Drummer reacts to "Mother" by John Lennon

[@L33Reacts]

alright, community. you pick the next Lennon track. the comment with the most the likes I will do next monday! i will screen shot your comment too so just be aware that i might screenshot your comment.

[@Tony-yp7ok]

“God” would be a great track to do next. Another lyrically clever and moving song which talks about beliefs, false idols and, of course, the only thing that really matters - love.

[@lauraallen55]

Love I was going to say God next, but I very much think Plastic Ono Band album should be heard in one or at least two sittings rather than one at a time here and there. I really hope you give the entire thing a listen in that manner soon... I know you can't do the whole thing as a reaction, but on your own sometime. :) Alternatively to that, I chose Love because it's in a way the complete flip side to Mother. Mother has all the rawness and pain of everything that made him who he was. Love is from when he came out of retirement, and when he was content and happy, finally. Also, it's truly a beautiful song. I know it won't win, but I had to choose it for the reason that it's the result of his life at home with his wife and son for five years before he was taken from the world. It just feels good after hearing Mother.

[@BecomeConsciousNow]

God - I second Tony above.

[@lauraallen55]

@@Tony-yp7ok I wavered between God and Love. Both are counter to Mother, really, but Love is almost the opposite in a lot of ways. It's contentment after this pain.

[@chitownlee]

God is one of my favorites and now that you know so much about that time and The Beatles you'll definitely get it.

[@Bekka_Noyb]

such a powerful song! ♥

[@robertsaul234]

"Julia", from the White Album" is a love song to his mom.

[@kweile4339]

Everyone gives Yoko shit. I don't care for her art but she gave John what he needed, support and love and an outlet for his pain. Bless her.

[@leannmiller7153]

I try, but she is just as guilty as John in passing that same generational trauma on to Julian. She perpetuated it after John’s death. They’ve managed to make peace, but at least the brothers found a relationship.

[@mattdepinto7959]

Thank you for saying this.

[@richardmyers6075]

It's comforting to think that, but Yoko was fueled by ambition which overshadowed everything else.

[@wpl8275]

@@richardmyers6075 So was John. Neither of them were saints. But they were devoted to each other. There are a lot of relationships that just are short term and end. Theirs lasted for a reason. Nothing to do with money or fame. John had a strong personality and so did Yoko. Cynthia did not and if she had not gotten pregnant she would have just been another girlfriend in a string of them to John.

[@stevedahlberg8680]

I love her stuff on that final Double Fantasy album from 1980. Some of it is just so hardcore New Wave Punk.

[@tomfowler381]

When it came out, this album saved my life. Literally. I was in my early twenties and ready to end it. Confused, depressed and suicidal. To find out someone I thought had it all was in as much pain as I was gave me comfort beyond words. Lennon saved my life.

[@lauraallen55]

That is amazing. So happy you made it. :)

[@boboloko]

I had some rough teenage years. I heard this at 17. The honesty of this album helped me a lot. Life is often painful, and that's okay. Authenticity allows us to get through the pain.

[@pleasantvalleypickerca7681]

Ringo is a great drummer. He's not flashy but holding a basic beat and giving a song what it needs.....he's a master.

[@robertsaul234]

The song, "Cold Turkey" is further example of John keeping it real. It's about his own heroin withdrawal.

[@brewstergallery]

Ned from Spain saying yes please I would love to hear some Cold Turkey coz it's a great one.

[@DrummerJay74]

@@brewstergallery It's got me on the run.

[@danielviggiani6486]

John wasn't a hypocrite...He new he had faults, but wasn't scared to show them... Listen to Jealous Guy...very raw

[@howarddickson8856]

You can here the pain in his voice. He sung his heart out.

[@stephenstrudwick8095]

Whole album is great! "Isolation" is a bittersweet one worth listening to.

[@jnagarya519]

He later said he wished he hadn't gone through "primal therapy". It got him in touch with the trauma -- but there was no resolution for him.

[@jaylevy2108]

For something really different... Very dreamy and amazing production, yet still great... #9 Dream

[@reneestewart9425]

This song always makes me think of Julian. John experienced that loss and did the same thing to Julian. It's been a hard thing for me to wrap my head around. And I always remember him saying in the playboy interview in 1980 that Julian was born out of a whiskey bottle something to those words heartbreaking. I just couldn't understand how a man with so much pain could not recognize his own sons loss and loneliness

[@hw343434]

Simple: he was a kid when Julian was born and he was creating Beatlemania at the time. He couldn’t be there physically and wasn’t mature emotionally. He had a second son a decade later and he was the most present father. Totally different father; that was Lennon. Extremes and learning from his mistakes and always growing

[@cindydepriest3720]

Beautiful Boy. Wonderful song by John.

[@mikefetterman6782]

John and Yoko, at this time, we studying "scream therapy" to relieve his childhood traumas. Having his mother killed by an off duty cop, (drunk driving) his father left him, and he was seeing his own flaws as a parent.

[@meherenowmaybe]

It's been shown that that type of thing is not helpful. Another example would be that thing where you scream and yell and beat pillows and things. It just makes people more angry. It doesn't relieve their anger.

[@sharondavid-melly1498]

Yes, Yoko may have helped him release his deep pain through this song. Finally he could say good-bye. Yet, he could not be John without his experience. Feel connected to him in so many ways.

[@Hartlor_Tayley]

Simple and Cathartic

[@L33Reacts]

very. and it's effective as hell. it drives the point home.

[@Papabob1957]

You can really feel his pain in this song

[@AP-gb3eh]

This is Primal Scream Therapy put to music. As a 11 yr old I scream sang this so many times. It helped, the angst and pain purging out through screaming in a constructive way. Jealous Guy is a beautiful song

[@davidthrower1553]

Gut wrenching, raw, heart breaking, brutal….Lennon at his best. This track always upsets me and makes me cry…and so it should

[@johnnyparis10]

Deep and moving. I couldn’t imagine anyone ever ever covering this track. How artists take our pain and turn it into beauty, speaking truth to the world and the world identifies, relates and knows that they are not alone. Thanks for sharing this track. Definitely write a book, Lee. It really helps put perspective into our lives. I have 3 out so far, each one different….

[@laurencaulton103]

John was raised by his aunt. His father re-appeared once John was rich and famous. His mother, Julia, would visit. John became a tough guy, physically as well as verbally. Really sarcastic. He left his wife and son Julian when he met Yoko. But he became a peace activist, a doting father to Sean. A life cut short by an assassin.

[@isabelsilva62023]

The bells in this song make a come back in a totally different way at the beginning of "Just Like Starting Over" thus showing the deep change in John's life and his new found happiness. There is a video of this song with photos of John's parents, you might like to watch it even if only for yourself.

[@olmanrock5381]

In an interview with Dan Rather, Ringo said his unique skill was “I always had good time”.

[@L33Reacts]

I can see him saying that in my mind lol he undervalues his worth. He was very important to their sound.

[@DawnSuttonfabfour]

Too sad, too tragic. Gut wrenching.

[@NVprods]

A lifetime of pain all in one song. Genius.

[@WilliamWarlick]

Johnny was incredibly intelligent, and had such a sad childhood. Loved him, and i truly understand the pain he suffered. Miss him so much. One of my heroes, i consider a genius was John Lennon.

[@stevedahlberg8680]

I love your reactions and I really really wish you would listen to one of his high-intensity hit songs, Cold Turkey. I know it would really get to you. And also from this same first 1970 Plastic Ono Band album, there are a couple of other songs that are really ahead of their time. I Found Out, and, Well Well Well. Very intense. At the same time though, he has this incredible beautiful dreamy amazing hit, Number 9 Dream.

[@drmorqWarrenProject]

he was going thru primal scream therapy during this time.

[@Russ-gy7tx]

If you could imagine (No Pun) John was in a lot of pain growing up and through the Beatles years. John also conveys his pain in "Cold Turkey." Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal of Tears For Fears attended the same Primal therapy.

[@alrivers2297]

I guess that's where Shout Shout Let it All Out comes from

[@jeffmartin1026]

Although the music is worth it, it indeed has been your beautiful hair that keeps me coming back.

[@L33Reacts]

😂😂😂😂😂👍

[@deechatterton5828]

This is my favorite post-Beatle solo effort. The man was obviously in a great deal of pain and let it all out in this album. The other tracks from this album and time period that are absolutely top notch are God, Cold Turkey, Isolation, Working Class Hero, Remember and (I think I'm in the minority on this) Well, Well, Well.

