Iconic '70s Hit, Accused of Plagiarism, Named Biggest No.1 Song of the Era

Fans of The Beatles may be aware of George Harrison's solo career, in which he quickly established himself as a successful artist in his own right. Shortly before and following the iconic group's breakup, the musician released a whopping 12 albums under his own name, with many of them enjoying critical acclaim, even more than five decades later.

In 1970, the Beatles' lead guitarist released All Things Must Pass, his third solo album and the first after the breakup of the legendary Liverpool four-piece. The record featured "My Sweet Lord," a song that has now taken the top spot on Grunge's list as the biggest No. 1 hit of 1970.

The track is arguably Harrison's most famous song after it left him in the middle of a huge music scandal that has gone down in history. In 1971, less than a year after the release of "My Sweet Lord," Harrison was accused of plagiarizing The Chiffons' 1963 song "He's So Fine."

Bright Tunes Music, the owners of "He's So Fine," sued the former member of The Fab Four, and the legal battle was dragged out for decades after his former manager, Allen Klein, purchased Bright Tunes and subsequently became the one to be suing his previous client.

In 1976, the landmark copyright lawsuit found Harrison guilty of copyright infringement and subconscious plagiarism, meaning the court believed he did it unintentionally. He was ordered to pay $1,599,987 of the earnings from the song, per Performing Songwriter,

"It's difficult to just start writing again after you've been through that," the singer told Rolling Stone in a 1979 interview. "Even now when I put the radio on, every tune I hear sounds like something else."

In 1980, John Lennon, Harrison's former bandmate, spoke to Playboy about the court case, sharing his doubts on the ruling of "subconscious plagiarism."

"He must have known, you know," the vocalist said, per Far Out. "He's smarter than that…He could have changed a couple of bars in that song and nobody could ever have touched him."

Despite the controversies, "My Sweet Lord" climbed to the top of the charts, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1970.

Related: 1977 Rock Anthem, Banned by the BBC, Became a Signature Hit Despite Never Reaching No. 1

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This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 9:54 PM.