"Ding Dong, Ding Dong" is a song by English rock musician
George Harrison, written as a
New Year's Eve
In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the December 31, last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly ...
singalong and released in December 1974 on his album ''
Dark Horse
A dark horse is a previously lesser-known person or thing that emerges to prominence in a situation, especially in a competition involving multiple rivals, or a contestant that on paper should be unlikely to succeed but yet still might.
Origin
Th ...
''. It was the album's
lead single
A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
Release ...
in Britain and some other European countries, and the second single, after "
Dark Horse
A dark horse is a previously lesser-known person or thing that emerges to prominence in a situation, especially in a competition involving multiple rivals, or a contestant that on paper should be unlikely to succeed but yet still might.
Origin
Th ...
", in North America. A large-scale production, the song incorporates aspects of
Phil Spector
Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...
's
Wall of Sound
The Wall of Sound (also called the Spector Sound) is a music production formula developed by American record producer Phil Spector at Gold Star Studios, in the 1960s, with assistance from engineer Larry Levine and the conglomerate of sessio ...
technique, particularly his
Christmas recordings from 1963. In addition, some Harrison biographers view "Ding Dong" as an attempt to emulate the success of two
glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was performed by musicians who wore outrageous costumes, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists drew on div ...
anthems from the 1973–74 holiday season: "
Merry Xmas Everybody
"Merry Xmas Everybody" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released as a non-album single in 1973. The song was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and it was produced by Chas Chandler. It was the band's sixth and ...
" by
Slade
Slade are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Wolverhampton in 1966. They rose to prominence during the glam rock era in the early 1970s, achieving 17 consecutive top 20 hits and six number ones on the UK Singles Chart. The ''British H ...
, and
Wizzard
Wizzard were an English rock band formed by Roy Wood, former member of the Move and co-founder of the Electric Light Orchestra. ''The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits'' states, "Wizzard was Roy Wood just as much as Wings was Paul McCartn ...
's "
I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday
"I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" is a Christmas song recorded by British glam rock band Wizzard. It was first released in December 1973 and, as with most Wizzard songs, was written and produced by the band's frontman Roy Wood—formerly ...
". The song became only a minor hit in Britain and the United States, although it was a top-twenty hit elsewhere in the world.
Harrison took the lyrics to "Ding Dong" from engravings he found at his nineteenth-century home,
Friar Park
Friar Park is a Victorian neo-Gothic mansion in Henley-on-Thames, England, built in 1889. It was originally owned by eccentric lawyer Sir Frank Crisp and purchased in January 1970 by English rock musician and former Beatle George Harrison. ...
, in
Oxfordshire – a legacy of its eccentric founder,
Frank Crisp
Sir Frank Crisp, 1st Baronet, (25 October 1843 – 29 April 1919) was an English lawyer and microscopist. Crisp was an enthusiastic member, and sometime officer, of the Royal Microscopical Society. He was generous in his support of the Society, ...
. The song's "Ring out the old, ring in the new" refrain has invited interpretation as Harrison distancing himself from his past as a member of
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developm ...
, and as the singer farewelling his first marriage, to
Pattie Boyd
Patricia Anne Boyd (born 17 March 1944) is an English model and photographer. She was one of the leading international models during the 1960s and, with Jean Shrimpton, epitomised the British female look of the era. Boyd married George Harris ...
. As on much of the ''Dark Horse'' album, Harrison's vocals on the recording were hampered by a throat condition, due partly to his having overextended himself on business projects such as his recently launched record label,
Dark Horse Records
Dark Horse Records is a record label founded by former Beatle George Harrison in 1974. The label's formation coincided with the winding down of the Beatles' Apple Records and allowed Harrison to continue supporting other artists' projects whil ...
. Recorded at his Friar Park studio, the track includes musical contributions from
Tom Scott,
Ringo Starr
Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...
,
Alvin Lee
Alvin Lee (born Graham Anthony Barnes; 19 December 1944 – 6 March 2013) was an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known as the lead vocalist and lead guitarist of the blues rock band Ten Years After.
Early life
He w ...
,
Ron Wood Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald.
Ron or RON may also refer to:
Arts and media
* Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character
* Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character
*Ron Douglas, the protagonist in '' Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...
and
Jim Keltner
James Lee Keltner (born April 27, 1942) is an American drummer and percussionist known primarily for his session work. He was characterized by Bob Dylan biographer Howard Sounes as "the leading session drummer in America".Howard Sounes. ''Down ...
.
On release, the song met with an unfavourable response from many music critics, while others considered its musical and lyrical simplicity to be a positive factor for a contemporary pop hit. For the first time with one of his singles, Harrison made a promotional video for "Ding Dong", which features scenes of him miming to the track at Friar Park while dressed in a variety of Beatle-themed costumes. The song still receives occasional airplay over the holiday season. The video appears on the DVD in Harrison's eight-disc ''
Apple Years 1968–75'' box set, released in September 2014.
Background and composition
George Harrison purchased the 33-acre
Friar Park
Friar Park is a Victorian neo-Gothic mansion in Henley-on-Thames, England, built in 1889. It was originally owned by eccentric lawyer Sir Frank Crisp and purchased in January 1970 by English rock musician and former Beatle George Harrison. ...
estate, in
Henley-on-Thames
Henley-on-Thames ( ) is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in Oxfordshire, England, northeast of Reading, west of Maidenhead, southeast of Oxford and west of London (by road), near the tripoint of Oxfordshire, Berkshire and ...
, Oxfordshire, in January 1970, and soon afterwards composed "
Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)
"Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)" is a song by English rock musician George Harrison from his 1970 triple album ''All Things Must Pass''. Harrison wrote the song as a tribute to Frank Crisp, a nineteenth-century lawyer and the origina ...
" as a tribute to the property's original owner, an eccentric
Victorian
Victorian or Victorians may refer to:
19th century
* Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign
** Victorian architecture
** Victorian house
** Victorian decorative arts
** Victorian fashion
** Victorian literature ...
lawyer and horticulturalist named
Frank Crisp
Sir Frank Crisp, 1st Baronet, (25 October 1843 – 29 April 1919) was an English lawyer and microscopist. Crisp was an enthusiastic member, and sometime officer, of the Royal Microscopical Society. He was generous in his support of the Society, ...
.
[Olivia Harrison, p. 268.] Harrison included the song on his ''
All Things Must Pass
''All Things Must Pass'' is the third studio album by English rock musician George Harrison. Released as a triple album in November 1970, it was Harrison's first solo work after Break-up of the Beatles, the break-up of the Beatles in April that ...
