Besides being one of the most incredible guitarists, singers, and songwriters of all time, George Harrison was also a huge fan of racing. He always loved cars and everything associated with them. After the Beatles disbanded and he could decide what to do next—with, of course, all the money in the world, the musician frequently attended Formula 1 races.
He even became close friends with many famous drivers, including Brazilian F1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi. Harrison also loved to drive, and he once revealed one of his favorite songs to listen to while driving.
The song George Harrison said he liked to drive listening to
In an interview with Montreal TV in 2000 (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage), he was asked which was his favorite song to listen to while driving. His answer was: “Hoagy Carmichael ‘Barnacle Bill the Sailor’ of 1929”.
The track mentioned by the Beatle was a drinking song adapted from “Bollocky Bill the Sailor”, which was a traditional Folk song that was originally called “Abraham Brown”. The version mentioned by Harris was made by Bix Beiderbecke and Hoagy Carmichael with Carson Robison on vocals in 1930, not 1929.
The song inspired later on a Fleischer Studio Betty Boop cartoon and two films, besides naming a rock on Mars. Also in the Fleischer Popeye cartoon (1933), the song was used as the recurring theme for the Bluto character. These are only one of the few movies and cartoons that the song inspired.
Harrison’s love for Formula 1
Harrison really became part of the Formula 1 events from the 70s until early 00s since he used to go see a few races every year. He obviously was allowed backstage many times and would go see many friends, including the drivers. He was even a guest commentator for Eurosport channel of the 1994 Australian Grand Prix at Adelaide. The Beatle also had the chance to race a few times as a guest, but obviously not in official competitions.
In the interview with Montreal TV he revealed that he never dreamed about becoming a F1 driver. (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage) “(I like to go to races because) it’s just a hobby. It’s a soap opera, a big soap opera. So I like to see the soap opera and how it develops.”
George Harrison also said that he used to drive his car fast when he was young but in the early 2000s he was driving really slow. Even joked that the only thing he was driving at the time was a wheelchair.
Why Rock musicians and drivers were similar according to Harrison
In a TV interview back in 1986 with the famous driver Jackie Stewart (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage), the musician compared the musicians and the drivers.
“It’s a noisy Rock and Roll, really. I mean, in a way is the same. A lot of the drivers are like Rock and Roll musicians. They really live for now, they don’t really care too much about everything else that’s happening in the world. They just want to have fun and there’s some good people. I’d compare them a lot with Rock and Roll people. Except I think more Rock and Roll people die than racing drivers (laughs),” George Harrison said.
The song “Faster” from his self-titled album released in 1979 was inspired by the year he travelled with the Formula 1 World Championship. Also by his friendship with drivers Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda and Emerson Fittipaldi.