It’s Johnny’s Birthday

The story behind

George Harrison wrote It’s Johnny’s Birthday, a song from All Things Must Pass, which was released in November 1970. It's one of those pieces that feels like a conversation between friends, with a touch of humor and nostalgia. The lyrics talk about a birthday, but it's not just that: it's a way of remembering someone, of letting them know they're on the mind of the one singing. The song lasts just over a minute, but in that time it has a clear structure, with a simple rhythm that repeats, as if it were a children's song. It's not a complicated song, but it has that quality of being memorable, as if you've heard it before, even though you've never played it.