ISN'T IT A PITY
GEORGE HARRISON
SONGWRITER: GEORGE HARRISON
COUNTRY: U. K.
ALBUM: ALL THINGS MUST PASS
LABEL: APPLE RECORD
GENRE: FOLK ROCK
YEAR: 1970
George Harrison[nb 1] MBE (25 February 1943 – 29 November
2001) was an English musician, singer, songwriter, and music and film producer
who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles.
Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian culture and helped broaden the scope of popular music through his incorporation of Indian instrumentation and Hindu-aligned
spirituality in the Beatles' work. Although the majority of the band's songs
were written by John
Lennon and Paul McCartney, most Beatles albums from
1965 onwards contained at least two Harrison compositions. His songs for the group include
"Taxman",
"Within You Without You", "While My
Guitar Gently Weeps", "Here Comes the Sun" and "Something".
Harrison's earliest musical influences
included George Formby and Django Reinhardt;
Carl Perkins,
Chet Atkins and Chuck Berry were subsequent influences. By 1965, he had begun to lead the
Beatles into folk rock through his interest in Bob Dylan and the Byrds,
and towards Indian
classical music through his use of the sitar on
"Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)".
Having initiated the band's embracing of Transcendental Meditation in 1967, he
subsequently developed an association with the Hare Krishna movement.
After the
band's break-up in 1970, Harrison released
the triple album All
Things Must Pass, a critically acclaimed work
that produced his most successful hit single, "My Sweet Lord",
and introduced his signature sound as a solo artist, the slide guitar.
He also organised the 1971 Concert for Bangladesh with Indian
musician Ravi Shankar,
a precursor to later benefit concerts such as Live Aid.
In his role as a music and film producer, Harrison produced acts signed to the
Beatles' Apple record label before founding Dark
Horse Records in 1974 and co-founding HandMade Films in 1978.
Harrison
released several best-selling singles and albums as a solo performer. In
1988, he co-founded the platinum-selling supergroup the Traveling
Wilburys. A prolific recording artist, he was
featured as a guest guitarist on tracks by Badfinger,
Ronnie Wood and Billy Preston,
and collaborated on songs and music with Dylan, Eric Clapton,
Ringo Starr and Tom Petty,
among others. Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 11 in their list of the "100
Greatest Guitarists of All Time". He is a two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee – as a
member of the Beatles in 1988, and posthumously for his solo career in 2004.
"Isn't It a Pity" is a song by
English musician George Harrison from his 1970 solo album All
Things Must Pass. It appears in two variations
there: one the well-known, seven-minute version; the other a reprise, titled
"Isn't It a Pity (Version Two)". Harrison wrote the song in 1966, but
it was rejected for inclusion on releases by the Beatles.
In many countries around the world, the song was also issued on a double
A-side single with "My Sweet Lord".
In America, Billboard magazine listed it with "My Sweet Lord" when the single
topped the Hot 100 chart, while in Canada, "Isn't It a Pity" reached number 1
as the preferred side.
An anthemic ballad and one of Harrison's most
celebrated compositions, "Isn't It a Pity" has been described as the
emotional and musical centrepiece of All Things Must Pass and "a
poignant reflection on The Beatles' coarse ending". Co-produced by Phil Spector,
the recording employs multiple keyboard players, rhythm guitarists and
percussionists, as well as orchestration by arranger John Barham.
In its extended
fadeout, the song references the closing refrain of the Beatles' 1968 hit
"Hey
Jude". Other musicians on the recording include Ringo Starr,
Billy Preston,
Gary Wright and the band Badfinger,
while the reprise version features Eric
Clapton on lead guitar.
The song appeared as the closing track on
Harrison's career-spanning compilation Let It Roll (2009), and a live version, from his 1991 tour with Clapton, was
included on Live in Japan (1992). Clapton and Preston performed the song together at the Concert
for George tribute in November 2002.
"Isn't It a Pity" has been covered by numerous artists, including Nina Simone,
Dana,
Matt Monro,
Galaxie 500,
Cowboy Junkies and Annie Lennox.
Isn't it a pity
Now, isn't it a shame
How we break each other's hearts
And cause each other pain
How we take each other's love
Without thinking anymore
Forgetting to give back
Isn't it a pity
Some things take so
long
But how do I explain
When not too many people
Can see we're all the same
And because of all their tears
Their eyes can't hope to see
The beauty that surrounds them
Isn't it a pity
Isn't it a pity
Isn't is a shame
How we break each other's hearts
And cause each other pain
How we take each other's love
Without thinking anymore
Forgetting to give back
Isn't it a pity
Forgetting to give
back
Isn't it a pity
Forgetting to give back
Now, isn't it a pity
What a pity
What a pity, pity, pity
What a pity
What a pity, pity, pity.
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