Hear Me Lord
"Hear Me Lord" | |
---|---|
Song by George Harrison | |
from the album All Things Must Pass | |
Released | 27 November 1970 |
Genre | Rock, gospel |
Length | 5:46 |
Label | Apple |
Songwriter(s) | George Harrison |
Producer(s) | George Harrison, Phil Spector |
"Hear Me Lord" is a song by English rock musician
The song is in the gospel-rock musical style and the lyrics take the form of a personal prayer, in which Harrison seeks help and forgiveness from his deity. Along with "My Sweet Lord", it is among the most overtly religious selections on All Things Must Pass. The recording was co-produced by Phil Spector and includes musical contributions from Eric Clapton, Gary Wright, Billy Preston, Bobby Whitlock and other musicians from Delaney & Bonnie's Friends band.
On release, Ben Gerson of Rolling Stone described "Hear Me Lord" as the album's "big statement" and a "majestic plea".[1] Harrison included the song in his set list for the Concert for Bangladesh on 1 August 1971. He performed it during the afternoon show only, although the recording has never been issued officially.
Background and composition
Although the song is recognised as a deeply personal statement, "Hear Me Lord" is one of the compositions that Harrison does not mention at all in his 1980 autobiography,
In their pleas for forgiveness, acknowledgement of weakness and promise of self-improvement, Harrison's words have been described by author Ian Inglis as offering a similar statement to the Christian Lord's Prayer.[12] Inglis highlights the song's final verse – particularly the lines "Help me Lord, please / To burn out this desire" – as being an "almost flagellatory ... self-chastisement" on Harrison's part.[12] Religious academic Joshua Greene recognises the same couplet as an example of Harrison the "life-lover", prone to "sexual fantasies", and just one facet of its parent album's "intimately detailed account of a spiritual journey".[13]
The Beatles' Get Back sessions
On 6 January 1969, the third day of the Beatles' filmed rehearsals at Twickenham,[14] Harrison presented the song to his bandmates, announcing that he had written it over the weekend.[2] Like "Let It Down", "Isn't It a Pity" and other compositions of his around this time,[15] it was met with little enthusiasm from the group's principal songwriters, John Lennon and Paul McCartney.[16][17] The band barely rehearsed "Hear Me Lord" that day,[11][18] during which Harrison and McCartney engaged in an on-camera argument culminating in Harrison's resigned comment "Whatever it is that will please you, I'll do it."[19][20] Even after the location had been moved to the Apple basement later that month and keyboard player Billy Preston brought in – two developments Harrison instigated in an attempt to improve the atmosphere[21][22] – he would not play the song again at any Beatles session.[11]
Harrison found a more sympathetic collaborator in Preston, a
Recording
At
Selected for inclusion on All Things Must Pass,[28][34] the band performance of "Hear Me Lord" has been described by Leng as "slow-cooking, gospel rock".[10] The musicians on the recording were all those with whom Harrison had briefly toured Europe in December 1969, as a member of Delaney & Bonnie's Friends band,[35][36] including Preston and Eric Clapton, supplemented by pianist Gary Wright, a mainstay of the extended sessions for All Things Must Pass.[37] The track begins with Jim Gordon's heavily treated drums and features a "rolling" piano commentary from Wright and "sweet slide guitar licks" from Harrison, Leng writes.[10] Author Bruce Spizer remarks on the "soulful" backing-vocal arrangement performed by Harrison, multi-tracked and credited to the George O'Hara-Smith Singers.[11]
The guitar interplay between Harrison and Clapton, notably what Leng terms the track's "'Little Wing' riffs", would be reprised on "Back in My Life Again" and "A Day Without Jesus" for organ player Bobby Whitlock's eponymous solo album, which was recorded in January 1971.[38] In their Solo Beatles Compendium, Chip Madinger and Mark Easter comment that the official take of "Hear Me Lord" ran considerably longer than the released 5:46 running time.[39] On the 2001 reissue of All Things Must Pass, the song's length was extended to 6:01.[40][nb 2]
Release and reception
