Revolution

We heard the experimental "Revolution 9" and the remix "Revolution 1". Now it's time for the original version, "Revolution". It was written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon/McCartney, and according to Wikipedia:

"Revolution" was inspired by political protests in early 1968. Lennon's lyrics expressed doubt about some of the tactics. When the single version was released in August, the political left viewed it as betraying their cause. The release of the album version in November indicated Lennon's uncertainty about destructive change, with the phrase "count me out" modified to "count me out, in". In 1987, the song became the first Beatles recording to be licensed for a television commercial, which prompted a lawsuit from the surviving members of the group.

The protests, which were against the Vietnam War in America (along with protests in Poland and France, among others) inspired The Beatles to express a political statement for only the second time ever (the first being in Harrison's "Taxman"). Like most (if not all) political statements, "Revolution" left a bitter taste in many fans' and critics' mouths. Some critics, however, took a different view of the song:

Music journalist Greil Marcus noted that the political critics had overlooked the music; he wrote that while "there is sterility and repression in the lyrics", the "freedom and movement in the music ... dodges the message and comes out in front." Among later music critics, Dave Marsh included "Revolution" in his 1989 book covering the 1001 greatest singles, describing it as a "gem" with a "ferocious fuzztone rock and roll attack" and a "snarling" Lennon vocal. Writing for Allmusic, Richie Unterberger called "Revolution" one of The Beatles' "greatest, most furious rockers" with "challenging, fiery lyrics" where the listener's "heart immediately starts pounding before Lennon goes into the first verse".

I agree with Marcus about the lyrics and the music telling vastly different stories. While the lyrics make me a little bit mad at John--protester extraordinaire, if somewhat lazy--the music is indeed ferocious and almost makes your blood boil just listening to it. For that reason, I forgive John his ill-conceived notions about what revolutions should and shouldn't do. :P

That's all for now. See you tomorrow. :)

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Heard It Tally: 53

Songs Completed: 207