# In 1971, George Harrison was taken to court for his songs. Five years later, he made fun of the whole thing

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/in-1971-george-harrison-was-taken-to-court-for-his-songs-five-years-later-he-made-fun-of-the-whole-thing/
- Published: 2026-11-08T16:30:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-08T17:38:29+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/1971-george-harrison-was-taken-to-court-for-his-songs/
- Topics: Entertainment, Music

## Key points

- ‘My Sweet Lord’ faced a plagiarism claim over its resemblance to ‘He’s So Fine’.
- Harrison addressed his anxiety about songwriting in the comic ‘This Song’.
- The 1976 track appeared on *33⅓* and featured Eric Idle.

## Summary

In 1971, George Harrison’s song ‘My Sweet Lord’ became the subject of a plagiarism case because its melody resembled the Chiffons’ ‘He’s So Fine’. The dispute unsettled Harrison, who worried that he might unintentionally borrow from other music, and he later turned that anxiety into comic material.

His 1976 song ‘This Song’, from the album *33⅓*, pokes fun at the court case and the difficulty of judging musical similarity. Harrison described it as comic relief and a way to dispel his songwriting paranoia; the article also notes Eric Idle’s contribution to its self-aware humour and suggests it anticipated later novelty songs.

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