Harrison’s ‘My Sweet Lord’ gets a video
The first-ever official music video for George Harrison’s hit “My Sweet Lord” has finally arrived — just 51 years after its release in late 1970 and two decades after “the quiet Beatle’s” death. And it’s chock-full of celebrity faces.
Released Wednesday, the visual continues the celebration of the 50thanniversary remix of Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass” triple album, which includes “My Sweet Lord” and was his first solo release after the Beatles broke up in early 1970.
The new video, which runs seven minutes with the credits, takes viewers on an adventure with special agents played by Fred Armisen and fellow “Saturday Night Live” veteran Vanessa Bayer, acting on orders from Mark Hamill as the head of a metaphysical “Men in Black”-type agency.
“There’s something out there. The bureau wants you to see it. I want you to see it,” Hamill tells Armisen after handing over a glowing device said to be “the bureau’s latest scanner.”
“I want to see it,” Armisen
blurts. He and Bayer then start a search for what a news release dubbed “that which can’t be seen.”
The rest of the video travels through a bookstore, down Los Angeles streets and into the Vista Theatre in Los Feliz, where footage of Harrison plays on the screen. Evoking a “Twin Peaks” vibe, Jon Hamm appears on a tablet with a message that he’s sending more agents as backup. The search goes wide, but when Bayer and Armisen reunite, they still don’t have any answers.
But there are dozens of celebrity cameos in the video, including “Weird Al” Yankovic, Rosanna Arquette, Darren Criss, Patton Oswalt, Taika Waititi and Reggie Watts. Ringo Starr and Jeff Lynne show up, as do Eagles musician Joe Walsh and artist Shepard Fairey.
Some of the late Beatle’s family members also appear, including his widow, Olivia Harrison, and their only child, Dhani Harrison, who executive produced the video with David Zonshine. The full cast is listed in the end credits, should viewers need a guide to who they’ve just seen.