On This Day, Dec. 26, 1970 …
George Harrison hit #1 with the song “My Sweet Lord,” which went on to spend four weeks in the top spot.
The chart-topper, produced by Harrison and Phil Spector, made Harrison the first former member of The Beatles to score a solo #1 in the U.S. The track, which was released as a double A-side single with “Isn’t It a Pity,” also went to reach #1 in several other countries, including the U.K. and Australia.
“My Sweet Lord” was featured on Harrison’s album All Things Must Pass, which was his first solo album following The Beatles’ breakup. He later released an updated version of the tune, “My Sweet Lord (2000),” for the 30th anniversary reissue of the album.
Starting in 1971, “My Sweet Lord” became the subject of a drawn-out, landmark legal battle in which Harrison was sued for copyright infringement due to the perceived similarities between the song and “He’s So Fine” by The Chiffons.
Eventually, Harrison was found to have “subconsciously” plagiarized The Chiffons’ hit, but the case wasn’t entirely settled until 1998, due to the behind-the-scenes machinations by Allen Klein, the former manager of Harrison, Ringo Starr and John Lennon.
In total, Harrison had three #1 solo singles during his career. His others were “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)” in 1973 and “Got My Mind Set On You” in 1987.
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