The Inner Light

George Harrison's song, The Inner Light, first came out on the b-side of the single release of Lady Madonna. It was Harrison's first song on a 45 rpm. It charted at 98 on the Billboard Hot 100 for one week, in March of 1968. It was a group favorite from among the songs of George's authorship.

In The Inner Light, George sings lead with Paul and John singing backup vocals. The instrumental track was produced on January 13, 1968 in Mumbai (then Bombay), while Harrison was producing his musical soundtrack for the movie Wonderwall. He made five takes in EMI's local studios. George's lead vocal was overdubbed at Abbey Road on February 6. On February 8 Lennon and McCartney added backing vocals at the end of the song.

The lyrics are derived from the Chapter 47 of the Tao Te Ching, entitled "Viewing the Distant." The song's version of the thought is: "Without going out of your door, you can know all things on earth. Without looking out of your window, you can know the ways of heaven." The music was considered highly unusual for a pop song at the time: the harmonium provided a drone, the tabla set the rhythm, and an Eastern flute played the melody, all of which gave the song a mystical, oriental feel. Harmonic intervals based on unusual modal forms helped to create this sensation.

The Inner Light can be found on compilation records and CD's, as follows: Rarities, Past Masters Volume Two (in stereo), and Mono Masters (a part of the box set called The Beatles in Mono).