With lyrics based on the Taoist guide to living Tao Te Ching, ‘The Inner Light’ was written by George Harrison and first released as the b-side of ‘Lady Madonna’.
On 29 September 1967, Harrison and John Lennon had appeared on The Frost Programme to talk about Transcendental Meditation. The programme was a success and they were invited back on 4 October to take part in a further discussion.
Among the other guests was Juan Mascaró, a Sanskrit scholar at Cambridge University, who later sent Harrison a copy of his anthology Lamps Of Fire. Mascaró highlighted a passage within it from chapter 47 of the Tao Te Ching, which he suggested could be set to music. The original words were:
Without taking a step outdoors
You know the whole world;
Without taking a peep out the window
You know the colour of the sky.The more you experience,
The less you know.
The sage wanders without knowing,
Sees without looking,
Accomplishes without acting
On 26 March 2020 Harrison’s son Dhani posted a new recording of ‘The Inner Light’ on The Beatles’ official YouTube channel.
It came with the announcement that George Harrison’s Material World Foundation was donating $500,000 to the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund, Save the Children, and Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) charities in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The foundation pledged to donate an additional $1, up to $100,000, for every fan performance of ‘The Inner Light’ posted on social media with the hashtag #innerlight2020. Celebrities taking part in the challenge included Jeff Lynne, Anoushka Shankar, Jools Holland, Mick Fleetwood, Jewell, and Moby.
These lyrics sung by George are a positive reminder to all of us who are isolating, quarantined or respecting the request to stay in our homes. Let’s get and stay connected at this difficult time. There are things we can do to help and we invite you to share your Inner Light.
In the studio
In 1967 George Harrison was invited by director Joe Massot to write a score for his film Wonderwall, starring Jane Birkin and Jack MacGowran. The soundtrack took three months to record, during which time Harrison recorded a number of instrumental pieces at EMI’s studio in Bombay, India.
Harrison flew out on 7 January 1968. The sessions for the Wonderwall Music album, which featured local musicians, lasted for five days, at the end of which Harrison produced a number of further ragas for possible use by The Beatles. The basic track of ‘The Inner Light’ was thus recorded on 12 January; take six became the basis of the released version.
The song was returned to back in Abbey Road on 6 February 1968, when Harrison recorded his lead vocals. He needed some encouragement from John Lennon and Paul McCartney to do this, as the song was above his usual range.
George had this big thing about not wanting to sing it because he didn’t feel confident that he could do the song justice. I remember Paul saying, ‘You must have a go, don’t worry about it, it’s good’.
The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions, Mark Lewisohn
‘The Inner Light’ was completed with the addition of backing vocals from Lennon and McCartney, recorded quickly in the early afternoon of 8 February 1968.
The release
The Beatles all regarded ‘The Inner Light’ highly, and it was released as the b-side of ‘Lady Madonna’ in March 1968 – the first time a song by George Harrison had appeared on a Beatles single.
An excerpt from the recording also appeared as a transition, alongside Harrison’s ‘Here Comes The Sun’, on the 2006 remix album Love.
Harrison’s debut solo album Wonderwall Music was reissued in September 2014 with three bonus tracks including an alternate instrumental take of ‘The Inner Light’.
In November 2018 the super deluxe 50th anniversary reissue of the White Album included the instrumental backing track of take six of ‘The Inner Light’.
The western music for Wonderwall was recorded in London featuring Clapton. On my record of Wonderwall I can hear occasional traffic sounds when I use my headphones. This song should have been a single with Across The Universe since both songs were worked on the same week and both songs contain Indian influences.
It’s brilliant song. I don’t know much about music industry or recording session. But listening to it feels like getting your soul cleaned. And it’s about Taoism. Guess what? I’m from China(well, I stay in China, never been abroad). Though I was not touched by the lyrics but the amazing automosphere it created in the first place. I was not primarily a Harrison fan, but he’s having me a bit more everyday.
And I love this site. I’ve been secretly hanging around here for nearly 1 year. It’s a great site, so much to explore. Thanks, Joe and every body.
In my opinion, even John or Paul didn’t write a melody as beautiful as George’s The Inner Light. It is SO Indian in style with its its pedal-tone chord and the melody gently rising and falling above (like a butterfly).
When released on CD (Past Masters Volume 1, 1988) it was given a new lease of life. The clarity of the recording brought out the beauty in George’s single-track vocal and the tabla playing on the track.
You can almost smell the incense.
+ 1
And, as Joe refers quite right in the song presentation, this is an example, how other members encouraged George in his song writing/singing.
We have heard so much about the tension and jeleausy, I wonder why people are always eager to bring up negativity.
Yes, there was that in the 1969 especially, but much more friendship “thicker than water”.
Read e.g.The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics by Alan Aldridge, a reference by Paul of The Inner Light. Love.
Correct. The fact that John and Paul actively encouraged George to sing “The Inner Light” and made all the effort to boost his confidence in his ability to sing in such a high register is a clear indication that they were always capable of appreciating and praising his songwriting abilities, never mind what the journalists or biographers write in their brand of cliched propaganda.
