On April 24, 1976, Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels appeared on SNL, which was still in its infancy, and offered the Beatles the whopping (and completely ludicrous) sum of $3,000 to regroup and perform three songs.
“‘She Loves You,’ yeah, yeah, yeah—that’s $1,000 right there," Michaels said. "You know the words. It’ll be easy. Like I said, this is made out to ‘The Beatles.’ You [can] divide it anyway you want. If you want to give Ringo [Starr] less, that’s up to you. I’d rather not get involved.”
Sadly, Lennon and McCartney—who rarely (as in, never) hung out—decided they were too tired to blow a few million minds, and the greatest missed opportunity in rock history became just another "What if?"
On May 22, Michaels addressed the Beatles once again via SNL: "I was able to convince NBC to sweeten the pot. John, Paul, George [Harrison] and Ringo—we are now prepared to up the original offer to $3,200.” That didn't work either.
However, a few months later, on November 20, 1976, to be exact, Harrison appeared on the show to play a few songs, collect that original $3,000 check—and jokingly haggle over money with Michaels.
Anyway, we don't know—or care—how much Harrison actually took home that night. We do know he performed and/or ran through at least four songs with the show's host, Paul Simon, two of which aired on national TV. Below, you can watch as Harrison and Simon, guitars in hand, trade vocals on the Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun" (0:25) and Simon & Garfunkel's "Homeward Bound" (3:54)
Although SNL has hosted hundreds of musical guests over its 40-plus years (including, more than once, McCartney), the Harrison/Simon duets are considered two of the absolute best of the bunch, and for good reason.
There's something intimate and beautiful about the performances; pay close attention to Simon's harmonies on "Here Comes the Sun," Harrison's ethereal lead vocals on "Homeward Bound" and his smooth little pentatonic lick at the very end of the clip (we also dig the phantom 7th chord heard during the last chorus of "Homeward Bound"). And let's not forget those groovy sweaters. Enjoy!
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
