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"Love" | |
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![]() 1971 Philippines single label | |
Song by John Lennon | |
from the album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band | |
Released | 11 December 1970 |
Recorded | 26 September –23 October 1970 |
Studio | Abbey Road, London [1] |
Genre | Soft rock |
Length | 3:24 |
Label | Apple |
Songwriter(s) | John Lennon |
Producer(s) | |
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band track listing | |
11 tracks
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"Love" | ||||
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![]() UK picture sleeve | ||||
Single by John Lennon | ||||
from the album The John Lennon Collection | ||||
B-side | "Gimme Some Truth" | |||
Released | 15 November 1982 | |||
Recorded | 1970 | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 3:24 | |||
Label | Apple/Geffen | |||
Songwriter(s) | John Lennon | |||
Producer(s) |
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John Lennon singles chronology | ||||
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"Love" is a song written and performed by John Lennon, originally released on his debut solo album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970). The song's theme is more upbeat than most of the songs on Plastic Ono Band. [1]
The song first came out on Lennon's 1970 album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band . Lennon considered releasing it as a single, but was dropped in favour of "Mother". [1] However, "Love" received considerable airplay at the time from stations who hesitated at playing "Mother". [1] "Love" later appeared on the compilation The John Lennon Collection (1982), and was released as a promotional tie-in single for the collection. The single version is a remix of the original track, which most notably differs in having the piano intro and outro (played by Phil Spector) mixed at the same volume as the rest of the song; on the original album version, these parts begin much quieter and increase in volume. [1] The B-side was "Gimme Some Truth", but labelled as "Give Me Some Truth".
Ultimate Classic Rock critic Stephen Lewis rated it as Lennon's 5th greatest solo love song, saying that "The close-miced vocals and delicate piano/acoustic guitar instrumentation increase the intimacy of the song." [2] Far Out critic Tim Coffman rated it as Lennon's greatest deep cut, calling it "one of the best examples of Lennon’s melodic sensibilities, moving through different keys effortlessly while still keeping the key melody gliding throughout the track." [3]
An alternate take of the song appears on the John Lennon Anthology box set (1998) as well as the Acoustic album (2004). [1]
The picture on the sleeve for 1982 release of "Love" was taken by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz on 8 December 1980—the day of Lennon's murder. [1]
Like the 1982 British issue, the original version of the song was released as a single again in October 1998 for the Japanese market only with the Japanese edition of another compilation Lennon Legend: The Very Best of John Lennon . This song gained great success on Japan's Oricon chart and won the song of the year 1999 in Japanese gold disc prize.
The song was also used as Lennon's entry on the iTunes exclusive 4-track Beatles EP 4: John Paul George Ringo , released in 2014. [4]
The musicians who performed on the original recording were as follows: [5]
Year | Country | Position |
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1982 | United Kingdom | 41 |
1998 | Japan | 58 [6] |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Japan (RIAJ) [7] John Lennon's version, 1999 release | Gold | 50,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
The Lettermen recorded the song in 1971. This single became a top 20 hit on the Japanese Oricon singles chart and hit number 42 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming the only charting version of the song in the US and the last charting single of the group's career.
Year | Country | Position |
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1971 | Japan | 15 [8] |
United States | 42 (Hot 100) [9] | |
8 (AC) |
"Love" | ||||
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Single by The Dream Academy | ||||
from the album A Different Kind of Weather | ||||
Released | 1990 (UK) 1991 (USA) | |||
Recorded | 1990 | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 3:42 | |||
Label | Reprise/Blanco Y Negro | |||
Songwriter(s) | John Lennon | |||
Producer(s) |
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The Dream Academy singles chronology | ||||
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The Dream Academy covered this song on their album A Different Kind of Weather (1990), and also released as a single (CD, cassette, and vinyl formats are available). [10] The single featured a strong Indian theme throughout (evident in the music video). The song samples the "Funky Drummer" drum break. Like the album it was released on, it received mixed reviews. Many critics and fans felt that they over-stretched it. [11] The CD single included six different mixes of the song along with "Mordechai Vanunu", which was written for Mordechai Vanunu. A second B-side, called "The Demonstration", can be found on the UK CD single version. There are also exclusive remixes issued on the cassette and 12" single. As it turned out, this was the band's penultimate single and has an accompanying video that was shot in India.
A version by Jimmy Nail was recorded for his album Big River , which was released as a single on 8 December 1995 (the 15th anniversary of Lennon's death), and peaked at number 33 on the UK Singles Chart.
Chart (1995) | Peak position |
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UK (Official Charts Company) [12] | 33 |
Barbra Streisand covered the song in 1971 on her album Barbra Joan Streisand , along with another Lennon composition "Mother". [13] AllMusic critic William Ruhlmann described Streisand's "delicate reading" as a "gem." [13]
Another cover was by Norwegian actress/model/singer Julie Ege. [14]
The song was later covered by Vicky Leandros in several versions, the first on her 1970 UK album I Am, then a guitar version in 1971 in various releases, an a cappella version on her US album Across the Water and a new guitar version with Roland Gabezas in 2005 titled "Ich bin wie ich bin". Shirley Bassey covered the song on her 1972 album I Capricorn . Other covers have been recorded by Kenny Loggins, Asha Puthli, the Mission and the Cure.
In 1990, Morgan Fisher, former keyboard player with Mott the Hoople, and a resident of Japan since 1985, recorded a version of "Love" for his album Echoes of Lennon . Yoko Ono read the lyrics over Fisher's ambient keyboards.
The Cure recorded a version in 2007 for the international release of Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur.
Italian singer Mango re-interpreted the song on the album Acchiappanuvole (2008).
American musician Beck's version was released in January 2014, and included on the 2014 compilation album Sweetheart 2014 . [15]
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band is the debut solo studio album by English musician John Lennon. Backed by the Plastic Ono Band, it was released by Apple Records on 11 December 1970 in tandem with the similarly titled album by his wife, Yoko Ono. At the time of its issue, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band received mixed reviews overall, but later came to be widely regarded as Lennon's best solo album.
Apple Records is a British record label founded by the Beatles in 1968 as a division of Apple Corps Ltd. It was initially intended as a creative outlet for the Beatles, both as a group and individually, plus a selection of other artists including Mary Hopkin, James Taylor, Badfinger and Billy Preston. In practice, the roster had become dominated by the mid-1970s with releases of the former Beatles as solo artists. Allen Klein managed the label from 1969 to 1973, then it was managed by Neil Aspinall on behalf of the Beatles and their heirs. Aspinall retired in 2007 and was replaced by Jeff Jones.
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), while the opening title track is widely considered to be his signature song.
Shaved Fish is a compilation album by English rock musician John Lennon with the Plastic Ono Band, issued in October 1975 on Apple Records. It contains all of the singles that he had issued up to that point in the United States as a solo artist, with the exception of "Stand by Me", which had been released earlier that year. The only compilation of Lennon's non-Beatles recordings released during his lifetime, the album peaked at number 8 in the UK and number 12 in the US. It was also Lennon's final album released on Apple Records before it was shut down in 1975, to be revived in the 1990s.
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.
"Give Peace a Chance" is an anti-war song written by John Lennon, and recorded with the participation of a small group of friends in a performance with Yoko Ono in a hotel room in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Released as a single in July 1969 by the Plastic Ono Band on Apple Records, it is the first solo single issued by Lennon, released while he was still a member of the Beatles, and became an anthem of the American anti-war movement during the 1970s. It peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 2 on the British singles chart.
The Plastic Ono Band were a rock band formed by John Lennon and Yoko Ono in 1969 for their collaborative and solo projects based on their 1968 Fluxus conceptual art project of the same name.
"Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" is a Christmas song released in 1971 as a single by John & Yoko/The Plastic Ono Band with the Harlem Community Choir. It was the seventh single release by John Lennon outside his work with the Beatles. The song reached number four in the UK, where its release was delayed until November 1972, and has occasionally re-emerged on the UK Singles Chart, most notably after Lennon's murder in December 1980, when it peaked at number two.
"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".
"Come Together" is a song by the English 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 and was also released as a double A-side single with "Something". The song reached the top of the charts in the United States and Australia but peaked at No. 4 in the United Kingdom.
The John Lennon Collection is a 1982 posthumous compilation album of music from John Lennon's solo career.
"Cold Turkey" is a song written by English singer-songwriter John Lennon, released as a single in 1969 by the Plastic Ono Band on Apple Records, catalogue Apples 1001 in the United Kingdom, Apple 1813 in the United States. It is the second solo single issued by Lennon and it peaked at number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 14 on the UK Singles Chart. The song's first appearance on an album was Live Peace in Toronto 1969 where the song had been performed live on 13 September 1969 with Lennon reading the lyrics off a clip-board.
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.
Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band is the debut solo studio album by Japanese artist and musician Yoko Ono, released on Apple Records in December 1970 alongside her husband's album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. The album features Ono's vocal improvisations accompanied by the Plastic Ono Band, with the exception of "AOS", on which she is backed by the Ornette Coleman Quartet.
"Open Your Box" is a The Plastic Ono Band song by Yoko Ono, released on 12 March 1971 as the B-side of John Lennon's single "Power to the People". Lennon played guitar and produced the song.
"Power to the People" is a song written by John Lennon, released as a single in 1971, credited to John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. It was issued on Apple Records and charted at #6 on the British singles chart, at number 10 on the Cashbox Top 100, and at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 The song's first appearance on album was the 1975 compilation Shaved Fish.
"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.
"Grow Old with Me" is one of the final songs written by John Lennon. It was first recorded by Lennon as a demo while in Bermuda. A handwritten lyric sheet for the song is dated July 5, 1980 Fairyland Bermuda. The song was first released on the posthumous album Milk and Honey in 1984. It was also rumored to be among the songs planned as a possible reunion single by his former bandmates during the making of The Beatles Anthology.
"Who Has Seen the Wind?" is a song written by Yoko Ono that first appeared as the B-side of John Lennon's single "Instant Karma!" It was later issued as a bonus track on a compact disc version of the Wedding Album.
4: John Paul George Ringo is a digital extended play compilation released on 23 September 2014, as a free download by the iTunes Store. It features one solo song by each former member of the Beatles: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. It is the first official release to bring together their solo material.