While Lennon was recording "God" at Abbey Road studios, George Harrison was next door completing work on his debut solo album "All Things Must Pass." Harrison remarked "I was in one room singing 'My Sweet Lord', and John was in another room singing 'I don't believe in Jesus, I don't believe in nothing'."
Wow, I just read all the comments about this song "God" by John Lennon to the end. Amazing how an artist that composed this 54 years ago still has the power to keep people discussing his work all these years later.
John has at least 2 messages here. He is expressing his belief in himself and his wife, not the human created gods. And second, he is telling Beatle fans that the dream is over. We have to carry on because he/John is moving on.
(I've been experiencing God as Light of the Univers and also as a Father since I was born... Hank Williams wrote I Saw The Light because he experienced that himself too, but btw ..) John Lennon was going through a painful moment because it was hard to accept that the dream was over, (The Beatles)... He was throwing away all the icons of love and spirituality and civil icons too just to face the fact that he felt lost and btw he had to carry on as John... John Lennon knew his beloved friends when he was 16 years old, he loves them with all his heart and the adventure with them as The Beatles was impossible to understand for us... He just struggled to carry on and this song was a personal page of his inner diary to all the fans and to himself too for sure!
I remember hearing this as an 8-year-old kid back in 1971, and I was quite shocked by it. When John sang "I don't believe in Jesus", I thought "What?!? Can you actually say that on a record?!?" (I was brought up in a religious family, although I eventually rejected the belief) And then hearing "I don't believe in Beatles" was just stunning. Looking back now, it seems clear to me that while John was clearing the decks of his life and career with this song (and the whole album), it's also clear that he felt the same grief for the ending of The Beatles as the other three did - when he sings "The dream is over", he sounds very sad, not like someone who just gained his freedom, so to speak.
"And so, dear friends, you'll just have to carry on… the dream is over." It was especially sad and chilling listening to these final lines after Lennon was assassinated.
One of the most honest songs I've ever heard in my near 67 years. This Lp is great, very bare, like emotionally naked is how I would describe it. This was not a radio airplay friendly record in 1970 but still sold very well. I was 13 when it came out and had to have it. When I heard the lyrics "I don't believe in Beatles" and "I was the Walrus but now I'm John" and the killer knife that went through me was "And so dear friends You'll just have to carry on" The dream is over. At 13 I knew exactly what he was saying to me and all the other Beatle fans. That stuck with me probably for weeks, that one hurt like a knife or arrow straight to the heart. Peace ❤
What I like most about John's music is his honesty, you can agree or disagree with what he thought, but he was never afraid to say exactly how he felt and for me that is the purest way to enjoy art. John's music is amazing
It had no devastating effect on me... I was 17 in 1970, (and just starting my second job after leaving school), and was more than happy to agree with John and his lyrics.
“Who is more humble? The scientist who looks at the universe with an open mind and accepts whatever the universe has to teach us, or somebody who says everything in this book must be considered the literal truth and never mind the fallibility of all the human beings involved?” ― Carl Sagan
Lee, I don't think you'll ever encounter a more fascinating individual. I haven't. One big difference between Paul and John - and it will help you understand them. They were a lot alike in their personalities in some ways. However, Paul always put on a public face (and still does) whereas John was who he was no matter who was looking. During the Beatles years, John cared about how well their songs did, but after they ended, he didn't care about that nearly as much as did Paul. Paul churned out music and if John had lived, he would probably not have done that as much as just continued in doing whatever he wanted to do. As much as I love Paul and his music, I love John and his music so much more if only for the fact he wasn't trying to write radio hits, but was just being his genuine self, always. One thing you could never call John is disingenuous. They blended so perfectly because of their similarities as much as due to their differences (up to a point with the latter as was seen during the end times). Musically, John was a rocker at heart, and Paul, a balladeer, although they both could do the other well. John was a master with a riff, chord changes, and imagery. Paul was a master with a melody, and making lyrics fit the melodies. Together = magic. They pushed and inspired one another's creativity and experimentation. We are all so lucky to have had them, but they were lucky Paul was introduced to John and he let Paul join his band because it gave each of them a best friend like no other.
You may agree or not with Lennon's views but it's always in your face, his hard naked truth. What an artist. He definitely closed the 60s dream here. Goosebumps.
I wasn’t raised in a religious household. I was raised in one where my parents let me listen to their albums at a really young age, and gave me access to everything in the spare room. They called the library. It was about 1993 94 When I was about 10 Or maybe 11 that I heard this song. The first one this song completely mindfucked me Even at that age.
@@lauraallen55 I had that same freedom as a kid, but I didn't hear this until I was a teenager. My parents had a really odd collection of music and I was free to play what I wanted as early at 3-4 years old. That said, I only had access to one solitary Beatles album unfortunately. My mom bought it on the way to seeing them at the Miami airport in '64. I wore it out so badly that the skips became part of the songs. 😂 I played that album again and again until I was able to buy records on my own.
@@MrKeychange We had similar parents in some ways, seems like! I was allowed to listen to their albums from that early an age as well. They had a big collection, including lots of Beatles. I also played them a lot - until I knew every note, every syllable by heart. Whenever I hear a Beatles song, I automatically hear the next song on the album in my head when it gets to the end of the song. I remember being fascinated with the ELP Tarkus album cover when I was really little lol!
@@lauraallen55"Something New" was the only Beatle record I heard before I was 10. I played it so much, for so many years, to the point those songs are part of my fabric. I had a little tape recorder and would record the album (with skips) so I could take it with me when I went out. It took forever to get used to accepting "I Want to Hold Your Hand" in English. haha I would sing it in German as a 5 year old and have no idea what it meant (I'm not German) 😂 I remember very clearly listening to WNBC AM in NYC each night in the early 80s to an oldies show they broadcast and "Hard Days Night" came on. I immediately recognized John's voice and it was the best song I'd ever heard in my life. lol My mom promised to take me to Record World on the weekend to get the 45 and it was all I could think about. Every day at school I remember counting the days until I could hear that whenever I wanted. We hit the supermarket after the record store and I remember bringing the 45 in with me because I just loved looking at it. I kept getting 45s, taping the radio and by 15 I was already on bootlegs. 🤪
I was born in 1956. Have been listening to Beatles and Lennon since 1963. His assassination, his lost life, from humanity has hurt humanity the most. I cry thinking of what his voice could have added since 1980 to now. Lennon was saying in this song, not just him it was his RELATIONSHIP with Yoko, As his center of the universe. Right on.
There is a quote from Taoism, either Lao Tse or Chuang Tse, “I don’t know where it comes from, I don’t know where it goes. I don’t know its name. I call it Tao.” I think that’s about as close as we can get.
Billy Preston, who came from a gospel background, was troubled by the song's atheistic vibe, but kept his feelings to himself. He had similar issues when performing "Sympathy For The Devil" on tour with the Rolling Stones.
Billy Preston on grand piano, Ringo on drums and Klaus Voorman on bass. One of my favorite Lennon tracks. " I was the dream weaver but now, I'm reborn. " Powerful lyrics.
This album came out RIGHT after the Beatles broke up, in 1970, so for a lot of people, hearing John say, "I don't believe in Beatles" was of course, confirmation that the band was truly over - but it was the NEXT line, "The dream is over" - that put the nail in the coffin of the dream of peace and love of the 1960's. So it hit like a gut-punch to a lot of people at the time that a man from the band who had basically *LED* the cultural revolution of the 1960's in many ways, was saying, "Yeah, I've moved on, guys; I'm just going to be a homebody now." Which is exactly what Bob Dylan had done, too, basically.
Bob Zimmerman was patient but called John out after Imagine was released. He was sitting in John's mansion, looked around and said "You wrote imagine no possessions, so how come you own all this crap?"
In the 60 70 so many of us tried to find a Truth or Enlightenment, We thought we could bring peace to the world through love. We had that dream kicked out of us , when he sang The Dream is Over it was crushing. We all knew but to hear it from him 💔 I believe in Mother Earth interconnected and how Science shows how it all works. If we would take care of the earth ,all the beings and each other- that would be my Heaven
@@jnagarya519 Criticise me all you like, your words mean nothing to me. I am fortunate to be alive with what consultants at three London Hospitals call my "multiple co-morbidities" but I am now 71 and John barely lived past 40 so if I like his songs because I like his lyrics, music and arrangements, that's up to me and nothing you think or say will affect my views of his, or other artists music... Just because you've got an axe to grind. You can stick your opinions up your arse for all I care.
Finally, John really cuts loose in that Litany of "I don't believes". I think all our hearts sunk a little to hear him say, "I don't believe in Beatles". Man, John really burned all his bridges behind him, didn't he?. BTK, he references Zimmerman. That is Dylans real last name. I never knew if he used Zimmerman instead of Dylan out of respect to his once beloved music icon, or as a dig against him for changing his name.
He was calling out Dylan for pretending to be something he wasn't, with the fake name he gave himself. The list of people in that song is mainly just talking about all of the false idols of the 20th century. Of course, Lennon was a hypocrite in about a million different ways as well, but unlike a lot of artists at the time, he admitted his hypocrisies for the most part, especially in interviews.
In his famous/infamous Rolling Stone interview of 1970, John said that he used Zimmerman because that was Bob's real name and that "Dylan" was bullshit. He added "My name's not John Beatle, it's John Lennon".
He didn't mention individual Beatles in the Litany, But in another track (I FOUND OUT) he sings, "I found religion from Jesus to Paul" and I don't think he meant the apostle Paul. Clever line though.
Lennon starts this song with the line, "God is a concept by which we measure our pain." He explained to Rolling Stone that, "pain is the pain we go through all the time," Then added: "You're born in pain. Pain is what we are in most of the time, and I think that the bigger the pain, the more God you look for."
He's stating that all of the idols/gods have fallen and we need to depend on us and love for one another- Him and Yoko as an example. It is also his way of declaring his independence from the supergroup- The Beatles! The Beatles and their fame is another fallen idol. By the way.... Zimmerman is Dylan's original name...
This is one of my all time favorite JL songs. It sent chills up my spine when I first heard it. You have to take this song in context, though. The Beatles had just broken up and John was pissed at the world. The fact is, John believed in a lot of things AFTER this song was released. Contrary to the song, he practiced I Ching with Yoko. They also put their faith in tarot, numerology and astrology and used them to make decisions. They went to South America and participated in a ritual with a witch that included sacrificing a dove and went to an illicit dig in Egypt to obtain artifacts which they believed were magical. John was even born again in 1977 after a low point in his life but Yoko was opposed and discouraged it. On his last album, John tenderly sang to his son, "Before you go to sleep, say a little prayer." Google "John Lennon wearing a cross" and you will find a famous photo of John, in his round sunglasses and wearing a NYC shirt, with a cross around his neck. That photo was taken only a couple of years before his death. He once said, "We are all Hitler and we are all Christ. I want Christ to win." Like you said, John liked to poke the bear. I think this song was more about imploring his fans to reject the cults around all the things listed, including him. He was saying you also have to embrace personal reality since no belief truly matters if you don't believe in yourself and don't strive for self improvement.
@@lauraallen55 Yes, that is why so many loved him. He was discussed and loved in my house ever since the Ed Sullivan show (when I was 3), so much so that when he died my mom said it was like losing one of the family.
What he is saying here is that people shouldn't subsume their own identity and journey to an "other". Don't make some kind of guru the be all end all of your existence. Just because The Beatles broke up doesn't mean that the people who loved them should give up themselves.
Congratulations! You're asking all the right questions. When you start asking questions, the answer, or at least the next step, arrives on its own. For me, it was reading Autobiography Of A Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda in 1975 . Once you start looking at life, and yourself, from a spiritual perspective, everything changes. Nothing is ever the same. And it can be very uncomfortable at times. But the trip is so worth it. You learn so much about yourself and your place in the Divine Plan. And you realize who you really are. I've been enjoying your videos and your musical and personal journey. You communicate well, and are an engaging personality.It's fun to share time with you. Enjoy the ride!
When John was shot and killed, this song really came to a lot of our minds, his death hit a lot of us hard and affected us so much. This song was as if he knew something we didn't and was saying "good-bye"> "and so my friends you'll just have to carry on, the dream is over"...before the tragedy even happened. I guess after John passed only he knows "what he found on the other side"..
Great song. John was just listing things that came into his head at the time, as he said in later interviews. It wasn't that he didn't believe in these things, just that he was stating that now the Beatles were over it was just him and Yoko. He wanted the fans to know that the Beatles' story was over and to get on with their lives. He did believe in God just not in the Judeo-Christian way.
Look, believe or don't believe, it's up to you. Listen to John's "God" and "Whatever gets you through the night" back to back at least once a year then decide what gets YOU through the night.
Dude, listen to “Crippled Inside”. Truer words were never spoken. And man, when I heard it way back then, it changed my life. Anyone who hurts will appreciate it. Trust me. ✌️
Just my opinion… The contrast between the lyrics and the upbeat tempo makes it hit me harder maybe because the upbeat tempo is telling me to feel one way The message Of the lyrics is something else entirely
All the Beatles had a hard time at the end, the rollercoaster, the changes and being so young, and not being able to become mature men in a normal sort of way. It had to be unsettling. Also, he is saying, don't believe in icons, which they were. I still can't totally get over those years of not just music but the culture changes that we experienced and that they led.
Me I am an atheist but I do not discount life existing elsewhere in the universe given the insane number of stars with an even more insane likelihood of planets being greater in number than stars so odds favor life elsewhere. Weather you are Theist,Atheist or Agnostic the life we have and that lives here on earth should never be taken for granted or abused and that is reality. Good reaction to this song.
I only believe in LOVE, THIS love, the love i have and share with Yoko. This love is the whole. He doesnt discredit the role he played in The Beatles, yet declares the dream is over.
Probably my favorite of all the Beatles solo stuff. George’s all things must pass is fantastic, but just the rawness of Plastic ono band puts it at a higher level for me
Two things to bear in mind. John believed in the afterlife, had a tarot reader and was heavily into numerology believing 9 was a fateful number for him. He was cynical about religion and dogma but not spiritualism. Second, if you've explored everything I take it you've looked into NDEs. These happen to people of all beliefs and the answer people come back with is essentially All you need is love, which may sound wishy washy but is actually a tough test.
This was after the Beatles breakup and a lot was going on at a this time in his life . Critics have compared this album with his last album which was more up beat and positive .and he seemed to be in a better place .
On George Harrison's last album "Brainwashed" (2002) -he knew that he was diving of cancer (lungs to his brain) -and his last sone is similar to this (Jeff Lyne, Dahnni Harrison fishnet, arranged album) George states what he believes, what he does not believe, that his brain is "washed" and ready for the afterlife, with a Hindu prayer chant, as the song goes out. Similar to this, by his old friend John, yet George knew that he would depart soon,....John was cleansing himself, and Yoko through therapy.
I just believe in me Yoko & me That's reality. The lines at the end are really what gets to me every single time I listen to it. And especially after we lost John. The Dream Is Over. Hits me every time. Lee, songs like these are why I put John above Paul. His songs most of the time are very personal & thought provoking subjects that get right to the point. Even his Ballads are more passionate. Love all the Beatles stuff man. Keep it going. Oh, & Zimmerman is Bob Dylan
I love Paul and his music but yeah, it’s a lot of radio fodder. He also made a lot of music I don’t like. He made so very much. He just churned it out. I think Paul was more about what was commercially successful. I don’t think John Cared about, that at least not as a solo artist
One thing I do know is whenever I try and compile a solo Beatles album, which we all do, the problem I have is I end up wanting to put in every song of John's...well nearly, maybe not 'Scumbag'...even multiple versions of songs, whereas I have no trouble leaving out many of Paul's...and George's too. This must mean something.
It always seemed to me that God is just another name for "existence" ("I am") and it makes no sense to say God does not exist. And that existence, our attitude and view of life, depends on us. Given each of us is the power to see God (existence) however we want. We can choose to see God as caring for us, as indifferent towards us, as punishing to us, as abandoning us, or whatever. Saying "God is a concept by which we measure our pain" tells us a lot not so much about God but more about Lennon's view of life at this time in his life.
I went to Catholic grade school and high school, was an altar boy and in the boys choir. I grew up in a Catholic family in a Catholic community going back generations to Europe. Nobody ever questioned anything. By the time I was in high school, I had explored the tenets of every major religion, looking for the common thread of truth, and discovered that there wasn't anyway. What they all had in common was blind acceptance of something for which there wasn't a shred of proof. Since then, I have followed the path of logic, reason, and common sense. At one time as a small child, I considered converting to Toothfarianism.
This was Lennon just clearing the decks in 1970. Clearing his mental desk. The Beatles had just folded so it was now HIS time with Yoko. That's all that mattered to him right then. A new start. The next chapter. Cleansing time. Or 10 years later it was Clean Up Time.
John famously dissed Paul but in the end John again became a friend to him about as well as a married recluse could. Paul visited his apartment in the late seventies and they were watching SNL. On the show they offered the Beatles '$500' to reunite. John and Paul briefly thought about showing up to claim the prize since the studio was close but were too lazy to go.
again this whole album should be listened to front to back. 'I Found Out' is punk, years before punk. 'Isolation' is brilliant - there are so many great songs that all connect.
As a drummer, I suggest you to pay attention to the "I don't believe in…" middle section of the song. Ringo himself highlighted it as one of his finest moments behind the kit. As John lists all the things he doesn't believe to anymore, in a quite circular and repetitive way, Ringo underlines each denial with a different drum fill. Starr says that there are no two identical fills in that whole part of the song, and that for him is a thing he's proud of, as he thinks drum fills are his "art", essentially
I practically grew up in church and attended several years of Bible college. I got over it. I don't believe there's anything supernatural/divine "out there". There's just us and this incredibly vast universe that might or might not (but likely does, IMO) harbour other life somewhere. Unless that life is on one of the planets or moons in our solar system, I think we're unlikely to ever know about it. The distances are just too immense. I can't prove that there are no gods or spirits or whatever but there is definitely no testable evidence of any and, as I see it, no good reason to think that any such thing even could exist.
My daughters are big John Lennon fans. I'll take the blame for that. They're 27 and 30 now. I sat them down in front of the Yellow Submarine movie for years when they were very little. I don't know how old you are, probably younger than them, but it's great to encounter a thoughtful, young Lennon/Beatles fan
I just turned 30 last month! Glad to hear I’m not the only young fan of these wonderful gentlemen. They are great in every way you can think of! I wonder if they’d like the channel! lol
I agree with your ending comments. People NEED something to answer questions and quell fears. Some of us ask too many awkward questions that feed fear in mainstream society..
Ned here and thank you for getting into this. John was trying to deal with the aftermath of all the rapid fire changes, ups and downs, that he and his amazing friends went through. Ringo was absolutely killin it, As someone else suggested " Gimmee Some Truth " is a must listen.
