"Māya Love" is a song by English musician George Harrison, released on his 1974 album '' Dark Horse''. The song originated as a slide guitar tune, to which Harrison later added lyrics relating to the illusory nature of love – ''

maya Maya may refer to: Civilizations * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (Ethiopia), a popul ...

'' being a

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

term for "illusion", or "that which is not". Harrison's biographers consider the lyrical theme to be reflective of his failed 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 Harri ...

, who left him for his friend Eric Clapton shortly before the words were written. Harrison recorded the song at his 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. ...

, on the eve of his North American tour 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 ...

, which took place in November and December 1974. The recording features Harrison's slide guitar extensively and contributions from four musicians who formed the nucleus of his tour band: Billy Preston, Tom Scott,

Willie Weeks Willie Weeks (born August 5, 1947) is an American bass guitarist. He has gained fame performing with famous musicians in a wide variety of genres. He has been one of the most in-demand session musicians throughout his career. Weeks has also ...

and Andy Newmark. Reviewers note the track as an example of its parent album's more diverse musical genres, namely funk and

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

, compared with the more traditional

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

orientation of Harrison's earlier solo work. Harrison played "Māya Love" throughout his 1974 tour, although no live recording has ever been officially released. The song later appeared as the B-side of Harrison's second single off his 1975 album '' Extra Texture'', "

This Guitar (Can't Keep from Crying) "This Guitar (Can't Keep from Crying)" is a song by English rock musician George Harrison, released on his 1975 studio album '' Extra Texture (Read All About It)''. Harrison wrote the song as a sequel to his popular Beatles composition "While ...

", which was the final release by

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 Ma ...

in its original incarnation.

Background and composition

In his single sentence discussing "Māya Love" in ''

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-colour ...

'', his 1980 autobiography, George Harrison states that he wrote the song "purely as a slide guitar tune with the words added later". His handwritten lyrics for the song include mention of

open E tuning Open E tuning is a tuning for guitar: low to high, E-B-E-G-B-E. Compared to standard tuning, two strings are two semitones higher and one string is one semitone higher. The intervals are identical to those found in open D tuning. In fact, it i ...

,Harrison, p. 271. Harrison's preferred alternative tuning and one he used for his other slide guitar compositions during the first half of the 1970s, such as " Woman Don't You Cry for Me", " Sue Me, Sue You Blues" and " Hari's on Tour (Express)". Simon Leng, Harrison's musical biographer, likens "Māya Love" to "Woman Don't You Cry for Me" and the 1987 song " Cloud 9", in that they all feature lyrics that were "appended out of necessity" rather than created through genuine inspiration. In this case, the "perfunctory" lyrics consist of a series of comparisons between the illusory nature of love and that of all things in the material world, in line with the basic

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

concept that everything in life is ''

''. Theologian

Dale Allison Dale C. Allison (born November 25, 1955) is an American New Testament scholar, historian of Early Christianity, and Christian theologian who for years served as Errett M. Grable Professor of New Testament Exegesis and Early Christianity at Pittsb ...

writes that Harrison had "anticipated" such an interpretation of the world in his lyrics to the Beatles song " Within You, Without You" in 1967 – specifically when referring to people who "''hide themselves behind a wall of illusion''".Allison, p. 64. The first explicit mention of ''maya'' in a Harrison composition appears in " Beware of Darkness", released on his 1970 triple album ''

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 the break-up of the Beatles in April that year. It includes the h ...

''. Harrison biographers such as Allison and Ian Inglis interpret his concept of ''maya'' love in this 1974 song as reflecting the failure of his marriage to

, rather than a comment on love and human relationships in general. However, Eric Clapton has spoken of Harrison's view that relationships were, like possessions, all ''maya''. During an interview with Houston radio station

KLOL KLOL (101.1 FM "Mega 101") is a commercial radio station in Houston, Texas. It is owned by Audacy, Inc. and airs a Spanish-language Latin pop radio format. KLOL serves as the Spanish-language flagship station for the Houston Texans footb ...

