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.
Miss O'Dell
George Harrison Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who's got nothing to say
About the war
Or the rice
That keeps going astray on it's way to bombay.
And the smog that keeps polluting up our shores
Is boring me to tears.
Why don't you call me, miss o'dell?
I'm the only one down here
Who's got nothing to fear
From the waves
Or the night
That keeps rolling on right up to my front porch.
The record player's broken on the floor,
And ben, he can't restore it.
Miss o'dell.
I can tell you
Nothing new
Has happened since I last saw you.
And I'm the only one down here
Who's got nothing to say
About the hip
Or the dope
Or the cat with most hope to fill the fillmore.
And your pushing, shoving, ringing on my bell
Is not for me tonight.
So, won't you call me, miss o'dell?
Won't you call me, miss o'dell?
The song Miss O'Dell by George Harrison is a melancholic reflection on the mundanity of life. The singer of the song is the only one who has nothing to say about the war or the rice that keeps going astray on its way to Bombay. He is bored by the pollution that keeps polluting up their shores to the point that it is bringing him to tears. Miss O'Dell is the only one who can break the monotony of his daily routine. Despite the persistent pushing and shoving, ringing on his bell, he's not in the mood to entertain company, but he asks her to call him anyway.
Harrison's lyrics touch on the monotony of life and the complacency that people often fall into. The singer's resigned attitude reflects a sense of helplessness, as he seems to have no control over his circumstances. His disinterest in discussing the hip, dope, or the cat with the most hope to fill the Fillmore, suggests that he's tired of the artifice and the gimmicks that people often use to cope with their mundane existence. The broken record player on the floor is symbolic of the singer's disillusionment with life, and Ben's inability to restore it is a poignant reflection of the singer's inability to regain his enthusiasm for life.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm the only one down here
George is alone and feels isolated.
Who's got nothing to say
There's nothing new or interesting happening for him to talk about.
About the war
He's not involved in or affected by the war.
Or the rice
He's not involved in or affected by the rice trade, which is often associated with India and the surrounding countries.
That keeps going astray on it's way to bombay.
The rice is not getting to its intended destination of Bombay, likely due to corruption or incompetence in the transportation process.
And the smog that keeps polluting up our shores
The pollution in the area is bothering him.
Is boring me to tears.
The mundane and dreary environment is causing him to feel extremely bored and disinterested.
Why don't you call me, miss o'dell?
George wants Miss O'Dell to call him, likely to provide a distraction or conversation partner.
Who's got nothing to fear
He's not in any danger or threatened by anything in his environment.
From the waves
Even the natural phenomena in his area are not of concern to him.
Or the night
The darkness or nighttime isn't alarming him either.
That keeps rolling on right up to my front porch.
The regularity of the natural world and its cycles is unremarkable to him.
The record player's broken on the floor,
The record player is not working and is out of commission.
And ben, he can't restore it.
Ben, whomever that refers to, is not able to fix the record player.
I can tell you
George is about to explain something.
Nothing new
Nothing noteworthy or novel.
Has happened since I last saw you.
Nothing exciting or engaging has happened to him since he saw Miss O'Dell last.
Or the hip
He's not involved in or affected by the latest trends or subcultures.
Or the dope
He's not doing any drugs or participating in that lifestyle.
Or the cat with most hope to fill the fillmore.
He's not interested in the most popular band or musician at the Fillmore, which was a famous music venue.
And your pushing, shoving, ringing on my bell
Miss O'Dell is insistent and persistent in trying to get his attention, likely for something he's not interested in.
Is not for me tonight.
George is not in the mood or frame of mind to deal with her or her requests right now.
So, won't you call me, miss o'dell?
Despite his earlier complaints, George is still requesting that Miss O'Dell call him and keep him company.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: GEORGE HARRISON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@megmc9644
I'm the only one down here
Who's got nothing to say
About the war
Or the rice
That keeps going astray on it's way to bombay.
And the smog that keeps polluting up our shores
Is boring me to tears.
Why don't you call me, miss o'dell?
I'm the only one down here
Who's got nothing to fear
From the waves
Or the night
That keeps rolling on right up to my front porch.
The record player's broken on the floor,
And ben, he can't restore it.
Miss o'dell.
I can tell you
Nothing new
Has happened since I last saw you.
And I'm the only one down here
Who's got nothing to say
About the hip
Or the dope
Or the cat with most hope to fill the fillmore.
And your pushing, shoving, ringing on my bell
Is not for me tonight.
So, won't you call me, miss o'dell?
Won't you call me, miss o'dell?
Songwriters: George Harrison
@dirtworld6000
I'm the only one down here
Who's got nothing to say
About the war
Or the rice
That keeps going astray on it's way to bombay.
That smog that keeps polluting up our shores
Is boring me to tears.
Why don't you call me, miss o'dell?
I'm the only one down here
Who's got nothing to fear
From the waves
Or the night
That keeps rolling on right up to my front porch.
The record player's broken on the floor,
And ben, he can't restore it.
Won’t you call me?
Miss o'dell.
I can tell
Nothing new
Has happened since I last saw you.
And I'm the only one down here
Who's got nothing to say
About the hip
Or the dope
Or the cat with most hope to fill the fillmore.
That pushing, shoving, ringing on my bell
Is not for me tonight.
Why don’t you call me?, miss o'dell?
Why don’t you call me?, miss o'dell?
@stephencoomer5692
I'm the only one down here
Who's got nothing to say
About the war
Or the rice
That keeps going astray on its way to Bombay.
That smog that keeps polluting up our shores
Is boring me to tears.
Why don't you call me, Miss O'Dell?
I'm the only one down here
Who's got nothing to fear
From the waves
Or the rice
That keeps rolling on right up to my front porch.
The record player's broken on the floor,
And Ben, he can't restore it.
Wont you call me Miss O'Dell.
I can tell you
Nothing new
Has happened since I last saw you.
I'm the only one down here
Who's got nothing to say
About the hip
Or the dope
Or the cat with most hope to fill the Fillmore.
That pushing, shoving, ringing on my bell
Is not for me tonight.
Why don't you call me, Miss O'Dell?
Why don't you call me, Miss O'Dell?
@Anya-hd5lq
George looks like he’s having such a great time spilling all of that champagne lol
Ps he’s rockin that curly hair😂❤️
@Moonlight-ey5md
ringo and george were inseparable thats what i love !
@humbarcam
Just like George and Eric Clapton, that friendship lasted much longer than Pattie on their lives
@ivansmoke13
i like the version with the laugh of george btw great song
@jabberwocky7964
Really? I never knew that!
@6rooroo
I bought the give me love/miss O’Dell single the other day not expecting the laughter and it was such a lovely surprise
@MaxGretinski
George started laughing because he blew the lyrics.
On the original (single) version, instead of singing
"nothing to fear from the waves or the NIGHT that keeps rolling on right up to my front porch"
he accidentally imported a word from the first verse and sang
"the RICE that keeps rolling on right up to my front porch."
This cracked him up. Later on, his laughs sound deliberate, but at that point in the song they are genuine.
@danwilliamson4741
https://youtu.be/hXY7HbQulJA
@angru5oklok
I was just going to post the same thing but looked down and there it was lol. The laughs make it lol
@matiasysmael1987
really wonderful. I need to know about friends of George and Ringo around the table.