Writer: George Harrison
Producer: Phil Spector
Recorded: Summer 1970 at Abbey Road Studios in London, England
Released: November 1970
| Players: | George Harrison — vocals, guitar Peter Frampton — guitar Klaus Voorman — bass Gary Wright — piano Pete Drake — steel guitar Pete Ham — guitar, vocals Joey Molland — guitar, vocals Tom Evans — bass, vocals Mike Gibbins – drums |
| Album: | All Things Must Pass (Apple, 1970) |
The first single from George Harrison's first post-Beatles album, All Things Must Pass, "My Sweet Lord" — a spiritually-oriented song noting Harrison's devotion to Eastern faiths — was a worldwide Number One hit, including chart-topping showings in both the U.S. and the U.K.
Released as a single two months after the album came out, "My Sweet Lord" sold nearly four million copies during its first month of sale.
It was the biggest single ever in England until former Beatle bandmate Paul McCartney's "Mull Of Kintyre" in 1997.
Harrison, in fact, had decided he didn't want any singles released from All Things Must Pass, claiming that they would detract from the impact of the album as a whole. But radio DJs began airing "My Sweet Lord," and subsequent public demand caused Harrison to change his mind.
Harrison composed "My Sweet Lord" while he was guesting on the Delaney & Bonnie & Friends tour of England in December 1969.
After composing it, Harrison had given "My Sweet Lord" to keyboardist Billy Preston — who had worked on the Beatles' Let it Be album, as well as onAll Things Must Pass — for his Encouraging Words album on Apple Records. Preston planned to release the song as a single but it was withdrawn when Harrison decided to include the song on All Things Must Pass.
Pete Drake, the American steel guitar player used on "My Sweet Lord" and the rest of All Things Must Pass, was flown over for the sessions at a cost of $10,000.
There was trouble, however, when Bright Tunes, which owned the copyright for the 1963 pop hit "He's So Fine" by the Chiffons — and written byRonnie Mack — sued Harrison, claiming he plagiarized the earlier hit in writing "My Sweet Lord." Harrison pled innocent, citing the Edwin Hawkins Singers' spiritual hit "Oh Happy Day" as the chief inspiration for "My Sweet Lord." Harrison's royalty payments were suspended during the action.
On September 7, 1976, U.S. district court Judge Richard Owens found Harrison guilty of unconsciously plagiarizing "He's So Fine." Owens ordered Harrison to play $587,000 to Bright Tunes, which at that time had been taken over by former Beatles manager Allen Klein.
A later clarification rule by Owens in November 1990 gave Harrison rights to "He's So Fine" in the U.S. and U.K. for $270,020, while Klein's ABKCO retained ownership of the song in the rest of the world.
The All Things Must Pass album hit Number One in the U.S. and Number Four in the U.K. It's been certified double platinum in the U.S.