News George Harrison’s instrumental jam inspired by Eric Clapton’s dog
The idea of any of The Beatles having any kind of limitations put on them seems silly at first. The band was given the whole world on a platter from early on in their career. It felt like regardless of where you went and what corner of the world you were in, people had heard of and loved the Beatles, to the point that when John Lennon said they were bigger than Jesus, he had a point.
That being said, despite them having so much laid at their feet, there were still limitations placed on the band, and one of the most significant was when George Harrison brought up songs that he had written. Often overlooked, despite being an innovative musician with great ideas, many of Harrison’s songs didn’t reflect the John Lennon and Paul McCartney writing style that the quartet had built a brand on, and as such, they were discarded.
Subsequently, when the Beatles eventually broke up, George Harrison didn’t waste any time in getting his ideas down on paper. He worked with Eric Clapton throughout this period, someone who had always allowed Harrison to be more open creatively, and the result was the 1970 album All Things Must Pass, a record that is now considered a classic and one of the best Beatles spin-off records ever made.
Several songs on this album stand as a testament towards George Harrison’s excellent songwriting ability that often fell under the radar, but one that deserves more recognition is the instrumental track, ‘I Remember Jeep’. Inspiration from the song came from an unlikely place, as ‘Jeep’ was the name of Eric Clapton’s dog, who had gone rogue that afternoon and showed no signs of turning up.
That day, Harrison and Clapton began jamming, and given the events that had unfurled, his missing dog became a significant part of the recording process. What was made is a gorgeous instrumental song, which, despite not having any lyrics, is incredibly passionate and takes the listener on an unspoken journey. It takes an excellent musician to capture so much in just an instrumental, and George Harrison’s ability to do so on this song highlights his talent.
The instrumental song is often overlooked by many music lovers, but it shouldn’t be. A lot of the time, when we hear lyrics, regardless of how much we try to disassociate from them, we cannot help but assign our lives to their meaning and end up forming cognitive memories as a result. This can be good, as it allows us to feel closer to a song, but if the plan is to simply let a song take you in whatever direction the composer sees fit, the instrumental number is a much better listening experience.
Despite the absence of lyrics, Harrison’s ability to connect with the listener on this track is a true testament to his ability as a writer. Like Clapton’s dog, the track is full of love and wonder, yet unlike his dog, the music isn’t lost.
