George Harrison – My Sweet Lord

Copenhagen, A Harmonium, And The Twenty-Year Lawsuit That Never Stopped The Song

Released on November 23, 1970, in the United States and January 15, 1971, in the UK, “My Sweet Lord” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks starting December 26 and spent five weeks at number one in Britain. The single became the first number one hit by a former Beatle and the biggest-selling solo Beatles single of the 1970s. It reached number one again in the UK in January 2002 following Harrison’s death two months earlier. For a song written in December 1969 during a press conference while slipping away to an upstairs room with a harmonium, this became Harrison’s signature moment and sparked the most famous plagiarism case in rock history.

The single sold over one million copies in the United States and earned gold certification by December 14, 1970. Within months of its release, Bright Tunes Music sued Harrison for copyright infringement, claiming the melody was substantially similar to The Chiffons’ 1963 hit “He’s So Fine.” Judge Richard Owen ruled on August 31, 1976, that Harrison had subconsciously plagiarized the earlier song. The damages portion dragged on until February 1981 when Harrison’s former manager Allen Klein, now representing Bright Tunes after purchasing the company in 1978, demanded $1.6 million. Harrison was ordered to pay $587,000, the exact amount Klein had paid for the song. The case didn’t formally end until 1998, making it one of the longest in US history.

Harrison began writing the song in Copenhagen during Delaney and Bonnie’s European tour, with Billy Preston and Eric Clapton also on the bill. At the Falkoner Theatre, Harrison slipped away from a press conference, went upstairs to a room, and started playing chords on a harmonium while alternating the words hallelujah and Hare Krishna. He had been deeply inspired by the Edwin Hawkins Singers’ version of the eighteenth-century hymn “Oh Happy Day,” a 1969 international hit. Harrison wanted to fuse Christian gospel with Vedic chants, merging two spiritual traditions into one song. He brought the idea to the band members, who helped develop the chorus into four-part harmony. Billy Preston bashed out some chords on a backstage piano while Delaney Bramlett offered up some oh my lords and backing hallelujahs.

Producer Phil Spector recorded Harrison’s version at Abbey Road Studios across multiple sessions between May and September 1970. The personnel included Eric Clapton, Peter Frampton, and all four members of Badfinger on acoustic guitars, Billy Preston on piano, Klaus Voormann on bass, Gary Wright on electric piano, Ringo Starr on tambourine, and Bobby Whitlock on vocals. Harrison played electric slide guitar and sang all lead and backing vocals himself. John Barham’s orchestral arrangement featuring 22 musicians was recorded at Trident Studios on September 18. The track features a subtle key shift from E major to the rarely used F-sharp major, signaling the song’s release from its extended introduction. Harrison’s slide guitar work became one of the most distinctive sounds of the early 1970s, soon heard in recordings by Lennon, Starr, and Badfinger.

Harrison had originally given the song to Billy Preston, who recorded it at Olympic Studios in January 1970 with the Edwin Hawkins Singers on backing vocals for his Apple Records album Encouraging Words. Preston’s version was released as a single in Europe in September 1970 but only reached number 90 on the Billboard Hot 100. Harrison’s version appeared on his triple album All Things Must Pass, which spent seven weeks at number one on the Billboard 200. Harrison initially resisted releasing any singles from the album, wanting it to be experienced as a complete work, but eventually relented. The song popularized the Hare Krishna mantra internationally, and letters poured into the London temple from around the world thanking Harrison for the spiritual message.

John Lennon told Rolling Stone in December 1970 that every time he turned on the radio it was oh my Lord, adding he was beginning to think there must be a God. When asked years later about the plagiarism case, Lennon said Harrison walked right into it and must have known what he was doing, adding the similarity only mattered on a monetary level. Ringo Starr defended Harrison, pointing out that countless songs have been written with other melodies in mind and calling him very unlucky. The legal battle inspired Harrison to write “This Song” in 1976, which reached number 25 and featured a music video mocking the court proceedings. Harrison later told Rolling Stone that after going through the case, he found it difficult to write again because every tune on the radio sounded like something else.

Twenty-eight years of litigation couldn’t diminish what the song meant to people. Harrison never collected royalties during the legal battle because everything stayed in escrow, but he told interviewers the effect the song had on listeners far exceeded any copyright disputes. He said it saved many heroin addicts’ lives and the motive behind writing it surpassed the legal hassle. Sometimes a song transcends its creators, its lawsuits, its controversies, and becomes something bigger than anyone intended. A harmonium in Copenhagen, a press conference he wanted to escape, two spiritual traditions merging into one melody, and millions of people around the world suddenly chanting Hare Krishna without knowing why. That’s not subconscious plagiarism. That’s what happens when somebody writes a prayer and the whole world decides to sing along.

“My Sweet Lord” – Single by George Harrison from the album All Things Must Pass
A-side: “Isn’t It a Pity” (US) (double A-side)
B-side: “What Is Life” (UK)
Released: 23 November 1970 (US); 15 January 1971 (UK)
Label Apple
Songwriter: George Harrison
Producer: George Harrison, Phil Spector

Official Music Video for George Harrison “My Sweet Lord”

Watch the first-ever official music video for George’s song, “My Sweet Lord.” Directed by Lance Bangs, the video stars Fred Armisen and Vanessa Bayer as metaphysical special agents who are tasked by the head of a clandestine agency, played by Mark Hamill, to search for that which can’t be seen.

Along the way dozens of agents team up to look high and low for what may have been right in front of their face all along, mirroring the seeking nature of the song. More than forty musicians, actors, comedians, directors, artists and other creatives make appearances, ranging from Harrison’s friends and former band mates Ringo Starr and Jeff Lynne; to actors Darren Criss, Jon Hamm, Rosanna Arquette; musicians Joe Walsh, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Reggie Watts, comedians Moshe Kasher, Natasha Leggero, Patton Oswalt; comedy duos Tim and Eric (Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim) and Garfunkel and Oates (Kate Micucci and Riki Lindhome); and others like writer, actor, director Taika Waititi (“What We Do In The Shadows,” “Jojo Rabbit,” “Thor”) and visual artist Shepard Fairey. The video also features George’s wife Olivia Harrison and their son Dhani Harrison, who appear in scenes with actress Aimee Mullins and actor Rupert Friend, respectively.

“My Sweet Lord”
Written & Directed By
Lance Bangs
Executive Produced By
Dhani Harrison
David Zonshine

Featuring In Order of Appearance:
Mark Hamill
Fred Armisen
Vanessa Bayer
Moshe Kasher
Natasha Leggero
Jeff Lynne
Reggie Watts
Darren Criss
Patton Oswalt
“Weird Al” Yankovic
David Gborie
Sam Richardson
Atsuko Okatsuka
Rosanna Arquette
Brandon Wardell
Ringo Starr
Joe Walsh
Jon Hamm
Brett Metter
Anders Holm
Dhani Harrison
Rupert Friend
Angus Sampson
Taika Waititi
Eric Wareheim
Tim Heidecker
Kate Micucci
Riki Lindhome
Alyssa Stonoha
Mitra Jouhari
Sandy Honig
Olivia Harrison
Aimee Mullins
Courtney Pauroso
Natalie Palamides
Shepard Fairey
Claudia O’Doherty
Tom Scharpling
Paul Scheer
Sarah Baker