George Harrison - My Sweet Lord - All Things Must Pass [30th Anniversary Edition] - 1970/2001

All sound recording and images are copyrighted by their respective copyright owners.
Copyright: Apple Corps Ltd., EMI Records Ltd.
Members: George Harrison
Writer: George Harrison
Producer: George Harrison, Phil Spector
Original Album Released: 22 January 2001

George Harrison Official Web Page: http://www.georgeharrison.com/
All things Must Pass Web Page: http://www.allthingsmustpass.com/
EMI Music: http://www.emimusic.com/

"My Sweet Lord" is a song by former Beatles lead guitarist George Harrison from his UK number one hit triple album All Things Must Pass. The song is primarily about Hindu God Krishna. It is ranked #460 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time."

Writing and recording:

The song was originally intended for Billy Preston, who had a minor hit with it in early 1970, in his album Encouraging Words. It was written in December 1969, when Harrison and Billy Preston were in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The recording of the song took place in London. Preston was the principal musician while Harrison was engineering the sessions.

Single release:

When released as a single, "My Sweet Lord" topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. In October, 1970, Harrison told the British press that it was going to be his first solo single, but a few days later he changed his mind and said it would not be made available thus, as he did not want sales in that format to detract from those of the album. (The other three former Beatles had also released solo albums earlier that year, without releasing a single in Britain from any of them). It was released as a single in the US (Apple 2995) on 23 November 1970. Within a few weeks, EMI and Apple Records bowed to media and public demand, and the UK release (Apple R 5884) followed on 15 January 1971.

Entering the British charts in the first week at number seven and then hitting the summit for five weeks, it was the first single by an ex-Beatle to reach number one. It did so again in the UK when reissued in January 2002 after Harrison's death from cancer. It reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 on 26 December 1970, remaining on top for four weeks.

In Britain, the original single was officially a double-A Side with "What Is Life". In the US it was a double-A-side with "Isn't It A Pity"- with both sides featuring a full Apple label.

Album:

All Things Must Pass is a triple album by George Harrison, recorded and released after the break-up of The Beatles. The first triple album by a solo artist, the original vinyl release featured two LPs of rock songs, while the third LP, titled "Apple Jam", was composed of informal jams led by Harrison with musician friends and famous musicians.

It was eventually certified 6x Platinum by the RIAA, making it the highest selling of any Beatle solo album.

In 2003, Rolling Stone ranked All Things Must Pass #437 on its list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time"