The Beatles didn’t officially break up until 1970, but the band was already beginning to rupture internally before that. In 1969, George Harrison temporarily left The Beatles and wrote a song that captured his frustrations with his fellow bandmates. He did return to the band, but not before airing out his grievances.
George Harrison briefly left The Beatles during the ‘Let it Be’ sessions
In 1969, The Beatles were recording what would be their final album, Let it Be. The recording sessions were captured in the 1970 documentary of the same name, and footage showed high tensions between the band. While Paul McCartney and John Lennon had always been the main songwriters for the band, Harrison had long felt ignored and reached his breaking point while the band was recording the track “Two of Us.”
After breaking for lunch, Harrison came back and nonchalantly announced he was leaving the band, telling them, “See you round the clubs.” While Harrison didn’t officially say why he left, he later said that part of it could be blamed on McCartney.
“At that point in time, Paul couldn’t see beyond himself,” Harrison said, per Express. “He was on a roll, but … in his mind, everything that was going on around him was just there to accompany him. He wasn’t sensitive to stepping on other people’s egos or feelings.”
Harrison wrote ‘Wah-Wah’ to express his frustrations with his bandmates
Shortly after leaving The Beatles that day, George Harrison penned the track “Wah-Wah,” which later became a part of his third studio album, All Things Must Pass. The song was a not-so-subtle diss at his fellow bandmates as the “Wah-Wah” referred to a headache, as well as a foot pedal.
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The track included lyrics such as “Now I don’t need no wah-wah/And I know how sweet life can be/If I keep myself free.” In his autobiography, I, Me, Mine, Harrison said the song’s message was, “You’re giving me a b****y headache.” There may have been some enlightenment while writing this song because he also discussed how songwriting for himself was more liberating than writing for The Beatles.
“There was too much restriction [in The Beatles],” Harrison stated. “It had to self-destruct … I could see a much better time ahead being by myself, away from the band … It was like a straitjacket.”
The Beatles almost replaced Harrison with Eric Clapton
The Beatles weren’t entirely sure if George Harrison would return or not. However, they knew they needed another guitarist to finish recording Let it Be. In an unearthed interview shared by audacy.com, Lennon could be overheard suggesting that they should consider asking Eric Clapton to join the band.
“I think if George doesn’t come back by (next week), we ask Eric Clapton to play,” Lennon said.
Fortunately, Harrison returned six days later, and they could finish the album. However, the band would disband in a few months, with Lennon announcing his plans to leave the group first.
