“My Sweet Lord,” the iconic song from George Harrison, was finally received an official music video, 51 years after it was first released. An all-star cast honors Harrison in a video directed by Lance Bangs and executive produced by George’s son Dhani Harrison, and David Zonshine.
The video stars Saturday Night Live’s Fred Armisen and Vanessa Bayer as metaphysical special agents who are tasked by the head of a clandestine agency, played by Mark Hamill, to search for that which can’t be seen. Along the way dozens of agents team up to look high and low for what may have been right in front of their face all along, mirroring the seeking nature of the song.
Over 40 musicians, actors, comedians, directors, artists and other creatives make appearances, ranging from Harrison’s friends and former band mates Ringo Starr and Jeff Lynne; to actors Darren Criss, Jon Hamm, Rosanna Arquette; musicians Joe Walsh, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Reggie Watts, comedians Moshe Kasher, Natasha Leggero, Patton Oswalt; comedy duos Tim and Eric (Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim) and Garfunkel and Oates (Kate Micucci and Riki Lindhome); and others like writer, actor, director Taika Waititi, and visual artist Shepard Fairey. The video also features Harrison’s wife Olivia Harrison and their son Dhani Harrison, who appear in scenes with actress Aimee Mullins and actor Rupert Friend.
In addition to Harrison’s massive influence on popular music as a member of The Beatles and his successful solo career, the legendary songwriter, musician, film producer and peace activist also greatly influenced the comedy world through his groundbreaking British film studio, HandMade Films, which was responsible for such classic films as Monty Python’s “Life Of Brian,” “Time Bandits” and the cult favorite, “Withnail and I.” This music video pays tribute to the sense of humor that George Harrison possessed and his indelible impact on both music and comedy.
Making this was one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. The approach was to represent the song visually while these agents and inspectors kept missing the metaphysical wonder around them. Images are choreographed to the sounds of vocal melodies, guitar strums, drum patterns, chord changes. George threaded a sense of humor through all of his videos, so we kept that spirit and filled the cast with friends and admirers of his music, many coming from the current comedy landscape. I tracked down vintage prime lenses from some of the films George’s HandMade Films had produced, and I hope that viewers can feel a sense of wonder and searching while they watch it, and that the song continues to add to all of our lives.
video director Lance Bangs
The video for “My Sweet Lord” boasts the new 2020 mix of the song mixed by triple GRAMMY Award-winning engineer, Paul Hicks (The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, John Lennon), released August 6 via Capitol/UMe on a suite of 50th anniversary editions of Harrison’s monumental masterpiece, All Things Must Pass.
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