George Harrison was one of the first of the Fab Four to leave the band in January 1969, just months after Ringo Starr walked out. He was overwhelmed by the sessions and realized much of his ideas were pushed aside in favor of John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s “half-baked” creations.
George considered his songs way better than the remaining duo’s submissions, leading to an argument on the day of his exit. He documented the details of the incident in his diary and wrote the song “Wah Wah” to let out his frustrations as well. He returned to the studio after having second thoughts; however, it was too late.
What George Harrison did after leaving the Beatles
According to Diaries Of Note, George’s diary entry about that fateful afternoon read, “Got up, went to Twickenham, rehearsed until lunchtime — left the Beatles — went home and in the Evening did ‘King of Fuh’ at Trident Studios — had chips later at Klaus and Christine’s, went home.” Although it seemed like a simple scribble about nothing, director Michael Lindsay-Hogg had more details about the moment.
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He noted that George was unusually quiet during the morning rehearsal, contrasting his chirpy demeanor. Michael used to have lunch with the group, and Yoko Ono and Tony Richmond often joined in as well. He recalled George simply coming around to their table to say, “See you around the clubs,” and that was it. “That was his goodbye,” Michael said. “He left.”
Like Starr, who felt left out of the group, George was unhappy and “just got so fed up with the bad vibes.” He had endured some discomfort in the past year, which included Lennon’s increasing drug addiction, Starr quitting, and Ono’s involvement in the band, which was reportedly another factor stoking tensions in the studio. He also shared similar sentiments with Starr about being under-appreciated members of the famed band.
George often pitched music such as “Let It Down,” “Isn’t It A Pity,” “Run Of The Mill,” “Not Guilty,” and his 1969 single “Something,” but his so-called partners would hardly bother to acknowledge his contributions. Things grew worse as George was not allowed to exercise creative freedom, and Paul tried to control what and how he played. He also got into a physical brawl with Lennon, who threatened to replace him with Eric Clapton when he first announced his leave.