John Lennon: "Stand by Me"

14 May 1981

"It's a song that would make a fool of anybody who didn't mean it. Lennon wouldn't have had to make it perfect. But he did."

— Pete Silverton

Prior to the events of December 8, 1980, John Lennon had never had a solo number one in his homeland. He hadn't even had a lot of big hits with just "Give Peace a Chance", "Instant Karma", "Power to the People", "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" and a belated release of "Imagine" his sole Top 10 entries. Even some of his finest singles — "Mind Games", "Whatever Gets You Thru the Night", "#9 Dream", "Jealous Guy" when it finally emerged as a 45 in the mid-eighties — badly underperformed. Then, millions were stunned when he was assassinated outside his apartment in New York and they expressed their grief by buying up his records en masse. "(Just Like) Starting Over", a reissue of "Imagine" and "Woman" all succeeded each other as Britain's favourite single and another re-release of "Happy Xmas" nearly gave him a quartet of chart toppers. As if all of this wasn't enough, Roxy Music's cover of "Jealous Guy" would go on to a fortnight at number one soon after "Woman" faded.

People couldn't get enough of John Lennon — until they did. With all due respect to "Starting Over", "Imagine" and "Woman", it was his stronger material that ended up being ignored. The first possible casualty was Yoko Ono's "Walking on Thin Ice", an outstanding disco-new wave recording that Lennon famously worked on just prior to his assassination. It entered the Top 40 just as "Jealous Guy" was nearing the summit and both "Imagine" and "Woman" were fading away. Now, you can argue that a single by a mad avant-garde banshee was lucky just to sniff the pop charts but it is easily her most commercial work and a sign that Lennon hadn't left the underground behind completely. Did goodwill towards her husband's memory push it at as high as it got or did the coming backlash hurt its chances? Hard to say but "Thin Ice" deserved better.

I'll acknowledge the ambiguity surrounding Ono's single but there's no doubt that people had grown tired of mourning by the spring of 1981 — and Lennon's recordings were about to pay the price. After overachieving with Double Fantasy's first two singles both going to number one, the album's third release saw a comedown. "Watching the Wheels" proved to be popular enough to make the Top 10 in the US, Canada and Switzerland but the British weren't having it. An autobiographical account of Lennon's lethargy (in the tradition of "I'm Only Sleeping", "Good Morning Good Morning" and "I'm So Tired"; as I've written previously, he may have indeed been lazy but not so much that he didn't feel the need to write a whole host of songs on the subject), it's as soft rock as "Woman" (the use of backing vocalists in both anticipates Stock Aitken Waterman) but with much more of a lyrical edge. While many of his compositions of the time are poignant in light of his horrific murder, it's strong enough on its own. But people weren't touched by it and it only got to number thirty.

But at least it did something on the charts which is more than can be said for the re-release of "Stand by Me". Not a big hit when it initially came out in 1975, it was chosen as yet another attempt to milk the tragedy. This time, it would be with an oldie, something that wasn't guaranteed catch on (while "Imagine" finally gave him the number one that it always should've been, a reissue of "Give Peace a Chance" was just a minor hit earlier in the year). Still, the public weren't interested in hearing Lennon with some bite so why not continue to plunder his sentimental side?

Due to legal issues surrounding a line in Beatles' hit "Come Together", Lennon had been strong-armed into recording an album of old rock 'n' roll hits. While this clashed with his countercultural image, it was something he nevertheless embraced. Ian MacDonald described Lennon's feelings towards the Chuck Berry hit "Rock and Roll Music", which was covered on the Beatles for Sale album and is an absolute banger, as "virtual holy writ" and for sure he tended to sing standards as if they meant everything to him. Beatles' covers are something of a mixed bag (Paul's are mostly good, George and Ringo's generally aren't up to much) but John's are some of their best. "Twist and Shout", "Baby It's You", "Money (That's What I Want)", "Please Mister Postman", "You've Really Got a Hold on Me", "Rock and Roll Music", "Bad Boy": Lennon screamed and emoted his way through so many great songs that he didn't write but might as well have. Even "Mr Moonlight", a lot of people's least favourite Fab Four track (they've obviously never heard Ringo's pitiful — and possibly drunken — take on "Matchbox"), is aided by John's throat ripping plea in the intro.

