John Lennon Said He ‘Made the Guitar Speak’ on This Song
John Lennon sometimes criticized his own guitar playing, however, he felt he “made the guitar speak” on one of his songs. Subsequently, one of his collaborators said the song made a huge impact on him. Here’s a look at the song.
John Lennon said one of his songs ‘drives along’
John gave a famous interview to Rolling Stone’s Jann S. Wenner in 1970. In it he discussed numerous topics, from Christianity to Orson Welles to “Hound Dog.” However, much of the conversations centered on his newest album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. At one point, Wenner asked John if there were any songs where he made his guitar “speak.”
“‘I Found Out,’” he said. “It think it’s nice. It drives along. I don’t know, ask Eric Clapton, he thinks I can play [laugh]. A lot of you people want the technical thing, then you think, ‘Oh, well that’s like wanting technical films.’”
He then discussed his view of himself as a guitarist. “Most critics of rock ‘n’ roll and guitarists are in the stage of the ’50s where they wanted a technically perfect film finished for them and then they would feel happy,” he said. “I’m a cinema-verite guitarist-musician. You have to break down your barriers to be able to hear what I’m playing. There’s a nice little bit I played on Abbey Road. Paul gave us each a piece, a little break where Paul plays, George plays and I play. When you listen to it you know….”
Did ‘I Found Out’ become a hit song?
John seemed to have a soft spot for “I Found Out.” However, the track was never released as a single, so it’s difficult to gauge how much the public enjoyed it. The song’s parent album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, reached No. 6 on the Billboard 200. It remained on the chart for 34 weeks and it’s still one of the most famous albums by a former Beatle.
How John Lennon’s collaborator reacted to ‘I Find Out’
While “I Found Out” didn’t make an impact on the pop charts, it made an impact on one of John’s collaborators, Klaus Voorman. Voorman is a producer, session musician, and visual artist who’s worked with Carly Simon, the Bee Gees, Lou Reed, and The Beatles. During an interview with Variety, A. D. Amorosi asked Voorman if a particular song on John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band “floored” him or was especially emotional.
“‘I Found Out,’ and the whole sound of ‘chukka chukka’ stands out,” Voorman said. “Immediately that feel was set when we first recorded it…. John’s singing was incredible, too. That might not be the most important song he ever did, but, it sounds like heaven to me.” “I Found Out” is not one of the more famous songs from Johns discography, however, John and Voorman enjoyed the track.
