A-Z of John Lennon

[nowheregirl]

Facts, quotes and trivia on every John Lennon solo song, listed in alphabetical order.

Feel free to contribute any more information you have on any of these songs.

This thread will be updated as often as I can (though probably not every day!)

[nowheregirl]

Ain't That A Shame
(Fats Domino/Dave Bartholomew)

[Rock 'n' Roll]

Ain't That A Shame was a song by Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew, released in 1955. It was covered by John Lennon on his 1975 "Rock 'n' Roll" album.

"When I got the guitar I'd play it for a bit then give it up, then take it up again. It took me about two years, on and off, to be able to strum tunes without thinking. I think I had one lesson, but it was so much like school I gave up. I learnt mostly by picking up bits here and there. One of the first things I learnt was 'Ain't That A Shame' and it has a lot of memories for me." – John Lennon

"The first ever rock 'n' roll song I learned. My mother taught it to me on the banjo before I could play the guitar." - John Lennon

The song was also covered by Paul McCartney and appears on his 1990 "Tripping the Live Fantastic" album.

According to Wikipedia, John met Fats Domino in Las Vegas in 1973, but I can’t find any other information about this.

[nowheregirl]

Aisumasen (I’m Sorry)
(John Lennon)

[Mind Games]

Aisumasen means I'm sorry in Japanese and the song is an apology to Yoko. It was recorded in August 1973 and appeared on the album "Mind Games". The best part of the song is probably the beautiful guitar solo at the end.

The line "when I’m down, really yin, and I don’t know what I’m doing" refers to the Chinese philosophy that all things in life are either yin or yang. Yin is defined as the 'negative, dark, passive, feminine' force and yang as the 'positive, bright, active, masculine' force.
Another line is "when I’m down, real sanpaku, and I don’t know what to do". This is a definition of the word 'sanpaku' from www.leviticus11.com/sanpaku.htm

…a well-known Japanese term, sanpaku, describes a condition in which the white of the eye can be seen between the pupil and the lower lid as the subject gazes directly forward. This condition connotes a grave state of physical and spiritual imbalance. The sanpaku is out of touch with himself, his body and the natural forces of the universe. Symptomatically, sanpaku can be recognized by chronic fatigue, low sexual vitality, poor instinctive reactions, bad humor, inability to sleep soundly and lack of precision in thought and action.

[nowheregirl]

Angela
(John Lennon/Yoko Ono)

[Sometime in New York City]

"Angela" is a track on the album "Sometime In New York City" and was written in 1972. The song is about Angela Davis, an American radical and member of the Black Panther movement, who was imprisoned in 1970.

"We got a request, 'Will you please write a song about Angela?' from the Angela Davis people. So there, how do you write a song about somebody you don't really know?" – John Lennon

The song is credited to both John and Yoko, and they both sing on the track.

The Rolling Stones also recorded a song in support of Angela Davis called "Sweet Black Angel".

[nowheregirl]

Attica State
(John Lennon/Yoko Ono)

[Sometime in New York City]

The Attica Correctional Facility is a prison in Attica, New York. In September 1971 there was a riot at the prison which resulted in the deaths of 43 people, including both prisoners and guards.

John and Yoko wrote the song "Attica State" on the night of John's 31st birthday and recorded it for inclusion on their "Sometime in New York City" album the following March. They performed the song live on several occasions - in December 1971 as part of their "Ten For Two" concert and again at the Apollo Theater, and in January 1972 on both The David Frost Show and The Mike Douglas Show.

[nowheregirl]

Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)
(John Lennon)

[Double Fantasy]

John wrote this song for his son, Sean. He said, "I was with Sean in the kitchen with the bread. I kept thinking, 'Well, I ought to be inspired to write about Sean'. I was going through a bit of that and when I finally gave up on thinking about writing a song about him, of course, the song came to me."

John began writing the song in Bermuda which is why he included the sound of the sea at the beginning and end of the song.

The line "Every day in every way it's getting better and better" was inspired by the French psychologist Emile Coue who told his patients to repeat the words "Day by day, in every way, I am getting better and better" as a form of therapy.

Another line from the song is "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans". It seems that John was not the first to come up with this quote – Thomas La Mance, William Gaddis, and Betty Talmadge have all been credited with saying it (although in slightly different forms). It is thought to be based on an old Sufi proverb (Sufi is an Islamic movement).

At the end of the song John whispers "Goodnight Sean, see you in the morning."