'' triple album, released in November 1970, by which time he had begun incorporating into his new compositions some of the homilies and
aphorisms
An aphorism (from Greek ἀφορισμός: ''aphorismos'', denoting 'delimitation', 'distinction', and 'definition') is a concise, terse, laconic, or memorable expression of a general truth or principle. Aphorisms are often handed down by tra ...
that Crisp had inscribed around the property, 70 or more years before. A four-line verse beginning "Scan not a friend with a microscopic glass" particularly resonated with Harrison, who eventually used it in his 1975 song "
The Answer's at the End
"The Answer's at the End" is a song by English rock musician George Harrison, released in 1975 on his final album for Apple Records, ''Extra Texture (Read All About It)''. Part of the song lyrics came from a wall inscription at Harrison's ninete ...
". It similarly took Harrison several years to turn two inspirational lines of verse from carvings in the house's drawing room into song lyrics.
[Madinger & Easter, p. 444.] These lines provided the repeated verse in "Ding Dong, Ding Dong": "Ring out the old, ring in the new" – which he took from the carving to the left of the fireplace – and "Ring out the false, ring in the true" – from the one to the right.
In his 1980 autobiography, ''
I, Me, Mine
''I, Me, Mine'' is an autobiographic memoir by the English musician George Harrison, formerly of The Beatles. It was published in 1980 as a hand-bound, limited edition book by Genesis Publications, with a mixture of printed text and multi-colou ...
'', Harrison credits English poet
Lord Tennyson
Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of his ...
as the original source for these lines.

Authors Chip Madinger and Mark Easter describe "Ding Dong" as the "quickest song" that Harrison ever wrote, in terms of time spent on the composition.
The words for the song's
middle eight
The 32-bar form, also known as the AABA song form, American popular song form and the ballad form, is a song structure commonly found in Tin Pan Alley songs and other American popular music, especially in the first half of the 20th century.
A ...
– "Yesterday, today was tomorrow / And tomorrow, today will be yesterday" – came from another pair of inscriptions from Crisp's time at Friar Park.
Harrison found these lines in what he called "the garden building",
[George Harrison, p. 280.] carved in stone around two matching windows.
The only other lyrics in "Ding Dong, Ding Dong" are the song title, repeated four times to serve as its
chorus
Chorus may refer to:
Music
* Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse
* Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound
* Chorus form, song in which all verse ...
.
[George Harrison, p. 279.] Sung in imitation of a clock chiming,
[Inglis, p. 46.][Allison, p. 140.] the chorus lyrics, combined with the message of those of the verse, lend the composition an obvious
New Year's theme.
[Spizer, p. 264.] Harrison later described the song as "very optimistic", and suggested: "Instead of getting stuck in a rut, everybody should try ringing out the old and ringing in the new …
eoplesing about it, but they never apply it to their lives."
Harrison's other singles from the early 1970s – "
My Sweet Lord
"My Sweet Lord" is a song by English musician George Harrison, released in November 1970 on his triple album '' All Things Must Pass''. It was also released as a single, Harrison's first as a solo artist, and topped charts worldwide; it was t ...
", "
What Is Life
"What Is Life" is a song by English rock musician George Harrison from his 1970 triple album ''All Things Must Pass''. In many countries, it was issued as the second single (music), single from the album, in February 1971, becoming a top-ten ...
", "
Bangla Desh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
" and "
Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)
"Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)" is a song by English musician George Harrison, released as the opening track of his 1973 album '' Living in the Material World''. It was also issued as the album's lead single, in May that year, and bec ...
" – were similarly written very quickly. In the case of "Ding Dong" and other tracks from the ''
Dark Horse
A dark horse is a previously lesser-known person or thing that emerges to prominence in a situation, especially in a competition involving multiple rivals, or a contestant that on paper should be unlikely to succeed but yet still might.
Origin
Th ...
'' album, however, author Simon Leng recognises this haste as an example of Harrison abandoning his careful approach to his own music over the 1973–74 period, while remaining a "painstaking craftsman" on his concurrent projects with
Ravi Shankar
Ravi Shankar (; born Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury, sometimes spelled as Rabindra Shankar Chowdhury; 7 April 1920 – 11 December 2012) was an Indian sitarist and composer. A sitar virtuoso, he became the world's best-known export of North In ...
and the vocal duo
Splinter
A splinter (also known as a sliver) is a fragment of a larger object, or a foreign body that penetrates or is purposely injected into a body. The foreign body must be lodged inside tissue to be considered a splinter. Splinters may cause initia ...
. Preceding this change, elements of the British media had ridiculed Harrison's continued association with the
Hare Krishna movement
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement or Hare Krishnas, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava Hindu religious organization. ISKCON was founded in 1966 in New York City by A. C. Bhaktive ...
, and some music critics had objected to the overtly spiritual content of his 1973 album ''
Living in the Material World
''Living in the Material World'' is the fourth studio album by English musician George Harrison, released in 1973 on Apple Records. As the follow-up to 1970's critically acclaimed ''All Things Must Pass'' and his pioneering charity project, th ...
''. With his marriage to
Pattie Boyd
Patricia Anne Boyd (born 17 March 1944) is an English model and photographer. She was one of the leading international models during the 1960s and, with Jean Shrimpton, epitomised the British female look of the era. Boyd married George Harris ...
all but over by the summer of 1973,
Harrison now wanted to be "one of the boys, not a spotlight-grabbing philosopher", according to Leng.
Production
Initial recording
Harrison recorded the rhythm track for "Ding Dong, Ding Dong" at his home studio,
FPSHOT, in late November 1973, during the first sessions for ''Dark Horse''. Aside from himself, on acoustic guitar, the other musicians on the track were
Gary Wright
Gary Malcolm Wright (born April 26, 1943) is an American musician and composer best known for his 1976 hit songs " Dream Weaver" and " Love Is Alive", and for his role in helping establish the synthesizer as a leading instrument in rock and po ...
(piano),
Klaus Voormann
Klaus Otto Wilhelm Voormann (born 29 April 1938) is a German artist, musician, and record producer.
Voormann was the bassist for Manfred Mann from 1966 to 1969, and performed as a session musician on a host of recordings, including " You're So ...
(bass),
Ringo Starr
Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...
and
Jim Keltner
James Lee Keltner (born April 27, 1942) is an American drummer and percussionist known primarily for his session work. He was characterized by Bob Dylan biographer Howard Sounes as "the leading session drummer in America".Howard Sounes. ''Down ...
(both on drums)
[Leng, p. 153.] – all of whom had appeared on ''Living in the Material World'' earlier in the year.
[Lindsay Planer]
"George Harrison 'Ding Dong, Ding Dong'"
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...
