Power to the People (song)

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"Power to the People"
John-lennon-plastic-ono-band-power-to-the-people-apple-2-s.jpg
US picture sleeve
Single by John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
B-side
Released12 March 1971 (UK)
22 March 1971 (US)
Recorded22 January –9 February 1971
Studio Ascot Sound, Berkshire
Genre Rock, protest song
Length3:15
Label Apple
Songwriter(s) John Lennon
Producer(s)
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band singles chronology
"Mother"
(1970)		"Power to the People"
(1971)		"Imagine"
(1971)

"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 (catalogue number R5892 in the United Kingdom, 1830 in the United States) and charted at #6 on the British singles chart, [1] at number 10 on the Cashbox Top 100, and at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 [2] The song's first appearance on album was the 1975 compilation Shaved Fish .

Contents

Writing and recording

"Power to the People" was recorded at Ascot Sound Studios [3] on 15 February 1971, [4] during sessions that would produce songs for Lennon's Imagine album. The single was released on 12 March 1971 in the UK and 22 March 1971 in the US [5] [6] (although some sources give the British release as 8 March [7] ). The song was written by Lennon in response to an interview he gave to Tariq Ali and Robin Blackburn, [8] published in Red Mole (8–22 March 1971). [9] As Lennon explained: "I just felt inspired by what they said, although a lot of it is gobbledygook. So I wrote 'Power to the People' the same way I wrote 'Give Peace a Chance,' as something for the people to sing. I make singles like broadsheets. It was another quickie, done at Ascot." [3]

It entered the charts on 20 March 1971, and remained there for nine weeks. It was Lennon's fifth solo single, the Plastic Ono Band on this occasion comprising Lennon, Bobby Keys and Billy Preston in addition to regulars Klaus Voormann and Alan White. [10] Backing vocals were supplied by Rosetta Hightower [10] and "44 others". [11] The singers also stomped their feet to make it sound more like a political rally. [12] Phil Spector, Lennon and Yoko Ono were credited as producers. [10]

Record World called it a "a fantastic choral chant-song that really rocks." [13]

Lennon's regard for the song changed during the 1970s. In Skywriting by Word of Mouth , he called the song "rather embarrassing" and supported Hunter S. Thompson's claim that the anthem was "ten years too late". [14] [15] In 1980, he stated that the song "didn't really come off" as it had been "written in the state of being asleep and wanting to be loved by Tariq Ali and his ilk". [16]

Ultimate Classic Rock critic Nick DeRiso rated it as Lennon's 6th greatest solo political song, calling it "one of Lennon's funkiest and hardest-hitting musical achievements." [12]

Cover versions and other uses of the song

The Minus 5 recorded a version of "Power to the People" for the 1995 tribute album Working Class Hero: A Tribute to John Lennon . In 2000, Eric Burdon, Billy Preston and Ringo Starr recorded the song for Steal This Movie! , a film about Abbie Hoffman. [17]

The song has been used as a theme song of the 2016 and 2020 US presidential campaigns of Bernie Sanders. [18]

Personnel

The musicians who performed on "Power to the People" were as follows: [19]

Doris Troy

Nanette Workman

Chart history

Related Research Articles

<i>Shaved Fish</i> 1975 compilation album by John Lennon with Plastic Ono Band

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.

<i>Walls and Bridges</i> 1974 studio album by John Lennon

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mother (John Lennon song)</span> 1970 single by John Lennon

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References

  1. ↑ "Power to the People". Official Charts .
  2. ↑ Blaney, John (2005). John Lennon: Listen to This Book (illustrated ed.). [S.l.]: Paper Jukebox. p. 326. ISBN   978-0-9544528-1-0.
  3. 1 2 Williams, Richard (2003). Phil Spector: Out of His Head. London: Omnibus Press. p. 160. ISBN   0-7119-9864-7.
  4. ↑ Madinger, Chip; Raile, Scott (2015). LENNONOLOGY Strange Days Indeed - A Scrapbook of Madness. Chesterfield, MO: Open Your Books, LLC. p. 226. ISBN   978-1-63110-175-5.
  5. ↑ Castleman, Harry; Podrazik, Walter J. (1977). All Together Now – The First Complete Beatles Discography 1961–1975 (Second ed.). New York: Ballantine Books. p.  100. ISBN   0-345-25680-8.
  6. ↑ Blaney, John (2005). John Lennon: Listen To This Book. Guildford, Great Britain: Biddles Ltd. pp. 66–70. ISBN   0-9544528-1-X.
  7. ↑ Badham, Keith (2002). The Beatles Diary Volume 2: After the Break-Up 1970−2001. London: Omnibus Press. p. 32.
  8. ↑ Ingham, Chris (2003). The Rough Guide to the Beatles. London: Rough Guides Ltd. p. 117. ISBN   1-84353-140-2.
  9. ↑ Thomson, Elizabeth; Gutman, David, eds. (2004). The Lennon Companion . Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press. p.  165. ISBN   0-306-81270-3.[ dead link ]
  10. 1 2 3 Blaney, John (2005). John Lennon: Listen To This Book. Guildford, Great Britain: Biddles Ltd. p. 70. ISBN   0-9544528-1-X.
  11. ↑ Castleman & Podrazik, All Together Now, p. 172.
  12. 1 2 DeRiso, Nick (9 October 2013). "Top 10 John Lennon Solo Political Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  13. ↑ "Picks of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 20 March 1971. p. 1. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  14. ↑ Lennon, John (1986). Skywriting by Word of Mouth: And Other Writings, Including "The Ballad of John and Yoko" . New York: HarperCollins. p.  25. ISBN   0-06-091444-0.
  15. ↑ Thompson, Hunter S. (1998). Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream. Ralph Steadman (Vintage Books (2nd) ed.). New York: Random House. p. 21. ISBN   0-679-78589-2. OCLC   41049769.
  16. ↑ Cadogan, Patrick (2008). The Revolutionary Artist: John Lennon's Radical Years. Morrisville, North Carolina: Lulu. p. 137. ISBN   978-1-4357-1863-0.
  17. ↑ Harry, Bill (2004). The Ringo Starr Encyclopedia. London: Virgin Books. p. 269. ISBN   978-0-7535-0843-5.
  18. ↑ End Corporate Greed Rally in Iowa City, archived from the original on 22 December 2021, retrieved 31 October 2019
  19. ↑ Imagine: The Ultimate Edition
  20. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Power to the People". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  21. ↑ "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 27 May 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "John Lennon".
  22. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1971" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  23. ↑ "Official Charts Company" . Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  24. ↑ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN   0-89820-089-X
  25. ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca.
  26. ↑ Dutch Charts Annual Reviews - Single 1971
  27. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN   0-89820-142-X.
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