George Harrison - Life Itself

About "Life Itself"

"Life Itself" is a song by English musician George Harrison from his 1981 album Somewhere in England. Harrison also included it on his 1989 greatest-hits compilation Best of Dark Horse. As a love song to God, the track served as the artist's most overtly religious musical statement since 1974. The lyrics offer praise to Christ, Vishnu, Jehovah and Buddha, thereby marking a return to the concept of a universal deity, regardless of religious demarcation, that Harrison had first espoused in his 1970 hit single "My Sweet Lord".

Harrison recorded "Life Itself" at his Friar Park studio in England in 1980. The recording features multiple slide guitar parts, played by Harrison, and contributions from musicians such as Neil Larsen, Willie Weeks and Jim Keltner. Following Warner Bros. Records' rejection of the initial submission of Somewhere in England, forcing Harrison to rework the content of the album, Al Kooper added a Hammond organ part to the track.

"Life Itself" has received praise from reviewers, several of whom recognise it as a highlight of an otherwise disappointing album. Harrison's demo of the song appeared on the EP accompanying the limited-edition illustrated book Songs by George Harrison 2, published by Genesis Publications in 1992. He also agreed to its use in the 1993 audio-book format of author Deepak Chopra's Ageless Body, Timeless Mind, where the 1981 track accompanies a passage read by Chopra. In 1998, "Life Itself" was one of the Harrison compositions adapted by composers Steve Wood and Daniel May for the soundtrack to the IMAX documentary Everest.