When The Beatles released Revolution (credited to Lennon-McCartney) on the ‘B’ side of the single “Hey Jude” in August 1968, criticism from far left groups against the band, specially against John Lennon, did not wait to detonate. The radical left felt that the band was failing to support their cause and expressed disappointment by the lyric’s negative reference to Mao Zedong and to “destruction” as a means of achieving transformation. The pressure must have been so strong on the band that they ultimately succumbed and modified one of the lines.
The original version in the “Hey Jude” single, says:
“But when you talk about destruction, don’t you know that you can count me out”
Three months later, the slower version of Revolution was included in the “White Album” with a slight change in the lyrics:
“But when you talk about destruction, don’t you know that you can count me out…in”
Throughout his life, Lennon consistently claimed that he was an artist before anything else, and that his political vocation, as much as it mattered to him, always came in second place after his art. Lennon was also consistent about his appeals for peace and his firm rejection of violence as a political tool. This is why it is so disappointing that he yielded to the pressure by changing the one song he cared so much about in 1968. In any case, Revolution still remains an hymn for advocates of social change across the world who simply do not believe and firmly reject any form of violence or oppression in society; the same group of people who love “Imagine,” released by Lennon in 1971, after the band had broken apart.
The criticism The Beatles faced after Revolution is a clear example of how radical left-wing groups not only bully those who support the right but also their fellow left-wing supporters who are just keen in condemning Communism and other forms of authoritarian regimes. It is the same sort of groups that still today, claim they are all in for peace but are yet keen supporters of tyrants like Chavez and the Castros.
Listen to Revolution 1, with lyrics here
Interesting article from The Guardian about Paul McCartney’s performance in Red Square in 2003.
When Paul McCartney played in Red Square, watch here