So, an album of oldies had some promise ten years after The Beatles had given up doing covers. The Rock 'n' Roll album isn't brilliant from start to finish but it has its moments. Tellingly, however, there's a reason you seldom ever hear twelve of its thirteen cuts. As one would expect, Lennon's singing is first rate, his vocals the finest he'd recorded since The White Album. Musically, it's never more than competent. You'd be hard pressed to find cover that tops its original source material. With one exception.

"Stand by Me" stands out on the Rock 'n' Roll album for its quality and the sense that it's a song that meant a lot more to Lennon in 1974 than it did when it first came out. Covers like "Be-Bop-a-Lula" and "Bony Maronie" are charming and affectionate, throwbacks to his youth; this says as much about his state of mind at the time than the likes of "Help", "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "God" did when they came out. Notably, it is one of just two cuts on the album that isn't from the fifties. (Sam Cooke's "Bring It on Home to Me", which was used in a mediocre medley with Little Richard's "Send Me Some Lovin', is the other) Separated from Ono and in the midst of his Lost Weekend, the lyrics likely hit home and Lennon gives it a stirring reading as a result. 

The sole Lennon cover that ever crops up on compilations, "Stand by Me" could've appeared on either of the good-not-great Mind Games or Walls & Bridges albums and it still would've been a highlight. Yet it only just made grazed the Top 30 of the UK charts in 1975 and it fared much worse six years later — even though it appears not to have been a major release. In truth, there wasn't much reason for it being reissued beyond simply keeping the product coming. The public had expressed their sorrow in the aftermath of his murder but now it was time to move on. Further posthumous releases maintained the downward trend with the exception of brand new single "Nobody Told Me" from 1984's Milk & Honey. Ben E. King's original (which is slightly inferior to Lennon's) would later go to number one in Britain on the strength of a Levi's ad campaign proving that the song still had legs. And it still does to this day. Again, Lennon may not have written it but he might as well have.

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Also Reviewed This Fortnight

Kraftwerk: "Pocket Calculator"

Seriously, this was a single? The Computer World album is nowhere near as great as some will have you believe (it doesn't touch either Autobahn or Trans-Europe Express) but it had better material to draw from this, in Pete Silverton's words, "silly song". It seems strange they didn't go into the realm of video games but perhaps choosing to spurn Atari in favour of Little Professor calculators must've been a joke for the German quartet. (If that is indeed the case then the gag is lost on me) Honestly, what can be said about something so throwaway being done by a massively talented group who must have had better things to do. Proof that (a) they were right to get into cycling and (b) this most influential of groups .

Nash the Slash: "Dead Man's Curve"

22 January 1981

"At last! A hero for the walking wounded."

 — Ronnie Gurr

We're in a boardgame cafe on Toronto's Yonge Street. He chooses the Strawberry Shortcake game and I happily agree. As ever, I'm keen to sit on the bench with Orange Blossom. He kicks my ass and wants to play again. I agree so that I can return to my Platonic affair with the girl on the top left corner of the board. He tells me that he hates boardgames other than this one and Mastermind. I consider switching games but hesitate due to my loyalty to Orange Blossom. Besides, Mastermind makes me feel like an imbecile. Kids at a corner table are enjoying Popamatic Trouble and we roll our eyes. It's a best four out of seven Strawberry Shortcake game contest for us and he's looking at a sweep.

Nashville Thebodiah Slasher isn't interested in talking about music and I'm not interested in asking him any of the questions I have prepared. I jotted down a bunch of useless queries about the trademark bandages he has wrapped around his head at all times and if he thinks he's influenced by Captain Beefheart and The Residents but I figure he's been asked these a million times before. Instead, as we're getting set for the third game, I ask him about other bands and types of music. I decide we should do some word association. I start gingerly but it doesn't take long before we're rolling. (For his part, Nash scarcely looks up from our game)

