"Jealous Guy" | ||||
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Single by John Lennon | ||||
from the album Imagine | ||||
B-side |
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Released | 18 November 1985 (UK) 3 October 1988 (US) | |||
Recorded | 24 May – 5 July 1971 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 4:14 | |||
Label | Apple | |||
Songwriter(s) | John Lennon | |||
Producer(s) |
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John Lennon singles chronology | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
"Jealous Guy" is a song written and originally recorded by the English rock musician John Lennon from his second studio album Imagine (1971). Not released as a single during Lennon's lifetime, it became an international hit in a version by Roxy Music issued in early 1981; this version reached #1 in the UK and Australia, and was a top 10 hit in several European countries. Lennon's own version was subsequently issued as a single, and charted in the US and UK.
Lennon began writing the song in 1968, when, as "Child of Nature", it was among the many songs demoed by the Beatles before they recorded their self-titled double album (also known as the "White Album"). The lyrics were originally inspired by a lecture given by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in early 1968, when the Beatles attended his spiritual retreat in Rishikesh, India. In January 1969, The Beatles (primarily John) jammed the song during their Get Back / Let It Be recording sessions, where it was referred to as "On the Road to Marrakesh". [1] [2] [3]
"Jealous Guy" is one of the most commonly recorded Lennon songs, with at least 92 cover versions.[ citation needed ]
The song's inspiration came in India, after the Beatles attended a lecture by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi about a "son of the mother nature". This inspired both Paul McCartney and John Lennon to write songs about the same subject. McCartney's composition, "Mother Nature's Son", was selected for The Beatles , but Lennon did not attempt to record "Child of Nature" during the sessions for the album. Both were demoed at George Harrison's Esher home in May 1968. The demo of "Child of Nature" featured Lennon's double-tracked vocal and playing an acoustic guitar. Early the following year, Lennon revisited the song as "On the Road to Marrakesh" during the Get Back sessions. [4] Eventually, the lyrics were scrapped and replaced by the now well-known "Jealous Guy" lyrics for Imagine .
Listening to the original Esher Demo, the song begins "On the road to Rishikesh" and mentions mountains. It is not referring to Marrakesh in Morocco, and there is no evidence Lennon ever visited there. In its rewritten form, the song serves as a confessional in which Lennon addresses the feelings of inadequacy that resulted in pain for those he loved.
Three recordings of "Child of Nature" are currently known. The first is a demo of the song recorded at the home of George Harrison in May 1968. The second, on which Harrison sings backing vocals, was recorded at Twickenham Film Studios on 2 January 1969. A third recording was made at the Beatles' Apple Studio on 24 January. A snatch of the chorus from the second recording appears on the Fly on the Wall bonus disc packaged with Let It Be... Naked (2003). [4] The first recording appears on the fiftieth anniversary release of The Beatles, which contains all of the demos recorded at Esher. [5] [6]
Lennon recorded "Jealous Guy" on 24 May 1971 at Ascot Sound Studios, where his vocals were overdubbed on 29 May 1971. String overdubs took place on 4 July 1971 at the Record Plant, in New York City. [7] Musicians included Mike Pinder of the Moody Blues and Joey Molland and Tom Evans of Badfinger.
Lennon's recording of "Jealous Guy" was released on the Imagine album in 1971. It was not released as a single until November 1985, five years after Lennon's murder, and four-and-a-half years after Roxy Music had taken their cover of the song to number one. Accompanied on the B-side by "Going Down on Love", a track from Walls and Bridges (1974), the single reached number 65 in the UK charts. [8]
In the United States, the single reached number 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1988, in conjunction with the release of the documentary film Imagine: John Lennon . [9] "Jealous Guy" also peaked at number 22 on the Hot Adult Contemporary chart. [10]
Stereogum contributors Timothy and Elizabeth Bracy rated it as Lennon's second best solo song, saying that "we have Lennon at his most wounded and vulnerable, confessing to every manner of emotional extortion, and somehow still on the defensive" in a song with "a melody worthy of anything the Beatles ever produced." [11]
Ultimate Classic Rock critic Stephen Lewis rated it as Lennon's third greatest solo love song, calling it "one of his most mature piano melodies." [12]
The following musicians performed on the final track on Imagine : [13] [14]
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United Kingdom (BPI) [15] 2011 release | Silver | 200,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
A promotional video was made for the song in 1971. It showed, mostly in a continuous overhead shot by helicopter, John and Yoko travelling in a hearse from their Tittenhurst Park mansion to a nearby lake, where they were then shown getting into a row boat. [16] [17]
"Jealous Guy" has been recorded by many musicians including Aslan, [18] Joe Cocker, Roberto Bellarosa, Donny Hathaway, Claudine Longet, the Faces, Frankie Miller, Roxy Music, Belinda Carlisle, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Peter Criss, Elliott Smith, Deftones, Spector, and the Weeknd. Lou Reed covered the song for a 2001 Lennon tribute concert. Jazz musician Jimmy Scott covered Jealous Guy on his 1998 album Holding Back the Years. The rock band the Black Crowes released a live cover of Jealous Guy on the 30th anniversary release of their debut studio album Shake Your Money Maker (1990). [19]
"Jealous Guy" | ||||
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Single by Roxy Music | ||||
B-side | "To Turn You On" | |||
Released | 13 February 1981 (UK) [20] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 6:10 4:57 (edit) | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | John Lennon | |||
Producer(s) | ||||
Roxy Music singles chronology | ||||
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Following Lennon's murder in 1980, Roxy Music added a version of the song to their set while touring in Germany, which they recorded and released in February 1981. [21] The single was released by Polydor with "To Turn You On" as the B-side, with catalogue number "ROXY 2". [21] [22] The song was the only UK No. 1 hit for Roxy Music, topping the charts for two weeks in March 1981. [23] "To Turn You On" later appeared on their eighth studio album Avalon (1982), although it was slightly remixed. [24] Roxy Music's cover of "Jealous Guy" features on many Bryan Ferry/Roxy Music collections and 1980s music compilations, though not always in its full-length version. As of 1982, the single had sold 91,000 copies in Australia. [25]
Chart (1981) | Peak position |
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Australian Kent Music Report [26] | 1 |
Austrian Top 40 [27] | 6 |
Belgium VRT Top 30 [27] | 5 |
Dutch Top 40 [27] | 7 |
French Singles Chart [28] | 9 |
German Media Control Singles Chart [27] | 19 |
Irish Singles Chart [29] | 3 |
New Zealand Singles Chart [27] | 4 |
Norwegian Singles Chart [27] | 6 |
Radio Luxemburg Singles [30] | 1 |
Spanish Singles Chart | 22 |
Swedish Singles Chart [27] | 18 |
Swiss Singles Chart [27] | 4 |
UK Singles Chart [31] | 1 |
Chart (1988) | Peak position |
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US Billboard Hot 100 [32] | 80 |
US Adult Contemporary ( Billboard ) [33] | 22 |
US Cash Box Top 100 [34] | 64 |
Chart (1981) | Position |
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Australian (Kent Music Report) [35] | 4 |
Belgian VRT Top 30 [36] | 28 |
Dutch Top 40 [37] | 61 |
UK Singles Chart [31] | 20 |
A music video was filmed for the song, which mainly consisted of Bryan Ferry singing to camera before whistling and playing on a Sequential Circuits Prophet-5 synthesizer during the coda. Guitarist Phil Manzanera and saxophonist Andy Mackay also appear in the video during their respective solos.
"Jealous Guy" | ||||
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Single by Roberto Bellarosa | ||||
from the album Ma voie | ||||
Released | 4 April 2012 | |||
Recorded | 2012 | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 2:50 | |||
Label |
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Songwriter(s) | John Lennon | |||
Roberto Bellarosa singles chronology | ||||
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In 2012, Belgian singer of Italian origin Roberto Bellarosa recorded "Jealous Guy" after winning the first season of The Voice Belgique . It was released as a single on 4 April 2012 and included on his debut studio album Ma voie . [38] The single reached number 4 in Belgium. [39]
John Winston Ono Lennon was an English singer, songwriter and musician. He gained worldwide fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. His work included music, writing, drawings and film. His songwriting partnership with Paul McCartney remains the most successful in history as the primary songwriters in the Beatles.
Imagine is the second solo studio album by English musician John Lennon, released on 9 September 1971 by Apple Records. Co-produced by Lennon, his wife Yoko Ono and Phil Spector, the album's elaborate sound contrasts the basic, small-group arrangements of his first album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970). The opening title track is widely considered to be his signature song.
Mind Games is the fourth solo studio album by English musician John Lennon. It was recorded at Record Plant Studios in New York in summer 1973. The album was released in the US on 29 October 1973 and in the UK on 16 November 1973. It was Lennon's first self-produced recording without help from Phil Spector. Like his previous album, the politically topical and somewhat abrasive Some Time in New York City, Mind Games received mixed reviews upon release. It reached number 13 in the UK and number 9 in the US, where it was certified gold in both territories.
Double Fantasy is the fifth studio album by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and the final one before his death. Released in November 1980 on Geffen Records, the album marked Lennon's return to recording music full-time, following his five-year hiatus to raise his son Sean. Recording sessions took place at the Hit Factory in New York City between August and October 1980. The final album features songs from both Lennon and Ono, largely alternating between the two in its track listing. Other tracks recorded by Lennon from the sessions were compiled by Ono for release on Milk and Honey in 1984.
Walls and Bridges is the fifth solo studio album by English musician John Lennon. It was issued by Apple Records on 26 September 1974 in the United States and on 4 October in the United Kingdom. Written, recorded and released during his 18-month separation from Yoko Ono, the album captured Lennon in the midst of his "Lost Weekend". Walls and Bridges was an American number-one album on both the Billboard and Record World charts and included two hit singles, "Whatever Gets You thru the Night" and "#9 Dream". The first of these was Lennon's first number-one hit in the United States as a solo artist, and his only solo chart-topping single in either the US or Britain during his lifetime.
"All Those Years Ago" is a song by the English rock musician George Harrison, released in May 1981 as a single from his ninth studio album Somewhere in England. Having previously recorded the music for the song, Harrison tailored the lyrics to serve as a personal tribute to his former Beatles bandmate John Lennon, following the latter's murder in 1980. Ringo Starr is featured on drums, and Paul McCartney overdubbed backing vocals onto the basic track. The single spent three weeks at number 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100, behind "Bette Davis Eyes" by Kim Carnes, and it peaked at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart. It also topped Canada's RPM singles chart and spent one week at number 1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary listings.
"(Just Like) Starting Over" is a song written and performed by John Lennon from the 1980 album, Double Fantasy. It was released as a single on 24 October 1980 in the United Kingdom, with Yoko Ono's "Kiss Kiss Kiss" as the B-side. It reached number one in both the US and UK after Lennon was murdered on 8 December 1980. It was Lennon's final single released in his lifetime.
"Real Love" is a song written by the English musician John Lennon, formerly of the Beatles. He recorded six demos of the song in 1979 and 1980 with "Real Life", a different song that merged with "Real Love". In 1988, the sixth take was posthumously released for the documentary soundtrack Imagine: John Lennon. In 1995, his demo was completed by his former Beatles bandmates as part of the Beatles Anthology project, along with "Free as a Bird".
"Instant Karma!" is a song by English rock musician John Lennon, released as a single on Apple Records in February 1970. The lyrics focus on a concept in which the consequences of one's actions are immediate rather than borne out over a lifetime. The single was credited to "Lennon/Ono with the Plastic Ono Band", apart from in the US, where the credit was "John Ono Lennon". The song reached the top five in the British and American charts, competing with the Beatles' "Let It Be" in the US, where it became the first solo single by a member of the band to sell a million copies.
"Come Together" is a song by the British rock band the Beatles, written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song is the opening track on the band's 1969 album Abbey Road. It was also a double A-side single in the United Kingdom with "Something", reaching No. 4 in the UK charts.
John Lennon was a British singer-songwriter and peace activist, best known as the co-founder of the Beatles. After three experimental albums with Yoko Ono, using tape loops, interviews, musique concrète, and other avant-garde performance techniques, Lennon's solo career properly began with the 1969 single "Give Peace a Chance". Lennon then released two more singles, "Cold Turkey" (1969) and "Instant Karma!" (1970), and a live album, Live Peace in Toronto (1969), before the official break-up of the Beatles.
Imagine: John Lennon is a soundtrack album of popular music compiled for the 1988 documentary film Imagine: John Lennon from songs written or co-written by John Lennon. Originally released that year as a double album, it now remains available on one CD.
"Whatever Gets You thru the Night" is a song written by John Lennon, released as a single in 1974 on Apple Records, catalogue number Apple 1874 in the United States and Apple R5998 in the United Kingdom. In the U.S. it peaked at No. 1 on all three record charts: Billboard Hot 100, Cashbox, and Record World, and at No. 36 in the UK. It was the lead single for Lennon's album Walls and Bridges; in the UK the single was released on the same day as the album. "Whatever Gets You thru the Night" was Lennon's only solo No. 1 single in the United States during his lifetime, making him the last member of the Beatles to finally reach the top of the charts. In Canada, the single spent two weeks at No. 2, and became the 30th biggest hit of 1974.
More than This: The Best of Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music is a 1995 compilation album covering Roxy Music and the solo career of the group's lead singer, Bryan Ferry. The name of the album is taken from the song "More than This" from the 1982 Roxy Music album Avalon.
"Mother" is a song by English musician John Lennon, first released on his 1970 album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. An edited version of the song was issued as a single in the United States on Apple Records, on 28 December 1970. The single edit runs 1:41 shorter than the album due to removing the tolling bells that start the song and a quicker fade-out. The B-side features "Why" by Yoko Ono. The song peaked in the United States at number 19 on the Cashbox Top 100 and number 43 on the Billboard Hot 100. In Canada the song reached number 12.
"Woman" is a song written and performed by English singer John Lennon from his 1980 album Double Fantasy. The track was chosen by Lennon to be the second single released from the Double Fantasy album, and it was the first Lennon single issued after his murder on 8 December 1980. The B-side of the single is Yoko Ono's song "Beautiful Boys".
"Oh Yoko!" is a 1971 song written and performed by John Lennon. It was first released on his album Imagine, and was later included in the greatest hits compilation Working Class Hero: The Definitive Lennon.
"Oh My Love" is a song written by John Lennon and Yoko Ono that appeared on Lennon's Imagine album in 1971.
"Imagine" is a song by the English rock musician John Lennon from his 1971 album of the same name. The best-selling single of his solo career, the lyrics encourage listeners to imagine a world of peace, without materialism, without borders separating nations and without religion. Shortly before his death, Lennon said that much of the song's lyrics and content came from his wife, Yoko Ono, and in 2017, she received a co-writing credit.