"Ding Dong, Ding Dong" is a song by English rock musician

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...

, written as a

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve refers to the evening, or commonly the entire day, of the last day of the year, 31 December, also known as Old Year's Day. In many countries, New Year's Eve is celebrated with dancing, eating, drinkin ...

singalong and released in December 1974 on his album ''

Dark Horse A dark horse is a previously lesser-known person, team or thing that emerges to prominence in a situation, especially in a competition involving multiple rivals, that is unlikely to succeed but has a fighting chance, unlike the underdog who is exp ...

''. It was the album's

lead single A lead single (or first 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. A similar term, "debut ...

in Britain and some other European countries, and the second single, after "

", in North America. A large-scale production, the song incorporates aspects of

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (December 26, 1939 – January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter who is best known for pioneering recording practices in the 1960s, followed by his trials and conviction for murder in the 2000s. 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 session m ...

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 primarily defined by the flamboyant clothing, makeup, and hairstyles of its musicians, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists d ...

anthems from the 1973–74 holiday season: "

Merry Xmas Everybody "Merry Xmas Everybody" (stylised as "Merry Xmaƨ 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 ...

" by

Slade Slade are a rock band formed in Wolverhampton, England 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 Hit Singl ...

, 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 McCar ...

's "

I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday", sometimes written as "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day", is a Christmas song recorded by English glam rock band Wizzard. It was first released in December 1973 and, as with most Wizzard songs, was ...

". 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, construction began in 1889 and was completed in 1895. It was built for lawyer Sir Frank Crisp, and purchased in January 1970 by English rock musician and former Beatl ...

, in

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

– a legacy of its eccentric founder,

Frank Crisp Sir Frank Crisp, 1st Baronet, (25 October 1843 – 29 April 1919) was an English lawyer, microscopist and officer of the Royal Microscopical Society, to which he donated furniture, books, instruments and work on technical publications. Life and ...

. 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 music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

, 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 whi ...

. 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, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the group, us ...

Alvin Lee Alvin Lee (born Graham Anthony Barnes; 19 December 1944 – 6 March 2013) was an English guitarist, singer and songwriter, who was best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the blues rock band Ten Years After. Early life Lee was ...

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. ''Do ...

. 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

purchased the 33-acre

estate, in

Henley-on-Thames Henley-on-Thames ( ) is a town status in the United Kingdom, town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish on the River Thames, in the South Oxfordshire district, in Oxfordshire, England, northeast of Reading, Berkshire, Reading, west of M ...

, 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 literatur ...

lawyer and horticulturalist named

.Olivia Harrison, p. 268. Harrison included the song on his ''

All Things Must Pass ''All Things Must Pass'' is the third studio album by 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 year. It includes th ...

'' 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". 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 ...

as the original source for these lines. Frank Crisp PLS

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. Th ...

– "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), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in whic ...

.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 the 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 ...

", "

What Is Life "What Is Life" is a song by the English rock musician George Harrison from his 1970 triple album '' All Things Must Pass''. In many countries, it was issued as the second single from the album, in February 1971, becoming a top-ten hit in th ...

", "

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 and among the most densely populated with a population of over 171 million within an area of . Bangl ...

" 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 becam ...

" – were similarly written very quickly. In the case of "Ding Dong" and other tracks from the ''

'' 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 sitar, sitarist and composer. A sitar virtuoso, he became the world's best-known expert of Hin ...

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), commonly known as the Hare Krishna movement, is a religious organization that follows the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism. It was founded on 13 July 1966 in New York City by ...

, 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 the 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, ...

''. With his marriage to

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 (April 26, 1943 – September 4, 2023) was an American musician and composer best known for his 1976 hit songs " Dream Weaver" and " Love Is Alive". Wright's breakthrough album, '' The Dream Weaver'' (1975), came after he h ...

(piano),

Klaus Voormann Klaus Otto Wilhelm Voormann (born 29 April 1938) is a German graphic artist, 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, includ ...

(bass),

and

(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 database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

(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 engin ...

. 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 architecture, Georgian English country house, country house in Sunningdale near Ascot, Berkshire. It was famously the home of musicians John Lennon and Yoko Ono from 1969 until 1971, and th ...

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 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/As ...

boss

David Geffen David Lawrence Geffen (born February 21, 1943) is an American film producer, record executive, and media proprietor. In music, he co-founded Asylum Records with Elliot Roberts in 1971 before founding Geffen Records in 1980, DGC Records in 1 ...

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

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, and released in late 1974. It was produced by Shan ...

'' by Shankar, and Splinter's ''

The Place I Love ''The Place I Love'' is the debut album by English vocal duo Splinter, released on Dark Horse Records in September 1974. It was the first album released by the Dark Horse label, which was owned by George Harrison, who also produced the album. R ...

'' – both of which had started off as Harrison productions for

Apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...

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

production technique of his former collaborator, American producer

, 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'', 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 the lead singer Veronica Bennett (later known as Ronnie Spector), her older sister Estelle Bennett, and their cousin Nedra Ta ...

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), also known by the stage name Darlene Love, is an American R&B and soul singer and actress. She was the lead singer of the girl group the Blossoms and also a solo recording artist. She began singing as a ch ...

, 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 the Plastic Ono Band with the Harlem Community Choir. It was the seventh single released by John Lennon outside his work with the Beatles. The song reached numb ...

" single, by

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

and

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono (, usually spelled in katakana as ; 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 in Tokyo and moved to New York ...

. 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

's "

"Clayson, p. 343. and

's "

" – two

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 or reed organ is a type of organ that uses free reeds to generate sound, with air passing over vibrating thin metal strips mounted in a frame. Types include the pressure-based harmonium, the suction reed organ (which employs a va ...

and distorted electric guitars, similar to the Slade hit, while Harrison's use of

baritone saxophone The baritone saxophone (sometimes abbreviated to "bari sax") is a member of the saxophone family of instruments, larger (and lower-pitched) than the tenor saxophone, but smaller (and higher-pitched) than the bass saxophone, bass. It is the lowe ...

s, two drummers and

tubular bells Tubular bells (also known as chimes) are musical instruments in the Percussion instrument, percussion family. Their sound resembles that of church bells, carillons, or a bell tower; the original tubular bells were made to duplicate the soun ...

, 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. The magazine was first known fo ...

'', 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 a ...

call-and-response guitar

riff A riff is a short, repeated motif or figure in the melody or accompaniment of a musical composition. Riffs are most often found in rock music, punk, heavy metal music, Latin, funk, and jazz, although classical music is also sometimes based ...

s by

and

onto the 1973 rhythm track, as well as his own

slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos that ...

s. Further overdubs included baritone and

tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

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 unicyclist ...

'', March 1975; available a
Rock's Backpages
(subscription required). and a second acoustic guitar, played by Mick Jones. Harrison also contributed on organ,

clavinet The Clavinet is an electric clavichord invented by Ernst Zacharias and manufactured by the Hohner company of Trossingen, West Germany, from 1964 to 1982. The instrument produces sounds with rubber pads, each matching one of the keys and respond ...

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 British 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 inclu ...

, 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 sleigh bell sound and morris dancing. T ...

s and

zither Zither (; , from the Greek ''cithara'') is a class of stringed instruments. The modern instrument has many strings stretched across a thin, flat body. Zithers are typically played by strumming or plucking the strings with the fingers or a ...

. 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'', 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 2 weeks. Causes Laryngitis is cat ...

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

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 record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

was "

I Don't Care Anymore "I Don't Care Anymore" is a song written, performed, and produced by the English drummer Phil Collins (with co-production by Hugh Padgham). It was the second US single from Collins' second solo studio album, '' Hello, I Must Be Going!'' (1982). ...

", a non-album track that Harrison recorded in a single take, specifically for the single.Timothy White, "George Harrison: Reconsidered", ''

Musician A musician is someone who Composer, composes, Conducting, conducts, or Performing arts#Performers, performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general Terminology, term used to designate a person who fol ...

'', November 1987, p. 65. In the United States, where "

" 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 (George Harrison album), Dark Horse''. It was also the A-side and B-side, B-side of the album's secon ...

" and released two days before Christmas (as Apple 1879). Apple issued

white label White label may refer to: * White-label product, a permitted replication and rebranding of a product * White label record, records with plain white labels attached. * White Label Music, an independent record label based in the United Kingdom * ''Wh ...

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, 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 Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...

.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 an American tax attorney in New Orleans, Louisiana, who is also recognized as an expert on the Beatles. He has published thirteen books about the band, and is frequently quoted as an authority on th ...

terms a "respectable" chart run in America, Apple distributor

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

omitted the song from its 1976 compilation ''

The Best of George Harrison ''The Best of George Harrison'' is a 1976 compilation album by the 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 fro ...

'', 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 A remaster is a change in the sound or image quality of previously created forms of media, whether Mastering (audio), audiophonic, Cinematography, cinematic, or Videography, videographic. The resulting product is said to be remastered. The term ...

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 focussing on rare and collectable records, and the bands who recorded them. It was founded in September 1979 and distributes worldwide. It is promoted as "the world’s leading authority o ...

'', 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 The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...

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, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

''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 ...

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''", ''

'', 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. In January 2001, it was merged into "long-standing rival" (and IPC Media sister publicatio ...

'', 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 ''

'' 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" () is a Scottish song. In the English-speaking world, it is traditionally sung to bid farewell to the old year at the stroke of midnight on Hogmanay/New Year's Eve. It is also often heard at funerals, graduations, and as a far ...