, shortly before the song's release in December that year, Harrison elaborated on the concept: "''Maya'' love is something when it's 'I love you ''if'', 'I love you ''when'', 'I love you ''but''. It's a type of love that comes and goes which we do tend to give to one another ...""Hari's On Tour (Depressed)"
Contra Band Music, 17 October 2012 (retrieved 18 August 2014). In the first verse of "Māya Love", Harrison compares such "unreal" love to the flow of the ocean: Subsequent verses equate illusory love with the passing of each day ("''First it comes, then it rolls away''"), the wind (which is "''Blowing hard on everything''") and rainfall (which Harrison describes as "''Beating on your window brain''").Inglis, p. 46. Allison writes of these comparisons: "All this presumably stands in contrast to God's love, which doesn't come and go, which never gives way to night, and which heals rather than harms." The final verse states: "''Māya love is like a stream / Flowing through this cosmic dream.''" Allison views this analogy as a reference to all things in the material world being "nothing more than God's dream".Allison, p. 65. The same life-as-a-dream metaphor appears in later Harrison compositions, Allison suggests, particularly " Unknown Delight", written about the birth of his and second wife Olivia Arias's son Dhani, and " Dream Away", Harrison's theme song for the HandMade movie ''

Time Bandits ''Time Bandits'' is a 1981 British fantasy adventure film co-written, produced, and directed by Terry Gilliam. It stars Sean Connery, John Cleese, Shelley Duvall, Ralph Richardson, Katherine Helmond, Ian Holm, Michael Palin, Peter Vaug ...

'' (1981). Musically the song combines Harrison's blues-based riffsHuntley, p. 110. with elements of funk, a genre that he was increasingly drawn towards during this period via his enduring passion for R&B and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

.Leng, p. 153. Leng also observes that "Māya Love" is another instalment in its composer's "long line of three-syllable chants", following on from songs such as "

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 the ...

" and " Give Me Love".

Recording

Despite having a highly publicised North American tour to prepare for – the first solo tour there by an ex-Beatle – as well as a new album to record beforehand,The Editors of ''Rolling Stone'', p. 44. Harrison dedicated much of September and early October 1974 to organising

's Music Festival from India.Madinger & Easter, p. 442. Harrison sponsored this concert revue, via his Material World Charitable Foundation, and produced a studio album for later release on his Dark Horse record label. Prior to this project, in late August through to the start of September, "Māya Love" was among four tracks rush-recorded at FPSHOT, Harrison's home studio in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire,Spizer, p. 264. for inclusion on his album, also called '' Dark Horse''. Apart from Billy Preston, Harrison's old friend and former

protégé, the musicians at the sessions were relatively new to Harrison:Madinger & Easter, p. 443. saxophonist and

L.A. Express The L.A. Express was an American jazz fusion ensemble. Members of L.A. Express played on several Joni Mitchell albums, namely ''Court and Spark'', ''The Hissing of Summer Lawns'' and the live album ''Miles of Aisles'' between 1974 and 1975. The ...

band leader Tom Scott, and the much-admired rhythm section of

and Andy Newmark. These four musicians, all American, provided the nucleus of Harrison's tour band and lent his new music a contemporary edge. In addition to his guitar parts, Harrison contributed percussion to the recording, as "P. Roducer",Sample album credits, ''Dark Horse'' (2014 reissue) CD booklet (

, 2014; produced by George Harrison). one of his favoured pseudonyms over 1973–75. The recording begins with Preston's "skittering" Fender Rhodes piano, which displays the influence of

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

, Preston's former mentor. As other examples of a performance he describes as "chock full of R&B hooks", Leng notes the "tight, funky" support provided by Weeks on bass and Newmark's drums, and a "snappy" horn arrangement from Scott. The two instrumental breaks, serving as the song's

bridges A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually someth ...

, feature first Preston and Harrison's slide guitar swapping solos, and then Scott (on

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while ...

