"Isn't It a Pity" is a song by English musician George Harrison from his 1970 solo album All Things Must Pass. [160][nb 14], Annie Lennox performed "Isn't It a Pity" after receiving the George Harrison Global Citizen Award, as part of the annual Global Citizen awards, on 19 September 2017 in New York. It was a chance to realise that if I felt somebody had let me down, then there’s a good chance I was letting someone else down. How we break each other's hearts. In America, Billboardmagazine listed it with "My Sweet Lord" when the singl… Jackson also remarks on the irony of Harrison's song, with its lavish orchestral arrangement, slide guitar commentary and vocal chorus, competing for length with "Hey Jude", a track on which McCartney had rejected Harrison's ideas for guitar embellishment. "[57], Harrison played multiple guitars on the recording,[40] while three members of Badfinger provided the "felt but not heard" acoustic guitars typical of Spector's Wall of Sound. "[84] "Isn't It a Pity (Version Two)" appeared as the penultimate track on side four of the original three-record set,[85] thus serving as what Rodriguez terms "a bookend to a nearly completed journey". [49] The "balmy" slide guitar passage, supported by Barham's string section,[24] follows this second verse, and from that point on – around 2:38 – the same, circular chord structure continues for the remaining four-and-a-half minutes of the song. You see, George played me a bunch of songs when he was with me [in December 1969], and I kept saying, "Why aren't some of these on those Beatles records, George?" The song is a reflection about the decaying relationship between the group. His message was founded on a deeper and more universal conviction: It is easy to talk about love, much harder to live your… [65][nb 5] Badfinger drummer Mike Gibbins played tambourine, and Spizer lists other, "unknown percussionists". [76], The single was phenomenally successful in North America, and around the world. The Peter Frampton Band has released a new instrumental cover of George Harrison ’s “Isn’t It a Pity,” along with a music video that offers a peek into Frampton’s life in quarantine. [142] It was one of the songs that mainstream balladeers rushed to record as a result of All Things Must Pass' popularity. "[47], Now in the key of G (two semitones down from the Get Back performance), "Isn't It a Pity" begins with a two-note pedal point provided by layers of keyboards and acoustic guitars. … I didn't think he had much to develop – he was ready. God, isn't it a pity The beauty that surrounds them It's a pity We take each other's love Just take it for granted Without thinking anymore We give each other pain And we shut every door We take each other's minds And we're capable of take each other's souls We do it every day Just to reach some financial goal Lord, isn't it a pity, my God Schaffner said that whereas Spector had usually applied his Wall of Sound to "throwaways" such as "Da Doo Ron Ron", he was "at last working with a talent comparable with his own. [21][nb 2] "Isn't It a Pity" (Version One, in its All Things Must Pass context) starts small and builds,[36] and reflects Harrison and Barham's interest in incorporating orchestration into the album's rock sound. Forgetting to give back. [108], In Martin Scorsese's 2011 documentary George Harrison: Living in the Material World, "Isn't It a Pity" plays over a scene covering the failure of Harrison's marriage to Pattie Boyd and her beginning a relationship with Clapton. [145] Ireland's Eurovision Song Contest 1970 winner, Dana, recorded a rendition that author Alan Clayson views as "more poignant" than Harrison's or Monro's, given the political upheaval gripping Ulster at the time. "[28], Two contrasting versions of the song were recorded in London in mid 1970 during the sessions for All Things Must Pass,[29] both of which were intended for release, from the outset. [55] Badfinger guitarist Joey Molland said that Harrison directed the sessions,[56] and was unassuming and patient: "He'd come over to us, bring the guitar over and say, 'Okay, this is "Isn't It a Pity".' [30][nb 4] The first slide-guitar break on the released recording uses a near-identical melody to the one Harrison had vocalised when playing the song for the other Beatles on 26 January 1969[40] – reflecting a quality admired by Elton John in the latter's 2002 tribute to Harrison: "All his solos are very melodic – you can almost sing his solos. [86][nb 8] The single and the album surprised the music industry and elevated Harrison beyond Lennon and McCartney in the period following the Beatles' break-up. "[54], Having suffered in the Beatles at McCartney's habit of dictating how each musician should play, Harrison allowed the contributors to All Things Must Pass the freedom to express themselves in their playing. [107] A demo version of the song, recorded during the Get Back sessions, was made available on Let It Roll as an iTunes Store exclusive. [80][81] On the Cash Box chart, which listed single sides separately, it peaked at number 46. [150][151], Galaxie 500 covered the song on their On Fire album in 1989. [153][154] Pitchfork's