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Released in 1996

All Things Must Pass

Written by George Harrison

Last updated on April 28, 2017


Album This song officially appears on the Concert For George Official album.

Timeline This song was officially released in 1996

Related sessions

This song was recorded during the following studio sessions:

From Wikipedia:

All Things Must Pass” is a song by English musician George Harrison, issued in November 1970 as the title track to his triple album of the same name. Billy Preston released the song originally – as “All Things (Must) Pass” – on his Apple Records album Encouraging Words (1970), after the Beatles had rejected it for inclusion on their Let It Be album in January 1969. The composition reflects the influence of the Band’s sound and communal music-making on Harrison, after he had spent time with the group in Woodstock, New York, in late 1968, while Timothy Leary’s poem “All Things Pass“, a psychedelic adaptation of the Tao Te Ching, provided inspiration for his song lyrics.

The subject matter deals with the transient nature of human existence, and in Harrison’s All Things Must Pass reading, words and music combine to reflect impressions of optimism against fatalism. On release, together with Barry Feinstein’s album cover image, commentators viewed the song as a statement on the Beatles’ break-up. Widely regarded as one of Harrison’s finest compositions, its rejection by his former band has provoked comment from biographers and reviewers. Music critic Ian MacDonald described “All Things Must Pass” as “the wisest song never recorded by The Beatles“, while author Simon Leng considers it “perhaps the greatest solo Beatle composition“. The recording was co-produced by Phil Spector in London; it features an orchestral arrangement by John Barham and contributions from musicians such as Ringo Starr, Pete Drake, Bobby Whitlock, Eric Clapton and Klaus Voormann.

Although the Beatles failed to formally record the song, a 1969 solo demo by Harrison appears on their compilation Anthology 3 (1996). An early version from the All Things Must Pass sessions was released on Harrison’s posthumous compilation Early Takes: Volume 1 in 2012. Paul McCartney performed “All Things Must Pass” at the Concert for George tribute in November 2002, a year after Harrison’s death. Jim James, the Waterboys, Klaus Voormann and Yusuf Islam, and Sloan Wainwright are among the other artists who have covered the song. […]

Cover versions

Steve Wood and Daniel May composed music to the 1998 documentary film Everest incorporating melodies from some of George Harrison’s songs, one of which was “All Things Must Pass“. At the Concert for George tribute to Harrison, held at London’s Royal Albert Hall on 29 November 2002, Paul McCartney sang “All Things Must Pass“, backed by a large band that included Preston, Clapton, Voormann and Starr. Leng notes the irony in McCartney performing the song, while Beatles biographer Peter Doggett comments: “it wasn’t hard to imagine Harrison’s cynicism as McCartney led the band into a soulful rendition of ‘All Things Must Pass’ – one of the songs that the other Beatles had refused to take seriously in January 1969.” According to Clapton, author Robert Rodriguez writes, McCartney “was humbled at having to relearn it“. […]

From RollingStone, October 9, 2003:

On November 29th, 2002, exactly a year after his death, George Harrison was honored at London’s Royal Albert Hall. […]

For weeks, Harrison’s friends rehearsed at London’s Asylum Studios. Clapton was impressed with McCartney’s demeanor: “Those guys’ inability to express love for one another was classic,” he says of the Beatles. “The exception is Ringo, who says [in the film], ‘I love George, and George loved me.’ That wouldn’t have been so easy for Paul.

McCartney shines, playing ukulele and duetting with Clapton on “Something,” and singing lead on “All Things Must Pass.” In rehearsals, says Clapton, “Paul had to admit that he didn’t know ‘All Things Must Pass,’ and that was an awful thing to confront. It was huge humble-pie stuff for Paul to be among these people who he may have thought had a better relationship with George than he did. But I believe Paul missed George as much as — if not more than — anybody.” […]


Lyrics

Sunrise doesn't last all morning

A cloudburst doesn't last all day

Seems my love is up

And has left you with no warning

But it's not always be this grey


All things must pass

All things must pass away


Sunset doesn't last all evening

A mind can blow those clouds away

After all this my love is up

And must be leaving

It's not always been this grey


All things must pass

All things must pass away


All things must pass

None of life's strings can last

So I must be on my way

And face another day


Darkness only stays at nighttime

In the morning it will fade away

Daylight is good at arriving

At the right time

It's not always

Going to be this grey


All things must pass

All things must pass away

All things must pass

All things must pass away

Officially appears on

Bootlegs

See all bootlegs containing “All Things Must Pass

Live performances

All Things Must Pass” has been played in 16 concerts and 2 soundchecks.

Latest concerts where “All Things Must Pass” has been played


Going further

Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 2) 1990-2012

This new book by Luca Perasi traces Paul McCartney's post-Beatles output from 1990 to 2012 in the form of 250 song entries, filled with details about the recordings, stories behind the sessions and musical analysis. His pop albums, his forays into classical and avant-garde music, his penchant for covering old standards: a complete book to discover how these languages cross-pollinate and influence each other.

The second volume in a series that has established itself as a unique guide to take the reader on a journey into the astonishing creativity of Paul McCartney.

Read our exclusive interview with Luca Perasi

Buy on Amazon

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Michael R Davis • 1 year ago

That's strange because Paul John and Ringo practiced that song and it on video


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