(retrieved 19 July 2016). The recording engineer was
Phil McDonald
Philip McDonald is an English recording studio audio engineer, best known as the engineer for EMI and later for Apple Records during the Beatles' studio years, along with Geoff Emerick and others. McDonald joined Apple as a senior balance engi ...
.
The sessions coincided with a period of domestic turbulence at Friar Park, with Harrison and Boyd both involved in extramarital affairs. They saw in the 1973–74 New Year with a party at Starr's
Tittenhurst Park
Tittenhurst Park is a Grade II listed early Georgian country house set in off London Road at Beggar's Bush near Ascot and over the parish border into Sunningdale, both in the English county of Berkshire. It was famously the home of musici ...
mansion – which was an "absolute dud" of a night, according to their friend Chris O'Dell, due to Harrison having openly declared his love for Starr's wife,
Maureen Starkey
Maureen Starkey Tigrett (born Mary Cox; 4 August 1946 – 30 December 1994), also known as Mo Starkey, was a hairdresser from Liverpool, England, best known as the first wife of Ringo Starr, the Beatles' drummer. When she was a trainee hair ...
, a few days before. Boyd recalls that Harrison told her at the party: "Let's have a divorce this year."
Overdubbing
Harrison included a rough
mix
Mix, mixes or mixing may refer to:
Persons & places
* Mix (surname)
** Tom Mix (1880-1940), American film star
* nickname of Mix Diskerud (born Mikkel, 1990), Norwegian-American soccer player
* Mix camp, an informal settlement in Namibia
* ...
of "Ding Dong" on a tape he sent to
Asylum Records
Asylum Records is an American record label, founded in 1971 by David Geffen and partner Elliot Roberts. It was taken over by Warner Communications (now the Warner Music Group) in 1972, and later merged with Elektra Records to become Elektra/Asyl ...
boss
David Geffen
David Lawrence Geffen (born February 21, 1943) is an American business magnate, producer and film studio executive. He co-created Asylum Records in 1971 with Elliot Roberts, Geffen Records in 1980, DGC Records in 1990, and DreamWorks SKG in 19 ...
in January 1974,
shortly before travelling to India to visit Shankar and escape his unhappy domestic situation with Boyd. The purpose of the tape was to find a distributor for albums by Harrison's future
Dark Horse Records
Dark Horse Records is a record label founded by former Beatle George Harrison in 1974. The label's formation coincided with the winding down of the Beatles' Apple Records and allowed Harrison to continue supporting other artists' projects whil ...
acts – ''
Shankar Family & Friends
''Shankar Family & Friends'' (stylised as ''Shankar Family Friends'' on the album cover) is an album by Indian musician Ravi Shankar, recorded primarily in Los Angeles during the spring of 1973, but not released until late 1974. It was produc ...
'' by Shankar, and Splinter's ''
The Place I Love'' – both of which had started off as Harrison productions for
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developm ...
'
Apple
An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus '' Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ances ...
record label. He added two songs of his own on the tape, with introductory comments about "Ding Dong".
[Leng, p. 154.]
As outlined to Geffen, Harrison went on to adopt the
Wall of Sound
The Wall of Sound (also called the Spector Sound) is a music production formula developed by American record producer Phil Spector at Gold Star Studios, in the 1960s, with assistance from engineer Larry Levine and the conglomerate of sessio ...
production technique of his former collaborator, American producer
Phil Spector
Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...
, in his subsequent work on the track.
[Leng, pp. 153–54.] Harrison's musical arrangement reflects the influence of the 1963 album ''
A Christmas Gift for You
''A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector'' (originally released as ''A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records'') is an LP album, album of Christmas songs, produced by Phil Spector, and originally released as Philles Records, Philles 4005 ...
'',
which contained Spector-produced songs by
the Ronettes
The Ronettes were an American girl group from Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York City. The group consisted of lead singer Veronica Bennett (later known as Ronnie Spector), her older sister Estelle Bennett, and their cousin Nedra Talley. ...
,
the Crystals
The Crystals are an American vocal group that originated in New York City. Considered one of the defining acts of the girl group era in the first half of the 1960s, their 1961–1964 chart hits – including " There's No Other (Like My Baby)" ...
and
Darlene Love
Darlene Wright (born July 26, 1941), known professionally as Darlene Love, is an American singer and actress. She was the lead singer of the girl group the Blossoms and she also recorded as a solo artist.
She began singing as a child with he ...
, while more recently Spector had co-produced the Apple Records single "
Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
"Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" is a Christmas song released in 1971 as a single by John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band with the Harlem Community Choir. It was the seventh single release by John Lennon outside his work with the Beatles. The song reach ...
" single, by
John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
and
Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野 洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking.
Ono grew up i ...
.
Some authors claim that with "Ding Dong", Harrison set out to create a seasonal "classic",
in an attempt to match the British chart success of "Happy Xmas" and particularly of
Slade
Slade are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Wolverhampton in 1966. They rose to prominence during the glam rock era in the early 1970s, achieving 17 consecutive top 20 hits and six number ones on the UK Singles Chart. The ''British H ...
's "
Merry Xmas Everybody
"Merry Xmas Everybody" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released as a non-album single in 1973. The song was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and it was produced by Chas Chandler. It was the band's sixth and ...
"
[Clayson, p. 343.] and
Wizzard
Wizzard were an English rock band formed by Roy Wood, former member of the Move and co-founder of the Electric Light Orchestra. ''The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits'' states, "Wizzard was Roy Wood just as much as Wings was Paul McCartn ...
's "
I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday
"I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" is a Christmas song recorded by British glam rock band Wizzard. It was first released in December 1973 and, as with most Wizzard songs, was written and produced by the band's frontman Roy Wood—formerly ...
" – two
glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was performed by musicians who wore outrageous costumes, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists drew on div ...
singles that were major UK hits over the winter of 1973–74.
Leng cites the inclusion on the finished version of "Ding Dong" of
harmonium
The pump organ is a type of free-reed organ that generates sound as air flows past a vibrating piece of thin metal in a frame. The piece of metal is called a reed. Specific types of pump organ include the reed organ, harmonium, and melodeon. T ...
and
distorted electric guitars, similar to the Slade hit, while Harrison's use of
baritone saxophones, two drummers and
tubular bells
Tubular bells (also known as chimes) are musical instruments in the percussion family. Their sound resembles that of church bells, carillon, or a bell tower; the original tubular bells were made to duplicate the sound of church bells wit ...
, together with a female choir,
matched the arrangement on "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday",
which was heavily influenced by Spector's sound. Having incorporated aspects of Spector's technique on ''Material World'',
[Stephen Holden]
"George Harrison, ''Living in the Material World''"
, ''Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...
'', 19 July 1973, p. 54 (retrieved 18 July 2016). Harrison's aim with "Ding Dong, Ding Dong", according to Leng, was an update of the Wall of Sound that reflected "the glam rock mood of the day".
Harrison
overdubbed
Overdubbing (also known as layering) is a technique used in audio recording in which audio tracks that have been pre-recorded are then played back and monitored, while simultaneously recording new, doubled, or augmented tracks onto one or more av ...
call-and-response guitar
riff
A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or accompanim ...
s by
Alvin Lee
Alvin Lee (born Graham Anthony Barnes; 19 December 1944 – 6 March 2013) was an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known as the lead vocalist and lead guitarist of the blues rock band Ten Years After.
Early life
He w ...
and
Ron Wood Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald.
Ron or RON may also refer to:
Arts and media
* Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character
* Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character
*Ron Douglas, the protagonist in '' Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...
onto the 1973 rhythm track,
as well as his own
slide guitars.
Further overdubs included baritone and
tenor
A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors i ...
saxophone parts by
Tom Scott,
[Michael Gross, "George Harrison: How ''Dark Horse'' Whipped Up a Winning Tour", '']Circus Raves
A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicycl ...
'', March 1975; available a
Rock's Backpages
(subscription required). and a second acoustic guitar, played by
Mick Jones.
Harrison also contributed on organ,
clavinet and percussion,
["George's original nnersleeve design for the album ''Dark Horse''" (sample album credits), ''Dark Horse'' CD booklet (]Apple Records
Apple Records is a record label founded by the Beatles in 1968 as a division of Apple Corps Ltd. It was initially intended as a creative outlet for the Beatles, both as a group and individually, plus a selection of other artists including ...
, 2014; produced by George Harrison), p. 8. the last of which included tubular bells (or chimes),
sleigh bell
A jingle bell or sleigh bell is a type of bell which produces a distinctive 'jingle' sound, especially in large numbers. They find use in many areas as a percussion instrument, including the classic Sled, sleigh bell sound and Morris dance, ...
s and
zither
Zithers (; , from the Greek word ''cithara'') are a class of stringed instruments. Historically, the name has been applied to any instrument of the psaltery family, or to an instrument consisting of many strings stretched across a thin, flat ...
.
Harrison's workload ensured that he was rushing to finish ''Dark Horse'' in October 1974 before beginning his
North American tour with Shankar on 2 November.
[Madinger & Easter, pp. 442–43.] Described by Leng as "growled", Harrison's rough-sounding singing on "Ding Dong" shows the effects of a long-standing throat problem.
Due to a combination of overexertion and abuse, this condition worsened,
[David Cavanagh, "George Harrison: The Dark Horse", '']Uncut
Uncut may refer to:
* ''Uncut'' (film), a 1997 Canadian docudrama film by John Greyson about censorship
* ''Uncut'' (magazine), a monthly British magazine with a focus on music, which began publishing in May 1997
* '' BET: Uncut'', a Black Enter ...
'', August 2008, pp. 43–44. leading to him contracting
laryngitis
Laryngitis is inflammation of the larynx (voice box). Symptoms often include a hoarse voice and may include fever, cough, pain in the front of the neck, and trouble swallowing. Typically, these last under two weeks.
Laryngitis is categorise ...
as he simultaneously completed his vocals for the album in Los Angeles and rehearsed for the tour. The female backing singers on the track remain uncredited.
Release

In the United Kingdom, "Ding Dong, Ding Dong" was released as the
lead single
A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
Release ...
from ''Dark Horse'' on 6 December 1974 (as Apple R 6002).
[Castleman & Podrazik, p. 144.] The
B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...
was "
I Don't Care Anymore
"I Don't Care Anymore" is a song written, performed, and produced by English drummer Phil Collins (with co-production by Hugh Padgham). It was the second US single from Collins' second solo album, '' Hello, I Must Be Going!'' (1982). It did not ...
", a non-album track that Harrison recorded in a single take, specifically for the single.
[Timothy White, "George Harrison: Reconsidered", '']Musician
A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who w ...
'', November 1987, p. 65.
In the United States, where "
Dark Horse
A dark horse is a previously lesser-known person or thing that emerges to prominence in a situation, especially in a competition involving multiple rivals, or a contestant that on paper should be unlikely to succeed but yet still might.
Origin
Th ...
" had already been issued in advance of the album, "Ding Dong" was coupled with the instrumental "
Hari's on Tour (Express)
"Hari's on Tour (Express)" is an instrumental by English musician George Harrison, released as the opening track of his 1974 album '' Dark Horse''. It was also the B-side of the album's second single – which was "Ding Dong, Ding Dong" in Nor ...
" and released two days before Christmas (as Apple 1879).
Apple issued
white label
A white label record is a vinyl record with white labels attached. There are several variations each with a different purpose. Variations include test pressings, white label promos, and plain white labels.
Test pressings
Test pressings, usua ...
promotional discs to US radio stations, containing a 3:12 edit of the song.
[Spizer, p. 269.] The single was available in a picture sleeve consisting of the song lyrics printed on an off-white background, with stamped
Om symbols and the FPSHOT logo. The record's A-side face label included a photo of Harrison's new girlfriend,
Olivia Arias
Olivia Trinidad Harrison (née Arias; born May 18, 1948) is an American author and film producer, and the widow of English musician George Harrison of the Beatles. She first worked in the music industry in Los Angeles, for A&M Records, where s ...
, above the song information, whereas the UK single had Harrison's face on both sides.
On the ''Dark Horse''
LP, the two face labels similarly alternated between a picture of Harrison and one of Arias.
[Spizer, p. 265.] Combined with the positioning of "Ding Dong" as the opening track on side two, this detail gave the impression that the song represented Harrison's ushering-in of his future wife and a farewell to Boyd. In the album's inner-sleeve credits, Harrison listed one of the guitarists on the track as "Ron Would if you let him", a reference to Wood's brief affair with Boyd before she took up with
Eric Clapton.
[Rodriguez, p. 142.] He also acknowledged Frank Crisp for having provided "spirit" on the recording. In another farewell to the past, Harrison signed the so-called "Beatles Agreement" papers in New York on 19 December, further severing the four former bandmates from the group's legal identity.
Rather than the smash hit that Harrison had hoped for,
"Ding Dong" was only moderately successful.
The single peaked at number 38 in Britain
and number 36 on America's
''Billboard'' Hot 100.
Madinger and Easter write that the single did "remarkably well", however, given that it was issued too late to take advantage of holiday-season programming.
Harrison's single enjoyed more success internationally, climbing to number 10 in the Netherlands
and number 12 in Belgium.
