An all-star cast from the worlds of music, TV, film and comedy have come together to honour George Harrison in the first-ever official music video for his iconic hit song, “My Sweet Lord.”
Directed by Lance Bangs, and executive produced by Dhani Harrison and David Zonshine, the video stars Fred Armisen and Vanessa Bayer as metaphysical special agents who are tasked by the head of a clandestine agency, played by Mark Hamill, to search for that which can’t be seen.
Along the way dozens of agents team up to look high and low for what may have been right in front of their face all along, mirroring the seeking nature of the song. More than forty musicians, actors, comedians, directors, artists and other creatives make appearances, ranging from Harrison’s friends and former band mates Ringo Starr and Jeff Lynne; to actors Darren Criss, Jon Hamm, Rosanna Arquette; musicians Joe Walsh, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Reggie Watts, comedians Moshe Kasher, Natasha Leggero, Patton Oswalt; comedy duos Tim and Eric (Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim) and Garfunkel and Oates (Kate Micucci and Riki Lindhome).
Also others like the writer, actor and director Taika Waititi and visual artist Shepard Fairey. The video also features Harrison’s wife Olivia Harrison and their son Dhani Harrison, who appear in scenes with actress Aimee Mullins and actor Rupert Friend, respectively.
In addition to Harrison’s massive influence on popular music as a member of The Beatles and his successful solo career, the legendary songwriter, musician, film producer and peace activist also greatly influenced the comedy world through his groundbreaking British film studio, HandMade Films, which was responsible for such classic films as Monty Python’s “Life Of Brian,” “Time Bandits” and the cult favorite, “Withnail and I.” This music video pays tribute to Harrison’s sense of humour and his indelible impact on both music and comedy.
Director Lance Bangs says:
“Making this was one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. The approach was to represent the song visually while these agents and inspectors kept missing the metaphysical wonder around them. Images are choreographed to the sounds of vocal melodies, guitar strums, drum patterns, chord changes. George threaded a sense of humour through all of his videos, so we kept that spirit and filled the cast with friends and admirers of his music, many coming from the current comedy landscape.
“I tracked down vintage prime lenses from some of the films George’s HandMade Films had produced, and I hope that viewers can feel a sense of wonder and searching while they watch it, and that the song continues to add to all of our lives.”
The video for “My Sweet Lord” boasts the new 2020 mix of the song mixed by award-winning engineer, Paul Hicks. The track was released on August 6th to mark the 50th-anniversary of Harrison’s album, All Things Must Pass.
In celebration of its 50th, All Things Must Pass has been reissued in an array of formats, from a lavish and incredibly limited edition Uber Deluxe to an expansive Super Deluxe Edition box set to a variety of CD and vinyl configurations, in addition to streaming and download configurations.
Later in the 1970s, “My Sweet Lord” was at the centre of a heavily publicised copyright infringement suit due to its similarity to the Ronnie Mack song “He’s So Fine”, a 1963 hit for the New York girl group the Chiffons. In 1976, Harrison was found to have subconsciously plagiarised the song, a verdict that had repercussions throughout the music industry. Rather than the Chiffons song, he said he used the out-of-copyright Christian hymn “Oh Happy Day” as his inspiration for the melody.
