Rare video of How Do You Sleep? released

To promote the upcoming Deluxe edition of John Lennon’s iconic album Imagine, never-before-seen footage of the song How Do You Sleep? has been released. The video shows John Lennon and the The Plastic Ono Band recording the song at Ascott Sound Studios at Lennon’s home with “no reverb or echo, no effects, no strings, just live, unvarnished and raw”.

How Do You Sleep? was released on the album Imagine in 1971 and is seen as the low point of the quarrel between Lennon and McCartney. On his album Ram Paul had already targeted Lennon, especially in the song Too Many People, although Lennon also saw personal attacks on him in songs like Back Seat of my Car and Dear Boy. How Do You Sleep? was a response to these songs. 

Video: How Do You Sleep?

The video is recorded at night, during the last week in May, 1971. John Lennon is playing the same electric guitar he played on 'Revolution'. He is accompanied by George Harrison on electric slide and on bass the Beatles’ old friend from the Hamburg days Klaus Voormann is playing along. The other musicians are Rod Lynton and Ted Turner from Wishbone Ash on twelve string acoustic guitars, Alan White (who would later join Yes) on drums, John Tout on a Steinway upright piano and Nicky Hopkins playing the Wurlitzer Electric Piano.

In a response to the American National Public Radio, Yoko Ono stated about the track:

John wrote many great songs, some tender and some mean... ... people thought this was about Paul, and Paul seems to have thought that too, so too bad it wasn't played too much."

McCartney on his turn responded to the song with the track Dear Friend, which was released on his first Wings album Wild Life (1972). After that no more attacks were made to each other through their songs.

Video: Dear Friend

More News:

McCartney Rocks Montreal
Horns Freshen Up McCartney’s Live Band
Release Of Let It Be Re-Edit Possibly In 2020

André Homan

André Homan is a Dutch writer and journalist.

Nieuwere post Oudere post