Gimme 10: The political songs of John Lennon

John Lennon was born today, on 9 October 1940. He had always been very active in politics and in the last period of his course with the Beatles and the early years of his solo career he wrote several songs of political content. To celebrate his birthday, we now take a look at some of those songs and the stories hidden behind.


1. Give Peace A Chance (1969)
(John Lennon-Paul McCartney)
In May 1969, Lennon and Yoko Ono moved to the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal for a seven-day protest from the bed, the famous "bed-in". There they constantly accepted visits from journalists, with the help of whom they wanted to advocate the idea of Peace, but also from friends and "enemies". In their suite they also recorded this song, on June 1st, also putting everyone else there to sing the chorus. The result was a simple, repetitive pattern, rapping (10 years before there was rap music) in the verses and a chorus that easily stuck in the mind. It was the first single for Lennon without the other Beatles. In November of that year, half a million demonstrators sang it outside the White House, protesting the continuing war in Vietnam. «It was one of the greatest moments of my life» said its creator.

2. Working Class Hero (1970)
Lennon was never actually working class. Growing up in Liverpool, he had had much more comfort than most children of that era. In the song, the use of the title is rather sarcastic and cynical than literal. Lennon talks about how the  system oppresses and lull people using institutions such as religion and school. Musically, things are again simple, with only 2-3 chords played on acoustic guitar.

3. Power To The People (1971)
Inspired by an interview given to Tariq Ali and Robin  Blackburn for the left-wing underground magazine Red Mole, Lennon took to work immediately and in one day wrote this song-call, which is in stark contrast to the pacifist preachings of Revolution (1968). Here, the former Beetle invites the world to descend into the streets and conflict with the status quo, believing now that nothing can be achieved without some form of violence. The production by Phil Spector made once again the difference, by using a gospel choir and saxophone of Bobby Keys in masterly fashion. Lennon later said that the song was the product of guilt and called it "Crap".

4. Imagine (1971)
The most famous song of Lennon is the most extreme lyrically. This is in fact the vision of a world without divisions, a utopia inspired by the book Grapefruit by Yoko Ono and a book of prayers that was given to him by the comedian Dick Gregory. The sweet musical accompaniment contributed greatly to the easy passage of the message, so Imagine was adopted as an anthem by many. There were certainly those who considered hypocritical verses like "Imagine no possessions" when coming out of the mouth of a millionaire. Obviously, they did not catch the meaning ...

5. I Don't Want To Be A Soldier (1971)
The relief he felt as a youngster, learning that conscription was removed in Britain, was great for Lennon, as he was planning to move to Southern Ireland to avoid it. He had grown hating the army «as something that takes them all away and leaves them dead somewhere" . Apart from the role of the soldier, here he also rejected legal and ecclesiastical career, under a persistent, roling rhythm accompanied by electric guitar and saxophone.
 
6. Gimme Some Truth (1971)
This song probably started as a comment on the internal strife in the Beatles camp, but then turned into a frontal attack on U.S. President Richard Nixon, who had decided the escalation of operations in Vietnam, turning himself into the number one enemy of the left-wing activists. Great performance by the author and a really sharp slide solo-sting by George Harrison.

7. Woman Is The Nigger Of The World (1972)
(John Lennon-Yoko Ono)
The Yoko Ono was a teacher of her husband on the issue of gender equality and the title of this song comes from one of her excommunications. She revealed that she was started to the idea from her first experiences with Lennon, when she found out that although the Beatles had brought revolution in music, in their daily lives they still were four traditional guys from Liverpoul. The band Elephant's Memory, which at that time was the musical accompaniment of the pair, gives a great performance here, with saxophone back into the lead.

8. Attica State (1972)
(John Lennon-Yoko Ono)
On September 13, 1972, in Attica penitentiary in New York, started an uprising of the prisoners, mostly blacks, who captured 50 hostages, demanding better terms and conditions for amnesty. Then the involvement of the army and police was ordered, resulting in the loss of the lives of 32 prisoners and 10 guards. These tragic events inspired Lennon and Ono to write this piece, accusing the governor of the state, Nelson Rockefeller, for the outcome of the operation. Tragic irony is that in this prison Mark David Chapman would end up, killer of Lennon in December 1980...

9. The Luck Of The Irish (1972)
(John Lennon-Yoko Ono)
Lennon had Irish roots and certainly this fact made him see the Irish question with more interest and sympathy. This piece, along with Sunday Bloody Sunday, had his own perspective on the issue, which was clearly in favor of liberation. Both songs were included on the album Some Time In New York City but they are not great samples of work. At that time slogans dominated the work of Lennon, leaving the art in the background ...

10 . John Sinclair (1972)
John Sinclair was one of the leading figures in American anti-culture during the 1960s. Author, poet, manager of the MC5 and organizer of the White Panthers, Sinclair was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment because he offered two joints at a policeman with plain clothes in 1970. Lennon, because of his conviction for drugs in 1968, saw with sympathy his case, and in December 1971 participated in an event for his release from prison, where he played also this song especially written for the occasion. Three days later, Sinclair was released from prison, to the surprise of all. Not bad for a simple charming folk-country song ...

* Photos from www.wikipedia.org and http://www.luminist.org/images/john.jpg