I Am the Walrus

Today we finally hear "I Am the Walrus", one of The Beatles' greatest and most popular songs. From Wikipedia:

Lennon composed the song by combining three songs he had been working on. When he learned that a teacher at his old primary school was having his students analyse Beatles' lyrics, he added a verse of nonsense words. ...The walrus is a reference to the walrus in Lewis Carroll's "The Walrus and the Carpenter" (from the book Through the Looking-Glass). Lennon expressed dismay upon belatedly realising that the walrus was a villain in the poem.

Similar to the poem "Jabberwocky", also by Lewis Carroll, "I Am the Walrus" utilizes nonsense words and phrases--although it does use actual English words, unlike Carroll's poem. After John wrote the song, he reportedly remarked to a friend, Peter Shotton, "Let the f***ers work that one out." 

Although it's a bit long, I can't resist pasting what Wikipedia shares about Lennon's writing process regarding the song. So, enjoy:

Lennon explained much of the song to Playboy in 1980:

• "The first line was written on one acid trip one weekend. The second line was written on the next acid trip the next weekend, and it was filled in after I met Yoko... I'd seen Allen Ginsberg and some other people who liked Dylan and Jesus going on about Hare Krishna. It was Ginsberg, in particular, I was referring to. The words "Element'ry penguin" meant that it's naïve to just go around chanting Hare Krishna or putting all your faith in one idol. In those days I was writing obscurely, a la Dylan."
• "It never dawned on me that Lewis Carroll was commenting on the capitalist system. I never went into that bit about what he really meant, like people are doing with the Beatles' work. Later, I went back and looked at it and realized that the walrus was the bad guy in the story and the carpenter was the good guy. I thought, Oh, shit, I picked the wrong guy. I should have said, 'I am the carpenter.' But that wouldn't have been the same, would it? [Sings, laughing] 'I am the carpenter....'"

Personally, I really enjoy this song. I even enjoy the Bono version in Across the Universe, and I'm not a Bono fan even in the slightest. :P The lyrics are wonderfully random and weird, and the music is engaging. There is so much more to read about the background of both this song and John's inspiration in creating it, so I encourage you to explore on your own. :)

That's all for today. See you here tomorrow!

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Heard It Tally: 29

Songs Completed: 133