View source for Hear Me Lord

{{Use British English|date=May 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2013}}
{{Infobox song
| name       = Hear Me Lord
| cover      =
| alt        =
| type       = Song
| artist     = [[wikipedia:George Harrison|George Harrison]]
| album      = [[wikipedia:All Things Must Pass|All Things Must Pass]]
| EP         =
| written    =
| published  = 
| released   = 27 November 1970
| format     =
| recorded   =
| studio     =
| venue      =
| genre      = [[wikipedia:Rock music|Rock]], [[wikipedia:Gospel music|gospel]]
| length     = 5:46
| label      = [[wikipedia:Apple Records|Apple]]
| writer     = [[wikipedia:George Harrison|George Harrison]]
| composer   =
| lyricist   =
| producer   = George Harrison, [[wikipedia:Phil Spector|Phil Spector]]
| prev_title =
| prev_year  =
| title      =
| next_title =
| next_year  =
}}
"'''Hear Me Lord'''" is a song by English rock musician [[wikipedia:George Harrison|George Harrison]] from his 1970 triple album ''[[wikipedia:All Things Must Pass|All Things Must Pass]]''. It was the last track on side four of the original [[wikipedia:LP record|LP]] format and is generally viewed as the closing song on the album, disc three being the largely instrumental ''[[wikipedia:Apple Jam|Apple Jam]]''. Harrison wrote "Hear Me Lord" in January 1969 while still a member of [[wikipedia:the Beatles|the Beatles]]. The band rehearsed it briefly at [[wikipedia:Twickenham Film Studios|Twickenham Film Studios]] that month, but it was passed over for inclusion on what became their final album, ''[[wikipedia:Let It Be (Beatles album)|Let It Be]]''.

The song is in the [[wikipedia:Gospel music|gospel]]-rock musical style and the lyrics take the form of a personal prayer, in which Harrison seeks help and forgiveness from his deity. Along with "[[wikipedia:My Sweet Lord|My Sweet Lord]]", it is among the most overtly religious selections on ''All Things Must Pass''. The recording was co-produced by [[wikipedia:Phil Spector|Phil Spector]] and includes musical contributions from [[wikipedia:Eric Clapton|Eric Clapton]], [[wikipedia:Gary Wright|Gary Wright]], [[wikipedia:Billy Preston|Billy Preston]], [[wikipedia:Bobby Whitlock|Bobby Whitlock]] and other musicians from [[wikipedia:Delaney & Bonnie|Delaney & Bonnie]]'s Friends band.

On release, Ben Gerson of ''[[wikipedia:Rolling Stone|Rolling Stone]]'' described "Hear Me Lord" as the album's "big statement" and a "majestic plea".<ref name="Gerson/RS" /> Harrison included the song in his set list for [[wikipedia:the Concert for Bangladesh|the Concert for Bangladesh]] on 1 August 1971. He performed it during the afternoon show only, although the recording has never been issued officially.

==Background and composition==
[[wikipedia:George Harrison|George Harrison]] wrote "Hear Me Lord" over the weekend of 4–5 January 1969, soon after [[wikipedia:the Beatles|the Beatles]] had begun the rehearsals for a proposed television special at [[wikipedia:Twickenham Film Studios|Twickenham Film Studios]].<ref name="S&S p 55" /> With the band members in disagreement about the nature of the project and whether to return to live performance, this period was one of discord within the group.<ref>Miles, pp. 327–28.</ref> For Harrison, it contrasted sharply with the two months he had spent in the United States at the end of 1968,<ref>Huntley, pp. 17–19.</ref> when he had enjoyed collaborating with musicians such as [[wikipedia:Jackie Lomax|Jackie Lomax]], members of the Los Angeles [[wikipedia:The Wrecking Crew (music)|Wrecking Crew]], [[wikipedia:Tiny Tim (musician)|Tiny Tim]],<ref>Clayson, pp. 259–60.</ref> [[wikipedia:Bob Dylan|Bob Dylan]] and [[wikipedia:the Band|the Band]].<ref>Leng, pp. 39–40, 51–52.</ref><ref>Madinger & Easter, pp. 423–24.</ref> In addition, his wife, [[wikipedia:Pattie Boyd|Pattie Boyd]], had temporarily left him that same weekend, after discovering that Harrison was having an affair with a French woman they had invited to stay at their home.<ref>Doggett, p. 58.</ref><ref>Tillery, p. 68.</ref>

Although the song is recognised as a deeply personal statement, "Hear Me Lord" is one of the compositions that Harrison does not mention at all in his 1980 autobiography, ''[[wikipedia:I, Me, Mine (book)|I, Me, Mine]]''.<ref name="Leng p 99">Leng, p. 99.</ref><ref name="Spizer p 225">Spizer, p. 225.</ref> Harrison biographer Simon Leng describes the self-revelation evident in its lyrics as "unprecedented", adding: "How many millionaire rock stars use a song to beg forgiveness from God, or anyone else&nbsp;...?"<ref name="Leng p 99" /> Leng identifies three "anchors" in the song's lyrics: the phrases "forgive me", "help me" and "hear me".<ref name="Leng p 99" />

In their pleas for forgiveness, acknowledgement of weakness and promise of self-improvement, Harrison's words have been described by author Ian Inglis as offering a similar statement to the Christian [[wikipedia:Lord's Prayer|Lord's Prayer]].<ref name="Inglis p 31">Inglis, p. 31.</ref> Inglis highlights the song's final verse – particularly the lines "Help me Lord, please / To burn out this desire" – as being an "almost flagellatory&nbsp;... self-chastisement" on Harrison's part.<ref name="Inglis p 31" /> Religious academic Joshua Greene recognises the same [[wikipedia:couplet|couplet]] as an example of Harrison the "life-lover", prone to "sexual fantasies", and just one facet of its parent album's "intimately detailed account of a spiritual journey".<ref>Greene, p. 181.</ref>

== Lyrics ==
{{Poem quote|title=Hear Me Lord|author=George Harrison|text=Forgive me lord
Please, those years when I ignored you, hmm
Forgive them lord
Those that feel they can't afford you, hmm

Help me lord, please
To rise above this dealing, hmm
Help me lord, please
To love you with more feeling, hmm

At both ends of the road
To the left and the right
Above and below us
Out and in, there's no place that you're not in
Oh, won't you hear me lord

At both ends of the road
To the left and the right
Above and below us
Out and in, there's no place that you're not in
Oh, won't you hear me lord

Help me lord, please
To rise a little higher, hmm
Help me lord, please
To burn out this desire, hmm

Hear me lord, please
Hear me lord, please

Oh, won't you please, please
Hear me lord
Oh, hear me lord
Hear me lord

Oh, won't you please, please
Hear me lord
My lord, my lord, my lord
(Hear me lord)

Now, won't you please (hear me lord)
My lord, my lord, my lord
Won't you please / (Hear me lord)
Oh, hear me lord, hear me lord
(Hear me lord)
}}

== Remastered 2014 ==
{{youtube|EoUIryN1tM4}}

==The Beatles' ''Get Back'' sessions==
On 6 January 1969, the third day of the Beatles' filmed rehearsals at Twickenham,<ref>Winn, p. 237.</ref> Harrison presented the song to his bandmates, announcing that he had written it over the weekend.<ref name="S&S p 55">Sulpy & Schweighardt, p. 55.</ref> Like "[[wikipedia:Let It Down|Let It Down]]", "[[wikipedia:Isn't It a Pity|Isn't It a Pity]]" and other compositions of his around this time,<ref>The Editors of ''Rolling Stone'', pp. 38, 187.</ref> it was met with little enthusiasm from the group's principal songwriters, [[wikipedia:John Lennon|John Lennon]] and [[wikipedia:Paul McCartney|Paul McCartney]].<ref>Huntley, pp. 18–19, 21.</ref><ref>Martin O'Gorman, "Film on Four", ''[[wikipedia:Mojo (magazine)#Special editions|Mojo Special Limited Edition]]: 1000 Days of Revolution (The Beatles' Final Years – Jan 1, 1968 to Sept 27, 1970)'', Emap (London, 2003), p. 73.</ref> The band barely rehearsed "Hear Me Lord" that day,<ref name="Spizer p 225" /><ref>Sulpy & Schweighardt, p. 75.</ref> during which Harrison and McCartney engaged in an on-camera argument culminating in Harrison's resigned comment "Whatever it is that will please you, I'll do it."<ref>Miles, p. 328.</ref><ref>Winn, p. 244.</ref> Even after the location had been moved to the [[wikipedia:Apple Corps#Apple Studio|Apple basement]] later that month and keyboard player [[wikipedia:Billy Preston|Billy Preston]] brought in – two developments Harrison instigated in an attempt to improve the atmosphere<ref>Clayson, p. 262.</ref><ref>Miles, p. 331.</ref> – he would not play the song again at any Beatles session.<ref name="Spizer p 225" />

Harrison found a more sympathetic collaborator in Preston, a [[wikipedia:Born again (Christianity)|born-again Christian]],<ref>Clayson, p. 280.</ref> when he began producing the Texan's [[wikipedia:That's the Way God Planned It|debut album]] on [[wikipedia:Apple Records|Apple Records]] in February 1969.<ref name="Apple/EncouragingWords">Andy Davis, Billy Preston ''[[wikipedia:Encouraging Words|Encouraging Words]]'' CD, liner notes ([[wikipedia:Apple Records|Apple Records]], 2010; produced by George Harrison & Billy Preston).</ref> The two musicians co-wrote the track "[[wikipedia:Sing One for the Lord|Sing One for the Lord]]",<ref>Leng, p. 71.</ref> one of the first songs Preston recorded for Apple,<ref name="Apple/EncouragingWords" /> although it would not be released until September 1970, on his ''[[wikipedia:Encouraging Words|Encouraging Words]]'' album.<ref>Castleman & Podrazik, p. 91.</ref>

==Recording==
At [[wikipedia:Abbey Road Studios|Abbey Road Studios]] on 20 May 1970,<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 426">Madinger & Easter, p. 426.</ref> a month after [[wikipedia:Break-up of the Beatles|the Beatles' break-up]], Harrison ran through "Hear Me Lord" alone on electric guitar for producer [[wikipedia:Phil Spector|Phil Spector]].<ref name="Unterberger p 286">Unterberger, p. 286.</ref><ref>Spizer, pp. 220, 225.</ref> Leng suggests that, following Lennon and McCartney's routine dismissal of many of his compositions, Harrison "presented his new songs with reticence, almost with a [[wikipedia:Pavlovian|Pavlovian]] expectation of their being rejected".<ref name="Leng p 76">Leng, p. 76.</ref> In his interview for the 2011 ''[[wikipedia:George Harrison: Living in the Material World|George Harrison: Living in the Material World]]'' documentary, Spector explains his positive reaction to Harrison's spiritually themed songs: "He just lived by his deeds. He was spiritual and you knew it, and there was no salesmanship involved. It made you spiritual being around him."<ref>Phil Spector interview, in ''[[wikipedia:George Harrison: Living in the Material World|George Harrison: Living in the Material World]]'' DVD ([[wikipedia:Village Roadshow|Village Roadshow]], 2011; directed by Martin Scorsese; produced by Olivia Harrison, Nigel Sinclair & Martin Scorsese).</ref>{{refn|group=nb|Harrison biographer [[wikipedia:Gary Tillery|Gary Tillery]] notes an additional need for faith on the singer's part in mid 1970 as "pillars of Harrison's old life were passing away", with the demise of his former band and the fatal illness of his mother, Louise.<ref>Tillery, p. 87.</ref>}} This solo performance of "Hear Me Lord" was subsequently made available on the [[wikipedia:Bootleg recording|bootleg]] album ''[[wikipedia:Beware of ABKCO!|Beware of ABKCO!]]''<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 426" /><ref>Richie Unterberger, [http://www.allmusic.com/album/beware-of-abkco%21-mw0000942420 "George Harrison ''Beware of ABKCO!''"], [[wikipedia:AllMusic|AllMusic]] (retrieved 27 July 2018).</ref>

Selected for inclusion on ''All Things Must Pass'',<ref name="Unterberger p 286" /><ref>Badman, p. 10.</ref> the band performance of "Hear Me Lord" has been described by Leng as "slow-cooking, [[wikipedia:Gospel music|gospel]] rock".<ref name="Leng p 99" /> The musicians on the recording were all those with whom Harrison had briefly toured Europe in December 1969, as a member of [[wikipedia:Delaney & Bonnie|Delaney & Bonnie]]'s Friends band,<ref>Clayson, pp. 277–78, 288.</ref><ref>John Harris, "A Quiet Storm", ''[[wikipedia:Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]'', July 2001, pp. 70, 72.</ref> including Preston and [[wikipedia:Eric Clapton|Eric Clapton]], supplemented by pianist [[wikipedia:Gary Wright|Gary Wright]], a mainstay of the extended sessions for ''All Things Must Pass''.<ref>Leng, pp. 82, 99.</ref> The track begins with [[wikipedia:Jim Gordon (musician)|Jim Gordon]]'s heavily treated drums and features a "rolling" piano commentary from Wright and "sweet [[wikipedia:slide guitar|slide guitar]] licks" from Harrison, Leng writes.<ref name="Leng p 99" /> Author [[wikipedia:Bruce Spizer|Bruce Spizer]] remarks on the "soulful" backing-vocal arrangement performed by Harrison, [[wikipedia:Multitrack recording|multi-tracked]] and credited to the George O'Hara-Smith Singers.<ref name="Spizer p 225" />

The guitar interplay between Harrison and Clapton, notably what Leng terms the track's "'[[wikipedia:Little Wing|Little Wing]]' riffs", would be reprised on "Back in My Life Again" and "A Day Without Jesus" for organ player [[wikipedia:Bobby Whitlock|Bobby Whitlock]]'s [[wikipedia:Bobby Whitlock (album)|eponymous solo album]], which was recorded in January 1971.<ref>Leng, p. 123.</ref> In their ''Solo Beatles Compendium'', Chip Madinger and Mark Easter comment that the official take of "Hear Me Lord" ran considerably longer than the released 5:46 running time.<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 432">Madinger & Easter, p. 432.</ref> On the [[wikipedia:All Things Must Pass#2001|2001 reissue]] of ''All Things Must Pass'', the song's length was extended to 6:01.<ref>Booklet accompanying ''[[wikipedia:All Things Must Pass#2001|All Things Must Pass]]'' reissue (Gnome Records, 2001; produced by George Harrison & Phil Spector).</ref>{{refn|group=nb|Alternate mixes of the track, available on bootleg compilations, reveal that the performance extended to a further 90 seconds than the released version. In one of these mixes, Harrison can be heard directing the musicians when to change to the bridge sections and calling out the ending, which, in music critic [[wikipedia:Richie Unterberger|Richie Unterberger]]'s description, takes the form of "a cold close with a long, gothic organ chord – one nice touch not heard on the final album".<ref>Unterberger, p. 290.</ref>}}

==Release and reception==
"Hear Me Lord" was released on 27 November 1970<ref>Badman, p. 16.</ref> as the last track on disc two of ''All Things Must Pass''.<ref>Castleman & Podrazik, p. 94.</ref> It was effectively the final song on the album,<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 432" /><ref name="Chesterton/GQ" /> since the third [[wikipedia:LP record|LP]], titled ''[[wikipedia:Apple Jam|Apple Jam]]'', was a bonus disc consisting almost entirely of instrumental [[wikipedia:Jam session|jams]] recorded during the sessions.<ref>Clayson, p. 292.</ref><ref>Spizer, pp. 225–26.</ref> Discussing the impact success of Harrison's triple album, author [[wikipedia:Nicholas Schaffner|Nicholas Schaffner]] wrote in 1977: "George painted his masterpiece at a time when both he and his audience still believed music could change the world. If Lennon's studio was his soap-box, then Harrison's was his pulpit."<ref>Schaffner, p. 142.</ref>

The release coincided with a period when the [[wikipedia:Counterculture of the 1960s|counterculture]]'s interest in spirituality, at the expense of formal religion, received heavy coverage both in the mainstream press and from religious commentators.<ref>Frontani, p. 158.</ref> Reflecting the intentions behind songs such as "Hear Me Lord" and the album's worldwide number 1 hit single, "[[wikipedia:My Sweet Lord|My Sweet Lord]]",<ref>Rodriguez, pp. 148, 254.</ref> Harrison said in an interview at the time: "Music should be used for the perception of God, not [[wikipedia:jitterbug|jitterbug]]ging."<ref name="Eds of RS p 40">The Editors of ''Rolling Stone'', p. 40.</ref> He added: "I want to be God-conscious. That's really my only ambition, and everything else in life is incidental."<ref>Greene, p. 184.</ref> Former ''[[wikipedia:Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]'' editor [[wikipedia:Mat Snow|Mat Snow]] includes "Hear Me Lord" among the songs that provided "added vindication" for Harrison, after ''All Things Must Pass'' saw him become "by far the most successful" former Beatle by the Christmas of 1970.<ref>Snow, p. 25.</ref>

In his contemporaneous album review for the ''[[wikipedia:NME|NME]]'', Alan Smith described "Hear Me Lord" as an "impassioned hymn"<ref>Chris Hunt (ed.), ''[[wikipedia:NME Originals|NME Originals]]: Beatles – The Solo Years 1970–1980'', IPC Ignite! (London, 2005), p. 32.</ref> and a "stand-out number within the whole set".<ref name="Smith/NME">Alan Smith, "George Harrison: ''All Things Must Pass'' (Apple)", ''[[wikipedia:NME|NME]]'', 5 December 1970, p. 2; available at [http://www.rocksbackpages.com/article.html?ArticleID=20023 Rock's Backpages] (subscription required; retrieved 19 May 2013).</ref> To ''[[wikipedia:Rolling Stone|Rolling Stone]]''{{'}}s Ben Gerson, having bemoaned that "[Harrison's] words sometimes try too hard; [as if] he's taking himself or the subject too seriously", "Hear Me Lord" was "the big statement".<ref name="Gerson/RS" /> "Here George stops preaching," Gerson continued, "and, speaking only to a God, delivers a simple, but majestic plea: 'Help me Lord please / To rise a little higher&nbsp;...'"<ref name="Gerson/RS">Ben Gerson, [https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/all-things-must-pass-19710121 "George Harrison ''All Things Must Pass''"], ''[[wikipedia:Rolling Stone|Rolling Stone]]'', 21 January 1971, p. 46 (retrieved 19 May 2013).</ref> Less impressed, Peter Reilly of ''[[wikipedia:Stereo Review|Stereo Review]]'' wrote that, as with "[[wikipedia:Awaiting on You All|Awaiting on You All]]", the song demonstrated a "fundamentalist religious strain" that, unlike in [[wikipedia:Jimmy Webb|Jimmy Webb]]'s work, was not entirely successful, although he deemed it "nonetheless effective".<ref>Peter Reilly, "Entertainment: George Harrison ''All Things Must Pass''", ''[[wikipedia:Stereo Review|Stereo Review]]'', April 1971, p. 91.</ref>

In ''[[wikipedia:The New York Times|The New York Times]]'', Don Heckman called "Hear Me Lord" and "My Sweet Lord" "parallel songs" that conveyed the intensifying of Harrison's spiritual resolve from the Beatles era. In this, as with Harrison's championing of Indian music and authorship of "[[wikipedia:Something (Beatles song)|Something]]", he recognised Harrison as having been responsible for "major changes in the style and substance of the Beatles" yet still comparatively anonymous within the band's public image, leading Heckman to conclude: "And now, with the break‐up of the Beatles a seeming fact of life, how ironic that it is Harrison who, possibly because of his detachment from the Lennon–McCartney emotional axis, has maintained and even increased his creative momentum."<ref>Don Heckman, [https://www.nytimes.com/1970/12/20/archives/pop-two-and-a-half-beatles-on-their-own.html "Pop: Two and a Half Beatles on Their Own"], ''[[wikipedia:The New York Times|The New York Times]]'', 20 December 1970, p. 104 (retrieved 4 December 2020).</ref>

==Retrospective assessments and legacy==
Among Beatles and Harrison biographers, Elliot Huntley, Ian Inglis and Robert Rodriguez consider the song to be a perfect album closer,<ref name="Inglis p 31" /><ref name="Huntley p 60">Huntley, p. 60.</ref><ref>Rodriguez, p. 156.</ref> a point to which Chip Madinger and Mark Easter add: "If the Lord hadn't heard him by now, then there wasn't much else [Harrison] could do to get his ear."<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 432" /> Huntley praises "Hear Me Lord" as "another soulful hymn&nbsp;... another number given the full gospel treatment by Spector" and recognises Harrison as "the first white man to combine gospel and rock without sounding ludicrous".<ref name="Huntley p 60" /> Writing in Rolling Stone Press's ''Harrison'' tribute in 2002, [[wikipedia:Greg Kot|Greg Kot]] described the music as "orchestrated into a dense, echo-laden cathedral of rock in excelsis by Phil Spector" before commenting: "But the real stars of this monumental effort are Harrison's songs, which give awe-inspiring dimension to his spirituality and sobering depth to his yearning for a love that doesn't lie."<ref>The Editors of ''Rolling Stone'', p. 187.</ref>{{refn|group=nb|Having first met Harrison early in the sessions for ''All Things Must Pass'',<ref name="Wright/DailyBeast" /> Gary Wright soon followed him on a path dedicated to Hindu-aligned spirituality.<ref>David Cavanagh, "George Harrison: The Dark Horse", ''[[wikipedia:Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]'', August 2008, pp. 39, 43.</ref> In his autobiography ''Dream Weaver'', Wright says that songs such as "Hear Me Lord" "had spiritual messages, something I had not heard before in pop music – especially to the degree that he used them. He was breaking new ground as an artist to an even greater degree than he had done in the past [with the Beatles]."<ref name="Wright/DailyBeast">Gary Wright, [https://web.archive.org/web/20141001231052/http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/09/29/when-gary-wright-met-george-harrison-dream-weaver-john-and-yoko-and-more.html "When Gary Wright Met George Harrison: Dream Weaver, John and Yoko, and More (Book Excerpt)"], ''[[wikipedia:The Daily Beast|The Daily Beast]]'', 29 September 2014 (archived version retrieved 9 December 2020).</ref><ref name="Kubernik/MusicConnection">Harvey Kubernik, [https://www.musicconnection.com/kubernik-george-harrison-all-things-must-pass-50th-anniversary/ "George Harrison 'All Things Must Pass' 50th Anniversary"], ''[[wikipedia:Music Connection|Music Connection]]'', 10 November 2020 (retrieved 12 November 2020).</ref>}}

Music critic [[wikipedia:Richie Unterberger|Richie Unterberger]] describes "Hear Me Lord" as "a lovely, somber number" when first performed by Harrison at Twickenham in January 1969. He adds that the Beatles' disinterest in the song was most likely due to its unsuitability to the band's style, whereas "it truly found its appropriate setting" on ''All Things Must Pass''.<ref>Unterberger, p. 238.</ref> In his 2001 album review for ''The New York Times'', [[wikipedia:Jody Rosen|Jody Rosen]] grouped "Hear Me Lord" with "[[wikipedia:Art of Dying (song)|Art of Dying]]" and "[[wikipedia:Wah-Wah (song)|Wah-Wah]]" as examples of how Spector successfully transformed Harrison's compositions on an "operatic scale". Rosen added: "The symphonic squall of these songs seems less about rock star hubris than Mr. Harrison's straining to express outsized emotions – sorrow, regret, longing, writ very large."<ref>Jody Rosen, [https://web.archive.org/web/20180726142629/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/29/arts/music-luxuriating-in-the-sprawl-of-that-early-70-s-sound.html?pagewanted=2&src=pm&gwh=86DA7EFCB81FEB0467408DBAAD7D8F04 "Luxuriating in the Sprawl of That Early 70's Sound"], ''[[wikipedia:The New York Times|The New York Times]]'', 29 July 2001 (archived version retrieved 26 July 2018).</ref>

Simon Leng says that the lyrics alone might make "Hear Me Lord" seem "falsely pious" yet he recognises Harrison's sincerity reflected in his performance on the recording,<ref name="Leng p 99" /> as does Bruce Spizer.<ref name="Spizer p 225" /> Leng adds:
<blockquote>Even more than "My Sweet Lord", the closer to the album proper is the most emotionally compelling piece on an emotionally naked compilation. This is a true outpouring of feeling&nbsp;... A movingly impassioned vocal completes a picture that is as cathartic as anything on Lennon's ''[[wikipedia:John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band|Plastic Ono Band]]'' album.<ref name="Leng p 99" /></blockquote>

Less convinced, Inglis writes that "the impression is of a man cowed, rather than liberated, by his faith."<ref name="Inglis p 31" /> He finds an "uneasy self-righteousness" in Harrison's verse-one lines "Forgive them Lord / Those that feel they can't afford you", and concludes: "The song's gospel-tinged backing matches the evangelical nature of its sentiments, but ['Hear Me Lord'] is a slightly unsettling end to a collection of songs of great power and passion."<ref>Inglis, pp. 31–32.</ref> ''[[wikipedia:GQ|GQ]]''{{'}}s George Chesterton says that elsewhere on the album, Harrison addresses his audience in a manner that "betrays a tendency ... to lecture his listeners: you should do this, you shouldn't do that", but as with "[[wikipedia:All Things Must Pass (song)|All Things Must Pass]]", the "hymnal lyrics" of "Hear Me Lord" are "heartfelt and vulnerable", adding that "Harrison's enduring strength is his sincerity."<ref name="Chesterton/GQ">George Chesterton, [https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/george-harrison-all-things-must-pass "George Harrison's All Things Must Pass: 50 Years of Music in God's Name"], ''[[wikipedia:GQ|GQ]]'', 27 November 2020 (retrieved 5 December 2020).</ref>

[[wikipedia:Back Door Slam|Davy Knowles & Back Door Slam]] covered the song on their 2009 album ''[[wikipedia:Coming Up for Air (Davy Knowles and Back Door Slam album)|Coming Up for Air]]'',<ref>Ryan Dembinsky, [https://web.archive.org/web/20180726150747/https://www.jambase.com/article/davy-knowles-bds-breathing-deep "Davy Knowles & BDS: Breathing Deep"], [[wikipedia:JamBase|JamBase]], 11 August 2009 (archived version retrieved 26 July 2018).</ref> produced by [[wikipedia:Peter Frampton|Peter Frampton]],<ref>Alex Young, [https://consequenceofsound.net/2009/05/davy-knowles-and-back-door-slam-coming-up-for-air/ "Davy Knowles and Back Door Slam Coming Up For Air"], ''[[wikipedia:Consequence of Sound|Consequence of Sound]]'', 5 May 2009 (retrieved 26 July 2018).</ref> who was one of several uncredited contributors to ''All Things Must Pass''.<ref>Leng, p. 78.</ref> In his review of ''Coming Up for Air'', for [[wikipedia:Blogcritics|Blogcritics]], Josh Hathaway described the song as a "Harrison classic" and the album's "masterpiece", thanks to Frampton's lead guitar duel with Knowles and [[wikipedia:Benmont Tench|Benmont Tench]]'s sympathetic organ playing.<ref>Josh Hathaway, [https://blogcritics.org/music-review-davy-knowles-back-door/ "Music Review: Davy Knowles & Back Door Slam – ''Coming Up for Air''"], [[wikipedia:Blogcritics|Blogcritics]], 21 June 2009 (retrieved 26 July 2018).</ref>

==Live performance==
"Hear Me Lord" was included in Harrison's proposed [[wikipedia:set list|setlist]] for [[wikipedia:the Concert for Bangladesh|the Concert for Bangladesh]]<ref>Harrison, p. 288.</ref> when rehearsals got under way at Nola Studios, New York City, in the last week of July 1971.<ref>Badman, p. 43.</ref> Harrison then performed it during the afternoon show at [[wikipedia:Madison Square Garden|Madison Square Garden]] on Sunday, 1 August, immediately following Bob Dylan's surprise set.<ref>Schaffner, p. 146.</ref> After what author [[wikipedia:Alan Clayson|Alan Clayson]] describes as a "creaky" performance of the song,<ref>Clayson, pp. 312–13.</ref> a slight reorganisation of the concert program saw it dropped for the second show.<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 437" />

Along with Dylan's "[[wikipedia:Love Minus Zero/No Limit|Love Minus Zero/No Limit]]", "Hear Me Lord" was the only song performed at the Concert for Bangladesh that did not appear on the [[wikipedia:The Concert for Bangladesh (album)|official live album]] of the event and in [[wikipedia:Saul Swimmer|Saul Swimmer]]'s 1972 [[wikipedia:The Concert for Bangladesh (film)|concert film]].<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 437">Madinger & Easter, p. 437.</ref> Following Harrison's death in November 2001, [[wikipedia:Chris Carter (producer/disc jockey)|Chris Carter]], an American DJ and a consultant to Capitol Records, spoke of including "Hear Me Lord" on a planned reissue of ''The Concert for Bangladesh'',<ref name="Wallgren/Goldmine" /> which was scheduled for release during 2002.<ref>Charles Shaar Murray, "George Harrison et al: ''Concert for Bangla Desh''", ''[[wikipedia:Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]'', March 2002; available at [http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/george-harrison-et-al-iconcert-for-bangla-deshi Rock's Backpages] (subscription required).</ref> Carter added: "there are some technical problems with the recording [of the song] … so that's still up in the air."<ref name="Wallgren/Goldmine">Mark Wallgren, "Awaiting on you all – George Harrison reissue update", ''[[wikipedia:Goldmine (magazine)|Goldmine]]'', 25 January 2002, p. 58.</ref> The reissue took place in October 2005, with "Love Minus Zero/No Limit" included as a bonus track,<ref>Leng, p. 120.</ref> but without the addition of "Hear Me Lord".<ref>Richard S. Ginell, [http://www.allmusic.com/album/release/the-concert-for-bangladesh-bonus-track-mr0001442252 "George Harrison ''The Concert for Bangladesh (Bonus Track)''"], [[wikipedia:AllMusic|AllMusic]] (retrieved 9 April 2015)</ref>

==Personnel==
According to Simon Leng<ref name="Leng p 99" /> and Bruce Spizer:<ref name="Spizer p 225" />

*[[wikipedia:George Harrison|George Harrison]] – vocals, electric guitar, [[wikipedia:slide guitar|slide guitar]], backing vocals
*[[wikipedia:Eric Clapton|Eric Clapton]] – electric guitar
*[[wikipedia:Gary Wright|Gary Wright]] – piano
*[[wikipedia:Bobby Whitlock|Bobby Whitlock]] – organ
*[[wikipedia:Billy Preston|Billy Preston]] – keyboards
*[[wikipedia:Carl Radle|Carl Radle]] – bass
*[[wikipedia:Jim Gordon (musician)|Jim Gordon]] – drums
*[[wikipedia:Jim Price (musician)|Jim Price]] – trumpet, horn arrangement
*[[wikipedia:Bobby Keys|Bobby Keys]] – saxophone
*uncredited – tambourine, shaker

