John and Yoko's Heart Play

Double Fantasy has always been a somewhat confusing album for me. John Lennon has always been one of my musical heroes--I was twelve years old when I first heard the Beatles, and their music inspired me to pick up a guitar and embark upon a musical career that has for the most part been good to me. I have always had the utmost admiration for Lennon as a songwriter, vocalist and musician.

On the other hand, I have always profoundly disliked Yoko Ono. I will never forgive her for breaking up the Beatles, I've always thought that she was an opportunistic, manipulating woman who parlayed her relationship with John Lennon into financial gain and, I guess, some sort of cult fame.

So it is with some trepidation that I review this album. To put it bluntly, I love the Lennon tunes, and I could very easily do without the Yoko Ono offerings, but Lennon conceptualized this album as a "heart play", so all of the tracks must be considered as a part of the whole.

The Lennon tracks represent a renewed, recharged John Lennon, who was just emerging from a lengthy hiatus from the music business. Much of the music reflect his new-found domesticity, although some of the famous Lennon wit is present, as well as the touch of insecurity that was often evident in much of his earlier work.

Without further ado, here are the tracks, and my comments about each:

1. (Just Like) Starting Over--A nostalgic song with 50's overtones begins the album--Lennon is talking about the growth of a relationship, but yearns to return to the way that the relationship was in the beginning. The "bathroom tile" vocal effects cements the 50's feel, and Lennon's vocal delivery affirms my belief that he is truly one of the great rock 'n roll vocalists of our time.

2. Kiss Kiss Kiss--All of Yoko's tracks are best described as electro-synth or Euro-pop, with a hint of disco and new wave. None of them are very good--because (1) she can't sing, and (2) her birdlike cries really grate on my nerves--and this one is no exception. The orgasmic ending is sort of different--I guess this was her conception of art--I certainly don't consider it music.

3. Cleanup Time--A little of the famous Lennon wit shows up here--it's really a song about addiction disguised as a tune about home and household chores. The disco rhythms and horn section give it a verve that belies the serious underlying message.

4. Give Me Something--Another Yoko offering that is representative of her tracks on this album--her vocals are discordant and thoroughly displeasing to the ear. She never could have gotten away with this if she hadn't been John Lennon's wife.

5. I'm Losing You--This song and the following track are a couple of the reasons I've always been confused by this album. The newly domesticated Lennon, secure in his relationship, worried about losing his wife? This is just a prime example of how he always wore his heart on his sleeve, often writing openly about the insecurities that plagued him as a person. This tune has got a wicked guitar lick that usually would express venom, but here Lennon is contrite about losing his woman. His vocals remind me of some of his earlier Beatles work, and this song works sort of like You Can't Do That in reverse.

6. I'm Moving On--This is Yoko's answer to Lennon's song, and again the theme is contrary to what I believe the nature of their relationship to be at the time. The guitar lick in the previous track reappears, but this time the venom is apparent. Yoko's wooden vocal delivery is unappealing, but it's probably her best track on the album.

7. Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)--Lennon's ode to Sean, his son, and a really gorgeous tune at that. The music has an oriental feel to it, and the bridge resurrects the old Lennon-McCartney trick of major key verses pitted against minor key bridges, but with a twist--the bridge winds up in a major key, a really nice effect. "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans" is one of my favorite Lennon philosophical lines. Paul McCartney once said that this was Lennon's best song, and he probably wasn't far from the truth.

8. Watching The Wheels--This is Lennon's tune about his musical hiatus--for five years he just sort of sat at home and watched the world go round. The melody of one of the best he ever wrote, and when he made the piano the focal point of his songs, I think he was at his best. When he became separated from the world of music, I feel he "rediscovered" himself as a person, and that's really the theme of this song.

9. Yes, I'm Your Angel--This song is unlike anything else on the album--it's a little ragtime, and sounds like it could have been performed in a speakeasy in 1930's Chicago. The piano and clarinets help create the effect, and Yoko's vocals, except for being a little too theatric, are actually passable.

10. Woman--A song with a heavy guitar texture, beautiful vocals, and a melody that becomes an old friend only moments into the tune. I sounds a lot like something the Beatles would have done, and it's not hard for me to imagine Paul McCartney singing along with Lennon on this one. A touch of the famous Lennon insecurities surface here, but the mood is really one of celebration, helped on by the key change at the end.

11. Beautiful Boys--Yoko's answer to John's song to Sean--she sings to both of them, quite badly, I might add. The lyrics are some of her best, but she has a problem making her musical tone fit her message. The song is depressing, and it shouldn't be, if you read the lyrics. The acoustic guitar solo is the only redeeming quality of the track.

12. Dear Yoko--A little piece of Lennon pop fluff--the mood is light but the message is clear--his undying love for Yoko Ono.

13. Every Man Has A Woman Who Loves Him--Another tune by Yoko that is dark, depressing and muddy. Musically, she revisits the Euro-synth, techno-pop style--who knows, Yoko may have inspired the industrial genre of music! Whatever, this song is aimless, and combines with the next track to form a pretty flaccid ending to the album.

14. Hard Times Are Over--Another unremarkable track by Yoko--I get the feeling from listening to this album that Lennon was more or less indulging her by letting her put garbage like this on his album. Musically, the song sounds almost like a gospel tune, with the church organ and the angelic background vocals, but that doesn't save it--in fact, Yoko's rambling vocals seal its' fate.

Like I said, this album has always confused me--on the one hand, Lennon's genius shines through, but it gets unavoidably diluted by Yoko's contributions. The perfect album would have been just the Lennon tunes, with a couple of more tracks, instead of the barrage of Yoko Ono nonsense.
Still, the album deserves a good listen, if only for the Lennon tracks, which are priceless.

I shall never forget John Lennon.