On February 25, 1964, a young and incredibly humble George Harrison incorrectly predicted his future with the Beatles during an interview with the BBC on his 21st birthday. In hindsight, it’s almost impossible to imagine someone so young at the top of the tidal wave that was the global phenomenon of Beatlemania.
But there a young George was, insisting his quartet rock group would never be as successful as iconic solo acts of the day, like Elvis Presley. In honor of the 23rd anniversary of his death on November 29, 2001, we revisit Harrison’s fresh-faced interview decades ago.
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George Harrison Incorrectly Predicts Future of the Beatles
As both the youngest and quietest of the Fab Four, George Harrison inherently had a sense of humility and naivete about him compared to his older and more brazen bandmates. Both personality traits were on full display during his brief interview with the BBC on February 25, 1964, Harrison’s 21st birthday.
When the interviewer asked Harrison if he was a millionaire, he quickly said no. “It’s so hard to become a millionaire. Maybe if we were just a solo act, then whoever it was, you’d probably be a millionaire. But with four, you know, it’s hard. If we’ll ever be millionaires, we’d probably be all right. But I can’t see us being millionaires and not paying tax as well.”
While becoming a millionaire might have seemed far-fetched to a fresh-faced Harrison in 1964, it wouldn’t be long before he met this reality head-on. At the time of his death in 2001, his net worth was estimated to be around $400 million. Of course, one can’t blame Harrison for keeping a humble attitude at the time.
By the time Harrison turned 21, the Beatles had only just released their debut album, Please Please Me, in March 1963. Their freshman release included hits like “I Saw Her Standing There” and “Love Me Do,” and their star power would only increase in subsequent releases with smash successes of the mid-1960s like “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” and “All My Loving.”
What He Missed and What He Looked Forward To
Being one of the fastest-rising rockstars in the world sounds like a pretty incomparable 21st birthday present, but in a testament to George Harrison’s humble approach to his musical career, he had a different birthday gift on his mind in 1964. When the BBC interviewer asked Harrison if he was missing anything in particular on his birthday, the Beatle sweetly replied, “Mum’s dinner.”
Harrison also briefly discussed what he would like to do if the Beatles ever broke up (ah, to still be in a time where the Beatles’ rein seemed limitless and immortal). The Quiet Beatle suggested he would like to bring other people’s musical visions to life as a producer or engineer. But for now, Harrison said in 1964, he was happy to continue playing music with his three pals.
“We still enjoy it as much as we did when we were earning ten bob [shillings] a week,” Harrison insisted.
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