Despite "Ding Dong" having had what author
Bruce Spizer
David "Bruce" Spizer (born July 2, 1955) is a tax attorney in New Orleans, Louisiana, who is also recognized as an expert on the Beatles. He has published thirteen books, and is frequently quoted as an authority on the history of the band an ...
terms a "respectable" chart run in America,
Apple distributor
Capitol Records
Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...
omitted the song from its 1976 compilation ''
The Best of George Harrison
''The Best of George Harrison'' is a 1976 compilation album by English musician George Harrison, released following the expiration of his EMI-affiliated Apple Records contract. Uniquely among all of the four Beatles' solo releases, apart from ...
'', which the company issued after Harrison had moved on to Dark Horse Records. Following ''Dark Horse''s CD release in 1992, the song was unavailable in newly
remastered
Remaster refers to changing the quality of the sound or of the image, or both, of previously created recordings, either audiophonic, cinematic, or videographic. The terms digital remastering and digitally remastered are also used.
Mastering
A ...
form until the ''
Apple Years'' Harrison reissues, released in September 2014.
[Joe Marchese]
"Review: The George Harrison Remasters – 'The Apple Years 1968–1975'"
''The Second Disc'', 23 September 2014 (retrieved 28 September 2014).
Critical reception
Contemporary reviews
The majority of music critics were unimpressed with "Ding Dong, Ding Dong",
[Peter Doggett, "George Harrison: The Apple Years", '']Record Collector
''Record Collector'' is a British monthly music magazine. It was founded in 1980 and distributes worldwide.
History The early years
The first standalone issue of ''Record Collector'' was published in March 1980, though its history stretches ba ...
'', April 2001, p. 39. and its release came in the wake of unfavourable reviews for the North American tour.
In keeping with the song's message, Harrison refused to celebrate the past in his concerts by pandering to nostalgia for the Beatles,
and many in the mainstream music press criticised the poor state of his voice and his decision to feature Ravi Shankar so heavily in the program.
In the UK,
BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
DJ
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...
called "Ding Dong" "repetitive and dull" and accused Harrison of complacency, while the ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
''s
Bob Woffinden
Robert Woffinden (31 January 1948 – 1 May 2018) was a British investigative journalist. Formerly a reporter with the '' New Musical Express'', he later specialised in investigating miscarriages of justice. He wrote about a number of high-prof ...
derided ''Dark Horse'' as "Just stuff and nonsense", adding: "You keep looking for saving graces, for words of enthusiasm to pass on – 'Ding Dong', you begin to think, for all its inane lyrics, has some ''spirit'', but it really is very slight."
[Bob Woffinden, "George Harrison: ''Dark Horse''", '']NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'', 21 December 1974; available a
Rock's Backpages
(subscription required). Harrison's standing there was not helped by the presence of "I Don't Care Anymore" on the B-side,
due to its casual delivery and the literal message in the song title.
[Spizer, p. 260.] In a more favourable review, for ''
Melody Maker
''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...
'', Chris Irwin wrote of the single:
We've come to expect something with more substance than this glorified nursery rhyme from one of the most important musicians of the decade. True, it's catchy with a full chunky sound to bounce it along, but with an undeniable infectiousness of the sort normally associated with chicken pox or measles ... Curiously, records of such banality have a habit of selling in their zillions and this is bound to be a biggie. Hit.
Jim Miller of ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...
'' condemned Harrison for releasing an album with his voice blown and for his apparent disdain towards the Beatles' legacy. He dismissed the song as "a raspy stab at '
Auld Lang Syne
"Auld Lang Syne" (: note "s" rather than "z") is a popular song, particularly in the English-speaking world. Traditionally, it is sung to bid farewell to the old year at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve. By extension, it is also often ...
'". In ''
High Fidelity'',
Mike Jahn
Mike may refer to:
Animals
* Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum
* Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off
* Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...
wrote that of all the songs on ''Dark Horse'', only "Ding Dong, Ding Dong" registered with him after three listens, but only due to his incredulity at the lyrics.
By contrast,
Michael Gross, writing in ''
Circus Raves
A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicycl ...
'', defended Harrison's move away from the past, saying that ''Dark Horse'' matched the critically acclaimed ''All Things Must Pass'', "surpassing it, at times, with its clarity of production and lovely songs", and he praised "Ding Dong", the title track and the Harrison–Ron Wood collaboration "
Far East Man
"Far East Man" is a song written by English rock musicians George Harrison and Ronnie Wood, each of whom released a recording of the song in 1974. Wood's version appeared on ''I've Got My Own Album to Do'', his debut solo album, and Harrison' ...
" as "all, simply, good songs".
While remarking on the surprisingly late release for a holiday-season single, ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
''s reviewer deemed the track an "Extremely listenable performance" and added: "George has a genuine hit sound to offer here that's just right for those early January time-to-change resolutions. Catchy, heavily percussive production in Harrison's uptempo
guru
Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverentia ...
vein … Get on it,
jock
Jock may refer to:
Common meanings
* Jock (stereotype), a North American term for a stereotypical male athlete
* Jock, a derogatory term for Scottish people mostly used by the English
* Short for jockstrap, an item of male protective undergarmen ...
s." ''
Cash Box'' described the single as a "rocking replacement for 'Auld Lang Syne,' featuring some of George's most inspiring production". The reviewer said that "Optimism reigns supreme and the driving beat makes anything seem possible" and highlighted the "spectacular finale with chimes, saxes and guitars thundering along".
In the 1978 edition of ''
The Beatles: An Illustrated Record'',
Roy Carr
Roy Carr (1945 – 1 July 2018) was an English music journalist, covering pop, rock and jazz. He joined the ''New Musical Express (NME)'' in the late 1960s, and edited ''NME'', '' Vox'' and ''Melody Maker'' magazines.
Biography
Born in Blackpo ...
and
Tony Tyler
James Edward Anthony Tyler (31 October 1943 in Bristol – 28 October 2006 in Hastings, East Sussex) was a British writer who authored several books and wrote for the ''NME'','' Macworld'', ''MacUser'', ''PC Pro'' and '' Computer Shopper''.
He j ...
dismissed the song as "meticulously-played emptiness, a charmless reworking of the traditional peal o' bells" before concluding: "A pox on it." Writing in his 1977 book ''The Beatles Forever'',
Nicholas Schaffner
Nicholas Schaffner (January 28, 1953 – August 28, 1991) was an American non-fiction author, journalist, and singer-songwriter.
