Living in the Material World (song)
"Living in the Material World" | |
---|---|
Song by George Harrison | |
from the album Living in the Material World | |
Published | Material World Charitable Foundation (administered by Harrisongs) |
Released | 30 May 1973 |
Genre | Rock |
Length | 5:31 |
Label | Apple |
Songwriter(s) | George Harrison |
Producer(s) | George Harrison |
"Living in the Material World" is a song by English rock musician
Harrison references his Beatles past as one of the trappings of the material world and refers by name to each of his three former bandmates. Ringo Starr, the Beatles' former drummer, plays drums on the track, which was recorded in England between October 1972 and February 1973. The rock portions include a slide guitar solo by Harrison, saxophone solos, two drummers, and prominent Hammond organ, while the meditative Indian interludes feature flute, tabla and a rare post-Beatle sitar contribution from Harrison. Jim Horn, Gary Wright and Zakir Hussain are among the other musicians on the recording.
The production and musicianship on the track has received favourable comments from several reviewers. On release,
Background
In his 1980 autobiography,
Author
Composition
As reproduced in I, Me, Mine, Harrison wrote the lyrics to "Living in the Material World" on portions of a torn-up envelope, which was previously addressed to
In the opening verse, Harrison states that he "Can't say what I'm doing here" in the material world,
Harrison refers to his years as a member of the Beatles.[16] He names his former bandmates John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr[27] in a verse that introduces a humorous aspect into the narrative:[26][28][nb 1]
Met them all here in the material world
John and Paul here in the material world
Though we started out quite poor
We got Richie on a tour.
Inglis comments on Harrison's pun on the word "Richie", which can refer to the Beatles' financial success from 1963 onwards, in the sense of "riches", and to the improvements in musicianship brought about by the arrival of drummer Richard Starkey, also known as Ringo Starr,[26] who replaced Pete Best in late 1962.[29] While noting Harrison's "laconic humor" in the song, Leng describes him as "still caught in the yin-yang of his Beatles identity", further to the various "instalments of 'the Beatles soap opera'" that Harrison provided on his 1970 triple album All Things Must Pass.[30]
This place's not really what's happening. We don't belong here [in the material world], but in the spiritual sky.[31]
– Harrison to
In the Indian-styled middle eight,[21] Harrison sings about his "sweet memories" of "the spiritual sky"[25] and prays not to "get lost or go astray".[16] Allison writes that Harrison's "true home" is in the mediative spiritual sky, since however impressive his achievements with the Beatles might be to others, they brought him no "meaningful contentment".[32]
After returning to the rock-music setting, Harrison sings of his frustrations in the material world,[25][33] which rather than satisfying human desires, merely leaves the senses "swelling like a tide".[20][34] Tillery writes of Harrison not being immune to "the siren call of the world" despite his spiritual goals;[35] in his autobiography, Harrison refers to 1973–74 as "the naughty period",[36] a reaction to the failure of his marriage to Pattie Boyd.[37][nb 2]
In line with teachings that Harrison had absorbed from both Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1967 and the Bhagavad Gita, Allison suggests, the lines "Got a lot of work to do / Try to get a message through" demonstrate "a sort of prophetic self-conception" on the singer's part.[39] In the final verse,[20] Harrison expresses his desire for moksha, or release from the cycle of reincarnation,[40] with the words: "I hope to get out of this place / By the Lord Sri Krsna's Grace."[41]
Inglis writes that "Living in the Material World" contrasts not only the physical with the spiritual for Harrison, but also issues such as "past and present, West and East, noise and calm".
Production
Initial recording
From mid 1971, Harrison had been largely sidetracked from his musical career for over a year, through his commitment to the humanitarian aid project that he and Shankar had initiated with the Concert for Bangladesh.[47][48] As a result, Harrison only began recording his second post-Beatles solo album, the highly anticipated follow-up to All Things Must Pass,[49] in October 1972.[50][51] The Magic Is Here Again and The Light That Has Lighted the World[52] were each rumoured to be the title of the new album[53] until Apple Records announced it as Living in the Material World.[54] Inglis views "Living in the Material World" as an ideal title track for the album, given "the internal dialogue in which he was engaging at the time".[26] Leng describes Harrison as "a man positively pregnant with vision" following his achievements over the two years since the Beatles' break-up; like author Robert Rodriguez,[55] Leng considers that a visit Harrison made to India with American musician Gary Wright, in early 1972, was a contributing factor in his artistic ambitions for the album.[56][nb 3]
Harrison was keen to pare down the production after the Wall of Sound excesses employed by Phil Spector on All Things Must Pass,[60][61] and chose to use a small group of backing musicians throughout the sessions.[62][63] Aside from himself on electric guitar, the line-up on the basic track for "Living in the Material World" was Nicky Hopkins (piano), Wright (Hammond organ), Klaus Voormann (bass) and Starr and Jim Keltner (both on drums).[18][64] Inglis describes the music as "a powerful rock backing",[26] while Leng views "Living in the Material World" as "the one time in his career that Harrison deliberately set out to create a big, showpiece rock number".[18]
The recording took place at the Beatles'
With Phil McDonald as recording engineer,[64] the basic tracks for most of the album were completed by December 1972,[51] before Hopkins departed for Jamaica to work on the Rolling Stones' new album, Goats Head Soup.[70] Harrison, McDonald and Indian classical musician Zakir Hussain then produced the recording of a recent New York performance by Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan, released on Apple Records in January 1973 as the double live album In Concert 1972.[71]
Overdubbing
A raunchy
maya, in illusion?[20]
– Author Joshua Greene, commenting on the effect of Harrison's musical arrangement for the song
Work continued on Living in the Material World during January and February.
For the solos on "Living in the Material World", Harrison and Horn overdubbed slide guitar and tenor saxophone, respectively.[21] Leng likens Harrison's soloing to the "passionate, rocking slide guitar" he supplied on "Edward" for Hopkins's The Tin Man Was a Dreamer album,[62] also recorded at Apple in late 1972.[82] The recording ends with what Clayson terms "a syncopated blues run-down", emphasising the song's "big production" status.[21]
Release and representation in album artwork
Apple Records released Living in the Material World on 30 May 1973.
Author Elliot Huntley views Living in the Material World as a concept album on which the material–spiritual "quandary" evident in the title track is "eloquently expressed" through the artwork's mix of religious symbolism and an inner-gatefold photograph that showed "[Harrison's] band indulging in a gratuitously sumptuous feast".[91] The stretch-limousine image was a detail taken from this photo,[88] the concept for which reflected Harrison's view that the material world is not only related to money and possessions,[92] but to "everything which is gross, physical, or material as opposed to the subtle, astral or casual", as he puts it in I, Me, Mine when discussing the song.[2] NME critic Bob Woffinden also commented on the symbolism of this picture showing "Harrison with his musicians (Nicky Hopkins, Klaus Voormann, Jim Keltner, Ringo – the usual lot) enjoying a hearty repast, passing the no-doubt vintage wine, while in the background the longest limousine in the world awaits their convenience".[93][nb 6]
A parody of
The song also provided the inspiration for the title of Harrison's charity, the Material World Charitable Foundation,[101] launched in April 1973.[102] Harrison donated the copyright to "Living in the Material World" and eight other tracks on the album to the foundation,[103][104] one of the stated aims of which was "to encourage the exploration of alternative life views and philosophies".[101]
Critical reception
In his album review for
More recently, AllMusic critic Lindsay Planer has described "Living in the Material World" as "one of the more profound observations to be made about the somewhat schizophrenic struggle between universal existence and monetary-driven survival".[16] Planer praises the recording as "a testament to the artist's ability to deliver the goods [as a guitarist], with searing albeit brief interaction with saxophonist Jim Horn" and similarly compliments the playing of Starr and Hopkins.[16] While opining that Material World "suffers from a more anonymous tract" next to All Things Must Pass, Zeth Lundy of PopMatters pairs "Living in the Material World" with "The Lord Loves the One" as the album's "most uptempo rock songs", which "fare much better [than some of the ballads] as eager bids for secession from this life, or at least from the clutches of its material concerns".[108]
Writing in 2014, Joe Marchese of The Second Disc highlights "Living in the Material World" among tracks that combine to form the album's "earnest and intensely personal, yet wholly accessible, statement".[109] While describing Material World as "meticulously produced", Blogcritics writer Chaz Lipp considers the "galloping title track" to be a song that "rank[s] right alongside Harrison's best work".[110] In another 2014 review, for the Lexington Herald-Leader, Walter Tunis includes the track among the "stunners" found on Material World, and labels it a "comparatively whimsical title tune".[111]
Among Beatles and Harrison biographers, Chip Madinger and Mark Easter describe "Living in the Material World" as "superb"[79] and Robert Rodriguez views Harrison's "deft blending of Western and Eastern sounds" as a "production marvel".[112] Although he admires the "vaguely Indian middle eight[s]", Elliot Huntley bemoans the "complex, powerhouse arrangement" used elsewhere and finds Horn's sax playing "a little overbearing".[19] Simon Leng calls "Living in the Material World" a "musical Roman Candle", and a "highly effective track" that is "the work of a very confident musician".[113] Ian Inglis praises Harrison's "inventive" lyrics, of which the "got Richie on a tour" line is "one of his cleverest puns", and notes that the song's positioning in the running order "echoes George Martin's policy of always selecting a strong track to close each side of every Beatles album".[114]
Subsequent releases and legacy
The song was remastered in 2006 for EMI's reissue of Living in the Material World,[115] five years after Harrison's death.[116] The final selection on the DVD accompanying this reissue featured "Living in the Material World"[117] set to archival footage of the manufacturing process behind the album.[118][119] The footage had been commissioned by Harrison in 1973,[120] and it includes an executive undertaking a test pressing, preparation of the face labels, vinyl cutting, and the album being hand-packaged in EMI's warehouse.[121] During the first "spiritual sky" section, the film cuts to footage of Harrison raising a yellow and red Om flag on the roof of his Friar Park home – a demonstration he adopted in the early 1970s to reflect when he was living true to his spiritual goals.[35][122][nb 8] The clip ends with a colourised still of Marcus's inner gatefold photo.[121] With production credited to Abbey Road Interactive, this film of "Living in the Material World" also appears on the DVD included in Harrison's 2014 The Apple Years 1968–75 box set.[124]
The song provided the title for
Personnel
- George Harrison – lead vocals, electric guitar, slide guitar, sitar, backing vocals
- Nicky Hopkins – piano
- Gary Wright – Hammond organ
- Klaus Voormann – bass guitar
- Ringo Starr – drums, tambourine
- Jim Keltner – drums, maracas
- Zakir Hussain – tabla
- Jim Horn – tenor saxophone, flute
Notes
- ^ In I, Me, Mine, Harrison discusses the lyrics' spiritual qualities but adds: "It's also a comedy song with a few jokes in case you didn't notice!"[2]
- ^ Harrison acknowledged in a 1992 interview: "I am an extreme person ... I was always extremely up or extremely down, extremely spiritual or extremely drugged."[38]
- ^ In I, Me, Mine, Harrison mentions a 1974 visit to India as having been his first there since 1968, however.[57] In her 2011 book George Harrison: Living in the Material World, Olivia Harrison includes photos of Harrison and Wright in India, and similarly gives 1974 as the year,[58] as does Wright in his 2014 autobiography, Dream Weaver.[59]
- ^ Author Peter Lavezzoli describes the overdubbing session as the first major recording for Hussain, who went on to join his father, Alla Rakha, as one of Indian classical music's foremost tabla players.[76]
- tambura.[18]
- ^ The same photograph appeared opposite the words to "Living in the Material World" at the start of the lyrics section of the Material World songbook, published by the Charles Hansen sheet music company.[94]
- Old West six-shooter – an appearance that Allison interprets as "a slam at the perceived materialism and violence of the Roman church".[95]
- ^ Conversely, he signified periods of transgression from this path by flying a skull-and-crossbones pirate flag.[35][122] This scene showing Harrison on the Friar Park roof originally appeared in the promotional video for his 1974 Christmas–New Year single "Ding Dong, Ding Dong".[123]
References
- ^ a b Stephen Holden, "George Harrison Living in the Material World" Archived 3 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Rolling Stone, 19 July 1973, p. 54 (retrieved 16 December 2013).
