my favourite John Lennon songs

I loved some of the songs John Lennon wrote after he left the Beatles. Below are my top 3:

Woman



This is such a sweet and earnest song. Poetic too!

Woman I hope you understand
The little child inside a man
Please remember, my life is in your hands

Woman is the Nigger of the World



Such an incisive perception on the status of women in society. I think Yoko coined the phrase, and Lennon made the song, after realizing the truth of the statement. Very deep song, I like!

We make her paint her face and dance
If she won't be a slave, we say that she don't love us
If she's real we say she's trying to be a man
While putting her down, we pretend that she's above us

God



To me, this is the definitive anti-authority song. Forget 'My Generation' by The Who. 'God' by Lennon is the ultimate defiance song. In the song, Lennon dispels all the global icons and the ultimate icons - God, and yes, the Beatles themselves. I love the musical structure, cos after he sings 'I don't believe in Beatles...', there is total silence, like everyone is realizing the severity of the statement, and if you close your eyes and 'listen' you can hear millions and millions of hearts breaking. Brilliant.

I don't believe in magic
I don't believe in I-ching
I don't believe in bible
I don't believe in tarot
I don't believe in Hitler
I don't believe in Jesus
I don't believe in Kennedy
I don't believe in Buddha
I don't believe in mantra
I don't believe in Gita
I don't believe in yoga
I don't believe in kings
I don't believe in Elvis
I don't believe in Zimmerman
I don't believe in Beatles
I just believe in me
Yoko and me
And that's reality

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I agree - all great songs. Good job on picking out "Woman Is The.." as well, that's almost a lost Lennon track that often gets overlooked.