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Revolution
(John Lennon/Paul McCartney)
John Lennon:
Vocals, lead guitar, vocals
Paul McCartney: Bass guitar, hammond organ, handclaps
George Harrison: Lead guitar, handclaps
Ringo Starr: Drums, handclaps
Nicky Hopkins: Electric piano
Recorded
July 9, 10, 11, 12 1968.
Available
on:
The Beatles 1967-1970(The Blue Album)
Past Masters Volume Two
Hey Jude
1968:
Demonstrations in Paris, London and all over the world.
Vietnam war. Invasion of Czeckoslovakia. Martin Luther King.
Robert Kennedy. Things were happening, the world was changing...
perhaps.
Interestingly,
there are two versions of Revolution, the fast 'electric'
version released on the flip side of the Hey Jude single,
and the slowed down version on the White
Album.
Still
one significant difference between the two verions boils
down to just one word. On the single version, John sings
that those who want an armed revolution, or "destruction"
as he puts it, can "count me out." On the album
version he sings "count me out - in".
Neverheless,
the song makes it quite clear that Lennon is not in favour
of a violent revolution.
Some within
the radical leftist movement may have felt betrayed by this.
In an open letter published in Keele University Magazine,
student John Hoyland wrote that Revolution was no more revolutionary
than Mrs Dayle's Diary (a BBC radio soap.)
Lennon
replied:
"I
don't remember saying that 'Revolution' was revolutionary.
Fuck Mrs Dale. Listen to all three versions of revolution
- 1,2 and 9 and then try again, dear John (Hoyland). You
say 'in order to change the world, we've got to understand
what's wrong with the world and then destroy it. Ruthlessly'.
You're obviously on a destruction kick. I'll tell you what's
wrong with it - people. So, do you want to destroy them?
Ruthlessly? Until you/we change our heads there's no chance.
Tell me one successful revolution. Who fucked up communism,
Christianity, capitalism, Buddism etc? Sick heads, and nothing
else. Do you think all the enemy wear capitalist badges
so that you can shoot them? It's a bit naive, John. You
seem to think it's just a class war."
In 1980,
John still stood firm on his viewpoint.
"Count
me out if it's for violence," he said, "Don't
expect me on the barricades unless it's with flowers."
John wanted
a distorted sound for Revolution, and the engineers achieved
this by putting the guitars through a recording console.
"It
completely overloaded the channel and produced the fuzz
sound," said tape operator Phil McDonald in Mark Lewisohn's
The Complete
Beatles Recording Sessions.
The electric
piano was played by Nicky Hopkins, who later backed The
Rolling Stones on tour.
The Hey
Jude/Revolution single was released in the US on August
26 1968, where it topped the charts for nine weeks. The
single was released in the UK on August 30 1968, and stayed
at number one for two weeks.
Revolution
(John Lennon/Paul McCartney)
You say you want a revolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world
You tell me that it's evolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world
But when you talk about destruction
Don't you know that you can count me out
Don't you know it's gonna be all right
all right, all right
You say
you got a real solution
Well, you know
We'd all love to see the plan
You ask me for a contribution
Well, you know
We're doing what we can
But when you want money
for people with minds that hate
All I can tell is brother you have to wait
Don't you know it's gonna be all right
all right, all right
Ah
ah, ah,
ah, ah, ah...
You say
you'll change the constitution
Well, you know
We all want to change your head
You tell me it's the institution
Well, you know
You better free you mind instead
But if you go carrying pictures of chairman Mao
You ain't going to make it with anyone anyhow
Don't you know it's gonna be all right
all right, all right
all right, all right, all right
all right, all right, all right
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