About: What Is Life   Goto Sponge  NotDistinct  Permalink

An Entity of Type : wsb:Song, within Data Space : wasabi.inria.fr associated with source document(s)

AttributesValues
type
sameAs
has title
  • What Is Life
has format
  • Gramophone record
has language
  • eng
Subject
  • 1971 singles
  • Song recordings produced by Phil Spector
  • Songs written by George Harrison
  • Number-one singles in Switzerland
  • Apple Records singles
  • Olivia Newton-John songs
  • George Harrison songs
  • Music published by Harrisongs
  • Song recordings produced by George Harrison
abstract
  • %22What Is Life%22 is a song by English musician George Harrison, released on his 1970 triple album All Things Must Pass. 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. In the United Kingdom, %22What Is Life%22 appeared as the B-side to %22My Sweet Lord%22, which was the best-selling single there of 1971. Harrison's backing musicians on the song include Eric Clapton and the entire Delaney & Bonnie Friends band, with whom he had toured during the final months of the Beatles. 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.An uptempo composition in the soul genre, %22What Is Life%22 is one of several Harrison love songs that appear to be directed at both a woman and a deity. Harrison wrote the song in 1969 and originally intended it as a track for his friend and Apple protégé Billy Preston to record. Built around a descending guitar riff, it is one of Harrison's most popular compositions and was a regular inclusion in his live performances. Rolling Stone magazine has variously described it as a %22classic%22 and an %22exultant song of surrender%22.%22What Is Life%22 has appeared in the soundtrack for feature films such as Goodfellas (1990), Patch Adams (1998), Big Daddy (1999) and This Is 40 (2012). 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. In 1972, Olivia Newton-John had a UK hit with her version of the song. Ronnie Aldrich, the Ventures, the Four Freshmen and Shawn Mullins are among the other artists who have covered the track.
schema:author
  • George Harrison
schema:datePublished
schema:disambiguatingDescription
  • original studio mix
homepage
musicbrainz
Musicbrainz GUID
  • fefb3869-aec7-490d-a0da-b42436a571ac
mo:performer
universally unique identifier
  • 5714ded125ac0d8aee42d024
wikipedia
schema:releaseDate
wsb:emotion_tags
wsb:social_tags
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