During their decade-long career, the Beatles had a massive impact on music. They pioneered new recording techniques, generated some of the most popular and well-known songs of all time, and shaped the business as we know it today. However, their legacy extended beyond their time as the Fab Four.
As the 1960s ended, so did the Beatles, although each member went on to have a successful solo career. From Paul McCartney’s Wings to John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’, the band members demonstrated their compositional talent and expanded their influence. Mick Fleetwood, the drummer and namesake of Fleetwood Mac, was among their many followers from their solo work.
While picking favorites for the Celebrity Playlist Podcast, Fleetwood favored the Beatles’ solo work over their band output. He named two Beatles songs: ‘Jealous Guy‘ by John Lennon from 1971 and ‘All Things Must Pass‘ by George Harrison.
Fleetwood, who shared his admiration for Lennon, claimed that he continued to prove his greatness outside of the Beatles. He called his solo work “more poignant“. Fleetwood’s song choice reminded him of a failing relationship he was in when he discovered it. The person he was in love with appeared to be drifting away from him and toward another person. So, he tried to woo them back with ‘Jealous Guy‘.
“I remember desperately phoning up in some sordid little motel in Michigan somewhere, cold, and probably slightly under the weather from a few bottles of wine,” Mick Fleetwood recalled. “Back then, I think I drank brandy, but anyhow, I put this song on my little tape recorder and played it to her on the phone and apologized.” I was quite jealous and in tears at the time.
It’s a risky strategy, but not one with a high success record. Fleetwood had fonder memories of his Harrison pick, ‘All Things Must Pass‘. In it, he expressed his love for his “dear friend” and brother-in-law. “I miss him a lot,” he said, “but he was everything that you can imagine George to be.”
Harrison said that ‘All Things Must Pass’ and the album of the same name reflected his feelings regarding the former Beatle. It’s a moving homage to both the man and the artist, and the song has stood the test of time after more than 50 years.
Revisit to ‘All Things Must Pass’ below
