Did The Beatles hold back George Harrison? We’ll never know, but Bob Dylan said George would have been as big as any musician with or without the band. Still, being a Fab Four member had its perks, such as meeting models, actors, and other musicians. When he met Pattie Boyd, George needed only a week and four words to begin his relationship with the person who later became his wife.
George Harrison met Pattie Boyd while filming ‘A Hard Day’s Night’
The Beatles became overnight sensations in England with their debut album Please Please Me. It raced to the top of the charts in 1963 and remained there for months. The follow-up record, With the Beatles, did the same later in the year. To meet the public’s demand for all things Beatles, the band made their first film in 1964.
The Fab Four filmed A Hard Day’s Night in March and April 1964 (per IMDb). George starred, obviously, while Boyd appeared in her second (uncredited) movie role. Publicity photos from the film set (via Getty Images) show Boyd adjusting George’s hair as he sits in a director’s chair. It wasn’t long after that George and Boyd began their romantic relationship.
George starting his romance with Boyd wasn’t as easy as smiling and reminding her he played in England’s most popular band. No, it took a few days and four simple words to get their romance going.
George needed just four words to begin his relationship with Boyd
Boyd had a limited role in A Hard Day’s Night, but she got to work closely with George. When she recalled how she started her relationship with George to Ronnie Wood (via YouTube), Boyd said the Beatles’ guitarist was “amazingly lucky” to have a chance to ask her out:
“At the end of filming — we were filming all day long — the train stopped at Paddington Station, and he said, ‘Oh, will you come out with me tonight?’ And I said, ‘Oh, I’m so sorry, I can’t. I have a boyfriend, and we’re going out, but you’re welcome to join us.’ Not what he wanted to hear at all.
“It was amazingly lucky because we were all called back about a week later to do a bit more filming, and during that week, I fired the boyfriend. So when I saw George, he said, ‘How’s your boyfriend?’ And I said, ‘Well, he isn’t my boyfriend any longer.’ And he said, ‘Oh good. Let’s go out tonight.’ And that was it. We were together for 10 years.”
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Pattie Boyd recalls how her relationship with George Harrison began
A week after first meeting her, George needed only four words to begin his relationship with Boyd: “Let’s go out tonight.” It was a lucky break for someone who was so smitten by Boyd that he asked her to marry him the first day they met.
Did his celebrity status help his case? It probably didn’t hurt, but let’s not forget that George was witty, charming, thoughtful, and deeply introspective. His fame alone wasn’t what sealed the deal. Boyd said she had never met anyone like George before then. They married two years after meeting on the film and remained together for a decade — for better and worse.
Their marriage saw ups and downs
George’s relationship with Boyd seemed to be love at first sight (or close to it) for both of them. She inspired him to write “Something,” The Beatles hit song that was his only No. 1 with the band.
However, their marriage became turbulent later in the 1960s. George became more distant. He went into a shell after a Beatles fight and didn’t open up to Boyd about it. George cheated on her multiple times, including having an affair with Ringo Starr’s wife, Maureen. She responded by having an affair with George’s friend Eric Clapton.
George suggested they divorce at a 1973 New Year’s Eve party. They officially ended their marriage in 1977 but remained friendly despite their relationship troubles.
George Harrison’s relationship with Pattie Boyd ended with a divorce more than a decade after it started with four simple words: “Let’s go out tonight.” The guitar player was lucky to have a chance to ask her out a second time, but she inspired him to write his only No. 1 song with The Beatles.
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