After the Beatles stopped touring in 1966, George started writing more songs than could be fitted onto the albums so that by the time of the split he had built up a collection of songs, some used on his debut solo album, All Things Must Pass. The album, released in 1970, contains the two-time number one hit, "My Sweet Lord".
Harrison is also credited for creating music benefits, notably the 1971 Concert for Bangladesh. Harrison played beside Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Ringo Starr, and Leon Russell to a crowd of 40,000 in Madison Square Garden, New York. The show raised over $240,000 benefiting the George Harrison Fund for Bangladesh relief.
Harrison went on to release several successful solo albums, and in the late 1980s collaborated with Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, and Tom Petty, in a group called Traveling Wilburys. The group released two albums. Later, Harrison reunited with the other two surviving Beatles, after John Lennon's murder in 1980, to produce two final Beatles records, "Free As a Bird" and "Real Love" featuring the voice of Lennon, taken from home demos provided by Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono. The three Beatles also co-wrote a massive autobiography and television special, both titled "The Beatles Anthology."
Before his death, Harrison conceived of a Cirque du Soleil show, "Love," featuring remixes of Beatles music which were overseen by Beatles producer George Martin.
Harrison died on November 29, 2001 after a battle with cancer, leaving behind a wife and son, Olivia and Dhani Harrison. His last album, Brainwashed, was released posthumously and featured the single "Any Road".
A benefit concert in Harrison's memory was played on 29 November 2002 at the Royal Albert Hall. The star-studded event (featuring Eric Clapton and Monty Python, as well as former band mates Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr) was released on the DVD double-album, Concert for George.
Breath Away From Heaven
George Harrison Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I woke up dreaming with a sigh
As the morning light
Was painting whispers of a joy
And I was in the candlelit bedroom
Enchanting beauty shimmering magically
Like an irridescent cloud
She can move your soul without you knowing
She can take your breath away from heaven
And I was captured by her loneliness
A wounded tiger on a willowy path
Like an opalescent moon all alone
In the sky of a foreign land
She can take your breath away from heaven
She can move your soul without you knowing
She can take your breath away from heaven
She is like an everlasting blossom
She can take your breath away from heaven
The song Breath Away From Heaven, by George Harrison describes a dream of a past life where the singer is awoken with a sigh. The singer's waking dream involves morning light painting whispers of joy as the singer wakes up in a candlelit bedroom. The enchanting beauty of the woman in the room is portrayed as shimmering magically. Like an iridescent cloud being blown by the westerly wind, the woman in the dream captures the singer's soul.
The song portrays a sense of longing, emotional loneliness, and captures the essence of an everlasting love. Even without the singer's knowledge, the woman in the dream has the ability to move the soul and take the breath away from heaven. The woman's power over the singer is such that he feels like a wounded tiger on a willowy path. She is like an opalescent moon all alone in the sky of a foreign land. Her presence reminds the singer of the fragrance of an everlasting blossom, with the ability to take the breath away from heaven.
In summary, the song is an expression of the singer's deep appreciation of the thrilling power of love inspired by his past experiences. Even though his life is no longer intertwined with this magical being, the song captures the essence of what she meant to him once.
Line by Line Meaning
In another life
Reflecting on a past experience or imagining a different reality
I woke up dreaming with a sigh
Recalling a vivid dream or a longing for something unreachable
As the morning light
Indicating the time period in which the dream or longing occurred
Was painting whispers of a joy
Describing a euphoric feeling or sense of contentment
And I was in the candlelit bedroom
Setting the scene for the dreamer's fantasy or memory
Enchanting beauty shimmering magically
Referring to a captivating presence, most likely a person
Like an irridescent cloud
Comparing the person to something ethereal and otherworldly
Being blown by a westerly wind
Suggesting movement or change, and a lack of control over that change
She can move your soul without you knowing
Describing the mesmerizing effect of the person on the dreamer
She can take your breath away from heaven
Reinforcing the idea of the person's breathtaking, awe-inspiring nature
And I was captured by her loneliness
Highlighting the person's vulnerability or isolation
A wounded tiger on a willowy path
Using a metaphor to illustrate the person's strength and resilience despite their pain
Like an opalescent moon all alone
Relating the person to something beautiful and luminous, but also solitary
In the sky of a foreign land
Implying that the dreamer feels disconnected from the person or their world
She is like an everlasting blossom
Calling attention to the person's eternal, enduring nature
She can take your breath away from heaven
Repeating the refrain to emphasize the person's impact on the dreamer
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: George Harrison
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind