The Inner Light (song)
On the 4th of October 1967, George Harrison and John Lennon appeared on The Frost Programme to debate Transcendental Meditation with academics. A Sanskrit scholar named Juan Mascaró watched that televised exchange from his home in Cambridge. He sent a letter dated the 16th of November 1967 to Harrison suggesting they might meet before the Beatles traveled to India. Mascaró enclosed a copy of his book Lamps of Fire which contained translations from Lao-Tzu's Tao Te Ching. He asked if it would be interesting to put words of Tao into their music using page 66 of his anthology. Harrison wrote the song lyrics based directly on chapter 48 of that text while studying meditation under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The resulting composition became the first Harrison piece issued on a Beatles single.
Harrison traveled to His Master's Voice studio in Bombay during early January 1968 to record instrumental tracks for his Wonderwall Music soundtrack. On the 13th of January he taped five takes of an instrumental track using a two-track recorder. Shambhu Das recruited musicians including Aashish Khan on sarod and Hariprasad Chaurasia on bansuri flute. Hanuman Jadev played shehnai while Mahapurush Misra handled pakhavaj drums. Rijram Desad provided harmonium accompaniment. The group recorded in South Indian Carnatic style despite using instruments typically associated with Hindustani traditions. Harrison directed the session without playing any instrument himself. The recording included tabla tarang over quiet vocal interludes later added in London. Only George Martin received production credit for the final track.
The melody conforms to Mixolydian mode or its Indian equivalent known as Khamaj thaat. Peter Lavezzoli describes the instrumental sections as having a raucous 4/4 rhythm contrasting with gentle meditative verses. Dominic Pedler notes unusual tritone intervals that remove the song from standard pop structures. The opening phrase uses a hauntingly modal G-B-D progression moving toward the flat seventh within E major key. Walter Everett compares this ascending arpeggiation to features found in Within You Without You. Over the verses the dominant E major alternates with F minor before shifting to A chord during specific lyrics. Harrison incorporated Lao-Tzu's poem conclusion beginning with the line Arrive without travelling. The composition blends Western popular music forms with Indian instrumentation and Chinese philosophy into one unified piece.
The song issued as the B-side of Lady Madonna on the 15th of March 1968 in the United Kingdom. American release followed three days later on the 18th of March 1968. Billboard magazine commented on the aptness given the band's meditation spell at the time. Cash Box reviewer predicted strong sales for the interesting coupler featuring transcendental meditation lyrics. In America the track charted independently on the Hot 100 reaching number 96 for one week. Australia listed it alongside Lady Madonna as a double A-side when the single topped Go-Set national charts. Paul Saltzman recalled hearing the song at the Maharishi ashram where he joined the group. From June 1968 Harrison abandoned sitar mastery efforts returning to guitar as his principal instrument. He described the track as one of his precious things in September interviews.
Nicholas Schaffner wrote in 1977 that the song proved to be the best and last example of Harrison incorporating Indian music into Beatles work. Bruce Eder of AllMusic called the tracks beautiful songs effectively recorded as solo performances. Ian MacDonald likened the studied innocence and exotic sweetness to recordings by the Incredible String Band. John Harris writing for Mojo magazine in 2003 admired it as Harrison's loveliest addition of Indian music to their repertoire. Nick DeRiso considers it one of the composer's most successful marriages of raga and rock. David Reck noted in 1988 the sheer simplicity capturing perfectly the mood and truth of the lyrics. The song stands as a key recording in the evolution of world music genres during the 1980s.
Jeff Lynne performed the song with Anoushka Shankar at the Concert for George tribute held on the 29th of November 2002 at London's Royal Albert Hall. Dhani Harrison played keyboards while Tanmoy Bose handled dholak percussion. Rajendra Prasanna played shehnai alongside Sunil Gupta on flute. Screenwriter Morgan Gendel named a Star Trek: The Next Generation episode after the song which aired in June 1992. The episode won the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation depicting Captain Jean-Luc Picard living decades in a dream state. In 2020 Harrison's Material World Foundation announced The Inner Light Challenge raising funds for MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund. The foundation pledged up to $100,000 for each moment shared on social media regarding the song. Olivia Harrison stated the lyrics served as a positive reminder during quarantine times.
Continue Browsing
Common questions
When was The Inner Light song released as a single in the United Kingdom?
The Inner Light issued as the B-side of Lady Madonna on the 15th of March 1968 in the United Kingdom. American release followed three days later on the 18th of March 1968.
Who wrote the lyrics for The Inner Light based on which text?
George Harrison wrote the song lyrics based directly on chapter 48 of Lao-Tzu's Tao Te Ching while studying meditation under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. He used page 66 of Juan Mascaró's anthology Lamps of Fire to incorporate words of Tao into his music.
What instruments did musicians play during the recording of The Inner Light in Bombay?
Shambhu Das recruited Aashish Khan on sarod and Hariprasad Chaurasia on bansuri flute for the session. Hanuman Jadev played shehnai while Mahapurush Misra handled pakhavaj drums and Rijram Desad provided harmonium accompaniment.
How did The Inner Light perform on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in America?
In America the track charted independently on the Hot 100 reaching number 96 for one week. Australia listed it alongside Lady Madonna as a double A-side when the single topped Go-Set national charts.
Which Star Trek episode was named after The Inner Light and when did it air?
Screenwriter Morgan Gendel named a Star Trek: The Next Generation episode after the song which aired in June 1992. The episode won the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation depicting Captain Jean-Luc Picard living decades in a dream state.