Listen To John Lennon’s Rare Acoustic Version of ‘God’

We all know John Lennon as a fantastic songwriter who channeled his feelings and principles through songs. Lennon remained controversial in his life; making statements that provoked conservatives and their beliefs. For the parents in the 60s, Lennon epitomized a bad example for their children; and for children, Lennon taught them to embrace a sense of individuality that wasn’t given much of a priority until today.

The musician, who made the whole world erupt with anger for his “more popular than Jesus” statement while still being a member of The Beatles, didn’t hold back his tongue once again about religion post-breakup of the group. Albeit he was never an atheist despite others’ claims, he only wanted to discover for us the inner “god” that we have in ourselves. A reason why he wrote “God,” a song inside his first post-Beatle album, Plastic Ono Band (1970).

“God” was written in 3 sections by Lennon. First, he describes God as “a concept by which we measure our pain.”  A Descartian list of things Lennon does not believe in is chanted in the second, concluding that he only believes in himself and Yoko (his wife). His stance on religion and spirituality is exemplified by his rejection of the I Ching and the Bible as well as the tarot and kings like Elvis, Bob Dylan, Jesus Christ, Beatles, as well as the Buddha, the Gita, and the Gita Mantra. Third, as a result of the Beatles’ breakup, John Lennon has undergone a dramatic transformation. He is no longer the “Dreamweaver” or “The Walrus,” but simply “John.” The song’s final line, “The dream is over,” has been interpreted as signaling the end of the search for meaning in the 1960s. According to John Lennon, “if there’s a God, then we’re all it.”

Simply put, Lennon wrote this to warn people about worshipping “false idols.” Lennon harbored resentment toward the Beatles, in particular Paul McCartney, at the time of their breakup. With the line, “I don’t believe in Beatles,” he signaled that he was progressing as a solo artist.

With that, let us listen to this rare acoustic version of John Lennon’s “God,” in contrast to the piano-driven studio one.