4 Fab Songs George Harrison Co-Wrote with Other Stars, Including Eric Clapton, Ringo
The late George Harrison was responsible for composing many memorable songs for both The Beatles and his own solo career. Harrison usually wrote tunes by himself, but there were quite a few instances where he collaborated with other artists, sometimes for those musicians’ projects and sometimes for his own.
Spotify recently debuted a “George Harrison Co-Writes” playlist featuring more than 50 songs Harrison wrote in collaboration with other artists.
Here are four noteworthy tunes that appear on the playlist:
“Badge” – Cream (1968)
Harrison helped Eric Clapton write “Badge” while Clapton was working on a tune to contribute to Cream’s 1969 farewell album, Goodbye. The song never mentions the word “badge,” and the title came about because of a humorous misunderstanding.
The tune initially didn’t have a title, but Harrison had written the lyrics on a sheet of paper, and included the word “bridge” to denote where the bridge of the track was to be played. In a 1977 interview with Crawdaddy magazine, Harrison recalled that Clapton looked at the sheet upside down and, misreading his handwriting, asked him, “What’s ‘badge’?”
Harrison also contributed rhythm guitar to the track under the pseudonym L’Angelo Misterioso. “Badge” became a hit in the U.K., peaking at No. 18 on the singles chart. It didn’t fare as well in the U.S., only reaching No. 60 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Having said that, “Badge” went on to become a classic-rock radio staple.
“Photograph” – Ringo Starr (1973)
Beatles drummer Ringo Starr enjoyed his biggest solo success with his third studio album, Ringo, which was released in 1973. The star-studded project included songwriting and musical contributions from all three of Starr’s former Beatles bandmates.
Source: Matt Friedlander/americansongwriter.com
