4 underappreciated John Lennon songs
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- Опубліковано 11 тра 2024
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John Lennon has truly written some of the greatest songs of all time, and many of those great songs were actually written during his solo career. So today we will take a closer look at four of John's best solo tracks.
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0:00 Introduction
0:24 Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
3:21 Mother
5:25 HDpiano
6:22 Grow Old With Me
8:52 Jealous Guy
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Under appreciated Lennon demo. ua-cam.com/video/sUei2Q_Ux-A/v-deo.htmlsi=XuQQRzzaV6wdqQ3w
😊 Keep doing what you’re doing, it’s fantastic.
"Jealous Guy" is just so timeless. One of my favourite John Lennon songs.
Donny Hathaway's cover of this song is also worth a listen :)
The lyric "mother you had me, but I never had you" is a great example of a rhetorical device called syllepsis, or also could be a pun. Lennon used tons of different rhetorical devices in his writing and you can learn them in Mark Forsyth’s "Elements of Eloquence"!
I would've included 'Love.' Totally underappreciated, beautiful song in D Major. It's like a piece of classical music.
Had this as our wedding song!
It's nice to see his solo work get some love and analysis. My favorite is "Isolation" off Plastic Ono Band. The chord sequence is so simple, yet so effective, and his vocal is spine-tingling.
Great song. "But you're only human, a victim of the insane"
The vocal mixing between double tracked on the chorus and single on the verse is so cool. And the organ in the second verse. Such a great song
Great song - that whole album is amazing. I found out is like proto punk
I don’t know about very favorite, but #9 Dream is a delightful song.
Yes! That song doesn’t get mentioned enough. I totally hear it as a precursor to shoegaze and dream pop
Epic song
Grow Old With Me is one of those rare songs that invariably makes me cry. The fact that he never got to grow old with Yoko, that all the rest of his life was taken away from him… I wasn’t even born when he died and it still hurts.
Mind Games is one of my favorite solo Lennon songs.
It’s so good, and I always felt like those first few instrumental bars of the track would make an excellent loop for a hip-hop song
Same
I like the bridge but man, the song really needed a key change or middle 8. The main section becomes very repetitive
@@badgasaurus4211 it’s a DRONE. It’s meant to be that way, hypnotic mind games
@@hw343434 Right. The music perfectly fits the lyrics, as with all of Lennon's best.
Happiness Is A Warm Gun. Absolutely a masterpiece.
A Beatles classic but not a Lennon solo track
@@luke5100 yes, I'm drunk, and I want you to know that Happiness Is A Wsrm Gun is so profoundly different that it needs the attention. It's not a Lennoon solo classic I admit. Jealous Guy is.
For it's sheer raw power and timeless message, "Gimme Some Truth" will always be a favourite of mine, as will the equally raw vulnerability of "Isolation". That a songwriter and singer could go between those two extremes is astonishing.
#9 Dream is potentially his best, and overlooked
Early shoegaze/dream pop
Especially the production which is he did a lot of around that period.
(Just like) Starting Over because it really takes me back to my childhood.
10 most underrated John Lennon's solo songs IMO:
1. Love
2. Jealous Guy
3. Bless You
4. Old Dirt Road
5. #9 Dream
6. I know (I know)
7. Oh My Love
8. Out The Blue
9. Nobody Loves You (When You're Down And Out)
10. God
I'm not sure #9 Dream is underrated, but it is probably my favorite solo Lennon song, and I think it ranks among the best songs he ever wrote, up there with his classics from The Beatles. Bless You is very underrated and is such a beautiful ballad.
Jealous guy an underrated song?? really??
None of those songs are 'underrated'.
Add Woman is the [n-word] of the World and you nailed it
"Jealous Guy" is a great pick, and is definitely up there for me. But, I think my own personal favorite Lennon solo track is "Watching the Wheels." Partially for the song itself, but also because I do like to think that John was able to relax and enjoy himself by dropping out of the rat race for a while.
Maybe a throw away tune, but one that always makes me smile, wanna dance and just feel good is Oh Yoko! Just a warm fuzzy injected into my soul.
My favorite Lennon solo song is “How do you sleep”. I love how nervous the other Beatles were during the session of this angry song to Paul. Sometimes bad feelings are great to fire up some creativity.
Watching The Wheels is another good one that doesn't get much airplay.
You don't have to scratch the surface much to get at the underlying meaning (it's his response to other people criticising his choice to be a stay-at-home dad to Sean, and how that would perceivably ruin his chances of getting back into the business), and I'd suggest people look elsewhere in his back catalogue if searching for something with a deeper meaning, but the meaning is substantial.
That is a truly classic Lennon song
I love that song. I didn’t know about the specifics of the lyrics but I got the impression it was generally about people telling him how to live his life, like everybody thinks they know what’s best for him. Plus, such a catchy chorus. Gets in my head for days
The best song he ever wrote, some might say.
Yes, great song
Loved cold turkey , used it as my college baseball walk so for pitching
My faves are "No. 9 Dream" & "Woman". Fave cover song is "Slippin & Slidin" - arguably John's best vocal performance ever.
He sings those old rockn roll songs amazingly
"Mother" is so raw and vulnerable, it's hard not to be captivated by it.
"Oh My Love" is my favorite John Lennon song. Also features George Harrison in guitar and sounds beatifull
Really like all the songs picked here, 'Jealous Guy' seems pretty well known and admired among his fans. 'Mother' is great, it's truly some powerful stuff. 'Happy Xmas' is a classic, and one of my favourite christmas songs ever. 'Grow Old With Me' is indeed pretty underrated, I agree that George Martin's orchestration on it is brilliant.
My personal top 5 favourite John Lennon songs:
1. Jealous Guy
2. Imagine
3. Working Class Hero
4. #9 Dream
5. (Just Like) Starting Over
My personal top 5 favourite John Lennon songs that I think are underrated:
1. I Found Out
2. Oh Yoko!
3. Intuition
4. Nobody Loves You (When You're Down and Out)
5. Angela
For me its ‘Isolation’. That’s a song I always enjoy listening to.
Yes, Isolation but with Nilsson singing.
My favorite John Lennon solo song is "Watching the Wheels". Another one that I like, which might be underappreciated, is "Crippled Inside" from the "Imagine" album. It includes George Harrison on dobro, Nicky Hopkins on tack piano, Klaus Voormann on double bass, and (pre-Yes) Alan White on drums.
*_"Good Morning"_* - just for the bar of 7/8 at the end of each verse!
'God' is one of my favorites from john, just an amazing performance and statement. especially billy preston's piano playing, which i learned recently was a reference to 'love letters' by ketty lester! apparently the Cavern Club played this song to signal the conclusion of the beatles' lunchtime performances and get everyone to leave... quite fitting
its one of my favourite songs of all time
I just believe in me, Yoko and me. And that's reality...."The dream is over"
'Oh My Love', 'How?' and 'Love' are equally as underappreciated to me.
YES!!!
Jealous Guy has always been one of my favourite John Lennon songs. It's always a battle between George and John when I think of who had the better solo career.
I prefer the melody behind Child of Nature /s
I have no clue how everybody argues about the solo careers, Paul's is way better then John's and especially George's
@@huh19298 Totally agree, but just because I think Paul had more time to put out more songs. If Lennon had lived, who knows?
Have you heard of Paul McCartney?
@@xDchannel12345 That is a good point, still i think in the time from 70' to 80', Paul put out better music
These are among my favorites by him. Klaus Voormann's bass on Jealous Guy was a huge influence to me growing up. Simple, but effective
I love so many John Lennon songs, but one I don't hear many people talk about is "Surprise Surprise (Sweet Bird of Paradox)" from the excellent "Walls and Bridges" album. It's just such a feel-good song for me - it always lifts my mood. And the fade-out outro is one my favourite fade-outs of any song.
it’s basically the outro of Drive My Car
'Out the Blue' off Mind Games. Totally underrated song with great lyrics and builds to a powerful ending. Thanks David, a totally enjoyable posting.
Happy X-Mas is a great one. Lennon also used some similar key changes in Instant Karma. It also changes key from A to D (then to C) and then to G, and then also uses a D and E7 change to get back into the key of A. If it works, keep doing it!
No doubt. My best loved song is Watching the wheels. Same laziness as I'm only sleeping and an incredible arrangement, the perfect lesson about what a pop song must be.
My Top 4
1) Working Class Hero
2) God
3) Jealous Guy
4) Gimme some Truth
That would be exactly my list as well!
Can't argue either
I Found Out is def one of my favourites, it's so raw and powerful, I think it is kinda a pre-grunge song.
Nikki Hopkins was also the piano player on Revolution.
No. 9 Dream
#9 Dream is magical and the roots of Shoegaze and DreamPop can be traced to that incredible track. The string arrangement arranged and produced by Lennon himself is out of this world surreal
All I Wanna Do by the Beach Boys was released four years earlier, and was equally a reference point/influence on the shoegaze sound.
my personal favourite is Well Well Well
Happiness is a warm gun... yes it is...🤩
I'd like to speak up here for "Old Dirt Road" from Walls and Bridges. i always thought this was a lovely little pastoral number lost on that record between a couple fast and noisy club hits. There's something pleasing and surprising in how the descending line from the VIm (Em) chord in the verses brings in the bVII7 (F7). That F7 gets held on throughout the middle 8 - and then it's so satisfying when we suddenly come back to the tonic on the word "water"! The lyrics are not at all showy or nonsensical but instead deceptively simple. The line "trying to shovel smoke with a pitchfork in the wind" ties neatly to "the human being lazyboning out in the hay" and a general tableaux in which it is too dry and dusty to shovel mud. (It's too bad that the words are kind of hard to make out sometimes in the mix.) Plus we get to hear John Lennon say "the only thang we need is water..." I read that Lennon invested money in farms in those years and made trips to visit them; perhaps he really took a dreamy walk down an empty road some time. Lastly, In that outro section that re-uses the beginning of the verse progression, John tells us bye bye, and tells us to keep on keepin' on...
This seems to me to be a very unique song in his catalog, and I totally love it. Didn't Harry Nilsson co-write? Trying to shovel smoke with a pitchfork in the wind sounds pretty Nilsson to me, but either way, what a cool cool song. Outstanding vocal performance, per usual.
“Cleanup time” is a beautiful song and completely underappreciated
underappreciated by who exactly?
@@thomas79marshall By me. It sucks.
Across the Universe is highly appreciated
Great video. A number of Lennon songs have been under-esteemed, e.g. "Here We Go Again", "Oh, My Love," "New York City," "Clean Up TIme" and "Living on Borrowed Time." It is a tragedy that he did not finish the original "Tennessee" (America, America, your heroes are alive!) Finally, consider "Aisumasen" from Mind Games. There is something huge in the music which is lost in the recorded words (grovelling to Yoko). But the original lyrics were saying that he would be there for her whenever she needed him. The music fits the compassionate first set of lyrics, but comes across as overdone with the new ones.
The production of his music was often overblown on the studio albums. Ive listened to his demos of his solo music and its almost always better. Just raw and emotional
Out the blue, crippled inside and old dirt road are some of my favourites.
4/4 on Lennon songs from his solo career to double click into.
As a Beatles fan, I get excited everytime Happy Xmas comes on during the holidays
#9 Dream, Instant Karma, Imagine, Mind Games & Gimme Some Truth.
"Happy Xmas" became one of the most renowned Lennon songs in Brazil, thanks to a Portuguese version performed by the Brazilian singer Simone. Until a couple years ago, this song was a staple at year-end celebrations in secondary schools across the country
'Watching the wheels' has to be here, and 'Oh my love' on 'Imagine' is one of his best songs including all the Beatles era.
Real Love is one of my favorites. Assuming its true meaning is what I think it is, I may even play it at my wedding.
And even though it’s a Beatles song, unlike most John Lennon Beatles songs, it’s only credited to him.
I used the piano demo (take 4) as one of my first dance songs for my wedding.
If you haven't heard the Regina Spektor cover, check it out, would be perfect for a wedding!
I love his demos, but heavily dislike the production Beatles version, I think it works against the song.
Thanks for the video! My favourite John’s solos:
1) Love
2) Grow Old With Me
3) Isolation
4) Now and Then
5) Working Class Hero
6) Oh My Love
7) Jealous Guy
8) Woman
9) Mother
10) Beautiful Boy
How do you sleep. Really cool groove with pointed lyrics.
I think amazing Lennon songs no one ever really looks at are Out the Blue, I Know I Know and Nobody Loves You amongst others
My favorite solo tracks have got to be "God", "Nobody Loves You (When You're Down and Out)", "Out The Blue", and "Real Love" from the Imagine: John Lennon soundtrack.
'Mother' makes me cry every time I listen to it. Every single time! One of the finest examples of musical art. Pure emotion. And for me the reason why I prefer John to Paul - his emotional rawness or accessibility.
Those were excellent choices. Jealous Guy is such an honest, vulnerable and relatable song. I would add Working Class Hero, Watching the Wheels and Number 9 Dream, the latter of which is totally a precursor to shoegaze and dream pop. I’m actually surprised more people don’t mention this track when talking about those genres
The only under appreciated song there is #9 Dream. Working Class Hero is very well known
@@badgasaurus4211 um ok?
@@badgasaurus4211 Not really,. #9 Dream was a charting single whereas Working Class Hero is mostly confined to die hard Lennon fans.
In addition to being a Lennon fan I'm also a big shoegaze/dream pop fan yet I never made the connection that you just did with #9 Dream. Good observation. Just for Trivia, that's May Pang whispering "John" in the pre-chorus.
Wait I love #9 Dream, but how is it really a precursor to Shoegaze? I see it for Dreampop but not really for Shoegaze - I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just asking because I don't know those genres well enough.
Grow Old With Me is such a beautiful song.
I always love diving into less known songs of famous artists❤ Great video
one of my john lennon faves is "love". captures perfectly how you sometimes feel about the ones you love that i don't see captured anywhere else
I’ve always been fond of #9 Dream.
My favorite piece by John wit that doesnt seem to be talked about much is "Oh My Love" from the Imagine album. It's wonderful
Mother is the most beautiful song I've heard, its the rawest you'll hear human emotion
Dream #9
#9 Dream
Cold Turkey and Jealous Guy are my favs. When I play piano and sing Beatles songs, it is amazing how they are mostly Lennon ones.
Merry Christmas, David! Thank you for evertthing all year, and wishing you the best for next year!
Thanks for all your videos. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
nobody loves you when you're down and out is underrated.
Great song!
Ooh I'll second or third that one!
BIG TIME! That’s one of John’s best!!!
I wondered why nobody has mentioned it so far. It's so simple and raw andemotional at the same time and it showcases JL's singing gamut which runs from whispering soft to outcries. After his death, it invariably brought tears to my eyes. By the way, most of Walls and Bridges suffers from an overproduction in the accompaniment (do you need a brass section and strings competing for attention?) but this song doesn't. And the Steel and Glass version minus the brass motifs that can be found on the Gimme Some Truth compilation became another favourite of mine for exactly the same reason.
My favourite is watching the wheels. It just reminds me of someone happy taking a back seat in life and feeling ok about it. I also like cold Turkey and mind games. There are so many that come to mind but they are my favourite 3
Excellent, David. A very happy Christmas to you and your family.
Many Thanks for this great video!
