Bob Dylan and George Harrison built a strong friendship that saw the two writing and performing songs together. One song written by Dylan was recorded by both himself and Harrison on separate projects in different arrangements. The two later played the song together in a rare performance that is hard to find.
Bob Dylan wrote ‘If Not For You’ for his wife
“If Not For You” is a song from Dylan’s 1970 album New Morning. Dylan wrote the track as a love song for his first wife, Sara Dylan. It was part of a series of tracks Dylan wrote about his commitment to family and life’s simple pleasures. Dylan commented on the track in the 1980s, saying it came off as “kind of folky.”
“It seemed simple enough, sort of Tex-Mex,” Dylan said. “I would never explore all the possibilities of instrumentation in the studio, add parts and so forth, change the beat around, so it came off kind of folky.”
The song was recorded by Bob Dylan and George Harrison in different styles
The same year, George Harrison released his version of the Bob Dylan track on his All Things Must Pass triple album. While both versions are upbeat, cheery tunes, Harrison’s version features slower instrumentals and a more focused melody. While neither artist is featured on the other’s released versions of “If Not For You,” Harrison and Dylan did record a version in May 1970. However, neither believed the product was worthy of release.
Charlie Daniels played bass at the session and told Rolling Stone that it was a “very relaxed” environment and compared it to “sitting on a rocking chair on a porch in West Virginia.”
“It was basically a jam session. I have no idea how many songs we did,” Daniels said. “It was just a day of jamming. We turned the tape machines on and just went for it. It was four people in the studio playing music and having a good time. No pressure, no hurry. Very relaxed, which is something you usually don’t equate with being in a recording studio.”
Dylan and Harrison rehearsed the track for ‘The Concert for Bangladesh’
The Concert for Bangladesh was a pair of benefit concerts organized by Harrison and Ravi Shankar. The shows took place in 1971 at Madison Square Garden, and the proceeds went to charities meant to help refugees of East Pakistan. One guest at the concert was Bob Dylan, who many people, including George Harrison, didn’t think would show up since he wasn’t a fan of playing at Madison Square Garden.
Dylan did show up for rehearsals, where he and Harrison performed a version of “If Not For You.” They didn’t perform it at the concert, but their performance can be seen 2005 remastered DVD of The Concert for Bangladesh documentary film. Despite Dylan’s nerves, both of his sets went well. Years later, Harrison told Rolling Stone that Dylan was so thrilled with his performance that he wished he could have done a third show.