'". In ''

High Fidelity High fidelity (hi-fi or, rarely, HiFi) is the high-quality reproduction of sound. It is popular with audiophiles and home audio enthusiasts. Ideally, high-fidelity equipment has inaudible noise and distortion, and a flat (neutral, uncolored) ...

'', Mike Jahn 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 ''

'', 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's ...

" 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 ( ; International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''guru'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian religions, Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: tr ...

vein … Get on it, jocks." ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' 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". ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'' said that "

Guy Lombardo Gaetano Alberto "Guy" Lombardo (June 19, 1902 – November 5, 1977) was a Canadian and American bandleader, violinist, and hydroplane racing, hydroplane racer whose unique "sweet jazz" style remained popular with audiences for nearly five decade ...

now has a rock counterpart as Harrison gallops in with a future New fears perennial." 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 Black ...

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 magazines ''NME'','' Macworld'', '' MacUser'', ''PC Pro'' and '' Computer Shopp ...

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

, 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 English-American Rock music, rock band Paul McCartney and Wings, Wings, although credited to "Paul McCartney and Wings". It was released through Apple Records on 4 May 1973, preceded by its ...

'', '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'' (album), by Gabby Barrett, 2020 * "Goldmine" (George Fox song), 1989 * "Goldmine" (Kimbra song), 2015 * ...

'' 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", ''

'', 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 global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

's "

Wonderful Christmastime "Wonderful Christmastime" is a Christmas music, Christmas song by the English musician Paul McCartney. Recorded during the sessions for his solo album ''McCartney II'' (1980), it was released as a single in November 1979 following Paul McCartne ...

", 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 particular the progression of history and the approach of death. In recent centuries, he is usually depicted as an elderly bearded man, sometimes with wings, dressed in a robe and carrying a scythe ...

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 as ...

''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"
''

'', 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 radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...

'' 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 thr ...

", 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 twelfth studio album by Ringo Starr. A Christmas album, it was issued in 1999. It is the only Christmas album released by any member of the Beatles to date. Background and recording Ringo Starr and musical part ...

'', 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 is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

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 mm and 35 mm. It is generally used for non-theatrical (e.g., industrial, ...

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 part ...

'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, 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'' 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. Rickenbacker is the first known maker of electric guitars, with a steel guitar in 1932, and produces a range of electric guitars and bass ...

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 typic ...

(christened "

Lucy Lucy is an English language, 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 ar ...

") 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 (album), The Beatles'' (also known as the "White Album"). It was written by George Harrison, the band's lead guitarist, as ...

" in September 1968. The ''Sgt. Pepper'' portion shows Harrison playing a

tuba The tuba (; ) is the largest and 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 th ...

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 the 18th century, and arrived at its present form in 19th-century India. Khusrau K ...

. Harrison also re-creates Lennon and Ono's ''

Two Virgins 2 (two) is a number, numeral (linguistics), numeral and numerical digit, digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and the only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a Dualistic cosmology, duali ...

'' 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 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 originally a gui ...

, supports his stated rejection during the tour of early-'70s era, "

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 known as the Pythons, were a British comedy troupe formed in 1969 consisting of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin. The group came to prominence for the sketch comedy series ...

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: *

– lead vocals, twelve-string acoustic guitar,

, organ, percussion, backing vocals *

– electric guitar *

– electric guitar * Mick Jones – acoustic guitar *

– piano *

– bass guitar *

– drums *

– drums * Tom Scott – saxophones, horn arrangement *''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; ). *

(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 ...

), ''Wonderful Today: The Autobiography'', Headline Review (London, 2007; ). *

, ''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; ). *

, ''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; ). *

, ''I Me Mine'', Chronicle Books (San Francisco, CA, 2002

980 Year 980 ( CMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Peace is concluded between Emperor Otto II (the Red) and King Lothair III (or Lothair IV) at Margut, ending the Franco-Germa ...

). *

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 sh ...

, ''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; ). *

Ashley Kahn Ashley Kahn (b. 1960) is an American music historian, journalist, and producer. He was born in the Bronx, New York, and was raised in Cincinnati. Kahn graduated from Columbia University in 1983. While attending Columbia, he hosted a jazz and blues ...

(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; ). *

Ian MacDonald Ian MacCormick (known by the pseudonym Ian MacDonald; 3 October 1948 – 20 August 2003) was an English music critic, journalist and author, best known for both '' Revolution in the Head'', his critical history of the Beatles which borrowed te ...

, ''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; ). *

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

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 th ...

, ''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; ). *

, ''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 Theatre Wi ...

, ''Working Class Mystic: A Spiritual Biography of George Harrison'', Quest Books (Wheaton, IL, 2011; ). * Richard Williams, ''Phil Spector: Out of His Head'', Omnibus Press (London, 2003; ). *

, ''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 New Year songs