Written by: Lennon
Recorded: 1 August 1973
Producer: John Lennon
Released: 16 November 1973 (UK), 2 November 1973 (US)
Available on:
Mind Games
John Lennon Anthology
Personnel
John Lennon: vocals, guitar
David Spinozza: guitar
Ken Ascher: keyboards
Gordon Edwards: bass guitar
Jim Keltner: drums
‘I Know (I Know)’ was a plaintive ballad in which John Lennon continued the self-exploration that had been a hallmark of his work since John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band in 1970.
Although in his extensive 1980 interview for Playboy he dismissed the song as “just a piece of nothing”, the lyrics of ‘I Know (I Know)’ are open to interpretation as a commentary on Lennon’s relationship with Yoko Ono, which by 1973 was faltering. Lennon realised matters had turned sour, and the song can be seen as a confessional in which he claimed to finally be able to see clearly, just as he had before on the Imagine songs ‘How?’ and ‘Jealous Guy’.
The curious repetition of the title in parentheses could have been simply one of Lennon’s whims, but it is possible that he was presenting a coded message – not for the first time – to his former bandmate Paul McCartney. Wings’ 1971 album Wild Life had featured the song ‘Some People Never Know’, in which McCartney lamented that some people fail to understand what it means to love. In this light, Lennon’s response saw the pair in agreement, in a marked contrast to their earlier song-based conflicts.
Lennon recorded a home demo of ‘I Know (I Know)’ in the early summer of 1973, prior to entering the studio. During this time he worked on a number of songs destined for Mind Games.
The demo was recorded on a steel string acoustic guitar. Lennon performed ‘I Know (I Know)’ twice, preceded by two false starts; the final full run-through was released on the 1998 box set John Lennon Anthology.
In the studio
‘I Know (I Know)’ was recorded in 24 takes on 1 August 1973 at New York City’s Record Plant studio.
Four tape reels were used. The first had takes 1-6, although 2-4 were incomplete.
Takes 7-13 were recorded onto reel 2. Only takes 8 and 11 were complete.
Reel 3 contained takes 14 and 15, which were complete. They were followed by three more takes, labelled takes 1-3, all of which were false starts.
The final reel began with a jam of Carl Perkins’ ‘Matchbox’, which The Beatles had recorded in 1965. It was followed by six takes, numbered 1-6.
Only takes 4 and 6 were complete. Take 4 was included in the expanded 2024 reissue of Mind Games.
Take 6 on reel 4 became the master, and had Lennon’s vocals and acoustic guitar, Ken Ascher’s piano, Gordon Edwards’ bass guitar, and Jim Keltner’s drums.
Overdubs included tambourine and double-tracked acoustic guitar by Lennon; organ by Ascher; two electric guitar parts by David Spinozza; and several harmony vocal parts by Lennon which were mixed down to three tracks.
‘I Know (I Know)’ was mixed on 25 and 29 August 1973.
The Opening Riff recalls I’ve Got A Feeling, I’ve noticed.
yes this is a ‘prick up your ears’ riff (I’ve Got A Feeling) to Mr McCartney to say after all ‘I bloody love you man……..’
Very much so. I do think that this is an apology to Paul. The idea that this song is nothing is too ridiculous.
The I’ve Got a Feeling riff; lyrics “Today I love you more than yesterday” (Song Yesterday, and Beatles album Yesterday and Today), “It’s getting better all the time” (song Getting Better) and “no more crying” (poss reference to Oh, Darling: “I nearly broke down and cried”); but most of all, the use of the words “so quickly.” In The Rutles, the Paul character was Dirk McQuickly. All the ex Beatles were familiar with The Rutles. Interstingly, John uses the words “so quickly” in (Just Like) Starting Over as well, another song with a parenthisized title that I believe was meant for Paul alone.
Yes. John was channeling his inner Rutle at least two years before Neil Innes conceived of them. Amazing.
Did I get my dates mixed up? Very possible. I’ll check. I thought Rutles came out earlier in 70’s.
Yeah, you’re right. Dang.
