John Lennon song by song album by album thread.

Yeah I feel John was being introspective here but but vague enough to apply to anyone with those struggles

 

Thank you for posting this. It was fascinating!

 

Imagine 5/5 - good concept, well executed, certainly deserves to be one of his best known, most loved song.

Crippled Inside 4/5 - this is very good as well. kinda of a country, bluegrass song which is a unique thing for him.
i like the slight twang in his delivery and the instrumentation.

 

How come no one's posted that picture of John with that pig?

 

Good question.

I’m trying to learn how to post ANY pic on here. Why did they make it so convoluted?

 

I agree for a forum with so many cool bells and whistles it’s surprisingly hard to upload pics.

 

Front and back inner sleeves

 

Here's an interesting tidbit...everyone check your original pressings!!

The run-out groove has "Porky" on one side, and "Pecko" on the other.

Bern

 

My copy of Led Zeppelin IV is like that.

 

Is that on the US pressings as well?
I've got the UK and Aus first presses both UK 1-U porky's. And they sound magnificent. He also did all the early solo UK Apple singles. There's nothing like hearing those original Porky mastered 45's. Instant Karma and Power To The People for instance, sound massive.

 

Imagine the LP is notable for how many instances it has of John reaching back to the Beatles days for songs and song ideas to finish for his record, unlike Plastic Ono Band which was pretty much all written in 1970 after John had decided to leave the band, and specifically after the band was done and he did Primal Scream therapy in the summer of 1970.

Half of Imagine is rooted in the Beatles era, plus How Do You Sleep is obviously Beatles, um, inspired ha....

1. Imagine - John was noodling with the melody on piano in January 1969 ('Fly on the Wall' Let it Be Naked). Primordial of course, but John was exploring the Imagine "vibe" while the Beatles had two more records in them.

2. Jealous Guy - Written completely in India and recorded as Child of Nature on the Esher Demos in May 1968. Yoko is on record saying John was playing this song intending to record it in 1971, and she encouraged him to take another look at the lyrics, and then he completely rewrote them.

3. Gimme Some Truth - Begun at least in January 1969, probably '68, since Paul seems to know it when John brings it up, and they both jam on it and suggest lyrics. Closest thing to what could have/should have been a Lennon/McCartney co-write in John's solo catalog.

4. Oh My Love - Demoed in late 1968. Why John didn't bring it up during the Get Back sessions is odd. Maybe he didn't feel like doing a soft acoustic number for "the show"? Could have easily been on Let it Be, had they done it after "Two of Us" in the studio set, or on Abbey Road if John had offered it up.

5. Oh Yoko - Written in early summer 1969 and performed in front of cameras that followed J+Y around at that time. Pretty obvious why John didn't suggest it for Abbey Road (they'd already put out Ballad of John & Yoko, after all) though it could have found a home on the flip side of Give Peace a Chance, Cold Turkey or Instant Karma in place of a Yoko sung song, instead it sat.


Other All Things Must Pass and Isn't It a Pity, I believe Gimme Some Truth and Oh My Love are the only instances of solo Beatles songs that were started in the Beatles era and feature two ex-Beatles playing on the song.

 

Scores for Crippled Inside: 3.843

 

JEALOUS GUY

One of the best tracks on the Imagine album, & one of John’s most loved & covered songs, Jealous Guy has long been a favourite of mine; one which I’ve played & sang countless times over the decades.

The original tune & first lyric were written in India in 1968, inspired by the same Maharishi talk that inspired Paul to write Mother Nature’s Son.

Initially called Child of Nature, the only difference being a completely different set of lyrics:

On the road to Rishikesh
I was dreaming more or less
And the dream I had was true
Yes, the dream I had was true


I'm just a child of nature
I don't need much to set me free
I'm just child of nature
I'm one of nature's children

Sunlight shining in your eyed
As I face the desert skies
And my thoughts return to home
Yes, my thoughts return to home

I'm just a child of nature
I don't need much to set me free
I'm just a child of nature
I'm one nature's children

Underneath the mountain ranges
Where the wind that never changes
Touch the windows of my soul
Touch the windows of my soul

I'm just a child of nature
I don't need much to set me free
I'm just a child of nature
I'm one of nature's children

Well, let’s just say Thank John that he eventually salvaged this gorgeous tune & melody by writing a completely new set of lyrics; apparently, at Yoko’s suggestion.

And what a lyric it is: an open confessional where John exposes his insecure & vulnerable side; a strange cocktail where he’s begging forgiveness for his jealous tendencies in one breath, whilst spitting out a warning in the next:

I was dreamin' of the past
And my heart was beating fast
I began to lose control
I began to lose control

I didn't mean to hurt you
I'm sorry that I made you cry
Oh no, I didn't want to hurt you
I'm just a jealous guy

I was feeling insecure
You might not love me anymore
I was shivering inside
I was shivering inside

Oh, I didn't mean to hurt you
I'm sorry that I made you cry
Oh no, I didn't want to hurt you
I'm just a jealous guy

I was trying to catch your eyes
Thought that you was trying to hide
I was swallowing my pain
I was swallowing my pain

I didn't mean to hurt you
I'm sorry that I made you cry
Oh no, I didn't want to hurt you
I'm just a jealous guy, watch out
I'm just a jealous guy, look out, babe
I'm just a jealous guy

Sung with real fragility and tenderness, to a lush opening piano, strings & softly strummed guitar, Jealous Guy slowly builds to a full band performance by the second verse; ushering us through Johns sugar-coated apology like a choir of angels with their heads bowed in shame.

In a nutshell: I really like this song a lot.

5/5

 

Child of Nature, from The Beatles Esher demo’s, 1968:

 

Child of Nature, The Beatles, Jan 1969:

 

Child of Nature, another rough run-through with The Beatles, Jan, 1969:

 

Jealous Guy, one of John's greatest songs. The highlight of a masterpiece album. Everything about this song is perfect. And the whistling makes it even better.

 

Child of Nature, John piano demo, late ‘68/early ‘69?

starts about 1:30:

 

Spot-on... 5 / 5!

 

Jealous Guy, take 9, 1971:

 

Jealous Guy, take 11, 1971:

 

Jealous Guy is the best song on the album. Love the melody and it's cool seeing how it evolved from Child Of Nature to it's final form. Trying to learn it on acoustic guitar

5/5

 

Jealous Guy, Anthology version:

 

Jealous Guy, piano, bass & drums mix: