Sleep And The Art Of Diss Tracks

'How Do You Sleep?' by John Lennon has been described as a diss track aimed at his former Beatles bandmate Paul McCartney. Lennon's song was a response to McCartney's solo track 'Too Many People'. In an interview, McCartney expressed that he felt hurt by the song, in which Lennon sings All you ever did was 'Yesterday’…”. Lennon's track was not the first diss track, with some citing 'Sexy Sadie' by The Beatles, directed at Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, as the first.

John Lennon's 'How Do You Sleep' was a response to Paul McCartney's earlier solo track 'Too Many People'

John Lennon's "How Do You Sleep?" is a scathing diss track aimed at his former Beatles bandmate and songwriting partner, Paul McCartney. The song was written in response to what Lennon perceived as personal slights by McCartney on the latter's album "Ram", particularly the song "Too Many People".

Lennon felt attacked by McCartney, who later admitted that certain lines in "Too Many People" were intended as digs at Lennon. Lennon believed that other songs on the "Ram" album, such as "3 Legs", contained similar attacks, although McCartney denied this. Lennon's lyrics in "How Do You Sleep?" refer to the "Paul is dead" conspiracy theory ("Those freaks was right when they said you was dead") and include references to the Beatles' songs "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and "Yesterday", as well as McCartney's single "Another Day".

The song was recorded on May 26, 1971, at Ascot Sound Studios during the sessions for Lennon's "Imagine" album, and features a slide guitar part played by George Harrison. Lennon co-produced the song with Phil Spector and Yoko Ono, who also contributed to the lyrics.

Lennon initially penned the lyrics, "You probably pinched that bitch anyway", as a reference to McCartney's claims that he was unsure if he had plagiarized "Yesterday". Lennon also makes his feelings about McCartney's music clear in the lyrics: "The only thing you done was yesterday / And since you've gone you're just another day / A pretty face may last a year or two / But pretty soon they'll see what you can do / The sound you make is Muzak to my ears / You must have learned something all those years".

While "How Do You Sleep?" is a direct and harsh response to "Too Many People", Lennon later downplayed the feud, stating that there was "no feud between me and Paul" and that it was "all good, clean fun".

McCartney found the song hurtful as it seemed to be aimed at him

Sir Paul McCartney admitted in an interview that he found John Lennon's song 'How Do You Sleep?' hurtful, as he felt it was aimed at him. The song is considered a diss track, released in response to McCartney's earlier solo track 'Too Many People'. Lennon's song includes the lyric, "All you ever did was 'Yesterday'", which appears to reference McCartney's famous Beatles track.

In the same interview, McCartney recalled an article quoting Lennon's wife, Yoko Ono, saying, "Paul did nothing. All he ever did was book the studio." This further fuelled McCartney's belief that 'How Do You Sleep?' was directed at him. He also mentioned that people in the room with Lennon while he was writing the song claimed that Lennon was getting lyrical suggestions from Allan Klein, indicating that the song was intentionally aimed at McCartney.

The release of 'How Do You Sleep?' added a new chapter to the ongoing speculation about the nature of the relationship between Lennon and McCartney, two of the Beatles' most prominent members. The song's lyrics and timing led many to interpret it as a diss track directed at McCartney, with some even suggesting that it was a response to McCartney's perceived criticism of Lennon in his song 'Too Many People'.

While the exact motivations behind the song may never be fully known, it is clear that McCartney found the song hurtful and interpreted it as a personal attack. This episode highlights the complex dynamics that can exist within highly successful musical groups, even after they have disbanded.

Lennon's song referenced McCartney's track 'Yesterday'

John Lennon and Paul McCartney of the Beatles are known for their successful musical collaboration, with the band selling over 600 million records worldwide as of 2004. The pair often wrote songs independently, and many Beatles songs are primarily the work of one or the other. However, it was uncommon for a song to be completed without some input from both writers.

One of the most famous songs by the duo is "Yesterday", which was written by McCartney and released in 1965. The track is known for its popularity and the fact that it has been recorded by more musicians than any other song, according to Guinness World Records.