It does. But it’s Lennon’s riff
Love this song! IMO, it’s one of the most underrated and overlooked tracks in the Lennon solo catalog. It does indeed resemble “I’ve Got A Feeling” at times but as a whole would have fit right in somewhere on the White Album. How many Lennon/Beatles fans do you know who *don’t* know this song – or even that it exists?
One of my favourites from the Mind Games LP ever since it was released.
Back then it was one of three tracks that received some FM airplay (Out Of The Blue, Bring On The Lucie were the others) along with the title track of course.
Completely agree. I was always mystified as to why it was always left off compilations. To me, it was one of the highlights of Mind Games.
What on earth is good about this track? Wait, I know. Nothing.
This track has soul.
The harmonies are kind of nice. I like it and the rest of this underrated album.
It seems that, at some parts of this song, there is a wind instrument or maybe a violin. At the end we can hear it.
I disagree with the summary, it’s about Paul and is an apology for ‘How do you sleep?’. ‘I love you more’ is a Beatles reference and clue, ‘I love you more than ‘Yesterday” probably proves it, ‘and I know it’s getting better all the time’, I think closes the argument (anyone who doesn’t know, famously Lennon contributed ‘it couldn’t get much worse’ to the Beatles song). There are probably more references, I’m just a casual listener but saw those!
I agree; I’ve always viewed this song as John’s apology for “How Do You Sleep”.
Maybe apologizing for more than “How Do You Sleep.” I think he’s apologizing for everything that went wrong. Perhaps when he sings “I am only learning to tell the trees from the wood” he’s referring to how Allen Klein (and Yoko?) turned him against Paul. And when he sings “I put myself in your place, as you did for me,” maybe he’s referring to how Paul gave him and Yoko a temporary home when John left Cynthia, or how Paul put up with Yoko in the studio because John loved her, or how Paul supported John (even if he might have been appalled) over the Two Virgins cover; now John is trying to see things (Paul’s marriage, which John was nasty about; his resistance to Klein, etc.) from Paul’s point of view. It’s a touching line.
Yes, surely the summary’s wrong saying that it is about Yoko. I can’t think of any other songs to Yoko that contain several Beatles references in the lyrics and music.
Also, “I know what I was missing” could be a reference to Dear Boy, which John was convinced was about him and I tend to agree. Too much emotion in Paul’s to be about Linda’s ex.
Admittedly, however, it could be a reference to his own Nowhere Man.
Quote: ‘I love you more’ is a Beatles reference and clue, ‘I love you more than ‘Yesterday” probably proves it…”
In my life, I love you more. Hmmm… Just listened to Rubber Soul and realized this went over my head.
I love the middle eight, he´s harmonizing Beatles style (can you imagine Paul singing high harmony?)
Also the introduction…It’s the almost the same as I got a Feeling! How he would use so many references to Paul’s work in a song for Yoko? Non sense. He had to use references to Yoko’s poems. The sad part is that How do you Sleep is openly to Paul. Everybody knows it its. And this is due to interpretation. John should have stated it was for him so people would know for sure he was sorrry. But..it’s so clear it’s for Paul! Guess he thought everybody would guess.
hard to imagine there is such a thing as an overlooked pop masterpiece by a beatle, but this is such, along with paul’s “little lamb dragonfly.”
Little Lamb Dragonfly – great track.
Lovely song with great rhythm guitar by John Lennon.
Their break-up was such a heart-tearing event that some of us will forever be looking for clues that the love was still there. That said I hope this song was for Paul, it sounds very much like it is. But then, just when it makes me feel better to think that it is, I read Oh well he dismissed it as a “piece of nothing” in 1980. But why! Oh John, as you are playing with his heart like a yo-yo, you are playing with all of our hearts!
If the song was for Yoko then John would never have said that it was a piece opf nothing. John was obviously too macho to admit that he’d written such a tender love song for Paul
The Beatles breakup was heartbreaking for me too and I wasn’t even born yet.
When John Lennon dismisses one his works as a “piece of nothing” or “throwaway,” take a magnifying glass to that song. John didn’t write pieces of nothing.
“….no more crying” about what? The split with Paul? Or a reference to “I Am the Walrus” I’m crying..
About Yoko… Maybe, this song had two dedicatories. One for Yoko, and other one for Paul. So many references… “Yesterday”, “it’s getting better all the time”, the riff of “i’ve got a feeling”… I don’t know… It’s a mistery.
Perhaps its meant to be taken as a soothing response to all the conflict that was happening amongst Paul, John, and maybe Yoko? “No more crying” just simply sounds like a reassuring line.
I thought “no more crying” was a reference to “Oh, Darling” (“Well, you know, I nearly broke down and cried”), a song Paul clearly wrote to John, begging him not to leave the Beatles. Towards the end of “Oh, Darling” Paul is saying “Oh, Johnny.” I can’t be mishearing that.
Here I am a massive Beatle fan and I never realized that John wrote an apology to Paul. But I’d never heard this song! Absolutely no way to mistake that it’s anything but a song for Paul. What’s strange is that Paul’s never mentioned it, at least not in any interview I’ve ever read. Yet they both monitored each others work for messages. He wouldn’t have missed it. But maybe he doesn’t want to have to “prove” that John loved him. Shouldn’t have to. It’s obvious.
This was never about Yoko. It refers to Paul in so many ways. Consider this song as an apology (or apologetic response from “How Do You Sleep”) or “love” song from John to Paul. In the beginning and throughout, the riff is intended to be the exactly “I’ve got a feeling”, which is also a Paul song in addition. “I love you more than Yesterday,” points to the Beatles song, Yesterday. And, one of the lines literally say, “And I know it’s getting better (all the time)”, which is a reference to another Paul song, “Getting Better”. If you still believe its about Ono and John’s relationship and him saying sorry, think again. Some of his solo songs aren’t always about her.
Absolutely. In addition, the “Understanding Lennon-McCartney” documentary says that when the two of them tripped on LSD for the first time together, they spent hours looking into each other’s eyes saying “I know,” back and forth, over and over. This was also written right around the time Lennon said in an interview he’d like to work with Paul again.
So it’s Oct. 9, 2019 and I’m running through all of John’s catalog – it’s been great. I used to be pretty underwhelmed by Mind Games, but the album, particularly side 2, has aged pretty well. I really like most of it now. When I heard I Know (I know) today, it blew me away. It seems so obviously a song to Paul. John’s references to Yoko were always so explicit (at least in his solo work), so I have a hard time thinking this was for Yoko. Eternal man of mystery. Happy Birthday, John, we miss you!!
Love this song
When I first heard this I thought the closing lines were
No more Klein
No more cryin’
which would certainly sew-up the “for Paul” interpretation.
But I could be wrong 😉
Anyone else think that the melody and chords of “I know/what’s coming down/and I know where/it’s coming from” are also very similar to “Hey Jude/don’t make it bad/take a sad song/and make it better”?
Would fit with the other observations on musical and lyrical lifts in this song.
In fact I was waiting if anyone here mentions Hey Jude. Yes, that’s pretty clear, and since we both hear it – it’s most likely another clue. Absolutely this song can’t be anything other than message to Paul – with so many references there is no doubt. It will be nice if anyone finally asks Paul what he thinks of this.
It seems to me that this is a pure apology to Paul. Written at the time when John and George realized that Allen Klein was ripping them off and that Paul was right when he advised them to not hire him back in 1969 which ultimately culminated in the ensuing years of battles and lawsuits among them. When this was written John was ending his business dealings with Klein and coincidentally re-establishing relations with Paul. From the musical style to the “Paul song” references in the lyrics to the harmonies this was John saying “you were right and tried to protect us but we didn’t listen”.
I agree that this song is an apology to Paul. I agree with the above comments about Paul references in this song. I would like to add that in “How Can You Sleep?”, John dismissively says “The only thing you’ve done is Yesterday.” In this apology song, he finally tells Paul “I love you more than Yesterday.”