In his autobiography, I, Me, Mine, Harrison describes it as having been written "very quickly" and recalls that he thought it would be a perfect, "catchy pop song" for Preston to record. It was while driving up to a Preston session in London from his home in Esher, Surrey, that Harrison came up with the song "What Is Life". One of these projects, carried out intermittently from April to July 1969, was his production of That's the Way God Planned It, an album by Billy Preston, whom Harrison had met during the Beatles' Hamburg years and had recently recruited to guest on the band's troubled Get Back sessions.
In his article on All Things Must Pass for Mojo magazine, John Harris has written of Harrison's journey as a solo artist beginning in November 1968 – when he spent time in Woodstock with Bob Dylan and the Band – and incorporating a series of other collaborations through the following eighteen months, including various Apple projects and a support role on Delaney & Bonnie and Friends' brief European tour. 6 Subsequent releases and appearances in filmsĮven before his temporary departure from the Beatles in January 1969 (documented in the song " Wah-Wah"), their Apple Records label was an "emancipating force" for Harrison from the creative restrictions imposed on him within the band, according to his musical biographer, Simon Leng.Ronnie Aldrich, the Ventures and Shawn Mullins are among the other artists who have covered the track. In 1972, Olivia Newton-John had a UK hit with her version of the song. Harrison's original recording was included on the compilations The Best of George Harrison and Let It Roll, and live versions appear on his album Live in Japan (1992) and in Martin Scorsese's 2011 documentary George Harrison: Living in the Material World.
"What Is Life" has appeared in the soundtrack for feature films such as Goodfellas (1990), Patch Adams (1998), Big Daddy (1999), Away We Go (2009), This Is 40 (2012) and Instant Family (2018).
Rolling Stone magazine has variously described it as a "classic" and an "exultant song of surrender". Built around a descending guitar riff, it is one of Harrison's most popular compositions and was a regular inclusion in his live performances. Harrison wrote the song in 1969 and originally intended it as a track for his friend and Apple protégé Billy Preston to record. Harrison co-produced the recording with Phil Spector, whose Wall of Sound production also employed a prominent string arrangement by John Barham and multiple acoustic rhythm guitars, played by Harrison's fellow Apple Records signings Badfinger.Īn uptempo composition in the soul genre, "What Is Life" is one of several Harrison love songs that appear to be directed at both a woman and a deity. Harrison's backing musicians on the song include Eric Clapton and the entire Delaney & Bonnie and Friends band, with whom he had toured during the final months of the Beatles.
In the United Kingdom, "What Is Life" appeared as the B-side to " My Sweet Lord", which was the best-selling single there of 1971. In many countries, it was issued as the second single from the album, in February 1971, becoming a top-ten hit in the United States, Canada and elsewhere, and topping singles charts in Australia and Switzerland. " What Is Life" is a song by English rock musician George Harrison from his 1970 triple album All Things Must Pass. "What Is Life" (Official Music Video) on YouTube