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 (2004
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 lyrics to George Harrison’s song “Breath Away From Heaven” depict a dream-like state where the singer is captivated by a woman who possesses an otherworldly beauty. The opening lines describe a sigh that accompanies the singer’s waking from a dream where the “morning light” creates visions of joy in his mind. The singer then describes being in a candlelit bedroom where he witnesses the woman’s “enchanting beauty shimmering magically,” as though she is an “iridescent cloud” being carried away by the wind.
The singer is deeply affected by the woman’s beauty, as it appears to possess an almost magical quality that captivates and moves him with ease. The woman is described as existing in a state of loneliness, like a “wounded tiger on a willowy path” or a moon that is “all alone in the sky of a foreign land.” Still, her presence is powerful enough to “move [the singer’s] soul” and “take [his] breath away from heaven.” The song’s title emphasizes the idea of being in such awe of someone that one’s breath is taken away, while the reference to heaven adds a spiritual or divine element to the singer’s experience.
Overall, the song seems to be an exploration of the transformative power of beauty and the impact that it can have on the human spirit. The woman is depicted as possessing a transcendent quality that has the ability to lift the singer out of his ordinary life and into a realm of wonder and enchantment.
Line by Line Meaning
In another life
Reflecting on a past existence or a different reality
I woke up dreaming with a sigh
Feeling a deep emotional connection to a vivid dream
As the morning light
At the break of dawn
Was painting whispers of a joy
The light was creating a peaceful atmosphere
And I was in the candlelit bedroom
Describing a specific location where the events take place
Enchanting beauty shimmering magically
An otherworldly and captivating presence
Like an irridescent cloud
Similar to a glittering formation in the sky
Being blown by a westerly wind
The movement caused by natural forces
She can move your soul without you knowing
The individual has a profound emotional reaction without awareness
She can take your breath away from heaven
Her effect is so powerful that it is as if one is in the presence of heaven
And I was captured by her loneliness
The solitude of the enchanting beauty seems to have an impact
A wounded tiger on a willowy path
A powerful yet vulnerable creature on a delicate trajectory
Like an opalescent moon all alone
The image of a unique and rare object, illuminated but isolated
In the sky of a foreign land
The sense of displacement is emphasized
She is like an everlasting blossom
A metaphor for timeless beauty
She can take your breath away from heaven
The impact of her presence is all-encompassing
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: George Harrison
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind