Quote Of The Day By George Harrison: 'It Might Have Been Fun For Everybody Else ...'

As one of the Beatles, guitarist George Harrison made music history. This wasn't just a band; they were a movement that changed the entire landscape of rock 'n' roll and popular music.

Harrison was born in Liverpool, England, on February 25, 1943. Before he had even strummed a single chord, music seeped into his soul and made itself at home. His life, though, changed in a way nobody could have imagined after he met Paul McCartney and John Lennon; along with Ringo Starr, they would find incredible success as the Beatles. Harrison didn't have a desire for the limelight like his bandmates, but there was never any disputing his obvious talent. In fact, he wrote a few of the Beatles' best songs, such as "Here Comes the Sun" and "Something." After the Beatles split, he went solo and scored three Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles.

Yet, while the world celebrated Beatlemania and everything associated with it, Harrison remained inside of the machine, never being able to stand on the outside to witness it through a fan's eyes. It's something he addressed once upon a time, and that's why the late George Harrison is today's quote of the day.

"It might have been fun for everybody else, but we never saw the Beatles. We're the only four people who never got to see us."

George Harrison revealed this to Rolling Stone in 1979. At that point, the Beatles had been gone for almost a decade, but that doesn't mean they suddenly became lost to history. Regardless of what each bandmate achieved after they went their separate ways, they couldn't escape what was perhaps the most important chapter of their lives, and fans held out hope that the Fab Four would reunite for Beatlemania 2.0. As Harrison explained to the publication, being in the Beatles brought with it complex emotions, since it was a whirlwind of a time and he wasn't able to process it with any kind of objectivity.

It's an interesting perspective, because everybody saw the glamorous side of their fame, but Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, and Harrison were a non-stop attraction and always in the public eye — for better or worse. Like animals at the zoo, they were trapped inside the cage for others' entertainment.

As George Harrison explained, everybody experienced "fun" with the Beatles. Fans lost themselves in the hysteria of Beatlemania. For the actual people inside of the band, though, things were different. They saw the hype around them, but they were never able to partake in the festivities like everybody else. They were the machine that created the product for others and often not seen as real people.

It's something that many artists can attest to. They create something and put it out into the world, but they can't enjoy it like the fans do. Essentially, they see how the sausage is made — including all the trials and tribulations and parasocial nonsense — which can complicate their feelings about their creation and their role as a creator. There's never a point where they can transfer out from being a creator to a fan in this equation.

It's a reminder that there's a harsh price for fame. Despite all the fanfare and success, it's difficult to appreciate the moment because you cannot experience it through untainted eyes and without the pitfalls that come with it.

• "To tell the truth, I'd join a band with John Lennon any day, but I couldn't join a band with Paul McCartney."
• "It's not for the money that I do what I do; it was never for the money really."
• "I found I was starting to be able to enjoy being a musician, but the moment I got back with the Beatles, it was just too difficult. There were too many limitations based on our being together for so long. Everybody was sort of pigeonholed. It was frustrating."
• "I don't want the Beatles to be recording some rubbish for my sake just because I wrote it."
• "What the Beatles represented, we were trying to be something new and give some alternatives."
• "It's just fun to have your old friends back again."
• "Everyone from Liverpool is a comedian."