Ned wrote this: "Ringo was absolutely killin it". I've seen other fans say things like Ringo got off to the best start of any of them after the breakup. But that just is not what happened. Ringo got off to a very shaky start. Ringo's "Sentimental Journey" LP was their first solo album released after they broke up (released in late March of 1970). It was an album of old standards that were favorites of Ringo's mom. Ringo also released the third solo album by any of them - with "Beaucoups of Blues" (released in late September of 1970) and it was a country western LP. Ringo also released the title song as his first single and it did not chart in the UK and peaked at #87 in the US. The album did not chart in the UK and peaked at #65 in the US. Paul's first solo album came out on April 17th, 1970 - and was the second solo album after the breakup. It was a huge hit LP reaching #1 in the US and #2 in the UK and sold over 2 million copies in the US alone. George's first solo album after the breakup came out on November 27th, 1979 and went to #1 in both the UK and the US and sold more copies than even Paul's LP. And his first single from the LP ("My Sweet Lord") also went to #1 in both the UK and the US. John's first album after the breakup came out on December 11th of 1970 (which has this song, "God"). It peaked at #8 in the UK and at #6 in the US - and sold about a half a million in the US. The single from this album ("Mother") did not chart in the UK and peaked at #43 in the US. Although this album and single did not do all that well commercially and on the charts - it was seen as very good by many critics of the day. So Ringo actually was the Beatle who struggled the most at the beginning of his post-Beatles career. His first record to do well was a single ("It Don't Come Easy") which came out on April 9th of 1971. This song went to #4 in both the UK and the US. Ringo's first solo success came about a year after Paul's - and about 6 months after George's. His next single ("Back Off Boogaloo") came out in March of 1972 and peaked at #2 in the UK and at #9 in the US. Ringo's first album success came with his third solo LP ("Ringo") which was released on November 2, 1973. It peaked at #2 in the US and at #7 in the UK. It included two singles that went to #1 in the US ("Photograph" and "You're Sixteen"). So late 1973 was when Ringo really got to the "Killin' it" stage of his solo career.... about 3.5 years after Paul and about 3 years after George and John.
@@aBeatleFan4ever I don't know what this rant is about or why you would use my comment to launch into a highly detailed breakdown of chart success to "put me in my place" or something. I said one simple thing which was about Ringo's performance on this song. Nothing about his post Beatle career, chart competition with his old bandmates or who's LP's came out first or any thing else. You wasted a whole lotta time "correcting " me while misunderstanding what I said.
@@brewstergallery - Ned, it's good to hear that you were complimenting Ringo's drum work on the "God" track. It never even occurred to me that was what you were doing. It's probably because I just had a discussion with someone else who claimed Ringo was the most successful Beatle after they broke up. So that was how I was reading your comment. Thanks for the clarification. I appreciate it.
@@aBeatleFan4ever And I appreciate your response, very much. I just wanted to give Ringo a little love. If not for him I probably wouldn't have started playing. Thanks for the get back. Peace
@@aBeatleFan4ever While he had a slower start, with poorer album sales, he had the most consistent success in terms of charting singles at first. Though the others' hits were bigger.
Now that's a good song and a good reaction. John wasn't consistent but somebody said consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds. I personally am so anti-theist that I don't even want to be called an atheist and thereby get dragged back into it all. But as long as anyone respects me I respect them. Unbelief doesn't make a person a jerk, I feel. That's a separate choice. ❤ 🏴☠️👍
There's another video out there of this song, might be the official one - not sure - that has footage of John and the reactions of people in the aftermath of his death. It's worth taking a look.
Solipsism. That's funny you used that term. I got the new Uncut magazine in the mail, a couple of days ago. It had John Lennon on the cover and a disc with 9 tracks from the new Lennon box-set of Mind Games (Deluxe Edition). It also had a booklet with it, titled John Lennon Every Album Ranked. The term solipsism was used in two reviews by two different reviewers. David Stubbs calls The Wedding Album John and Yoko's shared solipsism. David Quantick says the whole Plastic Ono Band album is "self-absorbed and solipsistic but it's also utterly universal".
He states his philosophy well. I believe in one of those he listed. Religion can be used as a club, but that's pointless. You can't MAKE someone believe something. You can only make a hypocrite who mouths the words. Love and gentleness/humility are the key. Peace to you.
John always making you think. Like you, I've gone through all different beliefs in my life. In 2022 I had a serious ufo sighting. I know we are being watched over. I think angels, demons and aliens are one in the same. Btw, John had a famous ufo sighting which he mentions in his song Nobody Told Me
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"I don't believe in Zimmerman" refers to Bob Dylan, whose real last name is Zimmerman.☮
@@fidge54 He mentioned that because the reviewer was not aware of Dylan’s real name.
Every time I hear John sing "The dream is over" the tears come again.
While Lennon was recording "God" at Abbey Road studios, George Harrison was next door completing work on his debut solo album "All Things Must Pass." Harrison remarked "I was in one room singing 'My Sweet Lord', and John was in another room singing 'I don't believe in Jesus, I don't believe in nothing'."
John always went where many others would not. Much respect to him for that.
John was always genuine. That and many other reasons are why he is my Favorite and always will be
Wow, I just read all the comments about this song "God" by John Lennon to the end. Amazing how an artist that composed this 54 years ago still has the power to keep people discussing his work all these years later.
The most honest artist. Gimme me some Truth.
John has at least 2 messages here. He is expressing his belief in himself and his wife, not the human created gods. And second, he is telling Beatle fans that the dream is over. We have to carry on because he/John is moving on.
I knew I felt some form of what you said in the end. I couldn’t put it into words exactly but I totally get it now that you say it like that.
(I've been experiencing God as Light of the Univers and also as a Father since I was born... Hank Williams wrote I Saw The Light because he experienced that himself too, but btw ..) John Lennon was going through a painful moment because it was hard to accept that the dream was over, (The Beatles)... He was throwing away all the icons of love and spirituality and civil icons too just to face the fact that he felt lost and btw he had to carry on as John... John Lennon knew his beloved friends when he was 16 years old, he loves them with all his heart and the adventure with them as The Beatles was impossible to understand for us... He just struggled to carry on and this song was a personal page of his inner diary to all the fans and to himself too for sure!
Free verse poetry. All the lines
sound the same but the words are different. John was so good at that.
HUMANS DIDN'T CREATE GOD!
He was destroying all his myths...depend on yourself not on anybody...
"God is a concept by which we measure our pain" Such a great & telling line. Such a raw & wonderful album.
This is such a raw, beautiful, painful, emotional, cleansing album. It’s almost too much. I’ve heard it so many times, and it still gets me.
Agreed.
I remember hearing this as an 8-year-old kid back in 1971, and I was quite shocked by it. When John sang "I don't believe in Jesus", I thought "What?!? Can you actually say that on a record?!?" (I was brought up in a religious family, although I eventually rejected the belief) And then hearing "I don't believe in Beatles" was just stunning. Looking back now, it seems clear to me that while John was clearing the decks of his life and career with this song (and the whole album), it's also clear that he felt the same grief for the ending of The Beatles as the other three did - when he sings "The dream is over", he sounds very sad, not like someone who just gained his freedom, so to speak.
"And so, dear friends, you'll just have to carry on… the dream is over." It was especially sad and chilling listening to these final lines after Lennon was assassinated.
One of the most honest songs I've ever heard in my near 67 years.
This Lp is great, very bare, like emotionally naked is how I would describe it. This was not a radio airplay friendly record in 1970 but still sold very well.
I was 13 when it came out and had to have it. When I heard the lyrics "I don't believe in Beatles" and "I was the Walrus but now I'm John" and the killer knife that went through me was
"And so dear friends
You'll just have to carry on"
The dream is over.
At 13 I knew exactly what he was saying to me and all the other Beatle fans.
That stuck with me probably for weeks, that one hurt like a knife or arrow straight to the heart.
Peace ❤
What I like most about John's music is his honesty, you can agree or disagree with what he thought, but he was never afraid to say exactly how he felt and for me that is the purest way to enjoy art. John's music is amazing
"whatever gets you through the night". John Lennon
John is a concept by which we measure our LOVE :D
The effect this had in 1970 was devastating.
It had no devastating effect on me...
I was 17 in 1970, (and just starting my second job after leaving school), and was more than happy to agree with John and his lyrics.
“Who is more humble? The scientist who looks at the universe with an open mind and accepts whatever the universe has to teach us, or somebody who says everything in this book must be considered the literal truth and never mind the fallibility of all the human beings involved?”
― Carl Sagan
❤❤❤❤❤
Lee, I don't think you'll ever encounter a more fascinating individual. I haven't.
One big difference between Paul and John - and it will help you understand them. They were a lot alike in their personalities in some ways.
However, Paul always put on a public face (and still does) whereas John was who he was no matter who was looking. During the Beatles years, John cared about how well their songs did, but after they ended, he didn't care about that nearly as much as did Paul.
Paul churned out music and if John had lived, he would probably not have done that as much as just continued in doing whatever he wanted to do. As much as I love Paul and his music, I love John and his music so much more if only for the fact he wasn't trying to write radio hits, but was just being his genuine self, always. One thing you could never call John is disingenuous.
They blended so perfectly because of their similarities as much as due to their differences (up to a point with the latter as was seen during the end times). Musically, John was a rocker at heart, and Paul, a balladeer, although they both could do the other well. John was a master with a riff, chord changes, and imagery. Paul was a master with a melody, and making lyrics fit the melodies. Together = magic. They pushed and inspired one another's creativity and experimentation. We are all so lucky to have had them, but they were lucky Paul was introduced to John and he let Paul join his band because it gave each of them a best friend like no other.
You may agree or not with Lennon's views but it's always in your face, his hard naked truth. What an artist. He definitely closed the 60s dream here. Goosebumps.
Loved comment"Leave it to John." Reminds me of reading about what moms in Liverpool would tell their kids to "Stay away from that Lennon boy."
Yasss!
You never disappoint, Lee.
Some of John's songs are a real mindfuck. I wish he was still here.
I wasn’t raised in a religious household. I was raised in one where my parents let me listen to their albums at a really young age, and gave me access to everything in the spare room. They called the library. It was about 1993 94 When I was about 10 Or maybe 11 that I heard this song. The first one this song completely mindfucked me Even at that age.
That should say the First line of this song.
@@lauraallen55 I had that same freedom as a kid, but I didn't hear this until I was a teenager.
My parents had a really odd collection of music and I was free to play what I wanted as early at 3-4 years old.
That said, I only had access to one solitary Beatles album unfortunately. My mom bought it on the way to seeing them at the Miami airport in '64. I wore it out so badly that the skips became part of the songs. 😂
I played that album again and again until I was able to buy records on my own.
@@MrKeychange We had similar parents in some ways, seems like! I was allowed to listen to their albums from that early an age as well. They had a big collection, including lots of Beatles. I also played them a lot - until I knew every note, every syllable by heart. Whenever I hear a Beatles song, I automatically hear the next song on the album in my head when it gets to the end of the song.
I remember being fascinated with the ELP Tarkus album cover when I was really little lol!
@@lauraallen55"Something New" was the only Beatle record I heard before I was 10. I played it so much, for so many years, to the point those songs are part of my fabric. I had a little tape recorder and would record the album (with skips) so I could take it with me when I went out. It took forever to get used to accepting "I Want to Hold Your Hand" in English. haha I would sing it in German as a 5 year old and have no idea what it meant (I'm not German) 😂
I remember very clearly listening to WNBC AM in NYC each night in the early 80s to an oldies show they broadcast and "Hard Days Night" came on. I immediately recognized John's voice and it was the best song I'd ever heard in my life. lol My mom promised to take me to Record World on the weekend to get the 45 and it was all I could think about. Every day at school I remember counting the days until I could hear that whenever I wanted. We hit the supermarket after the record store and I remember bringing the 45 in with me because I just loved looking at it. I kept getting 45s, taping the radio and by 15 I was already on bootlegs. 🤪
I was born in 1956. Have been listening to Beatles and Lennon since 1963. His assassination, his lost life, from humanity has hurt humanity the most. I cry thinking of what his voice could have added since 1980 to now. Lennon was saying in this song, not just him it was his RELATIONSHIP with Yoko, As his center of the universe.
Right on.
1957 here. And yes to everything you said
Sober thoughts expressed by John
There is a quote from Taoism, either Lao Tse or Chuang Tse, “I don’t know where it comes from, I don’t know where it goes. I don’t know its name. I call it Tao.” I think that’s about as close as we can get.
I think that sums it up perfectly. Thank you for that.
This song in particular had SO much more impact and became so much more poignant after his death. Some of his best & most personal singing.
Billy Preston, who came from a gospel background, was troubled by the song's atheistic vibe, but kept his feelings to himself. He had similar issues when performing "Sympathy For The Devil" on tour with the Rolling Stones.
Zimmerman > Bob Dylan's real last Name
Hope you are having a pleasant day, Lee and you are always good for keeping your word.
I loved this album. Not radio fodder but to those of us following John's journey it was better, real.
Billy Preston on grand piano, Ringo on drums and Klaus Voorman on bass. One of my favorite Lennon tracks. " I was the dream weaver but now, I'm reborn. " Powerful lyrics.
Isolation and Working class Hero, Cold Turkey, Power to the People, Instant Karma.
This song hit me hearing it the first time. Words can be very powerful. John always knows what to say i guess.
This album came out RIGHT after the Beatles broke up, in 1970, so for a lot of people, hearing John say, "I don't believe in Beatles" was of course, confirmation that the band was truly over - but it was the NEXT line, "The dream is over" - that put the nail in the coffin of the dream of peace and love of the 1960's. So it hit like a gut-punch to a lot of people at the time that a man from the band who had basically *LED* the cultural revolution of the 1960's in many ways, was saying, "Yeah, I've moved on, guys; I'm just going to be a homebody now." Which is exactly what Bob Dylan had done, too, basically.
JOHN ALWAYS SAID, "I'M NOT AFRAID OF DEATH. BECAUSE TO ME, IT'S JUST LIKE GETTING OUT OF ONE CAR, AND GETTING INTO ANOTHER!"
Bob Zimmerman was patient but called John out after Imagine was released. He was sitting in John's mansion, looked around and said "You wrote imagine no possessions, so how come you own all this crap?"
Bob being a little fake with Zimmerman too
@@lauraallen55Ha ha. True but many artists change their name. Lennon called Ringo Ritchie or Richard in private.
Yes he did. One thing you can never accuse John of is being disingenuous
Do GIMME SOME TRUTH!
I LOVE that one
YES!
In the 60 70 so many of us tried to find a Truth or Enlightenment, We thought we could bring peace to the world through love. We had that dream kicked out of us , when he sang The Dream is Over it was crushing. We all knew but to hear it from him 💔 I believe in Mother Earth interconnected and how Science shows how it all works. If we would take care of the earth ,all the beings and each other- that would be my Heaven
John's "Isolation," from the same JL Plastic Ono Band album, is now ripe for your consideration.
Thanks L33 for your openness and curiosity.
"Isolation" is a GEM.
I like Working Class Hero...and that doesn't get enough airplay, to my mind.
@@brigidsingleton1596 Except that John wasn't working class.
@@jnagarya519
I don't care about that. I care about liking the song.
@@brigidsingleton1596 Of course you don't care about the facts. Because [cough] you're a Lennon fan.
@@jnagarya519
Criticise me all you like, your words mean nothing to me. I am fortunate to be alive with what consultants at three London Hospitals call my "multiple co-morbidities" but I am now 71 and John barely lived past 40 so if I like his songs because I like his lyrics, music and arrangements, that's up to me and nothing you think or say will affect my views of his, or other artists music...
Just because you've got an axe to grind.
You can stick your opinions up your arse for all I care.
Finally, John really cuts loose in that Litany of "I don't believes". I think all our hearts sunk a little to hear him say, "I don't believe in Beatles". Man, John really burned all his bridges behind him, didn't he?. BTK, he references Zimmerman. That is Dylans real last name. I never knew if he used Zimmerman instead of Dylan out of respect to his once beloved music icon, or as a dig against him for changing his name.
He was calling out Dylan for pretending to be something he wasn't, with the fake name he gave himself. The list of people in that song is mainly just talking about all of the false idols of the 20th century. Of course, Lennon was a hypocrite in about a million different ways as well, but unlike a lot of artists at the time, he admitted his hypocrisies for the most part, especially in interviews.
In his famous/infamous Rolling Stone interview of 1970, John said that he used Zimmerman because that was Bob's real name and that "Dylan" was bullshit. He added "My name's not John Beatle, it's John Lennon".
@@russallert so did he think the name Ringo Starr was bullshit too?
Probably yeah
@@DrStrangelove3891 You'd have to ask John.....
The Beatles and especially John Lennon changed my life. Imagine is an entire philosophy in a few paragraphs.
Glad your doing this. I think you're going to love it.
I'm with him on all those 'I don't believe in' ... just reality. Good song
He didn't mention individual Beatles in the Litany, But in another track (I FOUND OUT) he sings, "I found religion from Jesus to Paul" and I don't think he meant the apostle Paul. Clever line though.
He made a reference to Yesterday in this one and also George's spirituality.
Lennon starts this song with the line, "God is a concept by which we measure our pain." He explained to Rolling Stone that, "pain is the pain we go through all the time," Then added: "You're born in pain. Pain is what we are in most of the time, and I think that the bigger the pain, the more God you look for."
He's stating that all of the idols/gods have fallen and we need to depend on us and love for one another- Him and Yoko as an example. It is also his way of declaring his independence from the supergroup- The Beatles! The Beatles and their fame is another fallen idol. By the way.... Zimmerman is Dylan's original name...
John once again charming the Christians :)
This is one of my all time favorite JL songs. It sent chills up my spine when I first heard it. You have to take this song in context, though. The Beatles had just broken up and John was pissed at the world.
The fact is, John believed in a lot of things AFTER this song was released. Contrary to the song, he practiced I Ching with Yoko. They also put their faith in tarot, numerology and astrology and used them to make decisions.
They went to South America and participated in a ritual with a witch that included sacrificing a dove and went to an illicit dig in Egypt to obtain artifacts which they believed were magical.
John was even born again in 1977 after a low point in his life but Yoko was opposed and discouraged it. On his last album, John tenderly sang to his son, "Before you go to sleep, say a little prayer." Google "John Lennon wearing a cross" and you will find a famous photo of John, in his round sunglasses and wearing a NYC shirt, with a cross around his neck. That photo was taken only a couple of years before his death. He once said, "We are all Hitler and we are all Christ. I want Christ to win."
Like you said, John liked to poke the bear. I think this song was more about imploring his fans to reject the cults around all the things listed, including him. He was saying you also have to embrace personal reality since no belief truly matters if you don't believe in yourself and don't strive for self improvement.
John was nothing if not contradictory and mercurial. And real. always real.
@@lauraallen55 Yes, that is why so many loved him. He was discussed and loved in my house ever since the Ed Sullivan show (when I was 3), so much so that when he died my mom said it was like losing one of the family.
@@captainsatellite2112 I'm sure it felt that way to anyone who was there at the time. What a tragic loss to the world.
What he is saying here is that people shouldn't subsume their own identity and journey to an "other". Don't make some kind of guru the be all end all of your existence. Just because The Beatles broke up doesn't mean that the people who loved them should give up themselves.
Seems he throws it back to us! Gives us permission to let him go? Wise John😘
Congratulations! You're asking all the right questions. When you start asking questions, the answer, or at least the next step, arrives on its own. For me, it was reading Autobiography Of A Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda in 1975 . Once you start looking at life, and yourself, from a spiritual perspective, everything changes. Nothing is ever the same. And it can be very uncomfortable at times. But the trip is so worth it. You learn so much about yourself and your place in the Divine Plan. And you realize who you really are.
I've been enjoying your videos and your musical and personal journey. You communicate well, and are an engaging personality.It's fun to share time with you. Enjoy the ride!
Billy on the grand piano, John on an upright.
When John was shot and killed, this song really came to a lot of our minds, his death hit a lot of us hard and affected us so much. This song was as if he knew something we didn't and was saying "good-bye"> "and so my friends you'll just have to carry on, the dream is over"...before the tragedy even happened. I guess after John passed only he knows "what he found on the other side"..
John "found" nothing after death because he ceased to exist, in any world.
Great song. John was just listing things that came into his head at the time, as he said in later interviews. It wasn't that he didn't believe in these things, just that he was stating that now the Beatles were over it was just him and Yoko. He wanted the fans to know that the Beatles' story was over and to get on with their lives. He did believe in God just not in the Judeo-Christian way.