[@lauraallen55]

I like WWW too, as well as the rest!

[@annakermode6646]

Agreed, for me this is by far the greatest post Beatles album.

[@elizajohn5]

It`s the first time I have heard this song with the noise of children in the backround. 😃

[@L33Reacts]

LOL right. I honestly thought it added to the song in a way that I didn’t intend 🤣

[@lauraallen55]

@@L33Reacts They were joining John in the primal screaming 🤣🥰

[@elizajohn5]

@@L33Reacts Haha. Keep up your great reactions. 👍👌

[@ToddFern]

Fits the song!

[@deancarter9210]

'Love'.

[@dalemcmillan7231]

The entire album is incredible ❤. Personally my favourite John Lennon album.

[@gavinmallett9331]

John took it right back to basics at times, just to let the feeling hang there with the words. I love the technicality in the simplistic approach when executed well.

[@lauraallen55]

I would never call it simplistic. It was a simple approach, and sometimes simple is all it takes to convey a powerful message.

[@Y-two-K]

Only song that ever made me cry upon first hearing it.

[@bradjenkins1475]

As I was listening, I kind of wondered how it would strike you with the section about his father. Anyway, when this song came out. I recognized your felt certain things because it was easy to re late too. Although not the same as my personal journey and experiences, but I think that at least it got me to think more emotionally about John. It just made me understand certain things. Actions, personality trades and I always did like John. And after this song came out, he was my favorite beatle.

[@Steven-d6b7x]

John getting it all out of his system.

[@Brandi6666]

So sad for john😢. Miss him dearly❤️🤘. “god” should be your next lennon cut. Its to friggin deep

[@debjorgo]

Primal Therapy, also known as Primal Scream.

[@stevedahlberg8680]

Probably not from the very beginning, but I stumbled across you pretty early on. And when you think about the numbers that way, I just kind of marvel at the amount of exposure you've had in a relatively short time to this world of music that is essentially historical to you. But you immersing and engaging with it, especially as a musician, changes everything. It's great. And I know this because I have done this with all kinds of music that was before my time, both by a little bit, which I have more access to by knowing older people, and of course movies and whatnot, but also stuff that's much older than that, that my grandparents' or even great-grandparents' generatoons would have known about. And the availability of THAT content is a drop in the bucket compared to later decades. And there is so much more; it's nuts!

[@mrsnookdeb]

Im guessing you've done Instant Karma? If not, hope you do, drumming on it is great

[@lauraallen55]

I've been meaning to put it on my request list. Yes, he definitely needs to do that one!

[@Moz1011]

This is not an easy listen. Quite disturbing. But it's john revealing all.

[@L33Reacts]

i will put that one on the "ASAP" list

[@lauraallen55]

@@L33Reacts One of the videos of it with some other famous folks joining would be perfect for it! I'll send a link. :)

[@redgoals5701]

Such a powerful,painful and heart wrenching song.John is my favourite Beatle,as he gets real and goes to those difficult places.Then on th flip side he can go anywhere else, from the trippy side to a love song and then he'll rock the house .Ultimately,he always has something to say.In years gone by in music the question posed to rate an artist was"What do they have to say?"

[@cojaysea]

I’ll never forget the day I bought this album back in 70 . We knew the best had just broken up and here was a Beatle with a solo album . We sat and listened to the whole thing just blew us away . The whole album was incredible. Lots of primal scream there .

[@jamescostigan3721]

If you want something very Beatle-esque, try "#9 Dream" from John's 1974 "Walls & Bridges" album.

[@jeffreythaw3333]

Raw!!!

[@L33Reacts]

Absolutely raw.

[@redadamearth]

McCartney, as great of a songwriter as he is - he's very, very rarely opened himself up in the DIRECT way that Lennon did. It's why people feel such an emotional connection to Lennon, even though his output was less prolific - there are very few songwriters who have the courage to let people see their deepest flaws. He did it in his songs and in interviews. He admitted that he beat women ("any woman at all") when he was young and told people he was an emotional wreck, as early as "Help!" with the Beatles. McCartney is wonderful - but he's always been a much more stable guy and a technical songwriter, with any of his own feelings well hidden in obscure lines - whereas Lennon would just say: I'm a mess and here's why. They were both brilliant (as was Harrison, who's songwriting was basically a combination of technical and confessional), but Lennon was the most confessional of the group and especially in his solo work. There's very rarely been a songwriter with so little being hidden. A song like "Mother" (or any of the songs on that album) just makes most of what's made today sound useless.

