The Beatles: George Harrison Said His Follow-up to ‘Here Comes the Sun’ Sent Him to a ‘Dream World’

George Harrison wrote “Here Comes the Sun,” one of The Beatles‘ most famous songs. As a solo artist, he wrote a companion song to “Here Comes the Sun” called “Here Comes the Moon.” During an interview, George revealed “Here Comes the Moon” was inspired by an experience he had that left him in awe. He also said the song had the power to do interesting things to his mind.

Why George Harrison decided to write a followup to The Beatles’ ‘Here Comes the Sun’

According to the book George Harrison on George Harrison: Interviews and Encounters, George appeared on the radio show Roundtable in 1979. He appeared on the show with Michael Jackson. George mentioned he wrote a song that was a “cousin” to “Here Comes the Sun” called “Here Comes the Moon.” Jackson laughed after hearing the title of “Here Comes the Moon.”

George explained the origin of “Here Comes the Moon.” “I saw it … I mean it was the circumstance,” he recalled. “I was in a particularly great place when I saw the moon coming up and I thought, ‘Wow, you know, all this, and here comes the moon!’ And then I thought, ‘No, I couldn’t write a song called that, they’ll kill me.'”

What ‘Here Comes the Moon’ did to George Harrison

George had strong feelings about “Here Comes the Moon.” “But as it happened, I wrote the song and it turned out really nice, so it stands up in its own right,” George said. “And any other songwriters around, they have had 10 years to write ‘Here Comes the Moon’ after ‘Here Comes the Sun,’ but nobody else wrote it, I might as well do it meself.”

George revealed “Here Comes the Moon” had a notable effect on his psyche. “In fact, it’s a very peaceful song,” George said. “And the problem with mixing it was I kept falling asleep, by the time it gets to the end it’s put me into a dream world.”

The way the world reacted to ‘Here Comes the Moon’

George did not release “Here Comes the Moon” as a single, so it did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100. The former Beatle included the song on his self-titled album. George Harrison became a minor success, reaching No. 14 on the Billboard 200 and staying on the chart for 18 weeks.

According to The Official Charts Company, “Here Comes the Moon” did not chart in the United Kingdom either. George Harrison was less popular in the U.K. than it was in the United States. The album peaked at No. 39 in the U.K., staying on the chart for five weeks. “Here Comes the Moon” isn’t as well-known as “Here Comes the Sun,” however, it makes an interesting companion piece to the classic Beatles song.