Free (The Praeger Singer-Songwriter Collection) Ben Urish, Ken Bielen-The Words and Music of John Lennon-Praeger (2007) by Ken Bielen Ben Urich Page A

combination of emotional distress and guilt, but perhaps it is
    meant to be a false bravado in the face of the naked truth being confessed.
    Another explanation for the whistle, though mere conjecture, may be the
    influence of Bing Crosby, of whom Lennon was reputedly a fan.6 Even the word-
    play of The Beatles’ second hit, “Please Please Me,” had been partly inspired by
    the lyrics of Crosby’s 1932 recording “Please,” which played on the auditory
    sameness of the words “please” and “pleas.” Imagining an early to mid-1930s
    Crosby-styled performance of “Jealous Guy” in the mind’s ear reveals a striking
    fit, even down to the patented Crosby whistle so caricatured at the time. Len-
    non could have been amusing himself by having a clever in-joke on his audience,
    who perhaps were not as well versed in Crosbyisms as he was.
    The band Roxy Music had a hit with their cover version of the song early
    in 1981 after Lennon’s killing, possibly prompting the release of Lennon’s
    original as a single in 1985 in Great Britain, where it reached number 65. In
    1988, “Jealous Guy” was released in the United States to promote the Imag-
    ine: John Lennon soundtrack album and it reached number 80, thereby earn-
    ing the distinction of being Lennon’s last solo top-100 single in the United
    States for the remainder of the century.
    “It’s So Hard” is a rumbling funky blues that complains in an oddly cheer-
    ful manner about how tough it is to just get by day to day. Lennon’s slightly
    detached-sounding voice provides a litany of common concerns and basic
    goals from “You gotta love” to “You gotta eat,” but he comments that it can
    be so difficult that he sometimes wants to quit trying. His only salvation lies
    in the connection he has with his lover. Lennon may be half-punning here, if
    such a thing is possible, using the phrase “going down” to first mean “giving
    up” and later as a reference to oral sex.
    The legendary saxophonist King Curtis provides a characteristic growling
    sax counterpoint, later augmented by guitar and strings. The track is enjoy-
    able enough, and makes its simple point quickly without belaboring it.
    There are a number of vocations and situations Lennon desires to avoid
    in “I Don’t Want to Be a Soldier.” It is not solely an antiwar song—yet that
    idea should be given the primary emphasis, because, of the many things his
    narrator does not want to be, soldier is what Lennon chose to incorporate in
    the title. And, knowing of the Lennons’ peace campaign and the heat of the
    30 The Words and Music of John Lennon
    battles going on in Southeast Asia at the time of the song’s composition, it is
    understandable that the song’s antiwar components are in the fore.
    Lennon’s narrator does not want to be a lawyer nor a churchman, in another
    of his swings at organized formal religions. He uses couplets that do not
    match—for example, “sailor” and “fly”—and couplets that do—for example,
    “lawyer” and “lie” (in the stereotypical perception of the occupation). Likely
    inspired by a traditional and well-known nursery rhyme, he rejects the desire
    to be “rich” or “poor” or a “thief” or a “failure.” The “failure” may relate to
    the prolonged war in Southeast Asia or any number of other activities.
    Lyrically recalling a simple list, the song builds tension as Lennon’s voice
    rises and falls with each item on the list. The simplicity and repetition of the
    words could be taken as a panicky interior monologue, with the anxiety rising
    as the list is contemplated. Or, because the early lines refer to “Mama,” it is
    as if a child is pleading with its mother. The production thickens the sound
    of the song with some solid work from the band, including George Harrison,
    King Curtis, and Tom Evans and Joey Molland from Badfinger.
    A gem of the album, full of clever wordplay, is “Give Me Some Truth,”
    another song Lennon