The Myth of Lennon's Absence from George Harrison's Music in the Beatles' Final Years
In recent years, many music enthusiasts have speculated that John Lennon, one of the band's frontmen, was absent from George Harrison's televised songwriting efforts during the later years of The Beatles. However, upon closer examination, this perception is far from accurate.
Understanding Harrison's Contribution to the Beatles
George Harrison, renowned for his guitar work and sitar contributions, is credited with approximately 24 songs during the Beatles' reign, including those credited jointly to the band. Despite the popular belief, John Lennon played an active role in most of these compositions.
Lennon's Involvement in Harrison's Contributions
John Lennon indeed performed on a significant number of George Harrison's tracks, notably:
Don’t Bother Me I Need You Think for Yourself If I Needed Someone Taxman I Want to Tell You Only a Northern Song It's All Too Much Blue Jay Way Piggies Guitar Gently Weeps The Inner Light Old Brown Shoe Something You Like Me Too Much For You BlueSongs Where Lennon Was Not Present
However, there are exceptions, particularly during the 1968 and 1969 period, where John Lennon did not perform on almost half of Harrison's songs. This does not mean he deliberately avoided these sessions, as there were valid reasons for his absence.
Specific Examples
“Here Comes the Sun”John Lennon was reportedly involved in a car accident, rendering him unable to participate in the recording session.
“I Me Mine”This recording took place early 1970, shortly after John Lennon's departure from The Beatles in September 1969. Additionally, John initially encouraged the band to revive the Get Back tapes, but he was unable to participate due to a historically bad storm and the need to remain in Denmark on vacation.
“Within You Without You”Significantly, this track is notable for having George Harrison as the sole Beatle, with no contributions from John, Paul, or Ringo. However, Neil Aspinall, the assistant, played a guitar part on this recording.
Implied Negative Perceptions of Harrison's Work
Despite his occasional dismissive comments about George Harrison's songwriting, particularly after the band's breakup, John Lennon's actions in the recording sessions reveal different intentions. Notably, neither longstanding grudges nor a lack of respect for George's compositions were evident from John's behavior.
Support and Solidarity
John Lennon's support for George Harrison is evident in the fact that he missed around 2 to 3 Harrison songs out of 24 over nearly 8 years of recording. This is a relatively small number when contextualized against the long history of the Beatles' career.
Fun Fact
Interestingly, John Lennon is absent from the production of three of his own tracks. These are “She's Leaving Home”, a joint composition with Paul McCartney, “Julia”, and “The Ballad of John and Yoko”. The absence from “She's Leaving Home” is due to the lack of band instrumentation, while in “Julia” John performed alone on acoustic guitar. During “The Ballad of John and Yoko”, George Harrison was house hunting and thus unsuitable for the session.
Conclusion
The idea that John Lennon purposefully avoided recording sessions for George Harrison's tracks is a misconception. Through closer analysis, it becomes clear that despite occasional dismissive remarks, John Lennon was supportive of George Harrison's work and was only absent from a small number of sessions for understandable reasons.