The Beatles hit inspired by George Harrison wanting to ‘write a rock ‘n roll song’ about psychedelics

A hit song from legendary rock band The Beatles was inspired by George Harrison wanting to write a track about psychedelics.

Decades after the song in question released, Harrison confirmed it had been his attempt at writing up a piece of work that perfectly captured the psychedelic feel of the 1960s. In an interview given in 1999, Harrison confirmed that a song featured on the Yellow Submarine soundtrack had been the basis for such a message, but that it never became clear until he had meditated on it. The so-called quiet one of The Beatles would praise both Paul McCartney and John Lennon for their assistance in making the song, with It’s All Too Much still a fan favourite.

Harrison said: “It’s All Too Much was written in a childlike manner from realisations that appeared during and after some LSD experiences and which were later confirmed in meditation.

“I just wanted to write a rock ‘n roll song about the whole psychedelic thing of the time – ‘Sail me on a silver sun/ Where I know that I am free/ Show me that I’m everywhere/ And get me home for tea.’ (laughs) Because you’d trip out, you see, on all this stuff, and then whoops! you’d just be back having your evening cup of tea!”

Harrison would later share how the recording process had been for It’s All Too Much, saying: “Your long blond hair/ And your eyes of blue’- that was all just this big ending we had, going out. And as it was in those days, we had the horn players just play a bit of trumpet voluntarily, and so that’s how that Prince of Denmark bit was played (in the fade-out). And Paul and John just came up with and sang that lyric of ‘your eyes of blue.’”

Harrison would find inspiration in the unlikeliest of places for other songs he wrote during his time with The Beatles. Studio session tensions bubbled over for Harrison during the Get Back rehearsals, prompting him to briefly quit the band. Ringo Starr had previously departed the band towards the end of The White Album recording but rejoined a short while later.

Starr had felt he “wasn’t playing great” and that he was “an outsider” but after a holiday to Sardinia, he rejoined the band. Harrison’s departure from the Get Back sessions lasted five days and has since been immortalised in a diary entry.

January 10, 1969 saw Harrison write in his diary he had “left The Beatles”. The full entry reads: “Got up, went to Twickenham. Rehearsed until lunchtime – left The Beatles – went home.” The five-day downtime in leaving The Beatles left Harrison with enough time to write one of his most brutal songs.

Wah Wah was also the first song Harrison played live as a solo artist, and it was used as the opening song of his Concert for Bangladesh performance. The song was later performed at a remembrance concert, Concert for George, with McCartney, Eric Clapton, Starr, and Jeff Lynne all appearing.

Harrison did rejoin The Beatles but only after the rest of the band agreed to his terms, which included scrapping a proposed return to the stage and moving sessions to Apple Studio in Savile Row.