"Hear Me Lord" was released on 27 November 1970[42] as the last track on disc two of All Things Must Pass.[43] It was effectively the final song on the album,[39][44] since the third LP, titled Apple Jam, was a bonus disc consisting almost entirely of instrumental jams recorded during the sessions.[45][46] Discussing the impact success of Harrison's triple album, author Nicholas Schaffner wrote in 1977: "George painted his masterpiece at a time when both he and his audience still believed music could change the world. If Lennon's studio was his soap-box, then Harrison's was his pulpit."[47]
The release coincided with a period when the counterculture's interest in spirituality, at the expense of formal religion, received heavy coverage both in the mainstream press and from religious commentators.[48] Reflecting the intentions behind songs such as "Hear Me Lord" and the album's worldwide number 1 hit single, "My Sweet Lord",[49] Harrison said in an interview at the time: "Music should be used for the perception of God, not jitterbugging."[50] He added: "I want to be God-conscious. That's really my only ambition, and everything else in life is incidental."[51] Former Mojo editor Mat Snow includes "Hear Me Lord" among the songs that provided "added vindication" for Harrison, after All Things Must Pass saw him become "by far the most successful" former Beatle by the Christmas of 1970.[52]
In his contemporaneous album review for the
In The New York Times, Don Heckman called "Hear Me Lord" and "My Sweet Lord" "parallel songs" that conveyed the intensifying of Harrison's spiritual resolve from the Beatles era. In this, as with Harrison's championing of Indian music and authorship of "Something", he recognised Harrison as having been responsible for "major changes in the style and substance of the Beatles" yet still comparatively anonymous within the band's public image, leading Heckman to conclude: "And now, with the break‐up of the Beatles a seeming fact of life, how ironic that it is Harrison who, possibly because of his detachment from the Lennon–McCartney emotional axis, has maintained and even increased his creative momentum."[56]
Retrospective assessments and legacy
Among Beatles and Harrison biographers, Elliot Huntley, Ian Inglis and Robert Rodriguez consider the song to be a perfect album closer,[12][57][58] a point to which Chip Madinger and Mark Easter add: "If the Lord hadn't heard him by now, then there wasn't much else [Harrison] could do to get his ear."[39] Huntley praises "Hear Me Lord" as "another soulful hymn ... another number given the full gospel treatment by Spector" and recognises Harrison as "the first white man to combine gospel and rock without sounding ludicrous".[57] Writing in Rolling Stone Press's Harrison tribute in 2002, Greg Kot described the music as "orchestrated into a dense, echo-laden cathedral of rock in excelsis by Phil Spector" before commenting: "But the real stars of this monumental effort are Harrison's songs, which give awe-inspiring dimension to his spirituality and sobering depth to his yearning for a love that doesn't lie."[59][nb 3]
Music critic Richie Unterberger describes "Hear Me Lord" as "a lovely, somber number" when first performed by Harrison at Twickenham in January 1969. He adds that the Beatles' disinterest in the song was most likely due to its unsuitability to the band's style, whereas "it truly found its appropriate setting" on All Things Must Pass.[63] In his 2001 album review for The New York Times, Jody Rosen grouped "Hear Me Lord" with "Art of Dying" and "Wah-Wah" as examples of how Spector successfully transformed Harrison's compositions on an "operatic scale". Rosen added: "The symphonic squall of these songs seems less about rock star hubris than Mr. Harrison's straining to express outsized emotions – sorrow, regret, longing, writ very large."[64]
Simon Leng says that the lyrics alone might make "Hear Me Lord" seem "falsely pious" yet he recognises Harrison's sincerity reflected in his performance on the recording,[10] as does Bruce Spizer.[11] Leng adds:
Even more than "My Sweet Lord", the closer to the album proper is the most emotionally compelling piece on an emotionally naked compilation. This is a true outpouring of feeling ... A movingly impassioned vocal completes a picture that is as cathartic as anything on Lennon's Plastic Ono Band album.[10]