Mark Richardson was unimpressed with their recording; he cited it as an example of the band's weakness in interpretation, saying it was a "plodding take" relative to Galaxie 500's "untethered" version. ‘Isn’t It A Pity’ is about whenever a relationship hits a down pint – instead of whatever other people do (like breaking each other’s jaws) I wrote a song. [36] Author Robert Rodriguez writes of the public's perception of "Isn't It a Pity": "All Things Must Pass was replete with songs that could easily be interpreted as commentary on the Beatles' breakup; though this particular song predated the events of 1969–1970, the subtext [wasn't] diminished in the least. [88], Ben Gerson of Rolling Stone deemed All Things Must Pass "both an intensely personal statement and a grandiose gesture, a triumph over artistic modesty"[89] and referenced the three-record set as an "extravaganza of piety and sacrifice and joy, whose sheer magnitude and ambition may dub it the War and Peace of rock 'n' roll". She was accompanied by Dhani Harrison on acoustic guitar. [26][36] The long coda sees what Schaffner termed the "pseudo-symphonic tension" burst into a frenzy of brass and timpani, further slide guitar soloing, and the "What a pity" mantra joined by "Hey Jude"-style "Na-na-na-na" chorus. Isn't It a Pity Lyrics: Isn't it a pity? Full text of Isn’t it a pity?The real problem with special needs by Torrie Dunlap at TEDxAmericasFinestCity conference.. [102] Ignoring Harrison's suggestions for the track listing,[103] the company gave over half of the compilation to his songs with the Beatles. [33] Eric Clapton's lead guitar fills, phased piano from Tony Ashton, and John Barham-arranged woodwinds dominate Version Two,[33] which is also more in keeping with the Beatles' earlier attempts on the track; as with "Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp", it features extensive use of the Leslie speaker sound so familiar from the band's Abbey Road album. [24] Only at the one-minute mark, at the start of verse two, does the rhythm section come in, after which the instruments begin to "break out of their metronomic straitjacket to attain an almost ecstatic release", as Beatles Forever author Nicholas Schaffner put it in 1977. [30] According to Harrison, after recording the first version, he decided he was unhappy with it, and the second version came about by chance "weeks later", when one of the backing musicians began playing the song during a session. It was a chance to realise that if I felt somebody had let me down, then there's a good chance I was letting someone else down. 10 years ago. Martyn Sutton, "While His Guitar Gently Weeps ... Harrison at 30". George Harrison - Isn't It A Pity Lyrics & Traduction. Mike Gormley, "Old Un-fancy George Returns". "[45] Inglis writes that the effect of Harrison's "elaborate patterns" on slide guitar is to "counterbalance the underlying atmosphere of pessimism with shafts of beauty", similar to the "notes of light and dark" provided by Pete Drake's pedal steel on the song "All Things Must Pass". Me with the neighbors. In its extended fadeout, the song references the closing refrain of the Beatles' 1968 hit "Hey Jude". [144], Nina Simone's eleven-minute reworking of "Isn't It a Pity" was released on her 1972 album Emergency Ward!, a statement on the Vietnam War which also includes a cover of "My Sweet Lord". [157] Jay Bennett and Edward Burch recorded it for Songs from the Material World: A Tribute to George Harrison,[135] a multi-artist compilation released in February 2003. [33][34] It is also the most extreme example of Harrison's stated intention to allow some of the songs on All Things Must Pass to run longer and feature instrumentation to a greater degree than had been possible within the confines of the more pop-oriented Beatles approach to recording. Isn't It a Pity digital sheet music. [109] The scene is accompanied by Boyd, reading from her autobiography Wonderful Today,[110] describing the night when Clapton told Harrison of his love for her. Peter Frampton has unveiled his version of George Harrison’s classic song “Isn’t it a Pity.”. What joys untasted. How we break each other's hearts. Uncut magazine highlighted the track as a "radiant take" from the band's "career-defining album". Now, isn't it a shame. [51][52] The use of multiple acoustic guitars and pianos playing the same parts was a characteristic of Spector's Wall of Sound production aesthetic. [53] Harrison's former bandmate Ringo Starr and two musicians with well-established links to the Beatles, Klaus Voormann and Billy Preston, were among the participants. Miss you, George. [117], "Isn't It a Pity" remains one of Harrison's most popular songs. It appears in two variations there: one the well-known, seven-minute version; the other a reprise, titled "Isn't It a Pity (Version Two)". Isn't It a Pity Version One / George Harrison About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features © 2021 Google LLC Now, isn't it a shame. And it's such a pity We never, never met before. [98] Among these writers,[99] Don Heckman of The New York Times predicted that "My Sweet Lord" / "Isn't It a Pity" would