[nowheregirl]

Be-Bop-A-Lula
(Gene Vincent/Sheriff Tex Davis)

[Rock 'n' Roll]

"Be-Bop-A-Lula" was a hit for Gene Vincent in 1955. John Lennon was performing the song with his band the Quarry Men on the day he met Paul McCartney. He said, "There's a picture on stage with the group before Paul had joined and I'm in a white jacket. That was the day, the first day I sang "Be-Bop-A-Lula" at a church fete…"

According to the Paul McCartney biography Many Years For Now, this was also one of the songs Paul played for John when they were introduced to each other after the Quarry Men finished their performance.

A recording of the Beatles playing "Be-Bop-A-Lula" in Hamburg appeared on the album "Live At The Star Club" (a German waiter credited as 'Herr Obber' took lead vocals on the track – the brother of the Beatles' friend Horst Fascher).

The song is the opening track on John's "Rock 'n' Roll" album.

[nowheregirl]

Beef Jerky
(John Lennon)

[Walls and Bridges]

"Beef Jerky" is the only instrumental on any of John Lennon’s official solo albums. It was also released as the B-side of the single "Whatever Gets You Through The Night".

"An instrumental, which I've never done on my own before...I think that I've only ever done two before, that was "Flying" on "Magical Mystery Tour" and George and I did one in Hamburg called "Cry For A Shadow" so that's a very rare piece of work." -John Lennon, 1974

John played guitar on the track under the name of "Dr Winston and Booker Table & The Maitre D's" (an obvious tribute to Booker T and the MGs).

[nowheregirl]

Bless You
(John Lennon)

[Walls and Bridges]

"Bless You" is a love song that John wrote for Yoko during their separation. John played guitar on the track under the pseudonym "Rev Fred Ghurkin".

"Again about Yoko. You know, I think Mick Jagger took it and turned it into "Miss You". The engineer kept wanting me to speed that up - he said: 'This is a hit song if you'd just do it fast.' He was right. 'Cause as "Miss You" it turned into a hit.

"I like Mick's record better. I have no ill feelings about it. I think it's a great Stones track, and I really love it. But I do hear that lick in it. Could be subconscious or conscious. It's irrelevant. Music is everybody's possession. It's only publishers who think people own it." - John Lennon, 1980

The song first appeared on the album "Walls and Bridges" and has also been included on various compilations including "Menlove Avenue" and "Working Class Hero".

[nowheregirl]

Bony Moronie
(Larry Williams)

[Rock 'n' Roll]

This song was a hit for Larry Williams in 1957. The Beatles were big fans of Williams, covering his songs "Bad Boy", "Slow Down" and "Dizzy Miss Lizzy" – all of which featured John Lennon on lead vocal.

John began recording "Bony Moronie" in 1973 for his "Rock 'n' Roll" album, one of the several tracks on the album that he recorded with Phil Spector in Los Angeles.

"I remember singing it the only time my mother saw me perform before she died. So I had to have 'Bony Moronie'. That's one of the reasons. And the fact I liked Larry Williams, who recorded it." – John Lennon

[nowheregirl]

Borrowed Time
(John Lennon)

[Milk and Honey]

John wrote this song in Bermuda in the summer of 1980. He had been listening to Bob Marley's music and the influence is obvious in the reggae/West Indian style of the song. The title "Borrowed Time" is thought to have been inspired by the Bob Marley track "Hallelujah Time" which includes the line 'We gotta keep on living, living on borrowed time'.

As John said in 1980, "That's the phrase I've been looking for. I've had this song in my head for ages...I'll write the words around the theme of living on borrowed time, which is exactly what I'm doing...what we're all doing, even though most of us don't like to face it."

"Borrowed Time" was released as a single in the UK in March 1984 and in the USA in May 1984. Yoko Ono's song "Your Hands" was the B-side.

[nowheregirl]

Bring It On Home To Me/Send Me Some Lovin'
(Sam Cooke)

[Rock 'n' Roll]

John Lennon included this medley of Sam Cooke songs on his album "Rock 'n' Roll". "Bring It On Home To Me", originally released in 1962, was named one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's '500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll' and has also been covered by many other artists.

The second part of the medley, "Send Me Some Lovin'" was written by Leo Price and John Marascalco, and was also a hit for Sam Cooke.