Less convinced, Inglis writes that "the impression is of a man cowed, rather than liberated, by his faith."[12] He finds an "uneasy self-righteousness" in Harrison's verse-one lines "Forgive them Lord / Those that feel they can't afford you", and concludes: "The song's gospel-tinged backing matches the evangelical nature of its sentiments, but ['Hear Me Lord'] is a slightly unsettling end to a collection of songs of great power and passion."[65] GQ's George Chesterton says that elsewhere on the album, Harrison addresses his audience in a manner that "betrays a tendency ... to lecture his listeners: you should do this, you shouldn't do that", but as with "All Things Must Pass", the "hymnal lyrics" of "Hear Me Lord" are "heartfelt and vulnerable", adding that "Harrison's enduring strength is his sincerity."[44]
Davy Knowles & Back Door Slam covered the song on their 2009 album Coming Up for Air,[66] produced by Peter Frampton,[67] who was one of several uncredited contributors to All Things Must Pass.[68] In his review of Coming Up for Air, for Blogcritics, Josh Hathaway described the song as a "Harrison classic" and the album's "masterpiece", thanks to Frampton's lead guitar duel with Knowles and Benmont Tench's sympathetic organ playing.[69]
Live performance
"Hear Me Lord" was included in Harrison's proposed setlist for the Concert for Bangladesh[70] when rehearsals got under way at Nola Studios, New York City, in the last week of July 1971.[71] Harrison then performed it during the afternoon show at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, 1 August, immediately following Bob Dylan's surprise set.[72] After what author Alan Clayson describes as a "creaky" performance of the song,[73] a slight reorganisation of the concert program saw it dropped for the second show.[74]
Along with Dylan's "
Personnel
According to Simon Leng[10] and Bruce Spizer:[11]
- George Harrison – vocals, electric guitar, slide guitar, backing vocals
- Eric Clapton – electric guitar
- Gary Wright – piano
- Bobby Whitlock – organ
- Billy Preston – keyboards
- Carl Radle – bass
- Jim Gordon – drums
- Jim Price – trumpet, horn arrangement
- Bobby Keys – saxophone
- uncredited – tambourine, shaker
Notes
- ^ Harrison biographer Gary Tillery notes an additional need for faith on the singer's part in mid 1970 as "pillars of Harrison's old life were passing away", with the demise of his former band and the fatal illness of his mother, Louise.[32]
- ^ Alternate mixes of the track, available on bootleg compilations, reveal that the performance extended to a further 90 seconds than the released version. In one of these mixes, Harrison can be heard directing the musicians when to change to the bridge sections and calling out the ending, which, in music critic Richie Unterberger's description, takes the form of "a cold close with a long, gothic organ chord – one nice touch not heard on the final album".[41]
- ^ Having first met Harrison early in the sessions for All Things Must Pass,[60] Gary Wright soon followed him on a path dedicated to Hindu-aligned spirituality.[61] In his autobiography Dream Weaver, Wright says that songs such as "Hear Me Lord" "had spiritual messages, something I had not heard before in pop music – especially to the degree that he used them. He was breaking new ground as an artist to an even greater degree than he had done in the past [with the Beatles]."[60][62]
References
- ^ a b c Ben Gerson, "George Harrison All Things Must Pass" Archived 28 April 2013 at the Wayback Machine, Rolling Stone, 21 January 1971, p. 46 (retrieved 19 May 2013).
- ^ a b Sulpy & Schweighardt, p. 55.
- ^ Miles, pp. 327–28.
- ^ Huntley, pp. 17–19.
- ^ Clayson, pp. 259–60.
- ^ Leng, pp. 39–40, 51–52.
- ^ Madinger & Easter, pp. 423–24.
- ^ Doggett, p. 58.
- ^ Tillery, p. 68.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Leng, p. 99.
- ^ a b c d e f Spizer, p. 225.
- ^ a b c d Inglis, p. 31.
- ^ Greene, p. 181.
- ^ Winn, p. 237.
- ^ The Editors of Rolling Stone, pp. 38, 187.
- ^ Huntley, pp. 18–19, 21.
- ^ Martin O'Gorman, "Film on Four", Mojo Special Limited Edition: 1000 Days of Revolution (The Beatles' Final Years – Jan 1, 1968 to Sept 27, 1970), Emap (London, 2003), p. 73.
