In 2001, Paul McCartney had to say goodbye to George Harrison. Four years later, he got one more classic song from him

Paul McCartney said George Harrison’s presence shaped “Friends to Go”, a song on McCartney’s 2005 album *Chaos and Creation in the Backyard*. Written after Harrison died in 2001, the track reflects McCartney’s grief and the enduring musical connection between the former Beatles.

McCartney recalled feeling as though he were Harrison while writing the song, saying it came easily and seemed to write itself. The article links its weary view of music-industry hangers-on to Harrison’s own songwriting sensibility, while noting that the pair’s relationship had once been strained by disagreements over creative control.