(Credits: Far Out / Alamy)
Wed 25 June 2025 17:30, UK
George Harrison was never one to get into the music business to make a quick buck. It may have been nice to have some of the most lucrative things that anyone could ask for, but in keeping with his spiritual beliefs, Harrison understood that everything that he did on the planet was all Maya, and nothing mattered more than making a musical connection with God. But that didn’t mean that he wasn’t dragged into some situations that he never wanted to be in to begin with.
Because even if he was a former Beatle, people still could boss him around when they wanted to. After putting out All Things Must Pass, Harrison never felt that he should have been a solo artist in the truest sense of the word. He wanted an opportunity to make something to give to the world, but when it came to the hustle and bustle of interviews and constant touring, he would have much rather stayed at home, focusing on his gardening and maybe having the odd moment where he strummed a tune with his friends.
While the 1980s will forever be known as one of the darkest times for him after going through albums like Gone Troppo and Somewhere in England, things at least seemed to be looking up for him when he began work on Cloud Nine. Jeff Lynne had helped him discover a love of playing music again, and since the Traveling Wilburys were around the corner, Harrison remembered how fun music could be if he had a good idea behind it. But that also came with him balancing a film company as well.
As much as HandMade Films began as a great idea to save Monty Python’s Life of Brian from being blackballed from the industry, it was clear that Harrison had had enough by a certain point. ‘Dream Away’ was a pleasant enough song to go at the end of the album Time Bandits, but when working on Madonna’s turn as an actor on Shanghai Surprise, Harrison lost all interest in returning to the world of cinema.
“I never did a soundtrack album, because the film got slagged off so bad and we had such a rotten time with them while making it.”
George Harrison
Aside from it being one of the biggest bombs of Madonna’s career up until that point, Harrison remembered having a few tunes left over from around that time that could work well with Cloud Nine. But despite ‘Breath Away From Heaven’ being a decent-enough track with Eastern instrumentation thrown into the mix, Harrison remembered that he would gladly have wiped his hands of the whole thing.
For him, the only good thing to come out of Shanghai Surprise was being able to save this tune, saying, “I never did a soundtrack album, because the film got slagged off so bad and we had such a rotten time with them while making it. I didn’t want to lose the songs, especially ‘Breath Away from Heaven’, which has nice words – although I haven’t included the lyrics to any songs on this album.”
The song does feel like a bit of a detour in the context of the album, but what it lacks in cohesion is made up for by being placed towards the end of the record. The few duds on the record don’t do much to bring the album down, and since the song is incredibly slow compared to everything else, it almost feels like one last comedown before ‘Got My Mind Set On You’ leaves everything off on a high note.
So while Harrison’s career as a film producer was becoming more and more strained, ‘Breath Away From Heaven’ is proof that he can pull brilliance out of almost any bad situation. And since his religious beliefs are all about the balance that exists in the world, it’s only fitting that the subpar film gave him one great song to even out his creative sensibilities.
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