Ringo Starr, Joe Walsh and Jeff Lynne are among the more than 40 celebrities featured in the first-ever official video for the late George Harrison‘s chart-topping 1970 hit “My Sweet Lord,” which premiered Wednesday on Harrison’s YouTube channel.
The clip begins with Star Wars great Mark Hamill portraying the head of a clandestine bureau sending one of his agents, played Saturday Night Live alum Fred Armisen, on a quest to find “something out there” that the bureau wants him to see.
Armisen soon teams up with another agent, portrayed ex-SNL cast member Vanessa Bayer, to look for the mysterious “something.”
Along the way, they cross paths or interact with a variety of musicians, actors, comedians and other celebs. In addition to Starr, Walsh and Lynne, the video features appearances by “Weird Al” Yankovic, Jon Hamm, Rosanna Arquette, Patton Oswalt, Reggie Watts, Darren Criss, Taika Waititi, the comedy duos of Tim & Eric and Garfunkel and Oates, and many others. The clip also includes cameos from Harrison’s widow, Olivia, and son, Dhani, who served as an executive producer for the clip.
The “My Sweet Lord” video was written and directed by veteran filmmaker and music video director Lance Bangs, and uses the 2020 mix of the song that’s featured on the deluxe 50th anniversary reissues of George’s classic 1970 solo album All Things Must Pass, which were released this past August.
“Making this was one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life,” says Bangs. “The approach was to represent the song visually while these agents and inspectors kept missing the metaphysical wonder around them…George threaded a sense of humor through all of his videos, so we kept that spirit and filled the cast with friends and admirers of his music, many coming from the current comedy landscape.”
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