All Things Must Pass (song)

All Things Must Pass (song)

"All Things Must Pass" is a song by George Harrison, issued in 1970 as the title track to his triple album of the same name. It was originally released by Billy Preston (as "All Things (Must) Pass"), on his Apple album Encouraging Words, after The Beatles had rejected the song in 1969 for what would become their Let It Be album. "All Things Must Pass" was influenced by the music of The Band, after Harrison had spent time in Woodstock, New York, in late 1968, following the completion of the Beatles' White Album. Timothy Leary's poem "All Things Pass", a psychedelic adaptation of the Tao Te Ching, provided inspiration for the song's lyrics.

Widely regarded as one of Harrison's finest compositions, its rejection by his former band has provoked much comment from biographers and music critics; "All Things Must Pass" has been described as "the wisest song never recorded by The Beatles" and on release was viewed as a statement on the band's break-up. The subject matter deals with the transient nature of human existence, and the lyrics have been quoted frequently following Harrison's death in November 2001. Jim James, Sloan Wainwright, Yusuf Islam and Paul McCartney are among those who have covered the song.