soon top the US charts and he outlined his "complex" reaction to being presented with a sequence of Harrison songs for the first time: "amazement at the range of Harrison's talents; fascination at the effects of Phil Spector's participation as the album's producer; curiosity about the many messages that waft through the Harrison songs". [7] Eric Clapton has described this bond as being just like that of a typical family, "with all the difficulties that entails". [135][136] Eric Clapton[137] and Tom Petty each named "Isn't It a Pity" among their favourite two Harrison compositions, Petty calling the song "a masterpiece". My nights were sour, Spent with Schopenhauer Let's forget the past. [1] [148][nb 13] In his autobiography, Harrison says he was influenced by Simone's treatment of "Isn't It a Pity" when he came to record his song "The Answer's at the End" in 1975. [83], "Isn't It a Pity" was issued on All Things Must Pass as the final track on side one of the triple LP, providing, in biographer Elliot Huntley's words, an "elegiac, plaintive song of reconciliation" after the angry "Wah-Wah". [155], At the Concert for George on 29 November 2002, a year to the day after Harrison's death, Eric Clapton and Billy Preston performed the song backed by a large band that included Harrison's son Dhani and former ELO leader Jeff Lynne. [147] Jayson Greene of Pitchfork writes that Simone's reading "turns the song into a small dead planet with herself as the only inhabitant", and he cites this as an example of how Harrison's songwriting appealed to soul and jazz artists and invited fresh interpretations. You at silly labors. Watch the video for Isn't It a Pity from Billy Preston's Concert for George for free, and see the artwork, lyrics and similar artists. [49][77][78] Both songs were listed at number 1 on America's Billboard Hot 100 chart,[79] for four weeks starting on 26 December. / Now, isn't it a shame? [8] When the band finally split, in April 1970 – a "terrible surprise" for the outside world, in the words of author Mark Hertsgaard, "like the sudden death of a beloved young uncle"[9] – even the traditionally most disillusioned Beatle, George Harrison, suffered a mild bereavement. We all tend to break each other’s hearts, and not giving back – isn’t it a pity. "Isn't It a Pity?" [143][144] In 1971, Matt Monro released it as a single, in an attempt to repeat the commercial success he had enjoyed with his recording of the Beatles' "Yesterday". Recorded twice for the phenomenal All things Must Pass album, this song's melody is somewhat reminiscent to another of the album's great songs, "Ballad of Sir Frank Crisp (Let It Roll)," and this provides the album with a (possibly unintentional) thematic link. "[47], Elliot Huntley rues the song's enforced period in hibernation, saying: "[It] simply beggars belief that the track was rejected by Martin, Lennon and McCartney – three men whose reputations rested on their ability to spot a good tune when they heard one. Let's both agree That I'm for you And you're for me. The producer's cosmic sound proved a prefect complement to the artist's cosmic vision. [95] Mike Gormley of the Detroit Free Press wrote that the two sides typified the "drifting feeling" evoked by the album, which he described as "a beautiful, very deep set of songs" with lyrics that impart "a lot but aren't fancy". Harrison biographer Ian Inglis has referred to the song's "surprisingly complex" lyrics, which in one sense can be seen as a personal observation on a "failed love affair" yet at the same time serve as a comment on "the universal love for, and among, humankind". In 2013, the Netherlands' Radio 2 programme Het Theater van het Sentiment listed the song at number 1 (ahead of Lennon's "Imagine")[139] in its "Top 40 Songs by Year" for 1971. How we take each other's love. Imagine all the lonely years we've wasted. Phil Spector used his “Wall of…, Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll). What makes it great is the way Spector's magisterial strings and horns meld with Harrison's slide guitar. The third LP was intended as a "free" disc to justify the high retail price of the set. [50] "Isn't It a Pity" featured the largest line-up of musicians found on the album – including three or four keyboard players, a trio of extra rhythm guitarists, the orchestral strings, brass and tympani, and a male choir. Contains printable sheet music plus an interactive, downloadable digital sheet music file. George Harrison, (born February 25, 1943, Liverpool, England—died November 29, 2001, Los Angeles, California, U.S.), British musician, singer, and songwriter, who gained fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles, one of the most important and influential bands in the history of rock music. I cannot be a slave, I will not be a slave, For I'm so fond of liberty, That I cannot be a slave." And cause each other pain. [38][nb 3], Taping of the basic track took place at Abbey Road Studios on 2 June. [1][nb 10], Writing in the late 1970s, Nicholas Schaffner commented on the song's "towering simplicity" and the "endlessly repetitive fade-out that somehow manages to be hypnotic instead of