1969 excerpt from George Harrison's diary reveals what he did moments after he ‘left the Beatles’

The 20th century was blessed with the Beatles, whose soul-stirring music resonated across the globe. Composed of vivid and talented artists, the band was an integral part of the music industry. But in 1969, George Harrison left the Beatles for his own reasons and quit the band. According to Diaries of Note, a letter from that year sheds light on Harrison's reasons for leaving and his subsequent actions. On January 10, 1969, Harrison detailed in his diary what he did moments before and after he "left the Beatles." The band had been practicing tirelessly for their final album. Besides that, some tension and disagreements were building up among members.

At the Twickenham Film Studios, the band was rehearsing for a song while the shooting for a documentary on them was underway. After an argument with Paul McCartney, the guitarist packed up his stuff and left. In his diary, Harrison wrote a few lines about his day. It read, “Got up, went to Twickenham, rehearsed until lunchtime — left the Beatles — went home and in the Evening did ‘King of Fuh’ at Trident Studios — had chips later at Klaus and Christine’s, went home.” Beneath the seemingly mundane details of this passage, there lies a profound depth of emotion and feeling. Music video director Michael Lindsay-Hogg shared how things took place on the day in question, as reported by The Beatles Bible, a fan page dedicated to the band.

“At Twickenham, the Beatles, Yoko, and I, often joined by our cameraman Tony Richmond, would have a proper lunch in the small dining room up a flight of stairs, adjoining a bar where some crew members and studio office workers would be sinking their couple of pints of beer before going off to their lunch,” he said. The director added that Harrison would usually be a part of the discussions, friendly and chirpy, but that day was different. “At the morning rehearsal, I could tell by his silence and withdrawal that something was simmering inside him,” he recalled.

Shortly after that, the guitarist came to the table where they were seated and stood for a moment. “‘See you ’round the clubs,’ he said. That was his goodbye. He left,” Hogg mentioned. While the remaining members continued their rehearsal in anger and frustration, that was it for Harrison. When the guitarist met again for “Anthology,” a project by the Beatles, he shared more. “I thought, ‘What’s the point of this? I’m quite capable of being relatively happy on my own and I’m not able to be happy in this situation. I’m getting out of here,’” the late guitarist was quoted as saying by Far Out Magazine. He noted that each member had moments of wanting to quit amid numerous challenges.

He added, “It was a very, very difficult, stressful time, and being filmed having a row as well was terrible. I got up and I thought, ‘I’m not doing this anymore. I’m out of here.’ So I got my guitar and went home and that afternoon, wrote ‘Wah-Wah.’” Harrison mentioned that though a lot happened back in the day, the band continued to stay in touch. “It’s important to state that a lot of water has gone under the bridge and that, as we talk now, everybody’s good friends and we have a better understanding of the past,” he highlighted. Harrison passed away due to cancer in November 2001. 

Editor's note: This article was originally published on May 14, 2024. It has since been updated.