63|Top 100 My Sweet Lord George Harrison “My Sweet Lord” gave George Harrison both his highest and lowest moments as a solo star. It twice went to number one but also cost him a fortune in legal fees following a lengthy plagiarism battle. The song is a beauty. Over a lush Phil Spector production, Harrison intones the title repeatedly creating a mantra in keeping
Song facts
Composer
George Harrison/John Gary Williams
Genre
Rock
Album
All Things Must Pass
Year of Release
1970
UK Chart Position
1
with the Eastern mystical feel of the song. Harrison’s masterful slide guitar swoops and soars throughout the track and the hook is as catchy as anything he ever came up with in The Beatles. Unfortunately, the hook may not have been his to use.
After it became a transatlantic chart-topper in the early Seventies, people began noticing the similarity between “My Sweet Lord” and “He’s So Fine”, a 1963 US number one for girl group The Chiffons. The resemblance was unmistakable and the song’s publisher sued Harrison for copyright infringement. The case dragged on for years but in 1976 the former Beatle was found guilty of “unconscious plagiarism” and ordered to pay a substantial sum.
The controversy has detracted from the song’s brilliance, but the fact remains that Harrison’s lyrics, musicianship, vocals and overall enthusiasm still make this a great single. In fact it became the ultimate tribute after his death when it was re-released and again topped the charts.
George Harrison talks about My Sweet Lord
The Quiet One reveals where the inspiration came from for his number one from 1971 - "I was thinking of a way to combine Halleluiah and Hari Krishna".
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