[@oldtimingdude1053]

Well Well Well

[@barryderby]

John's mother handed him over to her sister when he was young, and he believed his aunt to be his mother. His father walked out of his life and went to sea. One day his mother came back into his life and told him the truth. Not long after she was killed by a car driven by a drunk off duty policeman, outside the house. His father showed up when he was rich and famous. Try Woman next time! A beautiful love song. 9:53

[@lauraallen55]

Then he lost his uncle whom he was very fond of, then he lost Stu, his best friend, all by the age of 21. Then, at 26 or so, lost Brian Epstein whom he also was close to. I would be a complete and total wreck of a person with all that and then the insane levels of fame he experienced.

[@James-hd6ez]

​But he didn't think his aunt mimi was his mother ,he was fully aware as he was an olderc hild .not a baby@lauraallen55

[@lauraallen55]

@@James-hd6ez Yeah, I know he wasn't a baby... I didn't say nor imply that he was, nor did I say anything at all about him not being aware. It's worse that he was. He was 5 years old when his parents had him choose between them. That's horrific. And, to choose his mother and be given over to his aunt? Wow. Pretty traumatic shit if you ask me. I'm not sure how much anything was discussed when he was that young, either. You don't typically get into deep conversations with a 5 year old.

[@James-hd6ez]

@@lauraallen55 Yes you are correct, I meant my reply to be for the original comment who was incorrect about john believing his Aunt to be his mother

[@johnbyrnes7912]

Mother is off that first proper album John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band. Many say that LP is his best but most think the next one Imagine is as I do. I'll be interested in your view Lee. Imagine was more successful and polished though you'll find soul incisions on the other! Tally ho ! 🌈🤠😎

[@L33Reacts]

hopefully you enjoyed my friend. it's a tough listen but it's worth it. john is my favorite beatle so I really enjoy his material, for how raw and personal it is. he had a great mind. which sadly comes from trauma. it's what makes us who we are. you don't learn from winning.

[@lathedauphinot6820]

@@L33ReactsNo, you don’t unfortunately. When you win there’s no need to analyze to see what you can improve.

[@corawheeler9355]

Very sad and painful .. I hope this helped him.

[@L33Reacts]

me too. you can feel the pain oozing from his voice.

[@Trunkfish]

You must listen to the song “God” from this album brother might be his best song…a hard listen.. raw

[@randyteta9170]

Powerful song

[@Moz1011]

Lol. The screaming kids in your house were a perfect addition. Loved it!

[@BernardHodgson]

I agree but to me they were just joining in

[@tigerpinky]

my mom loved John Lennon so I resisted him until my own child got into his solo stuff, and this song just bangs my soul because it brings back my teenage feelings of my mother idolizing this song when it came out.

[@GavinRegnart]

Your comment about single edits reminded me of a line from Billy Joel's "The Entertainer" which is a great little song about the music business. It would pair up interestingly with "Paint a Vulgar Picture" by The Smiths.

[@Moz1011]

Reissue repackage.

[@gingerjenko1416]

Well, Well, Well. Tune !!!

[@larrygranat4456]

Great song, thanks. God is one of my favorite John songs

[@woke2woke153]

John made this around tge time he was doing Primal Therapy with Arthur Janov. Changed a lot of people's lives with this song.

[@JAMESMOORE-gq4vv]

A perfect album.

[@toebeat]

My favorite album of all time. It's hard to revisit often, but man, it touches your emotional nerves like no other. Stripped down, petal to the metal (pre-grunge).

[@JamieBuckingham369]

Great reaction man - you know, here is Lennon doing drum and bass with a piano accompaniment, this wasn't a sound even in 1970 - fast forward to late 80's through till now and drum & bass is the sh!t. Same with his topic of songs, a personal, raw, naked look at himself and the process of self realization. It was ahead of it's time.

[@jean-marcevans1439]

Check out the whole album. IMO his best.

