The Spiritual George Harrison Lyric That Was Ignored by The Beatles
When The Beatles broke up, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr all seemed a bit adrift for their first few years as ex-members of The Fab Four. Only George Harrison seemed to be thriving on his own, at least in terms of his career choices.
Maybe that’s because Harrison no longer had to answer to his bandmates when it came down to the material he wanted to present. If he wanted to go the spiritual route, as he did on the 1970 track “Hear Me Lord”, there was no one to stop him. The final year or so of The Beatles as a group was a particularly unhappy time for the four members in terms of their interactions. In one notorious example, George Harrison clashed with Paul McCartney while cameras were rolling in January 1969 on a documentary about the group’s new record.
Earlier that fateful day, Harrison had tried to interest the other members in a new track of his called “Hear Me Lord”. Unfortunately, like so many other Harrison compositions of that era, The Beatles couldn’t be bothered to do much with it. Harrison added it to his stockpile of unrecorded songs. He would unleash that stockpile upon the world as part of the triple album All Things Must Pass in 1970.
As was the case throughout the album, producer Phil Spector preferred a maximalist approach on “Hear Me Lord”. He threw multiple instrumentalists in the mix, including three guitarists, two bassists, three keyboardists, and two horn players. In addition, he multitracked Harrison’s vocals to add to the effect.
But what stands out most about the track is how forcefully Harrison voices his passion. Several of his songs with The Beatles touched on spirituality, but never so overtly. On his own to put forth whatever message he wished, Harrison dove into a direct conversation with a higher power on “Hear Me Lord”, a track that essentially closes out the sung part of All Things Must Pass. (The final album mostly features instrumental jam sessions.) Examining the Lyrics of “Hear Me Lord”
“Hear Me Lord” is essentially an earnest prayer, albeit one tinged with Harrison’s clever wordplay. He begins by admitting his folly. “Forgive me Lord,” he sings. “Please, those years that I ignored you.” Then he suggests that others see commitment to God as a price they have to pay. “Forgive them Lord / Those that feel they can’t afford you.”
Source: americansongwriter.com/Jim Beviglia