- ^ Sulpy & Schweighardt, p. 75.
- ^ Miles, p. 328.
- ^ Winn, p. 244.
- ^ Clayson, p. 262.
- ^ Miles, p. 331.
- ^ Clayson, p. 280.
- ^ a b Andy Davis, Billy Preston Encouraging Words CD, liner notes (Apple Records, 2010; produced by George Harrison & Billy Preston).
- ^ Leng, p. 71.
- ^ Castleman & Podrazik, p. 91.
- ^ a b Madinger & Easter, p. 426.
- ^ a b Unterberger, p. 286.
- ^ Spizer, pp. 220, 225.
- ^ Leng, p. 76.
- ^ Phil Spector interview, in George Harrison: Living in the Material World DVD (Village Roadshow, 2011; directed by Martin Scorsese; produced by Olivia Harrison, Nigel Sinclair & Martin Scorsese).
- ^ Tillery, p. 87.
- ^ Richie Unterberger, "George Harrison Beware of ABKCO!", AllMusic (retrieved 27 July 2018).
- ^ Badman, p. 10.
- ^ Clayson, pp. 277–78, 288.
- ^ John Harris, "A Quiet Storm", Mojo, July 2001, pp. 70, 72.
- ^ Leng, pp. 82, 99.
- ^ Leng, p. 123.
- ^ a b c Madinger & Easter, p. 432.
- ^ Booklet accompanying All Things Must Pass reissue (Gnome Records, 2001; produced by George Harrison & Phil Spector).
- ^ Unterberger, p. 290.
- ^ Badman, p. 16.
- ^ Castleman & Podrazik, p. 94.
- ^ a b George Chesterton, "George Harrison's All Things Must Pass: 50 Years of Music in God's Name", GQ, 27 November 2020 (retrieved 5 December 2020).
- ^ Clayson, p. 292.
- ^ Spizer, pp. 225–26.
- ^ Schaffner, p. 142.
- ^ Frontani, p. 158.
- ^ Rodriguez, pp. 148, 254.
- ^ The Editors of Rolling Stone, p. 40.
- ^ Greene, p. 184.
- ^ Snow, p. 25.
- ^ Chris Hunt (ed.), NME Originals: Beatles – The Solo Years 1970–1980, IPC Ignite! (London, 2005), p. 32.
- ^ Alan Smith, "George Harrison: All Things Must Pass (Apple)", NME, 5 December 1970, p. 2; available at Rock's Backpages (subscription required; retrieved 19 May 2013).
- Stereo Review, April 1971, p. 91.
- ^ Don Heckman, "Pop: Two and a Half Beatles on Their Own", The New York Times, 20 December 1970, p. 104 (retrieved 4 December 2020).
- ^ a b Huntley, p. 60.
- ^ Rodriguez, p. 156.
- ^ The Editors of Rolling Stone, p. 187.
- ^ a b Gary Wright, "When Gary Wright Met George Harrison: Dream Weaver, John and Yoko, and More (Book Excerpt)", The Daily Beast, 29 September 2014 (archived version retrieved 9 December 2020).
- ^ David Cavanagh, "George Harrison: The Dark Horse", Uncut, August 2008, pp. 39, 43.
- ^ Harvey Kubernik, "George Harrison 'All Things Must Pass' 50th Anniversary", Music Connection, 10 November 2020 (retrieved 12 November 2020).
- ^ Unterberger, p. 238.
- ^ Jody Rosen, "Luxuriating in the Sprawl of That Early 70's Sound", The New York Times, 29 July 2001 (archived version retrieved 26 July 2018).
- ^ Inglis, pp. 31–32.
- ^ Ryan Dembinsky, "Davy Knowles & BDS: Breathing Deep", JamBase, 11 August 2009 (archived version retrieved 26 July 2018).
- Consequence of Sound, 5 May 2009 (retrieved 26 July 2018).
- ^ Leng, p. 78.
- ^ Josh Hathaway, "Music Review: Davy Knowles & Back Door Slam – Coming Up for Air", Blogcritics, 21 June 2009 (retrieved 26 July 2018).