Biography
Schaffner was born in Manhattan to John V. Schaffner (1913–1983), a literary agent whose clients includ ...
rued that "the exquisite, painstaking arrangements" of Harrison's earlier albums were absent from ''Dark Horse'', and labelled "Ding Dong" "a string of greeting-card clichés with trite music to match".
[Schaffner, p. 178.]
Retrospective assessments and legacy
In his song review for
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...
, Lindsay Planer writes of "Ding Dong, Ding Dong": "While arguably simplistic, both lyrics and tune boast Harrison's trademark optimism, especially during the affable and repeated chorus of 'Ring out the old/Ring in the new/Ring out the false/Ring in the true.'"
Harrison biographer
Alan Clayson
Alan Clayson (born 3 May 1951, Dover, Kent) is an English singer-songwriter, author and music journalist. He gained popularity in the late 1970s as leader of the band Clayson and the Argonauts. In addition to contributing to publications such as ' ...
acknowledges the traditional pop merits of the song while explaining its underachievement: "With a chirpy-chirpy cheapness worthy of ''
Red Rose Speedway
''Red Rose Speedway'' is the second studio album by the British–American rock band Wings, although credited to "Paul McCartney and Wings". The album was released by Beatles-owned label Apple Records in April 1973, preceded by its lead single, ...
'', 'Ding Dong, Ding Dong' had all the credentials of a Yuletide smash but none that actually grabbed the public." Writing for ''
Goldmine
Goldmine may refer to:
* A location where gold mining takes place
* ''Goldmine'' (magazine), a music collectibles magazine
* ''Goldmine'', a 2007 album by Silvía Night
* ''Goldmine'' (Gabby Barrett album), 2020
* ''Goldmine'' (Silvía Night a ...
'' in January 2002,
Dave Thompson described it as "sweetly simplistic" and "a sterling stab at a Christmas anthem … that deserved far better than its low Top 40 chart placings in the U.S. and Britain".
[Dave Thompson, "The Music of George Harrison: An album-by-album guide", '']Goldmine
Goldmine may refer to:
* A location where gold mining takes place
* ''Goldmine'' (magazine), a music collectibles magazine
* ''Goldmine'', a 2007 album by Silvía Night
* ''Goldmine'' (Gabby Barrett album), 2020
* ''Goldmine'' (Silvía Night a ...
'', 25 January 2002, p. 17.
In his 2010 book on Harrison for the
Praeger Singer-Songwriter series, Ian Inglis comments that the song had neither the "overt political message" of Lennon's Christmas single nor the "unashamed commercialism" of
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. On ...
's "
Wonderful Christmastime
"Wonderful Christmastime" is a Christmas song by English musician Paul McCartney. Recorded during the sessions for his solo album ''McCartney II'' (1980), it was released in November 1979 following Wings' final album ''Back to the Egg'' earlier ...
", and writes that "Ding Dong"'s "somewhat halfhearted festive appeal" seems out of place on ''Dark Horse''.
Simon Leng views the song as an "intermittently amusing rocker", but with the perilous state of Harrison's voice on the recording, "Ding Dong" would have benefited from "hibernating another winter".
Author Robert Rodriguez opines that whereas Harrison's "rough-hewn" vocals on "Dark Horse" had enhanced that song, his "
Father Time
Father Time is a personification of time. In recent centuries he is usually depicted as an elderly bearded man, sometimes with wings, dressed in a robe and carrying a scythe and an hourglass or other timekeeping device.
As an image, "Father ...
impression" did nothing for "Ding Dong".
Among reviews of the 2014 ''
Apple Years'' reissue of ''Dark Horse'', ''
Paste
Paste is a term for any very thick viscous fluid. It may refer to:
Science and technology
* Adhesive or paste
** Wallpaper paste
** Wheatpaste, A liquid adhesive made from vegetable starch and water
* Paste (rheology), a substance that behaves a ...
''s Robert Ham refers to the song as "a Christmas anthem … that is as infectious as McCartney's 'Wonderful Christmastime' and as globally minded as Lennon's 'Happy Xmas (War Is Over)'".
[Robert Ham]
"George Harrison: ''The Apple Years: 1968–1975'' Review"
''Paste
Paste is a term for any very thick viscous fluid. It may refer to:
Science and technology
* Adhesive or paste
** Wallpaper paste
** Wheatpaste, A liquid adhesive made from vegetable starch and water
* Paste (rheology), a substance that behaves a ...
'', 24 September 2014 (retrieved 28 September 2014). Conversely,
Paul Trynka
Paul Trynka is a British rock journalist and author. He was the editor of the music magazine '' Mojo'' from 1999 to 2003, and has also worked as editorial director of '' Q'' and editor of ''International Musician''. In 2004, he edited publisher D ...
of ''
Classic Rock
Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, prim ...
'' singles out "Ding Dong, Ding Dong" as the one song that "embarrasses" on an album that is otherwise "packed with beautiful, small-scale moments". Trynka labels it "George's own Frog Chorus", with reference to McCartney's 1984 children's song, "
We All Stand Together
"We All Stand Together" (sometimes referred to as the Frog Song or the Frog Chorus) is a song by Paul McCartney and the Frog Chorus.
History
"We All Stand Together" is from the animated film ''Rupert and the Frog Song'' and reached number three ...
", and adds: "its clunking glam evokes those horrible 70s TV shows where DJs drool over dollybirds in hotpants."
In December 1999, while promoting his album ''
I Wanna Be Santa Claus
''I Wanna Be Santa Claus'' is the 12th studio album by Ringo Starr. A Christmas album, it was issued in 1999.
Background and recording
Ringo Starr and musical partner Mark Hudson composed "Dear Santa" and "Christmas Eve" in July 1998 at Starr's ...
'', Starr hosted a Christmas-themed radio show for New York's MJI Broadcasting, during which he featured "Ding Dong" along with the singles by Lennon and McCartney, as well as seasonal recordings by Spector and by a selection of
Motown
Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''mot ...
artists. Harrison's track still receives airplay over the Christmas–New Year period.
Unlike "Happy Xmas", however, and, to a lesser extent, "Wonderful Christmastime",
"Ding Dong" never achieved the status of a perennial holiday classic.
Promo clip
Harrison compiled a
16mm
16 mm film is a historically popular and economical gauge of film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 and 35 mm. It is generally used for non-theatrical (e.g., industrial, ed ...
colour film for "Ding Dong, Ding Dong", the first time he made a promotional clip for one of his singles.
[Badman, p. 146.] The film was little seen at the time of release;
it was first broadcast in January 1975, on UK television, and then on the French network
TF1
TF1 (; standing for ''Télévision Française 1'') is a French commercial television network owned by TF1 Group, controlled by the Bouygues conglomerate. TF1's average market share of 24% makes it the most popular domestic network.