) and Harrison. The track ends with a break-down anchored by Weeks's bassline – an "especially nice" section, author Elliot Huntley writes, over which Harrison and Scott continue soloing through the fadeout. Authors Chip Madinger and Mark Easter suggest that 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 ...

his vocals at

A&M Studios The Jim Henson Company Lot, formerly A&M Studios, is a studio property located just south of the southeast corner of North La Brea Avenue and Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. Originally established by film star Charlie Chaplin, the property serv ...

in Los Angeles, where he combined tour rehearsals with finishing the album, during the last three weeks of October. "Māya Love" was among the new songs included in Harrison's

setlist A set list, or setlist, is typically a handwritten or printed document created as an ordered list of songs, jokes, stories and other elements an artist intends to present during a specific performance. A setlist can be made of nearly any materi ...

for the tour,Badman, p. 137. with a band now augmented by jazz percussionist

Emil Richards Emil Richards (born Emilio Joseph Radocchia; September 2, 1932 – December 13, 2019) was an American vibraphonist and percussionist. Biography Musician Richards began playing the xylophone aged six. In High School, he performed with the Hartf ...

, horn players

Jim Horn James Ronald Horn (born November 20, 1940) is an American saxophonist, woodwind player, and session musician. Biography Horn was born in Los Angeles, and after replacing saxophonist Steve Douglas in 1959, he toured with member Duane Eddy for f ...

and Chuck Findley, and others.

Live performance

Due to the delay in completing the album, ''Dark Horse'' remained unissued until the final two weeks of the tour, which began at Vancouver's

Pacific Coliseum Pacific Coliseum, known to locals as "The Coliseum" or the "Rink on Renfrew," is an indoor arena located at Hastings Park in Vancouver, British Columbia. Its main use has been for ice hockey and the arena has been the home for several ice hock ...

on 2 November 1974. Another result of Harrison finishing the album so late was that he overworked his voice in Los Angeles, while carrying out vocal overdubs in the studio at night and rehearsing with his band during the day;Clayson, p. 335. as a result, he contracted laryngitis on the eve of the tour. Harrison's hoarse, Louis Armstrong-like singing marred the performances for many concertgoers and placed added importance on songs like "Māya Love", whose lengthy instrumental breaks afforded some respite for his voice.Clayson, p. 338. In its concert version, Leng describes "Māya Love" as a "bottleneck showcase" for Harrison and an "effective live track", "full of the stabbing syncopations that characterized 1970s R&B". As with almost all the songs played on this tour, no live version of "Māya Love" is available officially, but it appears on the numerous bootlegs from the shows. Aside from the song " Dark Horse", which Apple distributor Capitol Records had issued as an advance single in Canada and the United States,Spizer, p. 259. the studio version of "Māya Love" was the first track from the album to receive a public airing. Harrison played a rough mix of the song during his radio interview with KLOL's Levi Booker in the early hours of 25 November, following his well-received evening show at Houston's

Hofheinz Pavilion The Fertitta Center, formerly known as Hofheinz Pavilion, is a 7,100-seat multi-purpose arena on the University of Houston campus in Houston. Located at 3875 Holman Street, it is home to the Houston Cougars men's and women's basketball teams and ...

.Leng, p. 170. As when performing the song live, Harrison made a point of spelling out the title, telling Booker: "It's called 'Māya Love' – m-a-y-a – ''maya'', which is a

word, which translates as 'That which is not'."

Release and reception

"Māya Love" appeared as the final track on side one of ''Dark Horse'' in its original LP format, following " Bye Bye, Love" and before side two's opener, "

Ding Dong, Ding Dong "Ding Dong, Ding Dong" is a song by English rock musician George Harrison, written as a New Year's Eve singalong and released in December 1974 on his album '' Dark Horse''. It was the album's lead single in Britain and some other European coun ...

". Some reviewers have noted the significance of this apparently conceptual sequencing, with "Bye Bye, Love" serving as a sardonic "kiss-off" to Boyd and Clapton, "Māya Love" providing a philosophical conclusion to the marital problems documented on side one of the album, and "Ding Dong" ushering in Harrison's new relationship with Arias. On release, '' Billboard'' magazine listed "Māya Love" among the "best cuts" on an album that was "far more energetic" than its predecessor, ''

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 ...

