George Harrison MBE (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) born in Liverpool… Read Full Bio ↴George Harrison MBE (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) born in Liverpool, UK, was an English rock musician, singer-songwriter and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist in The Beatles, along with mainstream success as a solo artist. George contributed to the songwriting talents of his Beatles band mates, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, firstly by adding ideas and guitar parts, and later with his distinctive style of music inspired by Eastern spirituality. Ten years after Harrison's death, and forty-two years after its first release, his classic "Here Comes the Sun" is the number one Beatles download on iTunes.

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.

Gone Troppo
George Harrison Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

There he, sitting in the moonlight
Not found, livin no city
He smile, mucho in a sunshine
High life, counting de fruit bat

Troppo, gone troppo, troppo
It's time you know I gone troppo

Plant me, in de Helicona
No thank, meeting de peoples
Wake me, eata the papaya
Much hot, not much on the body

Troppo, gone troppo, gone troppo
It's time you know I gone troppo

Warm sea, see right to the bottom
No like, shoveling snowfall
Good time, drinking on me bottle
The high wide Moreton Bay Fig

Troppo, gone troppo, troppo
It's time you know I gone troppo

Quite like, you ain't seen a sunset
Could be, living in Rain hill
Sun hot, you don't go to a backache
Brown skin and very a peeling

Troppo, gone troppo, gone troppo
It's time you know I gone troppo

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of the song "Gone Troppo" by George Harrison are evocative of an escapist attitude towards life. The use of the word "troppo" in the refrain drives home the point that the singer has gone too far with his desire to live a carefree life, detached from the trappings of modern society. The first verse of the song describes an idyllic setting by the moonlight where the singer has found peace away from the city. He is smiling and counting fruit bats as part of his leisurely activities. The second verse talks about the singer's desire to be planted in a tropical setting where he can eat papayas and enjoy the warmth of the sun. In the third verse, the singer talks about his aversion to the cold climate and his preference for drinking and enjoying the warm sea.

Overall, the song communicates a sense of escapism and a desire for a simpler, more carefree existence. It can be interpreted as a critique of modern society and the stresses that come with it. The use of the word "troppo" in the refrain can also be seen as a commentary on excess and the dangers of taking an indulgent lifestyle too far.

Line by Line Meaning

There he, sitting in the moonlight
He is sitting under the moonlight

Not found, livin no city
He is not living in a city

He smile, mucho in a sunshine
He is smiling in bright sunshine

High life, counting de fruit bat
He is living the good life while counting fruit bats

Troppo, gone troppo, troppo
He has gone mad with this tropical lifestyle

It's time you know I gone troppo
It is important to know that he has gone crazy

Plant me, in de Helicona
He wants to be buried in the Helicona plant

No thank, meeting de peoples
He does not want to meet people

Wake me, eata the papaya
He wants to be woken up to eat papaya

Much hot, not much on the body
It is very hot, but he is not doing much physical activity

Warm sea, see right to the bottom
The warm sea is crystal clear