George Harrison – ‘My Sweet Lord’

Writer: George Harrison
Producer: Phil Spector
Recorded: Summer 1970 at Abbey Road Studios in London
Released: November 1970
Players:
George Harrison — vocals, guitar
Peter Frampton — guitar
Klaus Voorman — bass
Gary Wright — piano
Pete Drake — steel guitar
Pete Ham — guitar, vocals
Joey Molland — guitar, vocals
Tom Evans — bass, vocals
Mike Gibbins — drums
Album: All Things Must Pass (Apple, 1970/Capitol 2001)
Also On:
The Concert For Bangladesh (Apple, 1971)
The Best Of George Harrison (Capitol, 1976)
Live In Japan (Dark Horse, 1992)
The first single from George Harrison‘s first post-Beatles album All Things Must Pass, “My Sweet Lord” — a spiritually oriented song noting Harrison’s devotion to Eastern faiths — was a worldwide Number One hit, including chart-topping showings in both the U.S. and the U.K.
Released as a single two months after the album came out, “My Sweet Lord” sold nearly four million copies in its first month on sale.
It was the biggest single ever in England until Beatle bandmate Paul McCartney‘s “Mull Of Kintyre” in 1977.
Harrison had originally decided he didn’t want any singles released from All Things Must Pass, claiming that they would detract from the impact of the album as a whole. But radio DJs began airing “My Sweet Lord,” and public demand caused Harrison to change his mind.
Harrison composed “My Sweet Lord” while he was guesting on the Delaney & Bonnie & Friends tour of England in December 1969.
After composing “My Sweet Lord,” Harrison gave it to keyboardist Billy Preston — who had worked on the Beatles’ Let It Be album, as well as on All Things Must Pass — for his Encouraging Words album on Apple Records. Preston planned to release it as a single, but it was withdrawn when Harrison decided to include the song on All Things Must Pass.
Pete Drake, the American steel guitar player used on “My Sweet Lord” and the rest of All Things Must Pass, was flown over for the sessions at a cost of $10,000.
Trouble came in the wake of the song’s success when Bright Tunes, which owned the copyright for the 1963 pop hit “He’s So Fine” by the Chiffons, sued Harrison, claiming he plagiarized the earlier hit in writing “My Sweet Lord.” Harrison pleaded innocent, citing the Edwin Hawkins Singers‘ spiritual “Oh Happy Day” as the chief inspiration for “My Sweet Lord.” Harrison’s royalty payments were suspended while the suit was in progress.
On September 7th, 1976, U.S. district court Judge Richard Owens found Harrison guilty of unconsciously plagiarizing “He’s So Fine.” Owens ordered Harrison to play $587,000 to Bright Tunes, which at that time had been taken over by former Beatles manager Allen Klein.
A later clarification by Owens in November 1990 gave Harrison rights to “He’s So Fine” in the U.S. and U.K. for $270,020, while Klein’s ABKCO retained ownership of the song in the rest of the world.
All Things Must Pass hit Number One in the U.S. and Number Four in the U.K.

FAST FORWARD:

The Chiffons recorded their own version of “My Sweet Lord” in the ’70s.
Harrison received the first Billboard magazine Century Award, on December 9th, 1992.
Harrison recorded a new version of the song, dubbed “My Sweet Lord 2000,” with his son Dhani and drummer Jim Keltner for the expanded 30th anniversary edition of All Things Must Pass that came out in 2001.
On November 29th, 2001, Harrison died in Los Angeles at age 58 after a long battle with cancer.
Harrison was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist in 2004.