“All Things Must Pass” is a George Harrison song, written in 1968. The Beatles worked on it during the Get Back rehearsals in January 1969, but they never completed a finished Beatles master for release. The best-known Beatles-era recording is Harrison’s solo demo from 25 February 1969, officially released on “Anthology 3” on 28 October 1996.
Key Facts
- Publisher: Harrisongs
- First official release of this recording: 28 October 1996 (on “Anthology 3”)
- Recorded: 25 February 1969
- Studio: EMI Studios, Abbey Road, London
- Genre: Folk rock
- Track duration (Anthology 3): 3:05
- Record label (Anthology 3): Apple
- Songwriter: George Harrison
- Engineer (credited): Ken Scott
Performer And Instrument
- George Harrison: lead vocal, tremolo electric guitar
Where To Find “All Things Must Pass”
If you want the Beatles-era Harrison demo, the official release is here:
If you want the fully produced studio song (not the Beatles demo), it is best known from George Harrison’s 1970 triple album titled “All Things Must Pass”. A well-known early cover also appeared in 1970, when Billy Preston recorded it as “All Things (Must) Pass”.
All Things Must Pass: Background
George Harrison wrote “All Things Must Pass” in 1968, around the time he was absorbing the American rootsy sound coming from Woodstock, New York. The lyric is simple but powerful: everything changes, nothing stays fixed, and even difficult moments move on.
Harrison later described it as a song shaped by the Band’s influence after his late-1968 time in Woodstock, and the lyric was also influenced by Timothy Leary’s poem “All Things Pass”.
When The Beatles moved from the 1968 White Album sessions into the early 1969 rehearsals for the Get Back project, Harrison brought the song in as potential new material. The band ran through it more than once during those rehearsals, but it never became a serious group production at the time, and it did not make the final “Let It Be” album.
After The Beatles split, Harrison kept the title and used it for his landmark 1970 solo release, turning a previously overlooked song into the name of the biggest statement of his early solo career.
Recording Studio
On George Harrison’s 26th birthday, 25 February 1969, he went alone to EMI Studios at Abbey Road and recorded demos of three songs: “Old Brown Shoe”, “All Things Must Pass”, and “Something”. These were straightforward eight-track demo recordings with no producer in the room, likely made so the others could learn the songs more easily.
For “All Things Must Pass”, Harrison recorded two takes with live vocal and tremolo guitar accompaniment. He also recorded an additional vocal-and-guitar part, although the official “Anthology 3” mix does not include everything that was put down that day.
On “Anthology 3”, the demo appears on disc 2, track 10, after “Oh! Darling” and before “Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues.”
During the same solo session, Harrison also recorded demos of “Old Brown Shoe” and “Something“. Those demos also appear on the same album.
Take A Listen To “All Things Must Pass”
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Sources And References
- The Beatles – Official song page for “All Things Must Pass”.
- The Beatles – Official Anthology 3 release page.
- George Harrison – Official page for the 1970 solo album All Things Must Pass.
- Wikipedia – Background and Beatles-era context for cross-checking.
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