Lennon and McCartney's partnership ended in 1970, and in 1971, Lennon released the song "How Do You Sleep?" on his album "Imagine". The song is believed to be a diss track aimed at McCartney, with the line "The only thing you done was Yesterday, but since you've gone you're just another day" appearing to reference McCartney's hit "Yesterday". Lennon later claimed that the song reflected a personal struggle rather than an attack on McCartney.

In the late 1990s, McCartney and Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, became involved in a dispute over the credit order for "Yesterday". McCartney requested that the writing credit be changed to "McCartney/Lennon", but Ono refused. The dispute was one of the reasons for the poor relationship between McCartney and Ono at the time.

'How Do You Sleep' may have been influenced by Allan Klein

Paul McCartney has revealed that John Lennon's song "How Do You Sleep?" was influenced by manager Allan Klein. The song, written after the Beatles' split, contained lyrics that McCartney found hurtful. McCartney has since revealed that Lennon was influenced by Klein when writing the song, with Klein even contributing the line, "The only thing you done was 'Yesterday' and since you're gone, you're just another day". McCartney had wanted to be represented by Lee and John Eastman, but the other Beatles—Ringo Starr and George Harrison—preferred Klein, and so he was appointed as the Beatles' manager.

Klein's involvement with the Beatles began when he contacted Lennon after reading his comment that the Beatles would be "broke in six months" if things continued as they were. Klein met with Lennon, who retained him as his financial representative, and the next day he met with the other Beatles. McCartney was guarded about Klein from the start, and so Lee and John Eastman were also involved as the band's attorneys to dilute Klein's influence. However, there was conflict between Klein and the Eastmans, and so the latter were dismissed, with Klein being given a three-year contract as the Beatles' business manager.

Klein's bold approach to business is thought to have influenced Lennon's negative feelings towards McCartney, with Klein potentially disclosing to Lennon that McCartney was buying extra shares in Northern Songs. McCartney also believed that Klein was to blame for the acrimony between the band members, stating that: "I suppose that when The Beatles broke up, perhaps there was a misconception that we all sort of hated each other... What I realize now is that... families have disputes".

Klein's influence over Lennon and the other Beatles ultimately led to McCartney's plans to leave the band. Unhappy with production decisions on the "Let It Be" album and the hiring of Klein as their manager, McCartney went public with his plans to leave.

'Sexy Sadie' by Lennon was another diss track, this time aimed at Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

John Lennon's song "Sexy Sadie" from the Beatles' 1968 self-titled album, also known as the "White Album", is considered an early example of a diss track. Lennon wrote the song in response to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's alleged sexual advance towards actress Mia Farrow, who was attending a course the Maharishi was teaching at his ashram in Rishikesh, India. Lennon originally wanted to title the song "Maharishi", with lyrics such as "Maharishi, you little twat/Who the fuck do you think you are?/Who the fuck do you think you are?/Oh, you cunt" and "Maharishi, what have you done? You made a fool of everyone", but he changed the title to "Sexy Sadie" at George Harrison's request.

Lennon's disillusionment with the Maharishi stemmed from the alleged incident involving Mia Farrow, who was present at the ashram at the same time as the Beatles. In her 1997 autobiography, Farrow wrote that she was groped by the Maharishi, an account that has been disputed by some members of the Beatles, including Harrison, who later apologised for the way the Maharishi had been treated.

Lennon, however, seemed to hold on to his negative feelings towards the Maharishi, as evidenced by the song's lyrics. In a 1968 Rolling Stone interview, Lennon compared "Sexy Sadie" to "I've Been Good to You" by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, noting the similarity in the opening lines: "Look what you've done/You made a fool out of someone" in the Miracles' song and "What have you done?/You made a fool of everyone" in "Sexy Sadie".

Upon his return from India, Lennon scratched the original lyrics into a piece of wood, and the song remained largely unchanged during recording, aside from the title alteration. Lennon's decision to write "Sexy Sadie" seemed to be a calculated move, as he expressed his dissatisfaction with the Maharishi and his disappointment with their parting.

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