It is easy for the casual listener to overlook a song like "Learning How to Love You." It sits at the end of the Thirty-Three & 1/3 album, immediately following the bouncy, infinitely catchy "Crackerbox Palace." In comparison, the breezy sound of "Learning How to Love You" may seem a bit anti-climactic at first, but it, like most Harrisongs, is brimming with warmth, wisdom, exquisite melody, and insight into the artist himself.
It kicks off with keyboard, and a light groove that suggests easy listening, but something special happens. George’s gentle vocal and a touch of percussion come in. He uses a dynamic progression in the verses, rather than repeating the same chords over and over, heading towards a conclusion in the chorus. The lyrics appear simple, but the rhyming scheme is creative. The verses rhyme, but not one line after the other. Rather, the rhymes become apparent after the chorus, and each group of verses rhyme. The bridge has a more typical rhyming structure. George’s love songs tend to have a vague subject. The addressee is either God or a lover. There is a nod towards the divine: "While waiting on the Light." The lyrics in the bridge, however, suggest an earthly pursuit: "Love you like you may have never been, move you more ways than you have seen." Another interesting feature of the bridge is the transposing of the words "been" and "seen" the second time around. This adds a welcome touch of subtle variation. Though slide is a hallmark of George’s solo career, there were many more things he could do with the guitar, which this track shows. Here he puts down an acoustic solo that features one of his signatures: echoing the vocal line of the song, and adding to it.
The title itself is a powerful one. Oftentimes, love is a learning process. To understand the people around us, to get comfortable enough to trust someone, can be a challenge. Loving a higher power, if one is inclined, can happen slowly as well. There may be such a thing as love at first sight, but for many people it is a case of once bitten, twice shy. The song conveys some of that emotion as well.
The term, "Learning How to Love You," can be a summary of how a fan may feel about George. He was definitely not a typical recording artist. He lived on his own terms, and by his own code. Surely it would have been great to see him touring the world, giving countless interviews, or gracing every magazine cover during his solo career. However, that was not the life he wanted. He wanted something that celebrity could not give him. It can be hard to appreciate someone who does not seek attention. It can also make the artist seem somewhat of a mystery. This listener, though, learned to just put on the music, and the answers to questions about George tend to be there. He left us such a rich catalog of songs, and we can know him through it. To quote another track from the Thirty-Three & 1/3 album, "This song is for you and…"
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