Written by: Hoagy Carmichael
Recorded: March – October 1980; November 1980 – February 1981
Producers: George Harrison, Ray Cooper
Released: 1 June 1981 (US), 5 June 1981 (UK)
Available on:
Somewhere In England
Personnel
George Harrison: vocals, electric guitar
Neil Larsen: keyboards
Gary Brooker: synthesizer
Willie Weeks: bass guitar
Jim Keltner: drums
Ray Cooper: percussion
‘Hong Kong Blues’ is the ninth and penultimate song on George Harrison’s ninth solo album Somewhere In England.
It was written by Hoagy Carmichael in 1939, and appeared in the 1944 film To Have And Have Not, which also starred Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.
As for Hoagy Carmichael, I’ve been nuts for him since I was a kid. I cut his ‘Hong Kong Blues’ on Somewhere In England, and there’s still a few more of his I wouldn’t mind doing, like ‘Old Rocking Chair’. Maybe one day – not just yet, but one day when I get a bit older – me and Eric [Clapton] can sing ‘Old rocking chair has got me…’
George Harrison: Reconsidered, Timothy White
Along with ‘Baltimore Oriole’, ‘Hong Kong Blues’ was one of two Carmichael songs on Somewhere In England.
Warner Bros rejected the original version of the album, which had ‘Hong Kong Blues’ as the opening track.
Basically, I was more influenced in my growing-up period by things like The Ink Spots, Hoagy Carmichael, those kinds of singer, and Cab Calloway kind of music.
George Harrison On George Harrison, Ashley Kahn