'' (1973), and provided "lots of FM potential".Bob Kirsch (ed.)
"Top Album Picks"
'' Billboard'', 21 December 1974, p. 63 (retrieved 21 November 2014). In another review that compared ''Dark Horse'' favourably with Harrison's acclaimed ''All Things Must Pass'', Michael Gross of '' Circus Raves'' described the song as "a soft, funky rocker spiced by superb Billy Preston piano riffs" and noted its role as an answer to the "chanted desperation" of "Bye Bye, Love".Michael Gross, "George Harrison: How ''Dark Horse'' Whipped Up a Winning Tour", '' Circus Raves'', March 1975; available a
Rock's Backpages
(''subscription required''; retrieved 10 March 2013). As with the tour, a number of reviews for the album were unfavourable, however. In one of the most scathing of these,John Harris, "Beware of Darkness", ''

Mojo Mojo may refer to: * Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * MOJO HD, an American television network * ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film * ' ...

'', November 2011, p. 82. 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-profi ...

wrote: "No one track n ''Dark Horse''has anything like a memorable melody. 'Maya Love' almost sounds like 'My Sweet Lord', though without the positive direction, and by then (the end of side one) George is turning in the same overworked licks quite relentlessly."Bob Woffinden, "George Harrison: ''Dark Horse''", ''

'', 21 December 1974; available a
Rock's Backpages
(''subscription required''; retrieved 10 March 2013). Woffinden found the album's lyrics "objectionable" and dismissed those on "Māya Love" as part of "the whole oriental mysticism deal we've come to expect from the George we know and are beginning not to love". In December 1975, three months after the release of Harrison's '' Extra Texture'' album, "Māya Love" appeared as the B-side to that album's second single, "

". Beatles 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 ...

suggests that the selection of the year-old "Māya Love" was due to the lack of "hit candidates" on the melancholic ''Extra Texture''. "This Guitar" was Harrison's riposte to the harsh criticism levelled at him for his 1974 tour and the ''Dark Horse'' album, particularly from ''

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 ...

'' magazine. This single, issued in February 1976 in Britain, was the final release by Apple Records until its relaunching in the mid-1990s. While opining that ''Dark Horse'' offers "a lot of rewarding listening … for those willing to listen with an open mind", Blogcritics' Chaz Lipp includes "Māya Love" among the highlights, describing the track as a "soulful R&B number that benefits from Willie Weeks' bass and Billy Preston's electric piano".Chaz Lipp
"Music Review: George Harrison’s Apple Albums Remastered"
Blogcritics, 5 October 2014 (retrieved 6 October 2014).

Personnel

* George Harrison – vocals, slide guitars, acoustic guitar, shaker, backing vocals * Billy Preston – electric piano * Tom Scott – saxophones, horn arrangement *

– bass * Andy Newmark – drums

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; ). * 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; ). * 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; ). * 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; ). * Peter Lavezzoli, ''The Dawn of Indian Music in the West'', Continuum (New York, NY, 2006; ). * Simon Leng, ''While My Guitar Gently Weeps: The Music of George Harrison'', Hal Leonard (Milwaukee, WI, 2006; ). * Chip Madinger & Mark Easter, ''Eight Arms to Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium'', 44.1 Productions (Chesterfield, MO, 2000; ). * Robert Rodriguez, ''Fab Four FAQ 2.0: The Beatles' Solo Years, 1970–1980'', Backbeat Books (Milwaukee, WI, 2010; ). *

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 include ...

, ''The Beatles Forever'', McGraw-Hill (New York, NY, 1978; ). *

, ''The Beatles Solo on Apple Records'', 498 Productions (New Orleans, LA, 2005; ). *

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; ). *

, ''The Beatles Apart'', Proteus (London, 1981; ). {{DEFAULTSORT:Maya Love 1974 songs George Harrison songs Songs written by George Harrison Song recordings produced by George Harrison Music published by Oops Publishing and Ganga Publishing, B.V. Apple Records singles Indian mythology in music Funk songs