Among all The Beatles, the bond between John Lennon and George Harrison was perhaps the most complex—and the most deeply rooted.

Among all The Beatles, the bond between John Lennon and George Harrison was perhaps the most complex—and the most deeply rooted.

They met as schoolboys on a bus in Liverpool, with George still a teenager and John already forming his first band, The Quarrymen. That connection, though sometimes rocky, lasted a lifetime.

 

John was George’s big brother figure in the early days. He teased him, challenged him, but also defended and mentored him. When George auditioned to join The Quarrymen, John wasn’t sure at first—George was too young. But after seeing his guitar skills (especially playing “Raunchy” on the top of a bus), John relented. That moment changed music history.

 

During the early Beatles years, they were inseparable—touring, rooming together, writing, and laughing. George often followed John’s lead, absorbing his wit, politics, and spiritual curiosity. But by the late ‘60s, the dynamic shifted. George was coming into his own musically and spiritually. While tensions flared during the Let It Be sessions, and George famously walked out for a few days, their underlying affection endured.

 

After the breakup, their paths diverged but the emotional thread remained. George later described his relationship with John as “deep,” even when they weren’t in frequent contact. They reunited several times in private, and while George was closer to Ringo in his solo years, he always held a special place for John.

 

Lennon respected George’s growth. In a 1980 interview, he said he admired George’s All Things Must Pass album and acknowledged that George had been “suppressed” in the Beatles. That admission meant a lot to fans—it showed Lennon’s capacity for reflection and love.

 

When John died in 1980, George was devastated. His tribute song, “All Those Years Ago,” released in 1981, featured Ringo on drums and lyrics directly honoring Lennon’s spirit and legacy. The song wasn’t just a memorial—it was a final conversation with a brother.

 

Their friendship wasn’t perfect. It was layered with rivalry, humor, silence, and spiritual depth. But through it all, John and George shared something unbreakable: the experience of growing up and changing the world—together.