He went from saying the Beatles were bigger than Jesus to not believing in either!
John later said he wished he hadn't done primal therapy. What it did was reconnect him with traumas without offering any resolution of them.
Look, believe or don't believe, it's up to you.
Listen to John's "God" and "Whatever gets you through the night" back to back at least once a year then decide what gets YOU through the night.
"God" is a substitute "answer" for questions that have no known answers.
Dude, listen to “Crippled Inside”. Truer words were never spoken. And man, when I heard it way back then, it changed my life. Anyone who hurts will appreciate it. Trust me. ✌️
I wish he had done that song less jovial. The lyrics are SO deep
Great, and I feel, under appreciated, song. The lyrics get to me too.
Although, I think it would’ve had less of an impact, if he had sung it less jovially
@@lauraallen55 How so?
Just my opinion…
The contrast between the lyrics and the upbeat tempo makes it hit me harder maybe because the upbeat tempo is telling me to feel one way The message Of the lyrics is something else entirely
when this song came out it hurt a lot of fans. it was a for sure goodbye to the Beatles
All the Beatles had a hard time at the end, the rollercoaster, the changes and being so young, and not being able to become mature men in a normal sort of way. It had to be unsettling. Also, he is saying, don't believe in icons, which they were. I still can't totally get over those years of not just music but the culture changes that we experienced and that they led.
John at least was having problems with all of it long before the end. Help! was a literal request for help according to John.
"Zimmerman" is a reference to Bob Dylan, as Dylan was born "Robert Zimmerman.:
What you got...walls and bridges album. Great tunes.
He said the items on the list were myths he no longer believed in. The Beatles were among them.
ISOLATION is another great early one of John's solo career.
Me I am an atheist but I do not discount life existing elsewhere in the universe given the insane number of stars with an even more insane likelihood of planets being greater in number than stars so odds favor life elsewhere. Weather you are Theist,Atheist or Agnostic the life we have and that lives here on earth should never be taken for granted or abused and that is reality. Good reaction to this song.
"I'm not practicing any more. I'm good at it now!"
I only believe in LOVE, THIS love, the love i have and share with Yoko. This love is the whole. He doesnt discredit the role he played in The Beatles, yet declares the dream is over.
Loved this entire album. My favourite of all his solo stuff.
Probably my favorite of all the Beatles solo stuff. George’s all things must pass is fantastic, but just the rawness of Plastic ono band puts it at a higher level for me
Two things to bear in mind. John believed in the afterlife, had a tarot reader and was heavily into numerology believing 9 was a fateful number for him. He was cynical about religion and dogma but not spiritualism. Second, if you've explored everything I take it you've looked into NDEs. These happen to people of all beliefs and the answer people come back with is essentially All you need is love, which may sound wishy washy but is actually a tough test.
This was after the Beatles breakup and a lot was going on at a this time in his life . Critics have compared this album with his last album which was more up beat and positive .and he seemed to be in a better place .
On George Harrison's last album "Brainwashed" (2002) -he knew that he was diving of cancer (lungs to his brain) -and his last sone is similar to this (Jeff Lyne, Dahnni Harrison fishnet, arranged album) George states what he believes, what he does not believe, that his brain is "washed" and ready for the afterlife, with a Hindu prayer chant, as the song goes out. Similar to this, by his old friend John, yet George knew that he would depart soon,....John was cleansing himself, and Yoko through therapy.
I just believe in me
Yoko & me
That's reality.
The lines at the end are really what gets to me every single time I listen to it. And especially after we lost John.
The Dream Is Over. Hits me every time.
Lee, songs like these are why I put John above Paul. His songs most of the time are very personal & thought provoking subjects that get right to the point. Even his Ballads are more passionate.
Love all the Beatles stuff man.
Keep it going.
Oh, & Zimmerman is Bob Dylan
Same here. I always appreciate John’s music more and it’s because of how deep they are and how personal, Important even at times.
I love Paul and his music but yeah, it’s a lot of radio fodder. He also made a lot of music I don’t like. He made so very much. He just churned it out.
I think Paul was more about what was commercially successful. I don’t think John Cared about, that at least not as a solo artist
One thing I do know is whenever I try and compile a solo Beatles album, which we all do, the problem I have is I end up wanting to put in every song of John's...well nearly, maybe not 'Scumbag'...even multiple versions of songs, whereas I have no trouble leaving out many of Paul's...and George's too. This must mean something.
@@gettinhungrig8806 Same here - never want to skip or leave off a John song when compiling or listening.
It always seemed to me that God is just another name for "existence" ("I am") and it makes no sense to say God does not exist. And that existence, our attitude and view of life, depends on us. Given each of us is the power to see God (existence) however we want. We can choose to see God as caring for us, as indifferent towards us, as punishing to us, as abandoning us, or whatever. Saying "God is a concept by which we measure our pain" tells us a lot not so much about God but more about Lennon's view of life at this time in his life.
I went to Catholic grade school and high school, was an altar boy and in the boys choir. I grew up in a Catholic family in a Catholic community going back generations to Europe. Nobody ever questioned anything. By the time I was in high school, I had explored the tenets of every major religion, looking for the common thread of truth, and discovered that there wasn't anyway. What they all had in common was blind acceptance of something for which there wasn't a shred of proof. Since then, I have followed the path of logic, reason, and common sense. At one time as a small child, I considered converting to Toothfarianism.
This was Lennon just clearing the decks in 1970. Clearing his mental desk. The Beatles had just folded so it was now HIS time with Yoko. That's all that mattered to him right then. A new start. The next chapter. Cleansing time. Or 10 years later it was Clean Up Time.
John famously dissed Paul but in the end John again became a friend to him about as well as a married recluse could. Paul visited his apartment in the late seventies and they were watching SNL. On the show they offered the Beatles '$500' to reunite. John and Paul briefly thought about showing up to claim the prize since the studio was close but were too lazy to go.
again this whole album should be listened to front to back. 'I Found Out' is punk, years before punk. 'Isolation' is brilliant - there are so many great songs that all connect.
Dear friends I guess
I like the “keyhole” analogy ❤
As a drummer, I suggest you to pay attention to the "I don't believe in…" middle section of the song.
Ringo himself highlighted it as one of his finest moments behind the kit.
As John lists all the things he doesn't believe to anymore, in a quite circular and repetitive way, Ringo underlines each denial with a different drum fill.
Starr says that there are no two identical fills in that whole part of the song, and that for him is a thing he's proud of, as he thinks drum fills are his "art", essentially
I reserve the right to wait until I have something that is ONLY linked to a deity, before I would believe there is one.
The body of the song is a mantra.
Which he said he didn't believe in. John was living contradictions.
