George Harrison Once Called This Songwriter the “Governor” While Denouncing Other Pop Icons

As one of the pioneering figures of 1960s rock ‘n’ roll and beyond, George Harrison had a unique vantage point for observing and analyzing his contemporaries. Unsurprisingly, many of the musical ideas and beliefs he hinted at in his work with The Beatles became more present in the years following the Fab Four’s split. Without the ensemble to worry about, Harrison was free to write whatever he wanted—which inevitably led to forming opinions about things other people were writing, which he discussed in this 1982 interview.

Admitting himself to be a “fussy person,” Harrison argued that music should say something. If he was going to go through the trouble of listening to a record, he wanted it to be an “enriching” experience. He wanted music to teach him something or offer a new perspective. “I don’t need somebody just hitting me on the head with a hammer,” Harrison said. “That can’t teach me anything.”

When the interviewer asked Harrison if there were any contemporary artists whom he found suitably enriching, Harrison quickly replied with Bob Dylan. Calling him the “governor,” Harrison added that even if Dylan had only ever written “Blowin’ In The Wind”, that would still be “much more than the average person.”

George Harrison Wasn’t As Fond of Other Songwriters

In addition to Bob Dylan, with whom The Beatles first became connected in 1964, George Harrison listed other musicians he enjoyed listening to for musicianship’s sake. These included Ry Cooder and Eric Clapton. While Harrison knew Cooder professionally, he was much closer to Clapton. In fact, Clapton had even momentarily been a part of The Beatles when he tracked electric guitar on the iconic White Album cut, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”.

Later in the interview, Harrison is asked his opinion of Elton John. Harrison admits that John is an exceptional entertainer but says, “He doesn’t say anything, really. You know, ‘Crocodile Rock’ and all that, I like Elton a lot, but there’s a lack of depth, of experience.”

“Crocodile Rock” appeared on John’s sixth studio album, Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player, in 1973. By the time of Harrison’s 1982 interview, John had since released other, arguably more complex, songs like “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” and “Candle In The Wind”. That Harrison would still consider John’s music to lack depth or experience is surprising, in some ways. But of course, opinions are as subjective as the music that these artists create.

The case for Bob Dylan being the “governor” of enriching songwriting, however, seems a bit more objective. Hard to argue with that claim, no matter how bold, which is something even a career songwriter like Harrison wasn’t afraid to admit.

Photo by Sonia Moskowitz/IMAGES/Getty Images

The post George Harrison Once Called This Songwriter the “Governor” While Denouncing Other Pop Icons appeared first on American Songwriter.