PiL: burial

Lene Lovich: rumpus room

Hazel O'Connor: smalltown mayors

Blondie: helpless

Talking Heads: emotional

The Police: pea soup

The Jam: achievement

Squeeze: gum boots

The Pretenders: astro pops

Bruce Springsteen: manufacturing

ABBA: cotton

Paul McCartney: consituency

Gary Numan: funeral

Toyah: chain link fences

Queen: pigeon toes

Stevie Wonder: relationships

Kate Bush: bed pans

Adam & The Ants: inhabitable

XTC: braids

The Specials: back bacon

Ian Dury: bricklaying

Nash the Slash: Circle Square Rancher

Not much revealed there (though it is nice to discover that the Nasher is a strong Christian soldier). Deciding that we've had enough shenanigans, I finish up my visit with Orange Blossom and work up the courage to ask him about his latest record. It is what Smash Hits have flown me over to Canada for. So, Mr. Slash, what made you want to cover "Dead Man's Curve"? Do you like exploring the dark side of innocent pop?

"No", he says while rolling the dice, "it was already dark. I gave it some much needed sunshine".

I suppose you could argue that's what he did. So how much of your public persona matches your private self?

"Nash and Nashville are mostly the same but I try to tone it down a little when I'm out in public. If people think I wear too many bandages they should see me at home".

Does he wrap certain "appendages" in bandages at home?

"You mean my arms and legs? Or the outsized skin tag under my arms pits?"

Yeah, those ones. So, is it true you won't use guitars on your records?

"I'd use a guitar if I could get some different sounds of them. Other instruments are able to sound like guitars but guitars only sound like themselves."

Do you reckon you're cut out for the pop life?

"I must be since my last job was decorating birthday cakes. I got fired after just a few weeks but I still haven't been canned from this one."

All these questions have thrown off his nibs and we're neck and neck in the fourth game. I hope Orange Blossom won't leave me in for him. His strategy of playing hard to get with her appears to be paying off. I'll have to make it up to her somehow. I'm beginning to suspect that the Slasher has found my weakness. I'd better try to get into his head with some more questions. What does he think of making music videos?

"I love making videos. They're much more fun than most of the records. I suggested to my record label that we do a silent music video but they said no."

A silent music video???

"Yeah, like a silent movie but without the music playing. Most songs sound better in my head anyway."

What does Nash like to do for fun?

"Oh, the usual. Cooking shows on TV, slurpees and walking away in the middle of conversations. I'm a simple guy with simple pleasures."

Try as I might, Nash the Slash sweeps me in Strawberry Shortcake game. I ask him if he'd like to play Mille Bornes but he politely declines. He's got a doctor's appointment prior to his concert here in Toronto. The man is one of a kind and he doesn't even know it.

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Also Reviewed This Fortnight

John Lennon: "Woman"

"Everyone thinks it's about my woman but it's really about 99% of the women, alive or half dead". This is not something John Lennon uttered in his lifetime but he might have done had he lived longer. One of his strengths was to make the personal seem so universal and he did it here just as he did on "Girl" and "Mother" years earlier. ("Julia" is perhaps his one personal statement to a woman that could never have been masked as something else) It probably did seem like pablum in November of 1980 but it has never not been poignant ever since. Lennon detractors will predictably trot out stuff about him beating women but he did try to atone for his sinful past. Well done.

Everything but the Girl: "Mine"

14 July 1984

"This is one of the best singles I've heard for a long time and it should be a big hit if they've finished their exams and want to do a bit of promotion."

— Andy Taylor

Cor! A special edition of VER HITS!

You've probably noticed that this entry is early. Yes! I've flouted my once-a-week rules and have provided an extra review for your reading pleasure. Except this one isn't from the pages of Smash Hits magazine. Instead, we have the first in an occasional series of pieces about singles reviewed in rival and/or related publications. First up is Record Mirror, once a sturdy tabloid inky that battled it out with Melody Maker and New Music Express but which had recently gone the glossy pop mag route to compete with ver Hits. A special thanks to Michael Kane's fantastic Flickr archive for posting this issue. I highly recommend you visit this page, it makes for a nice companion to Brian McCloskey's indispensable Smash Hits site.

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Smash Hits scooped up John Taylor to guest review the singles just a few weeks earlier and, not to be outdone, here is Record Mirror drafting in Andy Taylor to give his thoughts on the new releases. (Rest assured, I already checked to see if Roger Taylor got snapped up by Number One to do the deed around this time but, alas, he must have passed on the opportunity; perhaps he was busy looking at farms to purchase and prematurely retire to) Both had their hearts in harder rock than the poncy art school stuff that Simon Le Bon and Nick Rhodes were interested in but you'd hardly notice it here with their respective picks. John opted for the slick 'n' smooth sounds of the Kane Gang while Andy made a case for the sensitive jazz-pop of Everything but the Girl - and over a reissue of a Stones classic (his 'almost single of the week') to boot. Hardly the choice cuts of macho axe men.