As a kid, I can remember buying the 45 single “Lady Madonna,” and being blown away with how unexpectedly cool this “B-Side” sounded. When I read here that John and Paul are credited with “backup vocals,” I had to listen to the song again, because I didn’t recall any “back-up” vocals. Sure enough, there they are, on the LAST line of the song “…Do all without doing”… putting a very nice Beatles “touch” on an outstanding, out-of-the-box song.
My favourite beatles song. Absolutely beautiful tune from George , these are the tunes that made The Beatles the greatest ever.
As relevant today as it was 47 years ago
When I heard The Inner Light on the radio in March 1968 I was quit overwhelmed! Oh my good, one more genius in The Beatles! A kind of break through for Harrison as a composer. The sang melody is superb. It´s better than Lady Madonna. I think that In The Beatles last years 1968 and 1969, Harrison is a better composer than McCartney with this song, Piggies, Long,Long,Long, Only A Northen Song, It´s All Too Much, Something, Here Comes The Sun and I Me Mine.
I don´t give much for several of the songs by Harrison that you mention, Johan. The inner light, Something and Here comes the sun are as good as it gets. Only a northern song has somethíng melodically, but is ruined by the terrible production. Ian MacDonald praises Long, long, long, but that is one of the few Beatles songs about which he and I have different opinions.
I think McCartney wrote a lot of top songs in 1968-69: Hey Jude, Back in the USSR, Blackbird, I will, Mother nature´s son, The long and winding road (terrible production but magnificent song), Two of us, Oh! Darling, You never give me your money, She came in through the bathroom window, Golden slumbers, Carry that weight, The End.
Lady Madonna is good in my opinion, always liked that one better than Get back.
Not fond of Let it be, it is too repetitive.
Oh Johan…..always flailing wildly to finding a way to take a pot-shot at Paul.
To make a comparison of this and Madonna is as ludicrous as any of your posts. They are apples-and-oranges, they are not attempting to do the same thing. Each, in its own way, is a fantastic song and recording. That you would make such a ridiculous comparison only shows the shallowness of your “thinking” – so obviously dictated by your Paul-hate. Sad, sad, sad……….
Yeah, Paul was a real slacker in 1968 and 1969: Back in the USSR, Get Back,Hey Jude, Let It Be, I Will,Blackbird, The End, Golden Slumbers, Helter Skelter, Mother Nature’s Son, Two Of Us, Carry That Weight, You Never Give Me Your Money, (the A side) Lady Madonna, and even this site’s much maligned whipping boy- Long and Winding Road.
True George really came into his own as a wonderful song writer at this time but give Paul his due. If you were really fair and objective you might compare George’s songs to what John composed but your track record indicates otherwise. Happy New Year!!!
The break through of The Beatles 1963 meant a new fantastic increasing tension-expressionism! and ended with mainstream superficial songs like Get Back and Let It Be. For me It´s tragic. Harrison, and of course Lennon, are heavier.
Happy New Year to you!.
I am sorry it is so tragic for you but it is still just your opinion. I will always continue to enjoy all of The Beatles music including and regardless of the “tragedies”.
Hi Johan. Interesting point. I’d never really bothered to compare The Inner Light (and George’s other great tracks from around then, Something and Here Comes the Sun) with Paul’s hits.
As Robert mentions, I think Paul still had it in him (Oh! Darling, Golden Slumbers (derivative as it is), Let It Be, Long and Winding Road (I still have a soft spot for this, having played accompaniment for it for my high school’s Chamber Chorale)), but I think George was finally being recognised within the band for his song-writing. He had been writing great songs for quite a while (eg All Things Must Pass), but they were kept off previous albums because of the Lennon-McCartney cartel* (how else can it be put? it wasn’t always George being bashful…)
*I’m not bashing the great and much lauded L-McC songwriting partnership, but I think it was at the expense of other great songwriters within the band. I think post-Beatles, George was the most prolific and consistently GOOD composer, though I admit that’s going to be a subjective assessment.
Other great songwriters, plural? George, yeah. Ringo?
The only thing tragic here, Johan, is your obsession with finding ANY reason – as baseless, groundless as it may be – to disparage Paul. Sad, sad, sad……
The Inner Light is my favorite Harrison song after Something and Here comes the sun.
McCartney thought Harrison should have left the indian style out. I would not go as far as to suggest such a thing, but The Inner Light could have become even better with a slightly different production.
Interesting. I thought the production (let’s be frank here, the “Indian production”) was perfect. Not sure what you had in mind, but I doubt westernising it would have helped. It is beautiful perhaps _because_ of its lack of western influence?
@per, your comment seems to conflict the above quote from the tape operator as quoted by Lewisohn, who specifically said Paul encouraged George. Do you have any reference for your statement? I’m not disputing, just wondering which is correct. Cheers.
Hi Teddy.
