Characterizations of George Harrison often focus on his spirituality and lifelong search for knowledge from far-flung places. But Harrison was also a guy who struggled at times to reconcile that part of himself with the desire for earthly delights.
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On “Old Brown Shoe,” a 1969 B-side by The Beatles that Harrison wrote, he addresses that kind of dual nature, albeit in a lighthearted fashion. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable effort, one that doesn’t get too much attention (and maybe deserves some more) from Beatles’ enthusiasts.
A Really Big “Shoe”
The year 1969 was essentially the last The Beatles would record together. John Lennon and Paul McCartney, long the main songwriters for the group, had to deal with vastly increased writing output from George Harrison. Not only was Harrison writing much more, but the quality of his work was increasing by leaps and bounds.
That year also proved to be a bit muddled for the group, as they juggled projects. Songs like “Old Brown Shoe” were up in the air in terms of where they might end up. Because The Beatles left the Get Back/Let It Be sessions unfinished, songs that might have ended up there found their way into new settings. That’s how “Old Brown Shoe” ended up serving as the B-side to the single “The Ballad of John and Yoko.”
“Old Brown Shoe” stands out as a jaunty recording by the band, copping the blues-rock vibe they attained on many of the songs they recorded for Let It Be. Harrison’s lead vocals received some effects to make them seem a bit woozy, but his lead guitar certainly comes ringing clear through the mix.
In his autobiography I, Me, Mine, Harrison talked about what went into writing “Old Brown Shoe”:
“I started the chord sequences on the piano, which I don’t really play, and then began writing ideas for the words from various opposites. … Again, it’s the duality of things—yes no, up down, left right, right wrong, etcetera.”
Exploring the Lyrics of “Old Brown Shoe”
In a way, “Old Brown Shoe” mirrors a previous Beatles song, “Hello Goodbye,” in that the lyrics deal with a laundry list of opposites. But “Hello Goodbye,” written by Paul McCartney, sticks to very basic black-and-white contrasts. Harrison’s lyrics are a bit more involved and filled with the sly humor that he tended to infuse into many of his songs.
He begins with a somewhat cosmic conundrum: I want a love that’s right / But right is only half of what’s wrong. But before you spend too much time contemplating that mystery, the narrator comes back with a rim-shot style couplet: I want a short haired girl / Who sometimes wears it twice at long. That mixture of the mystical and the whimsical perpetrates itself throughout the entire song.
Harrison has some fun with the image of a gaudy rock star in one of the middle eights: If I grow up I’ll be a singer / Wearing rings on every finger. I’m changing faster than the weather, Harrison sings in the second middle eight, and that was probably an accurate assessment of not just him, but of each individual in The Beatles at that time.
The narrator’s libido makes its presence known at times in the song, as Harrison sings at one point, For your sweet top lip, I’m in the queue. Ultimately, the girl he’s addressing represents an opportunity for him to shed his old self: Now I’m stepping out of this old brown shoe / Baby, I’m in love with you.
Eventually, Harrison’s backlog of material would find its way to his first solo album All Things Must Pass, which needed six sides of music to contain it all. “Old Brown Shoe” might have found itself a little lost in the shuffle of The Beatles’ tumultuous final year. But that “Shoe” steps out with its winning originality when heard today.
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