The reason Paul Simon found George Harrison “extraordinary” | CPT PPP Coverage

Notably, Harrison made a rare public appearance when he joined forces with Simon for an iconic episode of Saturday Night Live in 1976. During the broadcast, the duo rattled through four songs from their joint catalogues, including ‘Here Comes The Sun’ and ‘Homeward Bound’.

They both knew what it was like to go from being in an internationally renowned musical partnership to stepping out on your own two feet and could relate to one another. Unfortunately, the pair never worked together in a studio setting. However, their performance at 30 Rock proves Simon and Harrison’s innate chemistry.

Following Harrison’s death, Simon reflected on their ‘Homeward Bound’ duet: “Nevertheless, it was an effortless collaboration. The mesh of his guitar and voice with my playing and singing gave our duet an ease and musicality that made me realise how intrinsic and subtle his contribution was to the Beatles’ brilliant creative weave. He made musicians sound good without calling attention to himself.”

The final point made by Simon about Harrison’s ability to subtly make other musicians shine speaks volumes about his unassuming personality, which the New Yorker touched on during an appearance on Conan O Brien’s chat show in 2014.

“He was an extraordinary guy; everybody knows that,” Simon told the comedian. “Amazing person, not just a musician but really brave, open, kind. Just a certain percentage of him was Beatles, but the rest, he was just regular. Just interested in life, interested in the world, interested in the mind. A pleasure to hang out with him.”

“He had lots of ukuleles. He loved to play the ukulele, so you’d just give him a ukulele and say, let’s play. He had a great jukebox. His jukebox was full of all the music he listened to as a kid, which is pretty much what I listened to too, but with a slight English variation on it,” Simon continued.

While it’s natural for people to change when they achieve fame, Harrison grew positively and still enjoyed the same music that once spurred him onto greatness. Although his life was anything but regular, Harrison somehow managed to keep his head above the parapet and lived as normally as a Beatle possibly could.

Watch Simon and Harrison perform ‘Homeward Bound’ below.

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