TF1 is pa ...
's show ''Midi Premiere'' in May that year. The video was issued officially on disc eight of Harrison's ''
Apple Years 1968–75'' box set in September 2014.
[Kory Grow]
"George Harrison's First Six Studio Albums to Get Lavish Reissues"
, rollingstone.com
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its c ...
, 2 September 2014 (retrieved 28 September 2014). Described as "a hoot" by Robert Rodriguez,
[Rodriguez, p. 201.] it conveys what Harrison deemed the "comical" aspect of the song. Leng describes the clip as "sporadically amusing" and says of its content: "As the audiences at the Dark Horse Tour concerts were about to discover, the only 'old' that he wanted to 'ring out' was the Beatles."
Harrison appears in a range of Beatles-related costumes while miming to the track.
His attire in these scenes represents a chronology of periods in the band's career
– starting with the
Hamburg-era black leathers, followed by 1963
mop-top wig and
grey collarless suit, and then the iconic ''
Sgt. Pepper
''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' is the eighth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Released on 26May 1967, ''Sgt. Pepper'' is regarded by musicologists as an early concept album that advanced the roles of sound composi ...
'' uniform from 1967.
[Pieper, p. 146.] During these scenes, he plays a mix of guitars, including his famous
Rickenbacker
Rickenbacker International Corporation is a string instrument manufacturer based in Santa Ana, California. The company is credited as the first known maker of electric guitars – a steel guitar in 1932 – and today produces a rang ...
12-string,
as used in the Beatles' 1964 film ''
A Hard Day's Night'',
and the
Gibson Les Paul
The Gibson Les Paul is a solid body electric guitar that was first sold by the Gibson Guitar Corporation in 1952. The guitar was designed by factory manager John Huis and his team with input from and endorsement by guitarist Les Paul. Its typica ...
(christened "
Lucy
Lucy is an English feminine given name derived from the Latin masculine given name Lucius with the meaning ''as of light'' (''born at dawn or daylight'', maybe also ''shiny'', or ''of light complexion''). Alternative spellings are Luci, Luce, ...
") that Clapton had used on the recording of "
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 double album ''The Beatles'' (also known as "the White Album"). It was written by George Harrison, the band's lead guitarist. Harrison wrote "While M ...
" in September 1968. The ''Sgt. Pepper'' portion shows Harrison playing a
tuba
The tuba (; ) is the lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece (brass), mouthpiece. It first appeared in the mid-19th&n ...
while, behind him, an Indian man plays a
sitar
The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in medieval India, flourished in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form i ...
.
Harrison also re-creates Lennon and Ono's ''
Two Virgins
2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many culture ...
'' album cover, by appearing naked save for an acoustic guitar and a pair of furry boots.
Another change of costume and instrument, to denims and
dobro
Dobro is an American brand of resonator guitars, currently owned by Gibson and manufactured by its subsidiary Epiphone. The term "dobro" is also used as a generic term for any wood-bodied, single-cone resonator guitar.
The Dobro was origin ...
, supports his stated rejection during the tour of early-'70s era, "
Bangla Desh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
George".
Harrison is also seen walking around the grounds of Friar Park.
In these scenes, he wears scruffy, present-day attire that represents "his own, new identity", according to Leng, who likens Harrison's appearance to the character on the cover of
Jethro Tull's ''
Aqualung'' album. Harrison mimes the final choruses inside the house, filmed in close-up and surrounded by a cast of "dwarfs, gnomes and other
Pythonesque
Monty Python (also collectively known as the Pythons) were a British comedy troupe who created the sketch comedy television show ''Monty Python's Flying Circus'', which first aired on the BBC in 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four ...
characters".
At the end of the clip, he is seen at the flagpole on the roof of the house, replacing a
pirate standard with his yellow-and-red Om flag
– a gesture that was the opposite of Boyd's when she learned of Harrison's affair with Maureen Starkey.
[Boyd, pp. 174–75.] The video was directed by Harrison and filmed by Nick Knowland.
[Joe Marchese]
"Give Me Love: George Harrison’s 'Apple Years' Are Collected On New Box Set"
''The Second Disc'', 2 September 2014 (retrieved 28 September 2014).
Personnel
Adapted from Harrison's original handwritten credits, as reproduced in the 2014 ''Dark Horse'' CD booklet:
*
George Harrison – vocals, 12-string acoustic guitar,
slide guitars,
organ,
clavinet, percussion, backing vocals
*
Tom Scott – saxophones, horn arrangement
*
Gary Wright
Gary Malcolm Wright (born April 26, 1943) is an American musician and composer best known for his 1976 hit songs " Dream Weaver" and " Love Is Alive", and for his role in helping establish the synthesizer as a leading instrument in rock and po ...
– piano
*
Klaus Voormann
Klaus Otto Wilhelm Voormann (born 29 April 1938) is a German artist, musician, and record producer.
Voormann was the bassist for Manfred Mann from 1966 to 1969, and performed as a session musician on a host of recordings, including " You're So ...
– bass
*
Jim Keltner
James Lee Keltner (born April 27, 1942) is an American drummer and percussionist known primarily for his session work. He was characterized by Bob Dylan biographer Howard Sounes as "the leading session drummer in America".Howard Sounes. ''Down ...
– drums
*
Ringo Starr
Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...
– drums
*
Ron Wood Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald.
Ron or RON may also refer to:
Arts and media
* Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character
* Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character
*Ron Douglas, the protagonist in '' Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...
– electric guitar
*
Alvin Lee
Alvin Lee (born Graham Anthony Barnes; 19 December 1944 – 6 March 2013) was an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known as the lead vocalist and lead guitarist of the blues rock band Ten Years After.
Early life
He w ...
– electric guitar
*
Mick Jones – acoustic guitar
*''uncredited'' – female choir
Chart positions
Notes
References
Sources
*
Dale C. Allison Jr, ''The Love There That's Sleeping: The Art and Spirituality of George Harrison'', Continuum (New York, NY, 2006; ).
* Keith Badman, ''The Beatles Diary Volume 2: After the Break-Up 1970–2001'', Omnibus Press (London, 2001; ).
*
Pattie Boyd
Patricia Anne Boyd (born 17 March 1944) is an English model and photographer. She was one of the leading international models during the 1960s and, with Jean Shrimpton, epitomised the British female look of the era. Boyd married George Harris ...
(with
Penny Junor
Penelope Jane Junor (born 6 October 1949) is an English journalist and author.
Early life and education
Born in Leatherhead, Surrey, Junor was educated at Benenden School in Kent. Her father was the newspaper editor Sir John Junor and her br ...
), ''Wonderful Today: The Autobiography'', Headline Review (London, 2007; ).
*
Roy Carr
Roy Carr (1945 – 1 July 2018) was an English music journalist, covering pop, rock and jazz. He joined the ''New Musical Express (NME)'' in the late 1960s, and edited ''NME'', '' Vox'' and ''Melody Maker'' magazines.
Biography
Born in Blackpo ...
&
Tony Tyler
James Edward Anthony Tyler (31 October 1943 in Bristol – 28 October 2006 in Hastings, East Sussex) was a British writer who authored several books and wrote for the ''NME'','' Macworld'', ''MacUser'', ''PC Pro'' and '' Computer Shopper''.
He j ...
, ''The Beatles: An Illustrated Record'', Trewin Copplestone Publishing (London, 1978; ).
* Harry Castleman & Walter J. Podrazik, ''All Together Now: The First Complete Beatles Discography 1961–1975'', Ballantine Books (New York, NY, 1976; ).
*
Alan Clayson
Alan Clayson (born 3 May 1951, Dover, Kent) is an English singer-songwriter, author and music journalist. He gained popularity in the late 1970s as leader of the band Clayson and the Argonauts. In addition to contributing to publications such as ' ...
, ''George Harrison'', Sanctuary (London, 2003; ).
*
Peter Doggett
Peter Doggett (born 30 June 1957) is an English music journalist, author and magazine editor. He began his career in music journalism in 1980, when he joined the London-based magazine ''Record Collector''. He subsequently served as the editor ...
, ''You Never Give Me Your Money: The Beatles After the Breakup'', It Books (New York, NY, 2011; ).
* The Editors of ''Rolling Stone'', ''Harrison'', Rolling Stone Press/Simon & Schuster (New York, NY, 2002; ).
* Joshua M. Greene, ''Here Comes the Sun: The Spiritual and Musical Journey of George Harrison'', John Wiley & Sons (Hoboken, NJ, 2006; ).
*
George Harrison, ''I Me Mine'', Chronicle Books (San Francisco, CA, 2002
980
Year 980 ( CMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place Europe
* Peace is concluded between Emperor Otto II (the Red) and King Lothair III (or Lothair IV) a ...
).
*
Olivia Harrison
Olivia Trinidad Harrison (née Arias; born May 18, 1948) is an American author and film producer, and the widow of English musician George Harrison of the Beatles. She first worked in the music industry in Los Angeles, for A&M Records, where s ...
, ''George Harrison: Living in the Material World'', Abrams (New York, NY, 2011; ).
* Elliot J. Huntley, ''Mystical One: George Harrison – After the Break-up of the Beatles'', Guernica Editions (Toronto, ON, 2006; ).
* Ian Inglis, ''The Words and Music of George Harrison'', Praeger (Santa Barbara, CA, 2010; ).
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Ashley Kahn
Ashley Kahn is an American music historian, journalist, and producer. Kahn graduated from Columbia University in 1983.
In 2014, Kahn co-authored the autobiography of Carlos Santana, titled ''The Universal Tone: Bringing My Story To Light''. To dat ...
(ed.), ''George Harrison on George Harrison: Interviews and Encounters'', Chicago Review Press (Chicago, IL, 2020; ).
* Simon Leng, ''While My Guitar Gently Weeps: The Music of George Harrison'', Hal Leonard (Milwaukee, WI, 2006; ).
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Ian MacDonald
Ian MacCormick (known by the pseudonym Ian MacDonald; 3 October 1948 – 20 August 2003) was a British music critic and author, best known for both '' Revolution in the Head'', his critical history of the Beatles which borrowed techniques from ...
, ''Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties'', Pimlico (London, 1998; ).
* Chip Madinger & Mark Easter, ''Eight Arms to Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium'', 44.1 Productions (Chesterfield, MO, 2000; ).
* Chris O'Dell (with Katherine Ketcham), ''Miss O'Dell: My Hard Days and Long Nights with The Beatles, The Stones, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, and the Women They Loved'', Touchstone (New York, NY, 2009; ).
* Jörg Pieper, ''The Solo Beatles Film & TV Chronicle 1971–1980'', Premium Förlag (Stockholm, 2012; ).
* Robert Rodriguez, ''Fab Four FAQ 2.0: The Beatles' Solo Years, 1970–1980'', Backbeat Books (Milwaukee, WI, 2010; ).
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Nicholas Schaffner
Nicholas Schaffner (January 28, 1953 – August 28, 1991) was an American non-fiction author, journalist, and singer-songwriter.
Biography
Schaffner was born in Manhattan to John V. Schaffner (1913–1983), a literary agent whose clients includ ...
, ''The Beatles Forever'', McGraw-Hill (New York, NY, 1978; ).
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Mat Snow
Mat Snow (born 20 October 1958) is an English music journalist, magazine editor, and author. From 1995 to 1999, he was the editor of '' Mojo'' magazine; he subsequently served in the same role on the football magazine ''FourFourTwo''.
During the ...
, ''The Beatles Solo: The Illustrated Chronicles of John, Paul, George, and Ringo After the Beatles'' (Volume 3: ''George''), Race Point Publishing (New York, NY, 2013; ).
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Bruce Spizer
David "Bruce" Spizer (born July 2, 1955) is a tax attorney in New Orleans, Louisiana, who is also recognized as an expert on the Beatles. He has published thirteen books, and is frequently quoted as an authority on the history of the band an ...
, ''The Beatles Solo on Apple Records'', 498 Productions (New Orleans, LA, 2005; ).
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Gary Tillery
Gary Tillery is an American writer and artist known for his biographies focusing on the spiritual lives of famous figures, and for his public sculptures. His 2009 book, ''The Cynical Idealist'', was named the official book of the 2010 John Lennon ...
, ''Working Class Mystic: A Spiritual Biography of George Harrison'', Quest Books (Wheaton, IL, 2011; ).
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Richard Williams, ''Phil Spector: Out of His Head'', Omnibus Press (London, 2003; ).
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Bob Woffinden
Robert Woffinden (31 January 1948 – 1 May 2018) was a British investigative journalist. Formerly a reporter with the '' New Musical Express'', he later specialised in investigating miscarriages of justice. He wrote about a number of high-prof ...
, ''The Beatles Apart'', Proteus (London, 1981; ).
External links
Harrison's 1974 music video for the song on YouTube
{{authority control
1974 songs
1974 singles
George Harrison songs
Apple Records singles
Songs written by George Harrison
Song recordings produced by George Harrison
Music published by Oops Publishing and Ganga Publishing, B.V.
Song recordings with Wall of Sound arrangements
British Christmas songs