LJ...one which George Harrison would be proud. WB
Linda thank you for reading my hub and giving your kind comments. It seems like we share the love for George for the same reasons. Cheers.
prasetio thanks for reading and it is always nice to see you on my hub because you always make me smile. Thanks for the congrats I never thought of myself as an "elite" of anything but it is fun. Blessings to you also. Cheers.
Wayne hello how are you? I agree with what you say about the influence that the Beatles made in history and I don't really think that they will be as appreciated as they were in our generation....I say our generation because I assume that we are about the same age I was born in 1963 and I say that without apologizing lol. Anyway, I think that generations beyond ours will be influenced surely but they will never remember the Beatles the way that we did and certainly not George. My daughter is 24 and I remember when she first discovered the Beatles when she was in high school, she exclaimed to me,"mom why didn't you tell me the Beatles were this cool"? OOOF at least I influenced her as much as I could and she appreciates that generation of music. Thanks for your insightful comment as always Wayne. Cheers.
Great tribute to George who just happens to have the same birthday as my son Jason...:) Yes, he was an awesome singer and song writer, loved his work and you brought out some things I did not know. Thanks sis...cheers!
Thanks sis for reading and say happy belated birthday to Jason, we have so many kids between all of us that we cant keep up with all the birthdays unfortunately. Anyway, glad that you enjoyed my tribute to George, my favorite Beatle. Cheers.
Very nice Lady Jane. I liked and respected George the most.
Thanks Micky, and I agree George was special. cheers.
WOW the boys do look so much like their fathers! I enjoyed all those years ago remembering George Harrison, he is a true legend and amazing talent.
:) Katie
ladyjane1,
What a lovely hub! I have sort of "rediscovered" the Beatles in the last year or so. My college age son plays guitar, and he began listening to all their work, and loves it. I watched the tribute that was held the year after George passed, where Ravi Shankar and Eric Clapton and a host of others played all the songs he wrote. The list was very impressive. The tribute concert was streaming all day last week. George was also responsible for the first benefit concert, for Bangladesh. I agree now that I'm listening at this age, George was the best musician. And I loved all his spiritual songs, they are still as uplifting as I remember them from when I was in HS. I was amazed at the resemblence of George's son Dhani, it really did look like young George was onstage with a bunch of old men. Sort of like his spirit was there at the concert.
Katiem thanks for reading and taking the time to comment. Im glad you enjoyed Remembering George, Cheers.
Jean thanks for reading and for sharing so much about George. He was definitely a spiritual person that introduced the Beatles to this type of music. He is gone but he has definitely left a great legacy behind. Cheers.
LJ....George has and always will be my favorite Beatle....his passion, his songs. His love and spirit always touched me much more then any of the others. I guess I always loved the one's that "you never saw coming." I met a illegitimate son of his many years ago in the music business. I never had proof but the resemblance was even more apparent then the son you show here. He was also really good friends with another Beatles son who I was close to. Anyway, I would have loved to see George play live...I always play his songs.....they overwhelm me with beautiful visions and fill me with passion....Best, G
GPage thanks for stopping by lady and thanks for the nice words. Wow you actually met the Beatles' sons I am so impressed, thats awesome. And you are right George's music is very passionate and you can feel his wonderful spirit through his music, he had a great aura. Thanks again, cheers.
Wonderful hub. The Beatles were so much a part of our lives. GBY
stars439 thanks for reading and for you nice comments. Cheers.
A lovely tribute to a songwriter that Frank Sinatra hailed as one of the greats.
Thanks PAPA-BEAR I appreciate the feedback. Cheers.
Hi ladyjane1, your delightful hub triggered quite a reverie for me. The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, and Simon & Garfunkel provided the soundtrack for my life from about age 16 until at least my 30's. I met my future wife when I was 16 and she had just turned 14. (I know, the lyric ought to say "She had just turned 17"....)and we grew up sharing the same music. Believe it or not, my wife's father, who these days plays, and raves about, Beatles music sanitised (for want of a better word) by all those older, blander performers who later climbed aboard the gravy train, actually forbade my wife from playing 'those subversive Beatles songs' in the family home!
Sorry, rambling a bit there..I actually just wanted to say thanks for the memories, and ask whether you've got the Concert For George DVD (if not, stop what you're doing, buy it, and revel in the musical ability and open respect for the man from the wonderfully diverse range of artists who played at the concert).
Did you also catch up with the fact that, when The Beatles catalogue was recently made available through i-tunes, Here Comes The Sun was the most downloaded song after the first few days, by a huge margin. That's real respect for a real talent. (imo...)
writeronline thanks for reading and commenting. You can ramble on my hubs anytime....Im so glad that you can appreciate the wonderful talent that was George Harrison, the underdog, dark horse such as he was. I have heard much about the concert for George but have not seen it, but I will asap...I did know about the i-tunes but didn't know about George's song, but it doesn't surprise me, I love that song too. Cheers to you.
wonderful? I miss him very much
The quite genius. He would go away into his head, then return with nuggets of gold.
Really enjoyed reading this lovely tribute to George. He impressed both paul & John with his rendition of the Bill justis record 'Raunchy',which helped to get him in the group. He's also been described as a great contextural guitarist- so much thought went into his solos & he was able to say so much with far fewer notes. Loved his work with the wilburys too! Thanks for sharing this hub with everyone ladyjane1 ! :>)
wilbury steve thanks for reading and for your nice comments. I appreciate the info about George and I agree about his solos...he was a one of a kind. Thanks for stopping by. Cheers.
George Harrison was a genius in his own right, just less of a publicity seeker.
Good article on George Harrison, enjoyed reading it.
Pamela99 Level 7 Commenter 15 months ago
Lady Jane, I've always heard good things about George also. I like the way you phrased things in the last article because maybe we are put on the earth to accomplish certain things and winter times up being able to accept that with grace is a wonderful thing.