George Harrison was always the "Quiet Beatle," but in 1987, he was anything but silent. He was everywhere. You couldn't turn on a radio or watch MTV for twenty minutes without hearing that relentless, driving drum beat. It was a weird time for 60s icons. Most of them were struggling to stay relevant in a landscape dominated by hair metal and synth-pop, yet Harrison managed to land a massive number one hit with a song he didn’t even write. Honestly, the story of the I've Got My Mind Set on You song is a masterclass in how to reinvent a career without losing your soul.
It wasn't a Beatles track. It wasn't a deep, spiritual meditation on the inner light. It was a cover.
The 1962 Roots Nobody Remembers
Most people think this was a George Harrison original. It makes sense why they’d assume that. The energy feels like it belongs to him. However, the song actually dates back to 1962, originally recorded by an R&B singer named James Ray.
George actually bought the James Ray album in 1963. He was visiting his sister Louise in Benton, Illinois—this was right before the Beatles exploded in America. He spent his time hanging out in record stores, digging through bins, and he found this peculiar track written by Rudy Clark. He loved it. He kept it in the back of his head for over two decades. That’s just how his brain worked. He’d latch onto a melody or a lyric and let it marinate for years until the timing felt right.
James Ray's original version is fascinatingly different. It’s got this gospel-tinged, big-band R&B swing to it. It’s gritty. It’s raw. When you listen to it now, you can hear why a young guitar player from Liverpool would be obsessed. It had a "hook" that wouldn't quit.
Jeff Lynne and the Cloud Nine Magic
By the mid-80s, George was kind of over the music industry. He was busy producing movies with HandMade Films and gardening at his estate, Friar Park. He hadn't released an album in five years. Then he teamed up with Jeff Lynne from ELO.
Jeff Lynne is a polarizing figure in production. Some people hate his "wall of sound" style—the crisp snare drums, the layered vocals, the sheer cleanliness of everything. But for George, it was exactly what he needed to break out of his shell. They started working on the Cloud Nine album, and George brought up that old James Ray tune.
They recorded it at George’s home studio. They didn't use a full band in the traditional sense. It was mostly just George and Jeff building the track layer by layer. They replaced the original's horn sections with synthesizers and sharpened the rhythm. The result was a polished, infectious earworm that felt modern but possessed a nostalgic heartbeat.
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It’s surprisingly repetitive. Seriously, have you ever actually looked at the lyrics?
"I got my mind set on you / I got my mind set on you / I got my mind set on you / I got my mind set on you."
That’s basically it. There are two short verses about needing money and time, and then it's back to the hook. In the hands of a lesser artist, this would have been annoying. In George's hands, it became a mantra. It reflected his interest in Eastern philosophy—the idea of repetition leading to a state of focus—even if the subject matter was just a standard love song.
The Music Videos That Conquered MTV
You can't talk about the success of the I've Got My Mind Set on You song without talking about the videos. Yes, plural. There were two.
The first one is the one everyone knows. George is sitting in a study, in a big armchair, surrounded by taxidermy and old furniture. Suddenly, the house starts dancing. The squirrel plays the flute. The deer head on the wall sings backup. George himself does a (very obvious) stunt-double backflip off the wall.
It was goofy. It was charming. It showed a side of George that the public hadn't seen in years. He wasn't the "sour" Beatle or the "preachy" Beatle. He was a guy having a blast.
The second video was filmed at an arcade/fairground. It features a girl trying to win a prize while George performs in the background of the machines. It’s fine, but it lacks the surreal magic of the dancing study. MTV played the "study" version on a loop. It was a visual feast that matched the relentless energy of the song's beat.
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Breaking Records and Topping Charts
When the song hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1988, it broke a few records. George became the artist with the longest gap between number-one hits. His previous chart-topper was "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)" back in 1973. That’s a fourteen-year wait.
It was also the last number one hit by a former Beatle. Think about that for a second. Out of all the solo output from John, Paul, and Ringo throughout the late 80s, 90s, and beyond, this cover of an obscure 1962 R&B track was the one that reached the pinnacle.
Why did it work?
- The Beat: Jeff Lynne’s production was tailor-made for 80s radio.
- The Voice: George’s slide guitar and vocals were unmistakable.
- The Simplicity: It was a "feel-good" track in an era of complex power ballads.
- The Video: It captured the early MTV generation's imagination.
Critics at the time were a bit surprised. Some felt it was too "slight" for a man of Harrison's stature. They wanted All Things Must Pass part two. They wanted deep thoughts on the Hare Krishna movement. Instead, they got a three-minute pop explosion.
But George didn't care. He was having fun again. This song's success gave him the confidence to form The Traveling Wilburys with Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, and Jeff Lynne. Without the momentum of this hit, we might never have gotten "Handle with Care" or "End of the Line."
Common Misconceptions and Nuances
There’s a persistent rumor that George hated the song and only recorded it to satisfy the record label. That's not really true. While George definitely had a complicated relationship with the "pop star" machinery, he was the one who brought the song to the table. He'd been playing it for fun since the early 60s. He genuinely liked the melody.
Another misconception is that it’s a simple love song. While the lyrics are straightforward, the way George performs it—with that trademark slide guitar—gives it an edge. He wasn't just copying James Ray; he was translating the song into his own musical language.
The song's structure is actually quite weird for a pop hit. It doesn't have a traditional bridge that goes to a new place. It just keeps cycling. It builds tension through that repetition. If you listen closely to the percussion, there are layers of shakers and tambourines that keep the energy moving forward even when the melody stays the same.
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The Lasting Legacy of the Set on You Sound
Even today, the song doesn't feel as "dated" as other 80s hits. Maybe it’s because the source material was from the 60s, giving it a timeless backbone. Or maybe it’s because George’s slide guitar work is so distinctive that it transcends production trends.
It’s a staple of classic rock radio. It’s been used in countless movies and commercials. It remains a testament to the idea that a great song is a great song, regardless of who wrote it or when it was first recorded.
If you're looking to dive deeper into this era of George's career, there are a few things you should do. First, go find the original James Ray version. It’s on YouTube and most streaming services. Compare the two. Notice how George took the "call and response" elements of the original and baked them into the instrumentation.
Second, listen to the rest of the Cloud Nine album. Tracks like "When We Was Fab" and "This Is Love" show the same blend of Harrison’s songwriting and Lynne’s production. It’s arguably George's most cohesive solo work since the early 70s.
Actionable Insights for Music Lovers
If you want to truly appreciate the craftsmanship behind the I've Got My Mind Set on You song, try these steps:
- Isolation Listening: Use a good pair of headphones and try to isolate the slide guitar tracks. George used multiple layers of slide to create that thick, vocal-like tone.
- Rhythm Analysis: Pay attention to the "break" in the middle of the song—the drum solo. It’s incredibly simple but perfectly timed. It provides a "reset" for the listener before the final hook kicks in.
- Visual Context: Watch the "Dancing House" video again, but look at the background details. The taxidermy and the decor were all personal choices that reflected George’s sense of humor and his life at Friar Park.
- Cover Exploration: Look up other covers of the song. Weird Al Yankovic did a parody called "(This Song's Just) Six Words Long" which poked fun at the repetitive lyrics. It’s hilarious and actually reinforces how catchy the original melody is.
George Harrison proved that you don't always have to be deep to be great. Sometimes, you just need a great beat, a forgotten 60s gem, and a dancing squirrel to remind the world why you were a Beatle in the first place.