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How Do You Sleep?
sp_BlogLink Read the original blog post
13 May 2017
8.35am
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penny lane
Without music, life would be a mistake
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sir walter raleigh said
It is a great song, but extremely direct. Plus George plays guitar. Paul was much more subtle in his criticism of John.  

They all did post break up songs but  it’s very cruel. It’s such a  brilliant  track, but the lyrics drip with so much venom that it leaves you feeling bad. Makes Dylan’s brilliant Positively 4th Street seem innocent and sweet. Lennon just went too far. 

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Old brown shoe, sir walter raleigh

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“I know, Jerry, that you are as human as the rest of us, if not more so." 

14 May 2017
5.43am
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Old brown shoe
No static at all......
A Beginning
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I agree with Penny Lane .  With its mellow strings and ripping electric piano solo at the end, this is definitely one of my favourite Lennon songs yet it is somewhat tainted by unnecessary and vitriolic lyrics so blatantly aimed at Paul (despite John’s protestations later on). I so often wish that these lyrics were assigned to a piece of music of much lesser quality. 

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penny lane
18 May 2017
3.47pm
glazball
In my tree.
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I’m really torn about this song.  I agree it’s one of John’s best after the Beatles music-wise, but the lyrics are hard to stomach.  And like others have said, it’s ridiculous and somewhat hypocritical that such ugly sentiments would be expressed on his Imagine album.  However, I don’t know that I’d want to change a thing about the song.  It gives us a clearer view into John’s psyche at that time – heck, not just John’s but George’s and Ringo’s feelings about Paul as well since they each have some association with the song.  In the long run, it may have actually helped John and Paul work out their quibbles.

And in making of this song, it turns out that John created one of the first examples of a diss track.  Oh John, always the pioneer!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diss_track

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14 November 2017
9.09am
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Father McKenzie
Liverpool England
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I read somewhere that George didn’t really want to play on this track,as it’s clearly seen as an attack on Paul. Anyone back me up on that? I get the impression John could be very persuasive though and probably twisted George’s arm in the end. A great song, even if it was taking shots at McCartney

Still writing the words to the sermon that no one will hear......

14 November 2017
9.29am
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Ahhh Girl
sailing on a winedark open sea
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Here’s what Joe wrote about it: “Contributing a slide guitar solo on the recording was George Harrison , whose complicity effectively endorsed the song’s sentiments, even if he appeared outwardly unmoved in the filmed footage of the sessions.” Maybe someone can add more.

He also adds: “More critical of the song’s lyrical content was Ringo Starr . One of the visitors to the studio during the song’s recording, he attempted to prevent in some of Lennon’s more vicious sentiments.” heartheart Hearts to Ringo.

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14 November 2017
12.07pm
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sir walter raleigh
In our yellow (IN OUR YELLOW) submarine (SUBMARINE AHA!)
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He borrowed his own riff from this song on Steel And Glass

"The pump don't work cause the vandals took the handles!"

-Bob Dylan, Subterranean Homesick Blues

"We could ride and surf together while our love would grow"

-Brian Wilson, Surfer Girl

21 September 2018
2.30pm
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Ron Nasty
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Uploaded today, with video, takes 5 & 6, raw studio mix, out-take:

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

To @ Ron Nasty it's @ mja6758
The Beatles Bible 2020 non-Canon Poll Part One: 1958-1963 and Part Two: 1964-August 1966

22 September 2018
11.49am
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sir walter raleigh
In our yellow (IN OUR YELLOW) submarine (SUBMARINE AHA!)
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Can’t get enough of Nicky’s keyboard work on this one. 

"The pump don't work cause the vandals took the handles!"

-Bob Dylan, Subterranean Homesick Blues

"We could ride and surf together while our love would grow"

-Brian Wilson, Surfer Girl

22 September 2018
6.52pm
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Timothy
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Say what you want about the lyrics, but the tune itself is KILLER. Love the instrumental version. It’s so good that listening to that, it makes me think about John’s legacy. It takes on an aggressive, ethereal tone that while targeted at Paul, also reflects John’s personality.

1.The Beatles 2.Sgt. Pepper 3.Abbey Road 4.Magical Mystery Tour 5.Rubber Soul 6.Revolver 7.Help! 8.Let It Be
9.A Hard Day’s Night 10.Please Please Me 11.Beatles For Sale 12.With The Beatles 13.Yellow Submarine

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23 September 2018
10.04pm
Wigwam
Candlestick Park
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Always thought the song was one of solo John’s best…….

 

Hate the nasty lyrics……but could accept them as a repost to some of Paul’s stuff on Ram ……….Except for the complete blind hypocrisy of the line that ‘jumps’ out to me…….”Jump when your moma tell you anything” Pot and kettle John. 

25 September 2018
2.55pm
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Shamrock Womlbs
Waiting for the van to come
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I wonder what does he mean with the line “
So Sgt. Pepper took you by surprise”… how did it take Paul by surprise if Paul was the main brain behind it? Or he is talking about the success of the album? Has Paul ever talked about him been surprised by the positive reception it had?…a-hard-days-night-paul-10

"I Need You by George Harrison"

25 September 2018
3.05pm
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Tony Japanese
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Shamrock Womlbs said
I wonder what does he mean with the line “
So Sgt. Pepper took you by surprise”… how did it take Paul by surprise if Paul was the main brain behind it? Or he is talking about the success of the album? Has Paul ever talked about him been surprised by the positive reception it had?…a-hard-days-night-paul-10  

I think the idea is that Paul feigned surprise when Sgt. Pepper was positively received by critics and audiences. False modesty perhaps?

4 October 2018
8.46am
castironshore
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Shamrock Womlbs said
I wonder what does he mean with the line “
So Sgt. Pepper took you by surprise”… how did it take Paul by surprise if Paul was the main brain behind it? Or he is talking about the success of the album? Has Paul ever talked about him been surprised by the positive reception it had?…a-hard-days-night-paul-10  

 

He was referring to those in the bands more middle of the road audience, who were taken aback by Sgt Pepper ‘s psychedelic sounds. And by the same token suggesting that it was a pretty shallow conceit.

No getting around it, john really wanted to hurt paul with this song. Musically it’s amazing (the strings are incredible), lyrically it shows you what a nasty shit lennon could be. I actually think he was embarrassed by it later.

He was always impulsive as a character, and that was his strength and weakness. Some suggest ono egged him on to make the lyric more vitriolic to sever any hope of a reconciliation, but I don’t know if that’s true or not.

4 October 2018
5.49pm
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Timothy
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It was how he was feeling THEN. Years afterward your feelings change, even though the song remains a constant.

1.The Beatles 2.Sgt. Pepper 3.Abbey Road 4.Magical Mystery Tour 5.Rubber Soul 6.Revolver 7.Help! 8.Let It Be
9.A Hard Day’s Night 10.Please Please Me 11.Beatles For Sale 12.With The Beatles 13.Yellow Submarine

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14 July 2020
4.31pm
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sigh butterfly
Sea of Green (near the Golden Gate)
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When I watch this How Do You Sleep rehearsal video now, I can’t take my eyes off of a very relaxed Klaus. 

https://www.rollingstone.com/m…..o-1025281/

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WeepingAtlasCedars

You and I have memories
Longer than the road that stretches out ahead

12 September 2022
6.25am
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Vera Chuck and Dave
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been listening to this one a fair bit lately, the guitars are so good

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Rube
14 September 2022
12.47am
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Bongo
Somewhere In Time
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Love the song, and I bet even Macca likes it! a-hard-days-night-paul-7

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Rube

  Screen-Shot-2022-10-04-at-7.52.07-PM.png   BEATLES Music gives me Eargasms!  apple01

14 September 2022
9.01am
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meaigs
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I think Julian makes a reference to it in his song Every Little Moment on his new album Jude

If living a lie is the way that you live
How do you sleep when it’s time to forgive
You question your values
You question your pride
While under the covers, you mercifully hide

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My hot take is that after the Beatles split they went down the paths of spiritualism, solipsism, alcoholism, and Paul McCartney

                                                                                                             -- Jason Carty, Nothing is Real podcast

21 September 2022
11.51pm
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Von Bontee
496 km NW of the '69 Toronto Rock n Roll Revival
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I’ve never been able to parse that “You’d better see right through that mother’s eyes…line” – like is that ‘mother’ Linda? Or possibly “Sgt. Pepper “, either the fictional bandleader or the album, “mother” in this interpretation being “motherfucker”, either meaning an individual or an object? For awhile I speculated that possibly the Mother in question was Frank Zappa, leader and figurehead of the Mothers (…Of Invention), whose music John was quite enamored of in 1969/71, and who was infamously skeptical of much of the Beatles, to the point of parodying Sgt. Pepper ‘s cover and all it represented, but that may be a stretch. I still don’t get the line…

Paul: Yeah well… first of all, we’re bringing out a ‘Stamp Out Detroit’ campaign.

         

22 September 2022
11.46pm
forn
London Palladium
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Von Bontee said

I’ve never been able to parse that “You’d better see right through that mother’s eyes…line” – like is that ‘mother’ Linda? Or possibly “Sgt. Pepper “, either the fictional bandleader or the album

I’ve always taken it as you better see right through Sgt. Pepper ‘s eyes, meaning the fictional bandleader.  Suggesting, I guess, that Paul has strayed from the vision of rock and The Beatles that they aspired to?  I don’t understand the “Sgt. Pepper took you by surprise” line.

John has said that the lyrics are more about him than Paul, and I can believe that.  The song is about the feelings and resentments, and the petty insecurities he has.

Supposedly it is in reaction to some songs on Ram , but I think John might be a little paranoid about that.  The “You took your lucky break and broke it in two” line that is so often cited is, IMO, about Linda’s ex-husband, as is the rest of the song.  I think this is what Paul has said, and if you listen to it (and several other songs on Ram ), it makes sense that way.  Paul seems to be challenging him and rubbing it in his face a bit, “I have her now, I’m the better man”.  John always thinks everything’s about him though, so… 

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