I got the ad for the piano lesson he's in before this video
Oh my love and Love are two of my absolute favourite John Lennon songs. Such simple and beautiful lyrics and music.
So many great Lennon tracks. I often think of Meat City and Out the Blue among many others.
Isolation is one of my favorites. It's beautiful
I love all of this songs, make a part 2 my man
-Isolation
-Nobody loves you when you're down and out
-One day at a time (alternate version or demo version)
Wonderful video as always David, especially needed as I do feel a slight re balancing is needed with John's work, it seems to be getting left in the shadows a bit recently.
"Jealous Guy" may be my favorite John Lennon solo song. I particularly like the 2020 mix of it.
My favorite John Lennon's song is (Just Like) Starting Over, It's so beautiful that makes me cry sometimes. His first solo song that I liked was Oh my love
Another beautiful song of his is oh my love.
and also Bless You
Crippled Inside is both a banger for the ages and still relevant lyrically today.
My favourite John Lennon solo song comes from the last album he was able to record, Double Fantasy. It is Woman, released as a single after his death, and surprisingly (for that) it reached only #4 on the Australian charts (whilst Jealous Guy by Roxy Music *did* reach #1).
Ikr double fantasy has to be one of my favorite solo beatles albums
in the UK it reached number one
I love the raw mix of take 11 for Jealous Guy. My Dad and I used to Jam together on that version all the time when I was a kid. Great memories!
Instant Karma is my favourite Lennon song.
The transition from 6/16 to 4/4 adding glissando sounds so profound and cool at the same time.
Grow Old With Me is the only under-appreciated song here, the rest are highly rated by many people
Mind games is a song I can play over again. The start of Jealous guy us beautiful.
10 most under appreciated Lennon songs:
1. Woman
2. Oh my Love
3. Starting Over
4. How?
5. Crippled Inside
6. Remember
7. #9 Dream
8. Watching the Wheels.
9. Beautiful Boy
10. Isolation
Great picks. I also love “Oh My Love” and “Beautiful Boy”.
My all time fave JL song is the acoustic “Nobody Loves You When You’re Down and Out”
I love this song too, especially because my father loved it as well, and it reminds me of him.
I love 'Instant Karma!' and 'Whatever Gets You Thru the Night'
I agree Jealous Guy is a hauntingly beautiful song showingJohns vulnerability and not being afraid of writing about his insecurities starting with Girl and ending with Mother
All of Plastic Ono Band knocks me out, but Mother and Well Well Well throw me across the room.
I found this video very interesting. To me, I never found any of these songs "underappreciated". Then again, I'm a HUGE Lennon fun. But it makes sense. Most people just appreciate "Imagine"
My all time favorites
1. Mother or Oh My Love
2. Out The Blue
3. Just Like Staring Over
4. Jealous Guy
5. Love
Though his songs aren't as intricate as Paul's, John's songs really hit the soul of the listener. In my opinion, the greatest songwriter of all time.
Thank you for this video! Lennon´s solo work is very underrated (maybe because it´s not very commercial). In addition to the great songs you mentioned in the video, I think songs like Nobody Loves You, Aisumasen and God are very underappreciated. Lennon´s ability to create beautiful songs never fell off during his life time, which is amazing considering how great his Beatles work was. I wonder how long he´d be able to create great pieces of art if he had lived. Most artists lose their ability at some point, but Lennon was still going strong at 40.
How Do You Sleep? is one of my favourites.
I love Imagine, but Merry Xmas (War is Over), Jealous Guy, and Mother are masterpieces as well.
Jealous Guy, Woman & Now and Then (the mournful demo version) are my favourite solos of his. There are many of mainly John Beatle songs of his I really like too: Not a Second Time, Girl, In My Life to name a few.
Great selection! would add a 5th song, "Beautiful Boy". And then you have "Cold Turkey", heavy as.
Oh My Love is my favorite Lennon song
I had a feeling (?) you were gonna include Out The Blue, but that song belongs on another league and could definitely use with one of your breakdowns!