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=nb|30em}}

==References==
{{reflist|20em}}

==Sources==
{{refbegin}}
* Dale C. Allison Jr., ''The Love There That's Sleeping: The Art and Spirituality of George Harrison'', Continuum (New York, NY, 2006; {{ISBN|978-0-8264-1917-0}}).
* Keith Badman, ''The Beatles Diary Volume 2: After the Break-Up 1970–2001'', Omnibus Press (London, 2001; {{ISBN|0-7119-8307-0}}).
* Harry Castleman & Walter J. Podrazik, ''All Together Now: The First Complete Beatles Discography 1961–1975'', Ballantine Books (New York, NY, 1976; {{ISBN|0-345-25680-8}}).
* Alan Clayson, ''George Harrison'', Sanctuary (London, 2003; {{ISBN|1-86074-489-3}}).
* The Editors of ''Rolling Stone'', ''Harrison'', Rolling Stone Press/Simon & Schuster (New York, NY, 2002; {{ISBN|0-7432-3581-9}}).
* Michael Frontani, "The Solo Years", in [[wikipedia:Kenneth Womack|Kenneth Womack]] (ed.), ''[[wikipedia:Cambridge Companions to Music|The Cambridge Companion to the Beatles]]'', Cambridge University Press (Cambridge, UK, 2009; {{ISBN|978-1-139-82806-2}}), pp.&nbsp;153–82.
* Joshua M. Greene, ''Here Comes the Sun: The Spiritual and Musical Journey of George Harrison'', John Wiley & Sons (Hoboken, NJ, 2006; {{ISBN|978-0-470-12780-3}}).
* Olivia Harrison, ''George Harrison: Living in the Material World'', Abrams (New York, NY, 2011; {{ISBN|978-1-4197-0220-4}}).
* Elliot J. Huntley, ''Mystical One: George Harrison – After the Break-up of the Beatles'', Guernica Editions (Toronto, ON, 2006; {{ISBN|1-55071-197-0}}).
* Ian Inglis, ''The Words and Music of George Harrison'', Praeger (Santa Barbara, CA, 2010; {{ISBN|978-0-313-37532-3}}).
* Simon Leng, ''While My Guitar Gently Weeps: The Music of George Harrison'', Hal Leonard (Milwaukee, WI, 2006; {{ISBN|1-4234-0609-5}}).
* Chip Madinger & Mark Easter, ''Eight Arms to Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium'', 44.1 Productions (Chesterfield, MO, 2000; {{ISBN|0-615-11724-4}}).
* Barry Miles, ''The Beatles Diary Volume 1: The Beatles Years'', Omnibus Press (London, 2001; {{ISBN|0-7119-8308-9}}).
* Robert Rodriguez, ''Fab Four FAQ 2.0: The Beatles' Solo Years 1970–1980'', Hal Leonard (Milwaukee, WI, 2010; {{ISBN|978-0-87930-968-8}}).
* Nicholas Schaffner, ''The Beatles Forever'', McGraw-Hill (New York, NY, 1978; {{ISBN|0-07-055087-5}}).
* Mat Snow, ''The Beatles Solo: The Illustrated Chronicles of John, Paul, George, and Ringo After The Beatles'' (Volume 3: ''George''), Race Point Publishing (New York, NY, 2013; {{ISBN|978-1-937994-26-6}}).
* Bruce Spizer, ''The Beatles Solo on Apple Records'', 498 Productions (New Orleans, LA, 2005; {{ISBN|0-9662649-5-9}}).
* Doug Sulpy & Ray Schweighardt, ''Get Back: The Unauthorized Chronicle of The Beatles' Let It Be Disaster'', St. Martin's Griffin (New York, 1997; {{ISBN|0-312-19981-3}}).
* Gary Tillery, ''Working Class Mystic: A Spiritual Biography of George Harrison'', Quest Books (Wheaton, IL, 2011; {{ISBN|978-0-8356-0900-5}}).
* Richie Unterberger, ''The Unreleased Beatles: Music & Film'', Backbeat Books (San Francisco, CA, 2006; {{ISBN|978-0-87930-892-6}}).
* John C. Winn, ''That Magic Feeling: The Beatles' Recorded Legacy, Volume Two, 1966–1970'', Three Rivers Press (New York, NY, 2009; {{ISBN|978-0-307-45239-9}}).
{{refend}}

{{All Things Must Pass}}

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[[Category:Gospel songs]]