George Harrison - Bangla Desh

“Bangla Desh“ is a song by George Harrison released as a charity single after the disasters in East Pakistan in 1971. “Bangla Desh“ starts with the lyrics “My friend came to me, with sadness in his eyes. He told me that he wanted help, before his country dies.“. This refers to the conversation he had with sitar virtuoso, mentor and friend Ravi Shankar in which Shankar asked Harrison to help his country in any way he could. The collaboration for the song later evolved into The Concert for Bangladesh, where Harrison performed a live version of the song. The studio version of “Bangla Desh“ has only been released on compact disc on the EMI compilation album, The Best of George Harrison (1976). The single’s B-side “Deep Blue“ had never been released on any album until it was included on the 2006 remastered version of Harrison’s Living in the Material World album as a bonus track. In 2010, AOL radio listeners chose “Bangla Desh“ as one of the 10 Best George Harrison Songs, appearing at #10 on the list. Lyrics: My friend came to me, with sadness in his eyes He told me that he wanted help Before his country dies Although I couldn’t feel the pain, I knew I had to try Now I’m asking all of you To help us save some lives Bangla Desh, Bangla Desh Where so many people are dying fast And it sure looks like a mess I’ve never seen such distress Now won’t you lend your hand and understand Relieve the people of Bangla Desh Bangla Desh, Bangla Desh Such a great disaster - I don’t understand But it sure looks like a mess I’ve never known such distress Now please don’t turn away, I want to hear you say Relieve the people of Bangla Desh Relieve Bangla Desh Bangla Desh, Bangla Desh Now it may seem so far from where we all are It’s something we can’t neglect It’s something I can’t neglect Now won’t you give some bread to get the starving fed We’ve got to relieve Bangla Desh Relieve the people of Bangla Desh We’ve got to relieve Bangla Desh Relieve the people of Bangla Desh