"This Is Love" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by George Harrison | ||||
from the album Cloud Nine | ||||
B-side | "Breath Away from Heaven" | |||
Released | June 13, 1988 | |||
Recorded | 1987 | |||
Studio | FPSHOT, Oxfordshire | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 3:49 | |||
Label | Dark Horse | |||
Songwriter(s) | George Harrison, Jeff Lynne | |||
Producer(s) | Jeff Lynne, George Harrison | |||
George Harrison singles chronology | ||||
|
"This Is Love" is a song by English rock musician George Harrison that was released on his 1987 album Cloud Nine . Harrison co-wrote the song with Jeff Lynne, who also co-produced the track. In June 1988, it was issued as the third single from Cloud Nine, peaking at number 55 on the UK Singles Chart.
The original B-side for the single was going to be "Handle with Care", a collaboration between Harrison, Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty recorded at Bob Dylan's studio in Santa Monica, California. When executives at Harrison's distributor Warner Bros. Records heard the track, they decided it was too good to be released as single "filler", a decision that resulted in the formation of the Traveling Wilburys, and the album Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 , with "Handle with Care" as the lead track and single. [1]
Steve Wood and Daniel May composed music to the 1998 IMAX documentary film Everest incorporating melodies from some of Harrison's songs, one of which was "This Is Love". [2] Harrison's Cloud Nine recording also appeared on his third compilation album Let It Roll: Songs by George Harrison (2009).
Cashbox called it a "terrifically hooky little tune for George and co-writer/producer Jeff Lynne to shine on" and praised the song's dynamics. [3]
In March 1988, Harrison filmed a promotional video for "This Is Love" in Hana, on the Hawaiian island of Maui, where he had a holiday property. [4] It was directed by Morton Jankel [5] and production was credited to the A+R Group. [4]
The clip begins with various shots of a tropical beach. It then cuts to Harrison playing his guitar and singing the song while standing on a rocky shore surrounded by breaking waves. The camera moves in for a close up of Harrison's face as he sings and a shot of the guitar strings. The scene behind him changes back and forth from tropical vegetation to the rocky shore as he continues to sing and play. He throws up the guitar and catches it. The scene changes to a family picnic where Harrison is welcomed while the song continues to play. Among other people, the picnic sequence shows Harrison's wife, Olivia, and her father, playing a violin. The scenes shift again, and finally Harrison picks up his guitar and walks away. The video ends with a shot of him and the guitar against a tropical landscape.
The film was rarely shown at the time, [4] but in 2004 it appeared on Harrison's Dark Horse Years 1976–1992 DVD, [6] which was available as part of the similarly titled box set and as a standalone release. [7] In his review of the box set, for The Guardian , James Griffiths admired the videos for challenging Harrison's reputation as a musician disinterested in pop stardom and said that, in "This Is Love", "he comes on like a denim-clad, late 80s MTV rock god, posing on a rocky outcrop while the sea lashes around him." [8]
George Harrison was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian culture and helped broaden the scope of popular music through his incorporation of Indian instrumentation and Hindu-aligned spirituality in the Beatles' work.
Jeffrey Lynne is an English musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. He is the co-founder, and latterly the sole member, of the rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), which was formed in 1970, and has written all of the band's music since 1972. This includes hits such as "Evil Woman", "Livin' Thing", "Telephone Line", "Mr. Blue Sky", "Don't Bring Me Down", and "Hold On Tight". He also has had a solo career, with two albums: Armchair Theatre (1990) and Long Wave (2012).
Traveling Wilburys were a British-American supergroup formed in Los Angeles in 1988, consisting of Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty. They were a roots rock band and described as "perhaps the biggest supergroup of all time".
Cloud Nine is the eleventh studio album by the English rock musician George Harrison. The album was recorded and released in 1987 after Harrison had taken a five-year hiatus from his career as a solo artist. The hit single "Got My Mind Set on You" from this album re-established Harrison as a critically acclaimed and commercially significant recording artist. Cloud Nine was Harrison's final solo studio album to be released during his lifetime; his next album Brainwashed was released in 2002, almost a year after his death.
The Dark Horse Years 1976–1992 is a box set of albums by the English rock musician George Harrison. It was released in 2004 and comprises most of the singer's output on his Dark Horse record label. The set contains Harrison's five studio albums from Thirty Three & 1/3 (1976) to Cloud Nine (1987), with bonus tracks, and his 1992 live album Live in Japan, which features a special SACD remix in addition to its original mix. The six albums were also made available as separate releases. The set's eighth disc, a DVD titled The Dark Horse Years, includes promotional videos of Harrison's singles from the 1976–88 era and footage from his 1991 Japanese tour. The box set was followed by the 2014 release of The Apple Years 1968–75, which compiles Harrison's output on the Beatles' Apple Records.
"Handle with Care" is a song by the British-American supergroup the Traveling Wilburys. It was released in October 1988 as their debut single and as the opening track of their album Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1. The song was the first recording made by the group, although it was originally intended as a bonus track on a European single by George Harrison. When he and Jeff Lynne presented the song to Harrison's record company, the executives insisted it was too good for that purpose, a decision that resulted in the formation of the Wilburys. The song was written primarily by Harrison, although, as with all the tracks on Vol. 1, the writing credit lists all five members of the band: Harrison, Lynne, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty.
The Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 is the debut studio album by the English-American supergroup Traveling Wilburys, comprising George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty. It was released in October 1988 to commercial success and critical acclaim. Although Harrison had long planned to start such a band, the project came about through happenstance. Harrison was in Los Angeles and in need of a B-side for a single from his album Cloud Nine, which resulted in the participants collaborating informally on the song "Handle with Care" at Dylan's home.
