They Say It’s Your Birthday

Written for Song Lyric Sunday –
February Music Birthdays.
This is my response to the challenge.

This week at Jim Adam’s Song Lyric Sunday, the theme is “February Music Birthdays”. Our challenge is to write about a song written or performed by someone who was born in the month of February. My featured artist will come as no surprise.

A master musician, film producer and actor best known as the lead guitarist and occasionally lead vocalist of The Beatles, George Harrison was born February 25, 1943, in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. Like his future bandmates, George was not born into wealth. His mother was a stay-at-home mom while his father drove a school bus for the Liverpool Institute, an acclaimed grammar school that George attended and where he first met fellow classmate, Paul McCartney. By his own admission, George was not much of a student and what little interest he did have for his studies vanished with his discovery of the electric guitar and American rock-‘n’-roll. McCartney, who had recently joined a skiffle group called The Quarrymen with John Lennon, another Liverpool teenager, invited George to watch the band perform. Harrison and Lennon had a few things in common, such as the fact that they both attended Dovedale Primary School but didn’t know each other. Their paths finally crossed in early 1958. McCartney had been egging the 17-year-old Lennon to allow the 14-year-old Harrison to join the band, but Lennon was reluctant. As legend has it, George was granted an audition on the upper deck of a bus where he wowed Lennon with his rendition of popular American rock riffs. By the time George was 17 in 1960, his music career was in full swing. Lennon had re-named the band The Beatles and the young group began cutting its rock teeth in the small clubs and bars around Liverpool and Hamburg. Before the end of 1962, The Beatles recorded “Love Me Do”, which landed in the UK Top 20 charts. In early 1963, another hit, “Please Please Me,” was released, followed by an album by the same name. “Beatlemania” was in full swing across England, and by early 1964, with the release of their album in the US and an American tour, it had swept across the States as well. If you would like to know more about the life of George Harrison, a good place to start is HERE.

After going through George’s music with The Beatles, the Traveling Wilburys, and his solo career, I chose three songs which I haven’t played before, or at least not recently. Since live videos of The Beatles are rare, I have chosen to go with lyric audios which offer the best sound quality.

First up is “Old Brown Shoe”, released on a non-album single in May 1969, as the B side to “The Ballad of John and Yoko” and later was included on the band’s compilation albums. The song features a wit-driven look at love, with lyrics emphasizing moving beyond binary choices (yes/no, up/down) toward spiritual freedom. Harrison explained that the song was written using opposites and relates to the duality of life. “Stepping out of this old brown shoe” symbolizes freeing oneself from the constraints of the material world and, perhaps, the “zoo” of being a Beatle. The title itself is only mentioned in the context of “stepping out of it,” which, according to some interpretations, represents leaving behind a tired, old, or uncomfortable way of life to embrace a new, more authentic existence. Although “Old Brown Shoe” remains a relatively obscure song in the band’s catalogue, several music critics view it as one of Harrison’s best compositions from the Beatles era and especially admire his guitar solo on the track. It’s long been a favorite of mine.

This is “Old Brown Shoe” by The Beatles, music and lyrics by George Harrison

Up next is “Beware of Darkness”, a standout track from George’s 1970 triple album All Things Must Pass, serving as a spiritual, cautionary song about avoiding negative influences, ego, and material illusion (Maya). The song was written while members of the Radha Krishna Temple were staying with Harrison at his home, Friar Park, during the Beatles’ breakup; it reflects the chaotic, post-Beatles period, touching on personal, professional, and spiritual challenges, including tensions with former bandmates. Produced by Phil Spector, the track features an all-star lineup including Eric Clapton (electric guitar), Dave Mason (acoustic guitar), Bobby Whitlock (piano), and Ringo Starr (drums).

This is “Beware of Darkness”, music and lyrics by George Harrison

My final song is “Heading for the Light”, an upbeat 1988 track from the Traveling Wilburys which is featured on their eponymous debut album. The song was created during the rapid, 10-day recording sessions in May 1988 at the Los Angeles home of Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics who was invaluable in getting the group together at his studio. Biographers and analysts suggest the lyrics, which mention getting “back on the road to enlightenment,” symbolize Harrison’s personal and spiritual rejuvenation during a time of creative freedom, often contrasting it with his earlier, more conflicted times. “Heading for the Light” was issued as a promotional single in the U.S. and a commercial single in other markets, following the success of the group’s hit song, “Handle with Care”. It peaked at #7 on the U.S. Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart. The song represents a joyous, optimistic return to spiritual clarity and personal happiness; the “light” signifies a reconnection with a divine, higher power, moving away from a time where the singer was “lost in the night”.The lyrics address overcoming previous lonely times, including the pressures of fame, fortune, and career ups and downs. The friendship and collaborative, lighthearted nature of the Traveling Wilburys provided a supportive environment, reflecting a sense of relief and comfort in the lyrics. 

This is “Heading for the Light” by the Traveling Wilburys, written by George Harrison with Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty & Roy Orbison

Thanks for joining me as we celebrate what would have been George Harrison’s 83^rd birthday this month. George passed away November 29, 2001 from cancer; he was 58 years old.

February Music Birthdays

Big thanks to Jim Adams for hosting another great Song Lyric Sunday this week and every week. Be sure to follow the link and check out his site.

Thanks for stopping by for a look and a listen.

That’s all she wrote, kids. See you on the flip side. 😎

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