Song(s) Of The Day: Happy Birthday, George Harrison!

Song of the Day 1 Minute

Today would be George Harrison’s 78th birthday, so I built a short playlist (5 songs) to honor the occasion:

  1. "Something": George’s most famous song, from Abbey Road. It was one side of a double-A side single (with "Come Together"), and reached #1 in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. By the end of the ’70’s it had been covered oer 150 times.
  2. "Crackerbox Palace": A fun song (and even more fun video) from his 1976 album Thirty-Three & 1/3. It reached #19 on the Hot 100.
  3. "Blow Away": From his eponymous 1979 album. It was a song he wrote on a rainy day when the roof in his house was leaking. He realized that getting upset over it was just making it worse, and it reminded him that he loved everybody and he needed to be more optimistic. Reached #16 on the Hot 100 and #2 on the Adult Contemporary charts.
  4. "All Those Years Ago": From 1981’s Somewhere In England, this was George’s tribute to John Lennon. Ringo played drums, while Paul, Linda and Denny Laine sang backup, stoking rumors that the band was getting back together. Reached #2 in the US behind Kim Carnes’s "Bette Davis Eyes" and topped the Adult Contemporary chart as well as reaching #1 in Canada.
  5. "When We Was Fab": From 1987’s Cloud Nine, a fond look back at the days of Beatlemania. Co-written by Jeff Lynne, who produced the album, the song features Ringo on the drums and some elements of psychedelia and Indian music. The video is priceless. Reached #2 on the Mainstream Rock chart, #10 on the Adult Contemporary chart, and #7 on the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart.

Happy birthday, George!

Published by John Holton

Internet disc jockey, lover of old TV (especially the commercials), inveterate wise guy.

Published

22 thoughts on “Song(s) Of The Day: Happy Birthday, George Harrison!”

  1. Pingback: The End of February Week That Was – The Sound of One Hand Typing

  3. Hi, John!

    Thanks for acknowledging this as George Harrison’s 78th birthday, good buddy. John was my favorite Beatle with George right behind. Their output of world class songs was phenomenal. My favorite George Harrison songs are “Something,” “Here Comes The Sun,” “Within You Without You,” “If I Needed Someone,” “Guitar Weeps,” “Think For Yourself,” “Blue Jay Way” and Norwegian Wood.” If you haven’t yet seen them, I HIGHLY recommend the movies Across The Universe and Yesterday – both films beyond excellent!

    Thanks for visiting Shady’s Place today, good buddy John!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by! George has always been my favorite. The called him The Quiet Beatle, but I think that was in comparison to John and Paul. A great musician, and a good person who left us too soon…

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    1. He did, and I like that he kept many of them for himself. Of course, he was up against John and Paul, and he probably figured it was easier to let them run the show and only contribute when asked to. From the articles I’ve read, he really came into his own when they were in India.

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  6. Crackerbox Palace and Blow Away came out when I was a fan and old enough to remember. Blow Away especially gets overlooked…nice optimistic pop song.

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    1. George impresses me as that kind of person. I think the home life he and Olivia (and Dhani) shared, and the TM and Hindu practices, had a lot to do with it. “Blow Away” is not just a good song, it’s a good philosophy.

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      1. It really is…The video is just plain odd…but I still liked it also.
        He was the most grounded Beatle as far as all the way around… I always thought John was the most down to earth Beatle.

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    1. He was the first guy that I remembered played slide guitar, and turned it into an integral part of his sound. At some point, he picked up the ukulele, harmonica, and banjo in addition to guitar and sitar, was a better-than-average bass player, and even played a little piano and harmonium. Remarkable musician, had an eye for business (He started Handmade Films to finance Monty Python and the Holy Grail and produced a number of movies since then), and had a wicked sense of humor. The world lost a great one when he died.

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  10. Hi John – I’ll enjoy these … and I’d forgotten he’d died so young in his fifties … he is much missed. Happy Birthday to him and all others born on 25 Feb … stay safe – Hilary

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