86. What is Life by George Harrison

"What is Life" by George Harrison

Written by George Harrison
Produced by George Harrison and Phil Spector
Released on All Things Must Pass (November 27, 1970)
Released as single on February 15, 1971
Peaked at #10 on Billboard Hot 100
amazon spotify music video

My top 100 contains no Beatles songs, no Paul McCartney songs, and no John Lennon songs, but it does contain this one George Harrison song. I'm sorry if this offends anyone. (The list does include two Lennon/McCartney compositions covered by other artists, if that is any sort of consolation.) There were a couple of Beatles songs and a couple Lennon solo tunes I considered for the list, but ultimately, I ran out of space. It's just 100 songs.

As great as the Beatles were, and as much as I love a lot of their music, there wasn't one song of theirs that stood above the rest and merited inclusion here. That happened with a few other bands that I really love. Radiohead, the Allman Brothers, the Black Crowes, Bon Jovi, TV on the Radio, and the Beatles are great bands, who produced great albums, but ultimately none of them have that one song that I had to have on my list. (There are more bands I could mention here, that are missing from my list, but I can't list everyone.) Sometimes lists like this become less about what made the list and more about what is missing. I certainly feel that way about a number of songs and artists.

I was first introduced to George Harrison in the late 1980's when his cover of "Got My Mind Set on You" hit #1. I really hate that song, but it was everywhere, and the music video was played constantly on MTV. I don't know when I learned that Harrison had been in the Beatles, but it was certainly around this time. Eventually I found tunes of his that I actually liked, including quite a few of his Beatles compositions.

"What is Life" rocks. The opening guitar lick exudes fire and energy. While I'm not always a fan of Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound" production, here it brings even more exuberance to a melody that is already pure joy and wants everyone else in the room to shout and sing and feel that joy too. It's impossible to hear this song and not want to get up and do something. I'm pumped right now just thinking about it.

Right now "What is Life" by George Harrison is (probably) my 86th favorite song of all time.