McCartney was quoted in a book saying about The inner light something like, “Take away the Indian rubbish and listen to the melody, it is absolutely beautiful”.
Like McCartney, I find the melody and the harmonies of The inner light besautiful. Melodically it somewhat resembles The Beatles song Rain form 1966, written by John Lennon.
Which book did that quote come from?
That is false. Paul has repeatedly lauded this song (in particular) and as stated in the article, liked it so much he encouraged George to sing it.
Without a source cited for your assertion, it is simply B.S. on your part.
MikeP, you are a crude trouble maker.
Hi Teddy.
I posted the comment above before finding the McCartney quote about Harrison´s song The inner light:
“George wrote this. Forget the Indian music and listen to the melody. Don’t you think it’s a beautiful melody? It’s really lovely.”
I seem to remember that McCartney said this in 1968.
Paul McCartney on “The Inner Light” https://lifeofthebeatles.blogspot.com/2010/04/paul-mccartney-on-inner-light.html
This comment was posted approximately five minutes after the above mentioned comment, but seems to have not reached Joe.
It was flagged as spam, so I didn’t see it until you mentioned it here. Obviously it’s a false positive, which happens sometimes, so please accept my apologies.
Such things happen, Joe, no problem.
Kind regards
Per
Context Matters. Paul’s actual quote in 1968: “An unusual composition and one of the most commercial that George has ever written. It has a backing of Indian instrumentation, which was recorded recently in Bombay. The vocals were added at EMI’s London studios last week. Forget the Indian music, and listen to the melody. Don’t you think it’s a beautiful melody? It’s really lovely.”
The bigger question for me is: Do you feel it would have fit onto the White Album (The Beatles), replacing (an obvious choice), “Revolution 9”? I certainly do.
Not a comment on this song, but you’re not setting the bar very high there, are you?
Anything could have / should have replaced #9.
I love Rev.9 no White Album is complete without it. I have it replacing Savoy Truffle at present.
I think that The inner light would have both fitted The Beatles and outshined every other Harrison song on that album.
George’s Indian stuff has grown on me over the years, but when they were first released I found these songs pretty boring and not really ‘Beatles’ music.
The personnel listing is incorrect sir. I am a student and biographer of Hariprasad Chaurasia and he categorically stated that he has never recorded in a studio with Aahshish Khan. Inner Light was released in 1968. The first time Hariprasad Chaurasia met Harrison was in 1974 IN ENGLAND when Ravi Shankar took him for the England/USA tour – the resultant album from which is SHANKAR FAMILY AND FRIENDS.
Always loved this song………At the time I was sad John didn’t get his Across the Universe …..er…across. That song missed it’s ‘moment’
But we’ve got both songs now. Wouldn’t be without them.
George often went on about how John and Paul belittled him………I’d say mostly ‘not guilty’…..(of which there were 147 dreary takes)…..All of them had their moments though and it was easy to see that George was happier with his position in the Wilburies than the latter Beatles.
They all owe a lot to each other…….How much? Even a Taoist couldn’t unravel that.
Since when did John and Paul belittle George’s songwriting? George was probably sick and tired of being asked the same questions by journalists who antagonized him to the point where he said things that he didn’t mean, one of which was a potentially libellous claim in 1974 that Paul ruined him as a guitarist, but that was not true. If Paul had heard about it, he could’ve sued George for defamation and no doubt would have felt betrayed.
At the time, George made the comment, he and Pattie were separating and he was doing lots of cocaine and drinking so much alcohol, neither of which helped, so that might explain why he made such angry utterances, very similar to John’s infamous 1970 Rolling Stone interview where he made lots of angry statements and later recanted them.
I think around the late 1970’s to the late 1980’s, George came to terms with being in The Beatles, even writing a song called “When We Was Fab”.
Since when did John and Paul belittle George’s songwriting? George was probably sick and tired of being asked the same questions by journalists who antagonized him to the point where he said things that he didn’t mean, one of which was a potentially libellous claim in 1974 that Paul ruined him as a guitarist, but that was not true. If Paul had heard about it, he could’ve sued George for defamation and no doubt would have felt betrayed.
At the time that George made the comment, he and Pattie were separating after she left him for Eric Clapton and he was doing lots of cocaine and drinking so much alcohol, neither of which helped, so that might explain why he made such utterances and didn’t acknowledge The Beatles’ legacy, very similar to John’s infamous 1970 Rolling Stone interview where he made lots of angry statements and later recanted them.
I think around the late 1970’s to the late 1980’s, George came to terms with being in The Beatles, even writing a song called “When We Was Fab”. He also had the decency back in 1974 to recognize that Paul is a fine bassist.
According to the book added to White Album 50th anniversary box set only Paul sang backing vocal (recorded on track three). Possible?
The book is wrong – John and Paul both sing backing vocals on the last line “do all without doing” and even Mark Lewisohn’s book acknowledges this, as does John C. Winn; besides, if you listen to the recording, it’s evidently all three of them (George, John and Paul) singing on the final line.