Friday, January 18, 2013

Happiness is a Warm Gun


For my first post, I feel obligated to write about, what has to be my favourite song; Happiness is a Warm Gun by The Beatles.

     This song was written and performed by John Lennon and was featured on The White Album. According to Lennon, the name of the song was derived simply. One evening, George Martin showed Lennon a gun magazine. "I think he showed me a cover of a magazine that said 'Happiness Is a Warm Gun.' It was a gun magazine. I just thought it was a fantastic, insane thing to say. A warm gun means you just shot something." 


     He wrote the song in three entirely different sections, which explains the complexity of the melody itself. The imagery in the song is so surreal, and that level of creativeness is said to have come from when Lennon and Derek Taylor were both in the midsts of an acid trip while writing to opening lines. 


     The song has a unique sound with its frequent shifts in tempo, distorted guitar, and peculiar sayings ["A soap impression of his wife which he ate And donated to the National Trust"]. Very rarely, The Beatles would incorporate what is referred to as polyrhythm in their songs. This track is an example of that. 


     Paul McCartney and George Harrison both admit to it being their favourite song on The White Album, which was recorded during tense times among the band members. It was one thing that they could all finally agree on, which was that it was a truly spell bounding track. 

Happy Listening! 
V.V




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