The dayThe Beatleswalked into the studio to record this hit ballad, the tension between the members was far below its peak. However, the momentGeorge Harrisonspoke up, friction between him and his bandmates widened. “I’ll Follow The Sun” was the ballad that had Harrison upset with his fellow Beatles, and since then,the differences remained, which led toThe Beatles’ breakup.
The era when the band recordedBeatles For Salewas nearly the worst the band has ever been, as they struggled to be a united front. Creative differences and financial issues were bubbling to the surface by the time “I’ll Follow The Sun” was released, which featured Harrison’s solo,which almost never made the cut. Sadly, the band would soon split, andHarrison had the spotlight for himselfbefore his tragic death in November 2001.
George Harrison Didn’t Feel Heard While Recording “I’ll Follow The Sun”
Throughout his time as a Beatle, Harrison was always the third wheel as he played guitar in the shadows ofPaul McCartneyandJohn Lennon. Fans considered them to be prominent members of the group, but Harrison andRingo Starr’s contributions to the group have also made the Fab Four superstars. Still, despite offering the band classics,he felt overlooked by the songwriting duo.
When the band returned to the studio to record for their albumBeatles For Sale,they were burnt out and in need of a break. As they barely had time to record new material, half of the album was made up of covers from their live shows. However, the band had to reach into their catalog of songs they had worked on in the past that hid in the vault, and they came across “I’ll Follow The Sun,” penned by McCartneybefore he got big with The Beatles. Harrison grew fed up with being left behind and fought hard for a guitar solo in the song. However, McCartney and Lennon ignored him, and Lennon worsened the growing tensions with Harrison by putting himself forward for the solo. Harrison did not let up, and he eventually got his way. The overall vibe in the studio was positive, butHarrison remained in a bad mood throughout the recording sessions.
The Beatles’ engineer,Geoff Emerick,wrote about the tense recording sessions in the bookHere There and Everywhere, which was published in 2007. In the book, he wrote, “Despite the overall good vibe of the day,George Harrison seemed annoyed, perhaps because he hadn’t been given much to do. At one point, he marched into the control room and complained loudly, ‘You know, I’d like to do the solo on this one.I am supposed to be the lead guitarist in this band, after all’”.
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“I’ll Follow the Sun” Subtly Reflected George Harrison’s Place in the Band
One ofHarrison’s most frustrating eras in The Beatleswas when he was recordingThe White Albumwith the band. Harrison had recalled these moments in 1977 withCrawdaddyand outlined how he wanted to break out of the shadows of Lennon and McCartney. Notably, inThe White Album, Lennon and McCartney penned 24 tracks. Harrison only wrote four, withEric Claptonhelping Harrison with “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”without the band’s input.
Harrison worked withJackie Lomaxon a record in the United States, where he also worked with a number of different people. It was when he returned to England for Christmas and headed back to the studios for New Year’s Day to work onLet It Bewhen he returned to “weird vibes”. “You know,I found I was starting to be able to enjoy being a musician, but the moment I got back with the Beatles,it was too difficult,” he said.
In the United States, Harrison was away from Lennon and McCartney’s shadow and forged an identity separate from the band. In England, he was stuck in a band that were outgrowing each other and were verging on different paths. In the interview, he commented, “There were just too many limitations based upon our being together for so long.Everybody was sort of pigeonholed.It was frustrating.”
George Harrison’s Legacy as a Legendary Beatle Endures Forever
The Fab Four’s popularity and Beatlemania were not enough for The Beatles to stay together.Beatles For Salewas a success, asit was number one for 11 of the 46 weeksit spent in the top 20 in the UK. All the albums followingBeatles For Saleperformed astonishingly well on the charts, but Harrison was feeling disillusioned with the group. However, he was not the first Beatle to leave, as it was Starr,who walked out of recordingAbbey Roadfor two weeksbefore returning.
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Harrison still felt like an outsider, as his songs and ideas were constantly overlooked by the songwriting forces of the Fab Four. After visitingBob Dylanand becoming impressed with his band’s collaboration approach, he returned to the same pain that was living in the duo’s shadow.Harrison quit during the band’s lunch break in January 1969, before making a return.
For decades, fans looked to Lennon and McCartney for the band’s successes because of their songwriting. However,Harrison had proved to be a strong force in the band as well. From penningThe Beatles’ classic songssuch as “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and “Here Comes The Sun,” and his incredible guitar solo in “I’ll Follow The Sun”,Harrison’s lasting impact in The Beatles deserves its own limelight too.
