People go on about this song "oh it's so beautiful", "oh it's so sincere". But I find it ugly and insincere. Which doesn't mean that I think people are wrong to like it, just that they've missed something.
Context is huge. John Lennon stated in interview that he was a wife beater, through jealousy. Read the bit in the wikipedia page on him about his relationship with Cynthia Lennon.
The Beatles song "Run For Your Life" on Rubber Soul (1965) is another song Lennon wrote (well, Paul McCartney gets co-writing credits) where a jealous guy threatens to murder his "little girl" if she does anything with another man. The line "I'd rather see you dead, little girl, than to be with another man" originates in an Elvis Presley song, but John Lennon decided to expand that into a full song. I've read claims that George really liked the song and John hated and regretted writing it.
In his last major interview, John Lennon spoke of the opening lyrics in the Beatles song Getting Better:
"It is a diary form of writing. All that 'I used to be cruel to my woman / I beat her and kept her apart from the things that she loved' was me. I used to be cruel to my woman, and physically – any woman. I was a hitter. I couldn't express myself and I hit. I fought men and I hit women. That is why I am always on about peace, you see. It is the most violent people who go for love and peace. Everything's the opposite. But I sincerely believe in love and peace. I am a violent man who has learned not to be violent and regrets his violence. I will have to be a lot older before I can face in public how I treated women as a youngster."
Speaking about Jealous Guy in 1980, John Lennon said:
"My song, melody written in India. The lyrics explain themselves clearly: I was a very jealous, possessive guy. Toward everything. A very insecure male. A guy who wants to put his woman in a little box, lock her up, and just bring her out when he feels like playing with her. She’s not allowed to communicate with the outside world – outside of me – because it makes me feel insecure."
And perhaps that would all be good and well, except that he sang the whole thing as "how he behaves when he's jealous" - it's framed as "something I did in the past" but there's no "and I don't do that any more".
If you want to read the lyrics go here.
"I was dreaming of the past / and my heart was beating fast" - probably he's just saying he had a moment of self reflection and it made him uncomfortable enough to write this song.
When he says he began to lose control... it's easy to assume it's that he's simply saying he lost control of himself, that's the kindest interpretation. But in the context of him being a "very jealous, possessive guy", what if he's singing about feeling like he's losing control over his lover that triggered this in him? "I began to lose control" (over you). In that case, it would be almost blaming her for his actions.
He never apologises for his actions - he says he's sorry he hurt her and made her cry, which I suppose must mean he thinks that's specifically the line where he went too far. Not the violence itself, but the tears. The effect but not the cause. He's not saying "I should not have used violence on you", he's saying "your tears made me feel bad".
The bits about his insecurity, "shivering inside", "swallowing my pain" - seem like excuses after the fact, and honestly some fairly minor discomfort compared to getting beaten up by your lover.
"I was trying to catch your eyes / Thought that you was trying to hide" is chilling. Was she avoiding meeting his gaze out of fear? Is it another signal about his controlling nature, he interpreted her not looking at him as an admission of guilt, suspected she was doing something behind his back and jumped to conclusions? Or is that line just saying that she trying to physically hide from him?
He never says in this song that it's wrong to turn to violence, he just states what he did. He also never promises he won't do it again. I mean, maybe that's useless because who would trust him if he did. But he doesn't even hint towards any kind of reformed behaviour. He just says - this is what I'm like when I get jealous. It's not past tense, and I feel that's an important point.
As a result, at the end, when he says "I'm just a jealous guy. Watch out. I'm just a jealous guy. Look out baby, I'm just a jealous guy", if just comes across as REALLY THREATENING.
It's like "this is what triggers me, so you'd better not make me jealous if you know what's good for you".
Which doesn't feel like any change from "Run For Your Life".
But, if you still think it's a really beautiful song about a man with complicated emotions... I guess I don't want to rob you of your perception of beauty. But that's not the song I am hearing at all.
Do I believe he ever really became the "Peace & Love" guy he claimed to be? I don't know. I hope so. It's clear he had some strong regrets, but also Jealous Guy sounds repentant but resistant to reform. So I don't know.
Other notes:
1) The original 1968 demo was a totally different song, it's called Child Of Nature and it's super peaceful. I am not saying it's a better song. Just that it's a totally different song.
2) The studio version of Jealous Guy was co-produced by Phil Spector. Who is probably more famous for his murder conviction than his production work by this point. Who was a ball of intense control and gun fanaticism when he went into record this song. There's a story he took out a gun when recording with John, and shot the thermostat off the wall, and John said "I don't mind if you kill me, but I do need my ears". I wonder if it was this session.
If you're thinking "well what kind of song would you record if Phil Spector was shooting things in the studio?", and I'll leave you with another song. Phil Spector pressed a gun to Leonard Cohen's throat and told him he loved him. And they recorded an album together that most Leonard Cohen fans hate but I actually quite like. The first track: "True love leaves no traces / if you and I are one / it's lost in our embraces / like stars against the sun".
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