The discography of English singer-songwriter and former Beatle George Harrison consists of 12 studio albums, two live albums, four compilation albums, 35 singles, two video albums and four box sets. Harrison's first solo releases – the Wonderwall Music film soundtrack (1968) and Electronic Sound (1969) – were almost entirely instrumental works, issued during the last two years of the Beatles' career. Following the band's break-up in April 1970, Harrison continued to produce recordings by his fellow Apple Records acts, notably former bandmate Ringo Starr. He recorded and collaborated with a wide range of artists, including Shankar, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton and Gary Wright.
Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 is the second and final studio album by the Traveling Wilburys, a group consisting of George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan and Tom Petty. It was released on October 29, 1990, as the follow-up to their 1988 debut, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1. The band members again adopted pseudonyms for their contributions, using new names from the fictitious Wilbury brothers.
Best of Dark Horse 1976–1989 is a compilation album by the English musician George Harrison, released in October 1989. His second compilation, after the Capitol/EMI collection The Best of George Harrison (1976), it contains songs from Harrison's releases on his Dark Horse record label between 1976 and 1987. The album also includes a 1989 single, "Cheer Down", which was Harrison's contribution to the soundtrack of the film Lethal Weapon 2, and two tracks recorded specifically for the collection: "Poor Little Girl" and "Cockamamie Business". Despite the popularity of Harrison's work over this period – both as a solo artist with his Cloud Nine album (1987), and as a member of the Traveling Wilburys – the compilation failed to achieve commercial success.
"Got My Mind Set on You" is a song written and composed by Rudy Clark and originally recorded by James Ray in 1962, under the title "I've Got My Mind Set on You". An edited version of the song was released later in the year as a single on Dynamic Sound Records credited to Ray with Hutch Davie Orchestra & Chorus. The song features a variety of instruments, including a Chinese Lute, but it is uncertain whether Ray or the orchestra played the lute.
"End of the Line" is a song by the British-American supergroup the Traveling Wilburys. It was the final track on their debut album Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1, released in October 1988. It was also issued in January 1989 as the band's second single. The recording features all the Wilburys except Bob Dylan as lead singers; George Harrison, Jeff Lynne and Roy Orbison sing the choruses in turn, while Tom Petty sings the verses. The song was mainly written by Harrison and was assigned to his publishing company, Umlaut Corporation. However, all five members of the group received a songwriting credit in keeping with the collaborative concept behind the Wilburys project.
"Cheer Down" is a song by English musician George Harrison that was first released in 1989. The track was his contribution to the soundtrack of the film Lethal Weapon 2 and was also issued as a single. Harrison wrote the song with Tom Petty and co-produced the recording with Jeff Lynne.
"Not Alone Any More" is a song by the British–American supergroup the Traveling Wilburys from their 1988 album Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1. It was sung by Roy Orbison and serves as his main contribution to the album. The song was written mainly by Jeff Lynne, although all five members of the Wilburys are credited as songwriters.
"Cloud 9" is a song by English rock musician George Harrison that was released as the opening track of his 1987 album Cloud Nine. It was also issued as a promotional single in the United States, where it peaked at number 9 on Billboard's Album Rock Tracks chart. Co-produced by Jeff Lynne, the recording features guitar interplay between Harrison, on slide guitar, and Eric Clapton. Harrison performed the song in concert throughout his 1991 Japanese tour with Clapton and in 1992. A live version appears on Harrison's Live in Japan album, while the original studio recording was included on his 1989 compilation Best of Dark Horse.
"Heading for the Light" is a song by the British–American supergroup the Traveling Wilburys from their 1988 album Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1. It was written primarily by George Harrison but credited to all five members of the band. Harrison sings the song with Jeff Lynne, who also co-produced the track and, with Harrison, formulated the idea for starting the Wilburys. The song was issued as a promotional single in the United States, where it peaked at number 7 on Billboard's Album Rock Tracks chart. The song received a commercial release in Australia in 1989, where it peaked at number 88 on the ARIA singles chart.
"Ride Rajbun" is a song by English musician George Harrison. It was released in 1992 on the multi-artist charity album The Bunbury Tails, which was the soundtrack to the British animated television series of the same name. Harrison co-wrote the song's lyrics with Bunbury Tails creator David English. The eponymous Rajbun was a character in the series based on English's friend and cricketer Rajendrasinh Jadeja, one of a team of cricket-playing rabbits – in this case, from Bangalore in India. The composition is in the style of a nursery rhyme or children's song, while the all-Indian instrumentation on the recording recalls some of Harrison's compositions for the Beatles during 1966–68.
Songs by George Harrison is a book of song lyrics and commentary by English musician George Harrison, with illustrations by New Zealand artist Keith West. It was published in February 1988, in a limited run of 2500 copies, by Genesis Publications, and included an EP of rare or previously unreleased Harrison recordings. Intended as a luxury item, each copy was hand-bound and boxed, and available only by direct order through Genesis in England. The book contains the lyrics to 60 Harrison compositions, the themes of which West represents visually with watercolour paintings. Starting in 1985, Harrison and West worked on the project for two years, during which Harrison returned to music-making with his album Cloud Nine, after focusing on film production for much of the early 1980s. The book includes a foreword by his Cloud Nine co-producer, Jeff Lynne, and a written contribution from Elton John.
Songs by George Harrison 2 is a book of song lyrics and commentary by English musician George Harrison, with illustrations by Keith West and an accompanying EP of previously unreleased Harrison recordings. It was published in June 1992, in a limited run of 2500 copies, by Genesis Publications. As with Harrison and West's first volume, published in 1988, each copy was hand-bound and available only by direct order through Genesis in England.