[@elisabethaxelsson4736]

This song and The words is so strong

[@dannyshelton1501]

The most New York funky song of John's catalog, "What You Got" from the 1974 Walls And Bridges LP. This will be a great listen. 👍😊

[@rayname908]

I loved this single as a kid. Yoko Ono's "Why" is amazing! The first female punk rock song. When John was killed my mom was freaked out that me & my brother played Yoko's Kiss Kiss Kiss & Give Me Something That's Not Cold and didnt like John's tracks from 1980. This Plastic Ono Band era and Imagine were the peak of post Beatles Lennon.

[@glenndespres5317]

#9 Dream is a nice counterbalance to Mother. But for more introspective John, Isolation is really good.

[@genegarrett3372]

This whole album is bare bones and stripped down. It came about after John's therapy sessions. I think the best track, however, is GOD. PRIMAL THERAPY is a technique where the patient screams and screams and screams.

[@lauraallen55]

God is fantastic!

[@jstock2317]

maybe the saddest song ever? still so great! it's amazing really.

[@L33Reacts]

yeah it's great for sure. but, you can feel that this came from a very personal place. and it works. those screams at the end are haunting a tad.

[@perrymalcolm3802]

It’s an incredible song and album!

[@chitownlee]

I think I was close to you're beginning 😆

[@L33Reacts]

When I was doing the opeth and jinjer videos lol. And epica. I remember those days lol

[@lauraallen55]

The story behind this is so sad. His dad took him, his parents made him choose between them at 5 yo, he chose her and she gave him to her sister to raise. Then, when he was getting to know her, she was killed. I would be all kinds of messed up. That Lee guy knows how to pick 'em!

[@L33Reacts]

I had half of his trauma and i turned out bad, i can't imagine where he would be without the beatles and his creative output to try and avail his sorrows. he's a strange fellow but he means well. That Lee fella, not John. xD

[@DawnSuttonfabfour]

The whole album is therapy.

[@TCFire-i4c]

He carried this with him all those years and never got over it. Yes, the primal screams of a little boy finally came out. He and Yoko tried so hard to have a child, and when Sean was born, John was not about to miss one minute with him. Everyone thought it was crazy when he left the business 😊 how could they not get it? It was too much how after 5 years he produced the most beautiful music we ever heard from him, and he gets taken in his prime, away from them and us. Now Sean is close to 50? It’s uncanny how he looks just like both of them. I think your wife and children in the background is perfect 😊❤ Peace

[@lauraallen55]

@@L33Reacts That was just half his trauma growing up too. He also lost the uncle who was raising him suddenly as a youngster, then lost his best friend to a sudden brain hemorrhage at the age of 20 or 21. Good point that he had the outlet and friends he had, really. Although, there was a certain amount of stress associated with becoming that huge overnight so to speak, too. He wrote the song Help! as a literal cry for help. That Lee fella is pretty all right, if you ask me.

[@lauraallen55]

@@DawnSuttonfabfour It truly was.

[@fineasfogg1461]

Congratulations on the number of videos you have done. I was looking at some Beatles stuff whenever I found you when you did your first Beatles reaction several months ago and haven't looked back. You do have beautiful hair. Show us more of it. Poor John was an angry young man, had lots of issues because of his history. It seems like at this time of his life he was doing a lot of very intimate sad music.😢 I hope it was helpful for him.... Ringo does everything fabulously in my opinion. He's always been my favorite.

[@nanlewis]

Gut wrenching.

[@1967PONTIACGTO]

Apparently there was an incident when John was very young, and his father tried to leave with him... but his mother stopped them, and the parents forced him to choose, and he ran to his mother.... and so his father basically split and was absent after that.. his mother gave him to his Aunt Mimi to raise, and later when he was a teenager he started to reconnect with his mother, but then she was killed by a car driven by a drunken cop... and the father showed up after he was rich and famous.... I don't know if all of this is correct, but it's what I remember from what I've read.

[@lauraallen55]

That sounds right, yes. What a horrific experience.

[@genegarrett3372]

WIND being "Atmosphere" per John

[@Andytheashton]

This was Eminem before eminem. And in Eminem’s tune ‘headlights’ - the drums sound like they’re sampled from this song and the opening melody sounds like the melody to this song

[@2407paul]

Talking about a PowerTrio, please do Remember from this Album,

[@L33Reacts]

I more than likely will do all of it! It’s too good not too

[@theeloquentbaby]

The primal, that a human being could primal, was one of the greatest discoveries of the twentieth century. It’s not appreciated because it is so formidable to do.

[@danielk2829]

Do the full album song by song- the album is very different and soul searching. The bells at the beginning, was repeated (as chimes) on the song Starting Over (on what happens to be) his last album double fantasy to signify a new beginning at 40!

[@hungfao]

The whole album is genius and seems to anticipate punk.

[@bobbiefrederick3819]

Wonder when Julian will come out with his song "Father".

[@alrivers2297]

John's work is truly amazing. Check out God, Instant Karma and #9 Dream

[@Nosferatu388]

You gotta check out "Gimmie Some Truth" from The Imagine album! and I do believe George plays the guitar on this one!! Enjoy!!!

[@glass2467]

This whole album is very intense. Check out God and Love.

[@L33Reacts]

i love the one word song names. they are very lennon and not very lennon at the same time.

[@lauraallen55]

@@L33Reacts I vote for Love to go counter to Mother.

[@fast4wood]

Hold On, another short but great song from this album.

[@IZZY_EDIBLE]

WORKING CLASS HERO, from the same album. I'm tellin' ya.

[@southernwanderer7912]

You should listen to "Cold Turkey." It's about John stopping heroine cold turkey. Great song.

[@arizrich]

Therapy in public.

[@lauraallen55]

Lee, I just realized that The Beatles finished the album Please Please me faster than you did lol! They did it in one day.

[@KenHunter-lt8wm]

😂

[@Rhiannon011]

John wrote the song "Julia" about his mother, you might want to check that song out..

[@-R.Gray-]

There is a comedic take on a bad tempered post Beatles Lennon with aspects of primal screaming in it by The National Lampoon Radio Hour called "Magical Misery Tour".

[@lisannebaumholz5028]

The film "Nowhere Boy" explores (fictionally) this aspect of John's youth. Trailer kzbin.info/www/bejne/f2G0pmlolNuDmNEsi=eqVs7h3wwi3bjCJb

[@stevedahlberg8680]

Screamo, but without the modern vocal effects to augment and enhance it.

[@jonathanmurphy3141]

It can be important to remember, the British, And American "Rock" musicians were born during the Second World War. Some, grew up with one or no parent, amid ruble of cities, and PTSD of their family. John L's father was in the Merchant Marine ships transferring cargo across the Atlantic, amid German U-Boats,....yet, he connected to his Son only really years later. John's mother Julia, gave bird to John as Liverpool was bombed, by the Lutwaffee in Oct'1940 - and left her baby to be raised by her Sister and her husband,....yet, she lived a mile distant. Having one or two parents, or family to raise you,....growing up in ruble....it was better in the Sixties, joy and prosperity again- A number of the next generation did military service, around nations after WW2 (Hendrix,Fogerty, Cash had served -so if they did protest about inequality of society and those who did not serve, some had merit in their understanding and writing.) When The Beatles had "It's getting better" on Sgt.Pepper's LHCB, the line that he used to "beat his woman" yet has learned now,....Paul McC' said years after they would know of Dad's who had been in the War, who were abusive, due to PTSD -or they'd see like Marlon Brando, touch guy in films hitting his Lady for lack of dinner or understanding, in a movie,...."role models" for me, after The War, without really knowing the trauma.

[@pvank1799]

George Harrison was terrified that his own mother would die after John's mother's sudden death and with Paul's mother dying when he was 14. He said John was basically an orphan.

[@spitfirenutspitfirenut4835]

❤️

[@backbeat44]

This album should be listened to cover to back. It is a masterpiece, as Lennon referred to as his, .Sgt. Lennon.. My suggestion, if you do these songs individually you should do them in order of the track listing but if you could it would be even better in two sittings ones side each. This album was punk well before punk with songs like 'I Found Out, a pure raw album. Imagine followed and Lennon referred to Imagine as POB with sugar.

[@lauraallen55]

I thought it was that Imagine was Working Class Hero with sugar?

[@L33Reacts]

I will more than likely do all of the songs but unless someone requests the album I sadly don’t have the slots to devote to it. But I can do songs like these every once in a while

[@lauraallen55]

@@L33Reacts At least you have the album to do a full listen on your own one of these days. :)

[@chitownlee]

Big Ben ringing.