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2 July 2010
7.59pm
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Joe
Pepperland
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Attention people who remember the early 1970s!

I've been doing a bit of research into the Imagine songs, and found this on the <sarcasm>ever-reliable</sarcasm> Wikipedia:

“Lennon's dig at US President Richard Nixon, referring to him in the lyrics of the song as “Tricky Dicky,” proved to be increasingly relevant after the song's release, when in 1972 the Watergate scandal erupted. “Tricky Dicky” became a popular nickname for Nixon during the Watergate hearings, and came into widespread usage.”

Wasn't Nixon widely known as Tricky Dicky prior to Watergate? Otherwise how would anyone have known that Lennon was referring to him in Gimme Some Truth ? Wikipedia seems to imply that Lennon popularised the term, but I'm pretty sure that can't be the case. Anyone know?

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2 July 2010
8.58pm
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MrBig
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Joe said:

Attention people who remember the early 1970s!

I've been doing a bit of research into the Imagine songs, and found this on the <sarcasm>ever-reliable</sarcasm> Wikipedia:

“Lennon's dig at US President Richard Nixon, referring to him in the lyrics of the song as “Tricky Dicky,” proved to be increasingly relevant after the song's release, when in 1972 the Watergate scandal erupted. “Tricky Dicky” became a popular nickname for Nixon during the Watergate hearings, and came into widespread usage.”

Wasn't Nixon widely known as Tricky Dicky prior to Watergate? Otherwise how would anyone have known that Lennon was referring to him in Gimme Some Truth ? Wikipedia seems to imply that Lennon popularised the term, but I'm pretty sure that can't be the case. Anyone know?


He indeed referred to him as Tricky Dicky before Watergate. Something with a reserve act, I'll never know.

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2 July 2010
9.01pm
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skye
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I thought it was just Tricky Dick.

Edit: Here we go – 1950 Senate race from the same reliable source!

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2 July 2010
9.38pm
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Von Bontee
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There's also Philip Roth's 1971 novel “Our Gang”, featuring president “Tricky Dixon”

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2 July 2010
9.40pm
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Zig
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I seem to remember my parents referring to him as Tricky Dick prior to Watergate.

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3 July 2010
2.14pm
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Joe
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Cool, that's good enough for me. Thanks all.

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5 July 2010
1.46am
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Celebrated_Mr_K
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Helen Gahagan Douglas used that name for Nixon in his 1950 Senate race.  Two decades before John Lennon used it.

That's not to say that John didn't popularize its use.

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Zig
27 January 2015
9.31am
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ewe2
Inside the beat
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The Hair musical which came out in 1967-1968 had a song called Initials which was altered I believe for the Australian production in 1969 to go this way:

Tricky Dick took the IRT
Down to Wall St USA
When he got there what did he see?
LBJ on LSD!
LBJ, IRT
USA, LSD
LSD, LBJ
FBI, CIA
FBI, CIA
LSD, Tricky Dick!

That’s how I heard it on the Australian cast recording record. My parents had a weird record collection.

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Zig

I'm like Necko only I'm a bassist ukulele guitar synthesizer kazoo penguin and also everyone. Or is everyone me? Now I'm a confused bassist ukulele guitar synthesizer kazoo penguin everyone who is definitely not @Joe.  This has been true for 2016 & 2017 Sig-Badge.png but I may have to get more specific in the future.

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15 November 2017
2.18am
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Duke_of_Kirkcaldy
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This is hands down my favorite John solo song… and, as with George’s “Let It Down ,” which was also first introduced during the Get Back /Let It Be sessions, I’m kind of annoyed the group didn’t stay together for another year in order to record this song. Funny how the original version seemed a bit less political, mentioning Gary Cooper instead of Richard Nixon.

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15 November 2017
12.56pm
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sir walter raleigh
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I responded to your thoughts on Hear Me Lord , where I disagreed with the idea that it would have been a superior Beatles song to George solo. On this one I agree with you. It would have made a fantastic addition to any album, and there’s nothing there in Lennon’s version from Imagine that I think could have been done as well or better by the full Beatles lineup. 

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Zig

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17 November 2017
10.16pm
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Duke_of_Kirkcaldy
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Of course, George already played the guitar solo on the song as it is… though it’s right when his slide fixation was starting to take over.

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7 November 2018
4.39pm
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Ron Nasty
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A lyric video for the Ultimate Mix appeared on John’s YT channel yesterday:

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WeepingAtlasCedars

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The Beatles Bible 2020 non-Canon Poll Part One: 1958-1963 and Part Two: 1964-August 1966

8 November 2018
9.55pm
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Expert Textpert
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I thought this song, I Don’t Want to Be a Soldier, and How Do You Sleep benefitted quite well from the remix. I was actually able to enjoy these songs a bit more than I had in the past.

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25 May 2021
5.11pm
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Ron Nasty
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A great video of an alternate lead vocal was uploaded a few hours ago…

"I only said we were bigger than Rod... and now there's all this!" Ron Nasty

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The Beatles Bible 2020 non-Canon Poll Part One: 1958-1963 and Part Two: 1964-August 1966

5 January 2023
6.19am
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Neely
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I just love that guitar that slowly picks through each chord with a little bit of chorus. And of course John’s vocals, oh my god don’t get me started on his vocals. “I’m sick and tired of hearing things from uptight, short-sighted, narrow-minded hypocritics All I want is the truth Just gimme some truth” has to be my favourite lyric I guess. It’s such a good song though.

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