I practically grew up in church and attended several years of Bible college. I got over it. I don't believe there's anything supernatural/divine "out there". There's just us and this incredibly vast universe that might or might not (but likely does, IMO) harbour other life somewhere. Unless that life is on one of the planets or moons in our solar system, I think we're unlikely to ever know about it. The distances are just too immense. I can't prove that there are no gods or spirits or whatever but there is definitely no testable evidence of any and, as I see it, no good reason to think that any such thing even could exist.
My daughters are big John Lennon fans. I'll take the blame for that. They're 27 and 30 now. I sat them down in front of the Yellow Submarine movie for years when they were very little. I don't know how old you are, probably younger than them, but it's great to encounter a thoughtful, young Lennon/Beatles fan
I just turned 30 last month! Glad to hear I’m not the only young fan of these wonderful gentlemen. They are great in every way you can think of! I wonder if they’d like the channel! lol
You MUST hear U2's GOD Part II!
I agree with your ending comments. People NEED something to answer questions and quell fears. Some of us ask too many awkward questions that feed fear in mainstream society..
Ned here and thank you for getting into this. John was trying to deal with the aftermath of all the rapid fire changes, ups and downs, that he and his amazing friends went through. Ringo was absolutely killin it, As someone else suggested " Gimmee Some Truth " is a must listen.
Ned wrote this: "Ringo was absolutely killin it".
I've seen other fans say things like Ringo got off to the best start of any of them after the breakup. But that just is not what happened. Ringo got off to a very shaky start. Ringo's "Sentimental Journey" LP was their first solo album released after they broke up (released in late March of 1970). It was an album of old standards that were favorites of Ringo's mom. Ringo also released the third solo album by any of them - with "Beaucoups of Blues" (released in late September of 1970) and it was a country western LP. Ringo also released the title song as his first single and it did not chart in the UK and peaked at #87 in the US. The album did not chart in the UK and peaked at #65 in the US.
Paul's first solo album came out on April 17th, 1970 - and was the second solo album after the breakup. It was a huge hit LP reaching #1 in the US and #2 in the UK and sold over 2 million copies in the US alone.
George's first solo album after the breakup came out on November 27th, 1979 and went to #1 in both the UK and the US and sold more copies than even Paul's LP. And his first single from the LP ("My Sweet Lord") also went to #1 in both the UK and the US.
John's first album after the breakup came out on December 11th of 1970 (which has this song, "God"). It peaked at #8 in the UK and at #6 in the US - and sold about a half a million in the US. The single from this album ("Mother") did not chart in the UK and peaked at #43 in the US. Although this album and single did not do all that well commercially and on the charts - it was seen as very good by many critics of the day.
So Ringo actually was the Beatle who struggled the most at the beginning of his post-Beatles career. His first record to do well was a single ("It Don't Come Easy") which came out on April 9th of 1971. This song went to #4 in both the UK and the US. Ringo's first solo success came about a year after Paul's - and about 6 months after George's. His next single ("Back Off Boogaloo") came out in March of 1972 and peaked at #2 in the UK and at #9 in the US. Ringo's first album success came with his third solo LP ("Ringo") which was released on November 2, 1973. It peaked at #2 in the US and at #7 in the UK. It included two singles that went to #1 in the US ("Photograph" and "You're Sixteen"). So late 1973 was when Ringo really got to the "Killin' it" stage of his solo career.... about 3.5 years after Paul and about 3 years after George and John.
@@aBeatleFan4ever I don't know what this rant is about or why you would use my comment to launch into a highly detailed breakdown of chart success to "put me in my place" or something. I said one simple thing which was about Ringo's performance on this song. Nothing about his post Beatle career, chart competition with his old bandmates or who's LP's came out first or any thing else. You wasted a whole lotta time "correcting " me while misunderstanding what I said.
@@brewstergallery - Ned, it's good to hear that you were complimenting Ringo's drum work on the "God" track. It never even occurred to me that was what you were doing. It's probably because I just had a discussion with someone else who claimed Ringo was the most successful Beatle after they broke up. So that was how I was reading your comment. Thanks for the clarification. I appreciate it.
@@aBeatleFan4ever And I appreciate your response, very much. I just wanted to give Ringo a little love. If not for him I probably wouldn't have started playing. Thanks for the get back. Peace
@@aBeatleFan4ever While he had a slower start, with poorer album sales, he had the most consistent success in terms of charting singles at first. Though the others' hits were bigger.
Now that's a good song and a good reaction. John wasn't consistent but somebody said consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.
I personally am so anti-theist that I don't even want to be called an atheist and thereby get dragged back into it all. But as long as anyone respects me I respect them. Unbelief doesn't make a person a jerk, I feel. That's a separate choice. ❤ 🏴☠️👍
A great song from that same album, maybe my favorite, is "Isolation"
Fear is the opposite of Love.
I think indifference is the opposite.
The best. This album is fire ❤
There's another video out there of this song, might be the official one - not sure - that has footage of John and the reactions of people in the aftermath of his death. It's worth taking a look.
Song suggestions: Check out I Found Out and Cold Turkey, two early examples of grunge.
'The dream is over'. The dream of the Beatles reuniting? Or in a broader sense, the dream of love and peace?
John was going through more trauma about the Beatles being over than he wanted to admit in interviews. But he says it all here. "The Dream is Over".
I dont believe in beatles. I just believe in me.
Solipsism. That's funny you used that term. I got the new Uncut magazine in the mail, a couple of days ago. It had John Lennon on the cover and a disc with 9 tracks from the new Lennon box-set of Mind Games (Deluxe Edition). It also had a booklet with it, titled John Lennon Every Album Ranked. The term solipsism was used in two reviews by two different reviewers.
David Stubbs calls The Wedding Album John and Yoko's shared solipsism.
David Quantick says the whole Plastic Ono Band album is "self-absorbed and solipsistic but it's also utterly universal".
That is a very good way of putting it (from what I’ve heard from it at least) it’s very John-centric. Which im totally for, he was fascinating
He states his philosophy well. I believe in one of those he listed. Religion can be used as a club, but that's pointless. You can't MAKE someone believe something. You can only make a hypocrite who mouths the words. Love and gentleness/humility are the key. Peace to you.
Lee… try a double feature :”God’s Song” and “He Gives Us All His Love “ both by Randy Newman off the 1972 LP “Sail Away “ ! 🎸🙏🎹
John always making you think. Like you, I've gone through all different beliefs in my life. In 2022 I had a serious ufo sighting. I know we are being watched over. I think angels, demons and aliens are one in the same. Btw, John had a famous ufo sighting which he mentions in his song Nobody Told Me
Great comment!
Btw it’s one and the same :)