- ^ a b c d George Harrison, p. 258.
- ^ Clayson, pp. 210, 247–48.
- ^ Lambert Ramirez, "George Harrison: The not-so-quiet Beatle", philstar.com, 17 March 2014 (retrieved 11 February 2015).
- ^ Olivia Harrison, pp. 11, 244.
- ^ Allison, pp. 79, 84.
- ^ a b Tillery, p. 112.
- ^ Chant and Be Happy, p. 18.
- ^ Tillery, pp. 105–06.
- ^ Allison, p. 83.
- ^ Tillery, p. 106.
- ^ Badman, p. 136.
- Valley Advocate, 13 November 1974; available at Rock's Backpages(subscription required; retrieved 16 December 2013).
- ^ a b Steven Rosen, "George Harrison", Rock's Backpages, 2008 (subscription required; retrieved 16 December 2013).
- ^ George Harrison, p. 259.
- ^ a b c d e f Lindsay Planer, "George Harrison 'Living in the Material World'", AllMusic (retrieved 16 December 2013).
- ^ Inglis, pp. 40–41.
- ^ a b c d e f g Leng, p. 130.
- ^ a b Huntley, p. 92.
- ^ a b c d Greene, p. 195.
- ^ a b c d e f Clayson, p. 323.
- ^ Greene, pp. 194–95.
- ^ George Harrison, p. 262.
- ^ Allison, p. 67.
- ^ a b c Tillery, p. 111.
- ^ a b c d e Inglis, p. 40.
- ^ Doggett, p. 207.
- ^ Rodriguez, pp. 34, 156–57.
- ^ Schaffner, p. 20.
- ^ Leng, pp. 85, 91, 130–31.
- ^ Allison, p. 64.
- ^ Allison, pp. 63–64, 149.
- ^ a b Michael Watts, "The New Harrison Album", Melody Maker, 9 June 1973, p. 3.
- ^ Allison, pp. 61, 149.
- ^ a b c Tillery, p. 91.
- ^ George Harrison, p. 274.
- ^ Rodriguez, p. 142.
- ^ "George Harrison – In His Own Words", superseventies.com (retrieved 21 September 2013).
- ^ Allison, pp. 73–74, 149.
- ^ Allison, pp. 64, 87.
- ^ Tillery, pp. 111–12.
- ^ Inglis, p. 41.
- ^ Leng, p. 131.
- ^ a b Allison, pp. 25–26.
- ^ Olivia Harrison, pp. 10–11, 232.
- ^ Inglis, p. 119.
- ^ Doggett, p. 192.
- ^ Rodriguez, pp. 93, 137, 155.
- ^ Schaffner, p. 158.
- ^ Leng, pp. 123, 124.
- ^ a b Badman, p. 83.
- ^ Allison, p. 149.
- ^ Badman, pp. 83, 89.
- ^ a b Schaffner, p. 159.
- ^ Rodriguez, pp. 137, 139.
- ^ Leng, pp. 124–25.
- ^ George Harrison, p. 57.
- ^ Olivia Harrison, p. 258.
- ^ Wright, pp. 120–21, 123.
- ^ The Editors of Rolling Stone, p. 180.
- ^ Rodriguez, pp. 87, 156.
- ^ a b Leng, p. 125.
- ^ Huntley, p. 90.
- ^ a b Spizer, p. 254.
- ^ Spizer, pp. 254, 257.
- ^ Leng, p. 126.
- ^ Madinger & Easter, p. 439.
- ^ Huntley, p. 88.
- ^ Madinger & Easter, pp. 440, 441.
- ^ Wyman, p. 415.
- ^ Castleman & Podrazik, p. 122.
- ^ Badman, p. 89.
- ^ Kevin Howlett's liner notes, booklet accompanying Living in the Material World reissue (EMI Records, 2006; produced by Dhani & Olivia Harrison), p. 10.
- ^ Leng, pp. 131–32.
- ^ George Harrison, p. 254.
- ^ Lavezzoli, pp. 194–95.
- Crawdaddy, February 1977, p. 41.
- ^ Rodriguez, p. 34.
- ^ a b Madinger & Easter, p. 441.
- ^ Leng, p. 157fn.
- ^ Tillery, pp. 67, 149.
- ^ Harold Bronson, "Nicky Hopkins", Zoo World, 25 October 1973; available at Rock's Backpages (subscription required; retrieved 16 December 2013).
- ^ Badman, p. 102.
- ^ Castleman & Podrazik, p. 125.
- ^ Leng, pp. 129–30.
- ^ Woffinden, pp. 69–70.
- ^ Tillery, pp. 111, 112.
- ^ a b Spizer, pp. 256, 258.
- ^ Lavezzoli, p. 194.
- ^ Allison, p. 47.
- ^ Huntley, pp. 89, 90, 93.
- ^ Kevin Howlett's liner notes, booklet accompanying Living in the Material World reissue (EMI Records, 2006; produced by Dhani & Olivia Harrison), pp. 2, 4.
- ^ Woffinden, pp. 70–71.
- ^ George Harrison Living in the Material World: Sheet Music for Piano, Vocal & Guitar, Charles Hansen (New York, NY, 1973), pp. 2–3.
- ^ a b Allison, p. 42.
- ^ Album credits, booklet accompanying Living in the Material World reissue (EMI Records, 2006; produced by Dhani & Olivia Harrison), p. 36.
- ^ Clayson, pp. 320, 324.
- ^ Allison, pp. 42, 136.
- ^ Spizer, p. 256.
- ^ Allison, pp. 26, 83.
- ^ a b Book accompanying Collaborations box set by Ravi Shankar and George Harrison (Dark Horse Records, 2010; produced by Olivia Harrison; package design by Drew Lorimer & Olivia Harrison), p. 32.
- ^ Badman, p. 98.
- ^ Schaffner, p. 160.
- ^ Clayson, pp. 322–23.
- ^ Eliot Tiegel (ed.), "Top Album Picks: Pop", Billboard, 9 June 1973, p. 54 (retrieved 21 November 2014).
- ^ Woffinden, p. 70.
- ^ Woffinden, p. 71.
- ^ Zeth Lundy, "George Harrison: Living in the Material World", PopMatters, 8 November 2006 (retrieved 16 December 2013).
- ^ Joe Marchese, "Review: The George Harrison Remasters – 'The Apple Years 1968–1975'", The Second Disc, 23 September 2014 (retrieved 3 October 2014).
- ^ Chaz Lipp, "Music Review: George Harrison's Apple Albums Remastered", Blogcritics, 5 October 2014 (retrieved 6 October 2014).
- kentucky.com, 14 October 2014 (retrieved 1 November 2014).
- ^ Rodriguez, pp. 34, 157.
- ^ Leng, pp. 130, 131.
- ^ Inglis, pp. 40, 41.
- ^ "Living in the Material World", georgeharrison.com (retrieved 14 December 2013).
- ^ Tillery, pp. 167–68.
- ^ "George Harrison Living in the Material World (Bonus Tracks/DVD)", AllMusic (retrieved 13 December 2013).
- ^ John Metzger, "George Harrison Living in the Material World", The Music Box, vol. 13 (11), November 2006 (retrieved 13 December 2013).
- ^ Shawn Perry, "George Harrison, Living In The Material World – CD Review", vintagerock.com, October 2006 (retrieved 29 November 2014).
- ^ "Living in the Material World Re-Issue", georgeharrison.com, 22 June 2006 (retrieved 14 December 2013).
- ^ a b Deluxe Edition DVD, selection 4, Living in the Material World reissue (EMI Records, 2006; produced by Dhani & Olivia Harrison).
- ^ a b Greene, p. 172.
- ^ Badman, p. 146.
- ^ Joe Marchese, "Give Me Love: George Harrison's 'Apple Years' Are Collected On New Box Set", The Second Disc, 2 September 2014 (retrieved 4 October 2014).
- ^ Robert Lloyd, "TV review: 'George Harrison: Living in the Material World'", Los Angeles Times, 5 October 2011 (retrieved 13 December 2013).
- ^ David Itzkoff, "Within Him, Without Him", The New York Times, 23 September 2011 (retrieved 14 December 2013).
- ^ The Huffington Post, 9 October 2011 (retrieved 16 November 2014).
- ^ George Harrison: Living in the Material World DVD, Village Roadshow, 2011 (directed by Martin Scorsese; produced by Olivia Harrison, Nigel Sinclair & Martin Scorsese), disc 2; event occurs between 56:26 and 56:52.
- ^ "Material World Charitable Foundation" > About Archived 22 May 2017 at the Wayback Machine, georgeharrison.com (retrieved 18 December 2013).
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).
- Chant and Be Happy: The Power of Mantra Meditation, Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (Los Angeles, CA, 1992; ISBN 978-0-89213-118-1).
- Alan Clayson, George Harrison, Sanctuary (London, 2003; ISBN 1-86074-489-3).
- Peter Doggett, You Never Give Me Your Money: The Beatles After the Breakup, It Books (New York, NY, 2011; ISBN 978-0-06-177418-8).
- The Editors of Rolling Stone, Harrison, Rolling Stone Press/Simon & Schuster (New York, NY, 2002; ISBN 0-7432-3581-9).
- 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).
- George Harrison, I Me Mine, Chronicle Books (San Francisco, CA, 2002; ISBN 0-8118-3793-9).
- 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).
- Peter Lavezzoli, The Dawn of Indian Music in the West, Continuum (New York, NY, 2006; ISBN 0-8264-2819-3).
- Simon Leng, While My Guitar Gently Weeps: The Music of George Harrison, Hal Leonard (Milwaukee, WI, 2006; ISBN 1-4234-0609-5).
- Chip Madinger & Mark Easter, Eight Arms to Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium, 44.1 Productions (Chesterfield, MO, 2000; ISBN 0-615-11724-4).
- Robert Rodriguez, Fab Four FAQ 2.0: The Beatles' Solo Years, 1970–1980, Backbeat Books (Milwaukee, WI, 2010; ISBN 978-1-4165-9093-4).
- Nicholas Schaffner, The Beatles Forever, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY, 1978; ISBN 0-07-055087-5).
- Bruce Spizer, The Beatles Solo on Apple Records, 498 Productions (New Orleans, LA, 2005; ISBN 0-9662649-5-9).
- Gary Tillery, Working Class Mystic: A Spiritual Biography of George Harrison, Quest Books (Wheaton, IL, 2011; ISBN 978-0-8356-0900-5).
- Bob Woffinden, The Beatles Apart, Proteus (London, 1981; ISBN 0-906071-89-5).
- Gary Wright, Dream Weaver: A Memoir; Music, Meditation, and My Friendship with George Harrison, Tarcher/Penguin (New York, NY, 2014; ISBN 978-0-399-16523-8).
- Bill Wyman, Rolling with the Stones, Dorling Kindersley (London, 2002; ISBN 0-7513-4646-2).