Paul McCartney Revealed His Interpretation of The Beatles’ ‘Revolution’
TL;DR:
- Paul McCartney said The Beatles’ “Revolution” is a great song which was mostly written by John Lennon.
- Paul said “I think John later ascribed more political intent to it than he actually felt when he wrote it.”
- He explained said the track was inspired by deeply political times.
While The Beatles‘ “Revolution” is credited to John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Paul said it’s primarily John’s song. Paul explained the political context that inspired the song. In addition, Paul connected the lyrics of the song to a famous spiritual guru.
John Lennon said The Beatles’ ‘Revolution’ ‘was an overtly political song about revolution’
In the 1997 book Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now, Paul discussed his feelings about “Revolution.” “It was a great song, basically John’s,” he said. “He doesn’t really get off the fence in it. He says ‘You can count me out, in,’ so you’re not actually sure.
“I don’t think he was sure which way he felt about it at the time, but it was an overtly political song about revolution and a great one,” Paul continued. “I think John later ascribed more political intent to it than he actually felt when he wrote it.”
Paul McCartney connected the lyrics of the song to The Beatles’ guru
Paul put “Revolution” in its cultural context. “They were very political times, obviously, with the Vietnam War going on, Chairman Mao and The Little Red Book, and all the demonstrations with people going through the streets shouting ‘Ho, Ho, Ho Chi Minh!'” For context, The Little Red Book was a compilation of notable sayings from Chairman Mao.
Paul discussed why John mentioned Chairman Mao in “Revolution.” “I think he wanted to say you can count me in for a revolution, but if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao ‘you ain’t gonna make it with anyone anyhow,'” he said. “By saying that, I think he meant we all want to change the world Maharishi-style.” The Maharishi Mahesh Yogi was The Beatles’ guru for a while, and he was a spiritual leader for numerous other people.
How ‘Revolution’ performed on the pop charts in the United States and the United Kingdom
“Revolution” became the B-side of “Hey Jude.” That’s pretty nonsensical, considering “Revolution” is an uneasy song while “Hey Jude” is a self-empowerment anthem.
“Revolution” was a modest hit in the United States. The track reached No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 11 weeks. The tune appeared on the compilation 1967-1970. The compilation peaked at No. 1 for one of its 182 weeks on the Billboard 200.
On the other hand, The Official Charts Company says “Revolution” never charted in the United Kingdom even though it was the B-side of such a famous song. On the other hand, 1967-1970 hit No. 2 in the U.K. and stayed on the chart for 131 weeks.
“Revolution” is a great rock ‘n’ roll song even if John wasn’t sure what he was trying to say when he wrote it.
