Tag Archives: john lennon

My iPod #440: John Lennon – God

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I could have written about every other song on John Lennon’s first post-Beatles album, but it was this one that came first. What can I say about it? Probably nothing that hasn’t been said before. But I will try my best to give you my opinion on why this phenomenal track is worth four minutes of your time.

“God” is the penultimate track on John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, John Lennon’s studio debut released in the winter of 1970. The album is one of the most introspective and personal works of its time if not to this day; if you hear it and think that he let go of his personal issues by the time you get to “God”, then it is in that where he hadn’t lays everything on the table by bluntly stating what he does and doesn’t believe in. After telling the listener his opinion on the God for the first minute or so, he provides a list of subjects that he doesn’t believe for the next minute in a half, ranging from “Yoga” to “Elvis Presley” before emphatically ending on “The Beatles”, before he simply stating that he believes in himself and Yoko Ono.

“God” was the definitive statement to end ‘the dream’ that Lennon’s former band had seemed to build up in the preceding decade. No one wanted to believe it. But it was when Lennon uttered the poignant ending line, that reality had to kick in. It was time for a new chapter.

It’s actually quite heartbreaking to listen to.

My iPod #423: John Lennon – Gimme Some Truth

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“Gimme Some Truth” is a snarly, protest track by John Lennon from his second album Imagine. A criticism of Richard “Tricky Dicky” Nixon and general politics around the early 70s, Lennon produces one of his roughest vocal performances yet for a vitriolic work with a powerful message that still holds its weight in today’s society.

Honestly, it’s not my absolute go-to track from the album. Though I hold it in high regard for it being of the only rockers on the album; John is mad and puts all of his negative energy into the music and the lyrics. Never again could the phrase “schizophrenic, egocentric, paranoiac, prima-donnas” be used in a song. Apart from that, there are the subtle parts of “Truth” that make it that much better to listen to: George Harrison’s fierce slide guitar solo, the sudden falsetto ‘wooooooo’ John lets out after the first chorus, the emphatic ‘aah’ before the last verse, the rising intensity in his voice during the fadeout, all of which are set to a stomping and commanding drum beat. Just a few things to look out for.

My iPod #222: John Lennon – Crippled Inside

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“Crippled Inside” from “Imagine” is a “corny Country-Westerner” as described by Lennon himself (about 1:05 minute in) when discussing the tracks he had ready to be placed in the tracklisting, before proceeding to sing it briefly.

I listened to “Imagine” (the album, not the song) for the first time when it was (what would have been) his 70th birthday in 2010. If there was a time to start listening to his solo material, it was definitely then. And after the calming, piano driven ‘anthem’ comes this bouncy track.

It’s about putting on a false appearance and pretending to be happy when in fact you actually feel worthless. Some take it to be an insult song to Paul McCartney; they weren’t getting along so well at this time. Figure it out for yourselves.