Andy Taylor was beginning to give the pop stardom of Duran Duran a rethink so perhaps the understated crispness of Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt proved to be a welcome pallet cleanser: it wasn't necessarily the sort of music he'd play on but did stand in stark contrast to the artifice being dished up by of the biggest group in the world. As his nibs points out, "it's good for people to get into that level of musicianship and also make it commercial at the same time. It's getting away from quick, cheap and nasty." It's hard not to think he has the band he would soon leave in mind as being quick, cheap and nasty (he'd hardly be alone). (Though I feel at pains to point out that The Power Station may not have been quite the direction to have gone in had they been looking for some credibility. Blimey, this is now the second time I've used TPS as a way of taking a shot at a Taylor; I hope I don't blow my load before we get to them early next year)

So, just what made Everything but the Girl, er, slow, expensive and agreeable? Most obviously there's Tracey Thorn, who must be the most resigned vocalist in pop. Post-punk female vocalists in Britain tended towards a nihilistic, lifeless style of singing and some pulled it off but Thorn managed a sullen realism that could also be beautifully expressive. A line like "I'm okay and I don't need his name, thank you / mine fits me nicely, mine will do" probably ought to be delivered by someone with a flippant confidence like Kim Deal but it's all the more poignant conveyed by sheer sorrow. There's no melodrama, however, as Thorn keeps it tight and too the point.

EBTG's other strength here is just what a staggeringly talented pair Thorn and Ben Watt were. I've written before in praise of their respective solo works but the two functioned even more effectively in tandem. Playing with precision and restraint, they conjure up a mood that glides over the listener. Watt's guitar solo is brief but compliments Thorn's performance perfectly and so, too, does a gentle bit of vibes from British jazz musician Bill Le Sage. The playing in general is impeccable with the unlikely team up of jazz veterans and post punkers working magic together. I'm not sure whether they happened to be sitting their exams at the time, as Taylor maybe a bit snarkingly alludes to above, but it's hard to say if something so superb really had much chart potential. Quick, cheap and nasty may have made his skin crawl but it's always been a proven winner for reaching the top forty.

Record Mirror was very much on the serious end of the pop magazine spectrum and this was a reputation that would be difficult to shake in spite of some cutesy gimmicks they would soon start to rely on. While it's difficult to imagine holdover readers from an earlier era remaining loyal, it's also hard to picture many young people, used to the nonsensical joy of Smash Hits, getting sucked into this world of serious and less sparkly pop journalism. A less sparkly member of Duran Duran, Andy Taylor turned out to be the perfect guest reviewer for them — and, indeed, Everything but the Girl's "Mine" proved an appropriate staff pick. Too bad ver kids weren't having it.

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Also Reviewed This Week

John Lennon: "I'm Stepping Out"

"I'm Only Sleeping", "A Day in the Life", "Good Morning Good Morning", "#9 Dream", "Watching the Wheels": yes, John Lennon enjoyed loafing and daydreaming and leafing through a newspaper with the telly on and pop records playing and (probably) a ham radio on all at the same time but at least he wrote plenty of songs about his slothful ways. (The typically contrary bugger that he was, the first chance he had to rest and relax, during The Beatles' meditation sojourn in India, he began feeling restless, which he was good enough to document in song with "I'm So Tired") A nice change, then, to see him getting ready for a night on the town in NYC — except it isn't anything of the sort. Lennon may indeed be stepping out but it's hard to believe he has much enthusiasm for doing so. The second verse gives away the game by admitting that "if it don't feel right, you don't have to do it", while in the third he basically lists off all stuff he normally does — "baby's sleeping, the cats have all been fed / Ain't nothing doing on TV (summer repeats)" — as to delay having to leave the apartment. Lennon was far more sociable in his later years than some would have you believe but he was at heart a homebody. The record isn't bad but, as with much of his work from the end of his life, it's of more value for what it tells us about Lennon's state of mind at the time.