- ^ Harrison, p. 288.
- ^ Badman, p. 43.
- ^ Schaffner, p. 146.
- ^ Clayson, pp. 312–13.
- ^ a b Madinger & Easter, p. 437.
- ^ a b Mark Wallgren, "Awaiting on you all – George Harrison reissue update", Goldmine, 25 January 2002, p. 58.
- ^ Charles Shaar Murray, "George Harrison et al: Concert for Bangla Desh", Mojo, March 2002; available at Rock's Backpages (subscription required).
- ^ Leng, p. 120.
- ^ Richard S. Ginell, "George Harrison The Concert for Bangladesh (Bonus Track)", AllMusic (retrieved 9 April 2015)
Sources
- Dale C. Allison Jr., The Love There That's Sleeping: The Art and Spirituality of George Harrison, Continuum (New York, NY, 2006; ISBN 978-0-8264-1917-0).
- Keith Badman, The Beatles Diary Volume 2: After the Break-Up 1970–2001, Omnibus Press (London, 2001; ISBN 0-7119-8307-0).
- Harry Castleman & Walter J. Podrazik, All Together Now: The First Complete Beatles Discography 1961–1975, Ballantine Books (New York, NY, 1976; ISBN 0-345-25680-8).
- Alan Clayson, George Harrison, Sanctuary (London, 2003; ISBN 1-86074-489-3).
- The Editors of Rolling Stone, Harrison, Rolling Stone Press/Simon & Schuster (New York, NY, 2002; ISBN 0-7432-3581-9).
- Michael Frontani, "The Solo Years", in ISBN 978-1-139-82806-2), pp. 153–82.
- Joshua M. Greene, Here Comes the Sun: The Spiritual and Musical Journey of George Harrison, John Wiley & Sons (Hoboken, NJ, 2006; ISBN 978-0-470-12780-3).
- Olivia Harrison, George Harrison: Living in the Material World, Abrams (New York, NY, 2011; ISBN 978-1-4197-0220-4).
- Elliot J. Huntley, Mystical One: George Harrison – After the Break-up of the Beatles, Guernica Editions (Toronto, ON, 2006; ISBN 1-55071-197-0).
- Ian Inglis, The Words and Music of George Harrison, Praeger (Santa Barbara, CA, 2010; ISBN 978-0-313-37532-3).
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- Chip Madinger & Mark Easter, Eight Arms to Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium, 44.1 Productions (Chesterfield, MO, 2000; ISBN 0-615-11724-4).
- Barry Miles, The Beatles Diary Volume 1: The Beatles Years, Omnibus Press (London, 2001; ISBN 0-7119-8308-9).
- Robert Rodriguez, Fab Four FAQ 2.0: The Beatles' Solo Years 1970–1980, Hal Leonard (Milwaukee, WI, 2010; ISBN 978-0-87930-968-8).
- Nicholas Schaffner, The Beatles Forever, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY, 1978; ISBN 0-07-055087-5).
- Mat Snow, The Beatles Solo: The Illustrated Chronicles of John, Paul, George, and Ringo After The Beatles (Volume 3: George), Race Point Publishing (New York, NY, 2013; ISBN 978-1-937994-26-6).
- Bruce Spizer, The Beatles Solo on Apple Records, 498 Productions (New Orleans, LA, 2005; ISBN 0-9662649-5-9).
- Doug Sulpy & Ray Schweighardt, Get Back: The Unauthorized Chronicle of The Beatles' Let It Be Disaster, St. Martin's Griffin (New York, 1997; ISBN 0-312-19981-3).
- Gary Tillery, Working Class Mystic: A Spiritual Biography of George Harrison, Quest Books (Wheaton, IL, 2011; ISBN 978-0-8356-0900-5).
- Richie Unterberger, The Unreleased Beatles: Music & Film, Backbeat Books (San Francisco, CA, 2006; ISBN 978-0-87930-892-6).
- John C. Winn, That Magic Feeling: The Beatles' Recorded Legacy, Volume Two, 1966–1970, Three Rivers Press (New York, NY, 2009; ISBN 978-0-307-45239-9).