"'Bring It On Home To Me' has always been one of my favourite songs and I always say I wish I had written it. That's how much I like it and I was glad I could record it. 'Send Me Some Loving' is a bit like it and originally Little Richard sang it - another one of my favourites - and Buddy Holly did it." - John Lennon

[nowheregirl]

Bring On The Lucie (Freda People)
(John Lennon)

[Mind Games]

This track was recorded in August 1973 and appeared on the "Mind Games" album. It is a political song, although the lyrics aren't as direct as some of John’s earlier political songs. The refrain 'free the people now' which is repeated throughout the song was intended to be something people could sing along to, like 'give peace a chance' or 'power to the people'.

According to Wikipedia, the word 'Lucie' in the title refers to Lucifer (or Satan) and there is also a reference to 666 (You think you're cool and know what you are doing – 666 is your name).

These lyrics are almost certainly aimed at President Nixon; in John Lennon's book "Skywriting by Word of Mouth" he says, 'It was bell, book and candle against Mr 666 Nixon. We used magic, prayer and children to fight the good fight.'

The song is played during the closing credits of the 2006 movie "Children of Men".

[nowheregirl]

Cleanup Time
(John Lennon)

[Double Fantasy]

This song was written in Bermuda in July 1980 and was later recorded for the album "Double Fantasy". With lyrics like "The queen is in the counting house, counting out the money; the king is in the kitchen making bread and honey" it is reminiscent of the 1968 Beatles song "Cry Baby Cry".

"I was talking to Jack Douglas on the phone from Bermuda. We were talking about the seventies and about people getting out of drugs and alcohol and those kind of things. And he said: 'Well, it's clean up time, right?' And I said: 'It sure is.' That was the end of the conversation. I went straight to the piano and just started boogying and it came about. Then I had the music and thought: 'What is this about? I only had the title. So then I wrote the story on top of the music. It's sort of a description of John and Yoko in their palace, the Palace of Versailles, the Dakota..." – John Lennon, 1980

[nowheregirl]

Cold Turkey
(John Lennon)

[Single]

"Cold Turkey" was written by John Lennon and released as a single in October 1969. It was the first song to be solely credited to John Lennon rather than Lennon/McCartney. John had originally offered the song to the Beatles but they turned it down, so it was released under the name The Plastic Ono Band. The Plastic Ono Band in this case were John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Eric Clapton (on lead guitar), Klaus Voorman, and Ringo Starr.

"I offered 'Cold Turkey' to The Beatles, but they weren't ready to record a single, so I did it as Plastic Ono. (I don't care what it goes out as, as long as it goes out.) It was self-explanatory: the result of experiencing cold turkey – withdrawal from heroin. It was an anti-drug song, if anything. But, of course, it was banned again all over American radio, so it never got off the ground." – John Lennon

"When I wrote it I went to the other three Beatles and said 'Hey lads, I think I've written a new single'. But they all said 'Ummmm...arrrr....wellll....' because it was going to be my project, and so I thought 'Bugger you, I'll put it out myself.'" - John Lennon

Because the lyrics dealt with the subject of drug withdrawal, the record was not a big hit, only reaching #14 in the UK singles chart.

"The song got banned, even though it's anti-drug. They're so stupid about drugs, you know. They're not looking at the cause of the drug problem: why do people take drugs?" – John Lennon

In 1969 John returned his MBE to Buckingham Palace accompanied by a letter saying: "I am returning this MBE in protest against Britain's involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra thing, against our support of America in Vietnam, and against Cold Turkey slipping down the charts. With love, John Lennon of Bag."

The record ends with screaming and moaning, to represent the sounds of someone suffering withdrawal symptoms.

John performed this song live on several occasions – at the Lyceum Ballroom, London on December 15th 1969, at the Toronto Rock 'n' Roll Revival Festival in 1969, and at Madison Square Garden in August 1972.

"I announced Cold Turkey at the Lyceum saying, 'I'm gonna sing a song about pain.' I wrote this about coming off drugs and the pain involved." – John Lennon

"The screaming effect is only a progression from the end of Strawberry Fields or the end of Walrus or A Day In The Life... I like words or expressions, and "cold turkey" just happens to be one of them. I wrote the song I'm A Loser after I'd picked up the expression...Day Tripper I made up out of hearing about trips before I had anything to do with tripping. Cold Turkey means suffering - it can mean a three-day flu or dying in Biafra. It means many things that have nothing to do with drugs." - John Lennon 1969

The B-side was one of Yoko's songs "Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking For Her Hand In The Snow), which was also performed both at the Lyceum and in Toronto.