George Harrison was with the rest of The Beatles in 1968 when they went to India to study meditation with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. He was the only one that ended up embracing Hinduism. So it was not a surprise that he would end up writing “My Sweet Lord” that incorporated a chant. George had been writing songs for The Beatles for a long time but usually only one or two of his songs would end up on an album. He had lots of songs that had not been recorded so “My Sweet Lord” would be just one song on the 3 disc album “All Things Must Pass.” The album was produced by George and Phil Spector. Phil was known for his “wall of sound” where there would many musicians on any track. In fact, no one is sure who is playing on “My Sweat Lord” as so many musicians were recorded during the session.

The song was the first #1 song by any ex-Beatle. On the Cash Box Top 100 chart it was at the top for 4 weeks (Dec. 13, 1970 – Jan. 4, 1971). On the Billboard Hot 100 chart it was on the top for a different 4 weeks (Dec. 20, 1970 – Jan. 16, 1971). It sold over a million copies within a few weeks. It is said that the single sold 5 million copies by 1978.

George died from lung cancer in 2001 at the age of 58. His remains were cremated and the ashes were scattered according to Hindu tradition in the Ganges and Yamuna rivers in India.