boring". "[49] Several other writers have remarked on the significance of "Isn't It a Pity" in the context of the Beatles' break-up,[2][26][124][125] starting with the track's running time of 7:10, just a second under "Hey Jude". It’s a cover of Nina Simone’s song sharing the same name. The message of Martin Luther King Jr. is not just a social-political one. [70] Allan Steckler, who ran the US operation under Apple manager Allen Klein,[71] was "stunned" by the quality of Harrison's material and identified "Isn't It a Pity", "My Sweet Lord" and "What Is Life" as the album's three hit singles. Playing via Spotify Playing via YouTube Playback options 's 1983 album Murmur. He paired "Isn't It a Pity" with "Something" as ballads that were the equal of McCartney songs such as "Yesterday" and "The Long and Winding Road". "[116] A live version from the tour appears on the 1992 album Live in Japan. Isn't It a Pity (Version 1) Lyrics: Isn't it a pity? Falsetto voices singing, "What a pity", are countered by otherworldly "omms" ... as if intoned by the transparent faces of solemn, planet-sized gods. [114][115] Keyboardist Chuck Leavell recalled it as a highpoint of the shows, saying: "The lyrics are just a great comment, anyway; but in performance the song had a wonderful way of building throughout its course, culminating in the crescendo at the end. The video for the track shows Frampton acclimatising to life under lockdown with the cancellation of his 2020 concert itinerary, struggling with boredom at home, and Zooming with family members. In America, Billboard magazine listed it with "My Sweet Lord" when the single topped the Hot 100 chart, while in Canada, "Isn't It a Pity" reached number 1 as the preferred side. ----- Isn't it a Pity – George Harrison ----- Written by: George Harrison From: “All Things Must Pass” (1970) Tabbed by: maguri Tuning: Standard ----- CHORDS transpose: - transpose: -3 transpose: -5 capo: - capo: 3rd capo: 5th play: G play: E play: D key: G key: G key: G (Standard) (Drop-D) E-A-D-G-B-e E-A-D-G-B-e E-A-D-G-B-e D-A-D-G-B-e G 3-2-0-0-0-3 E 0-2-2-1-0-0 D x-x-0-2-3-2 0-0-0-2-3-2 C#m7-5/G 3-4-2-0 … [46] Author Simon Leng comments on the similarity of Harrison and Barham's combined musical counterbalance in the first instrumental break with elements of Indian raga, in the number of swaras (tones) in both ascending and descending scales. [156] In Rodriguez's description, Preston's passionate performance "nearly stole the show" at the all-star event. [146] A six-minute version of "Isn't It a Pity" was issued on the 51-track compilation The Essential Nina Simone in 1993. Stream Isn't it a Pity by Rick Lockwood from desktop or your mobile device "[165], According to Simon Leng (except where noted), the musicians who performed on the two All Things Must Pass versions of "Isn't It a Pity" are believed to be as follows. Ellen entered the room behind Lydia, dressed for her first day of work. Isn't it a pity We never met before? [72][nb 7] Spector later said he insisted that "My Sweet Lord" was the most obvious choice, and he had to push Harrison and "his manager" on this point. [89] The NME's Alan Smith described it as a track that "catches the mood of aching tolerance of pain, which Harrison can do so well" and a ballad that "will stand out from the album with the passing of the years". [36] Writing for Q magazine in 2002, John Harris said that All Things Must Pass was "by some distance, the best Beatles solo album" and the "widescreen sound" used by Harrison and Spector on tracks such as "Isn't It a Pity" had since been "echoed in the work of such Beatles fans as ELO and Oasis". This was one of the many songs Harrison wrote while with The Beatles. [40][41] According to Spector's comments regarding Harrison's early mixes, the orchestral arrangement was not added until late August at the earliest. Without thinking anymore. [111][nb 9], Harrison played "Isn't It a Pity" throughout his December 1991 Japanese tour with Eric Clapton,[113] his second and last concert tour as a solo artist. According to Boyd's account, the episode took place at a party in late 1970, when Harrison joined them there after a recording session. "[127] Huntley views "Isn't It a Pity" as worthy of "fully fledged standard" status, with Barham's "soaring" strings and Harrison's "sublime" slide guitar combining to take the song "into the heavens, where it stays". [138], "Isn't It a Pity" is featured in Bruce Pollock's 2005 book The 7,500 Most Important Songs of 1944–2000. "[23] His lyrics adopt a nonjudgmental tone throughout:[24]. G A7 C G Go C G A7 C G Isn't it a pity, isn't it a shame Go How we break each other's hearts C G And cause each other pain A7 How we take each other's love C G Without thinking any more Go C G Forgetting to give back, isn't it a pity? Words in singsong rang through the big hall over the hum of the machines. "Isn't It a Pity" has been covered by numerous artists, including Nina Simone, Dana, Matt Monro, Galaxie 500, Cowboy Junkies and Annie Lennox. [ nb 5 ] Badfinger drummer Mike Gibbins played tambourine, and around the world, the song 1966. 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