"Dear Friend" vs. "How Do You Sleep At Night?
-
Comparing the two songs "Dear Friend" vs. "How Do You Sleep At Night?", here is my take: I just listened to them both a couple of times tonight. In John's, he's definitely on the warpath. His song even has some of the same chords in it that are very characteristically played together in the background of American Indian scenes in Cowboy and Indian movies, usually when they're in attack mode. Coincidence? Probably not, I'm thinking. I'm definitely giving "Dear Friend" my vote. John's shows talent, but it is vitriolic. Paul's sounds conciliatory. What does anyone else think?
-
Versus vs. Verses? All Together Now...Can U Take My Friend To Bed?
-
I think you mean "Dear Friend" from Wings Wild LIfe. John How Do You Sleep is a nasty, bitter, malicious slander. Paul's Dear Friend is a heartfelt plea for reconciliation.
-
Agreed. And, two people helped him write it, according to Tom Doyle in Man on the Run.
-
The two songs show their different personalities. John had a "vitriolic" personality at times. He was pissed at Paul and it came out in this song. Having George on it was rubbing salt in the wound. In fact all three ex-Beatles were against Paul at this time. A lot of water under the bridge since... Conciliatory or not, Dear Friend did nothing to change the Paul against the other three and Allen Klein lawsuit which was active when these songs were released.
-
I agree. Good demos of their different personalities.
-
They're utterly different songs. "How Do You Sleep?" is a rant. "Dear Friend" is quiet and contemplative. Putting aside the tempation to take sides in the feud they were having at the time, John's song is clearly stonger. It's tight, focused, and gets its point across like a laser. "Dear Friend" is lovely but kind of wanders. Like severeal songs on Wild Life, it would have been better if it were at least a minute shorter.
-
Bruce M.:
They're utterly different songs. "How Do You Sleep?" is a rant. "Dear Friend" is quiet and contemplative. Putting aside the tempation to take sides in the feud they were having at the time, John's song is clearly stonger. It's tight, focused, and gets its point across like a laser. "Dear Friend" is lovely but kind of wanders. Like severeal songs on Wild Life, it would have been better if it were at least a minute shorter.
John expressed far much more love for Paul than not...and vice a versa...Just like all of us do! Anyone who tells you anything different...is XXXXXX! "THINK" ~ //oo\\
-
SurSteven:
Bruce M.:
They're utterly different songs. "How Do You Sleep?" is a rant. "Dear Friend" is quiet and contemplative. Putting aside the tempation to take sides in the feud they were having at the time, John's song is clearly stonger. It's tight, focused, and gets its point across like a laser. "Dear Friend" is lovely but kind of wanders. Like severeal songs on Wild Life, it would have been better if it were at least a minute shorter.
John expressed far much more love for Paul than not...and vice a versa...Just like all of us do! Anyone who tells you anything different...is XXXXXX! "THINK" ~ //oo\\
Not disagreeing with you. I'm just discussing those two songs. I think John said his song was his answer "in a moment of anger" to some of the lyrics on Ram. I'm not sure which lyrics he thought specifically pin pointed him, though.
-
Fan4-45years:
I think John said his song was his answer "in a moment of anger" to some of the lyrics on Ram. I'm not sure which lyrics he thought specifically pin pointed him, though.
All of them--he and Yoko were uber-paranoid at this point. Moment? It must have taken quite a while to write, rehearse, and record the song.
-
Well I must be like John Lennon too. I was accused the other day from a "friend" that I was "vitriolic" as well. Then my "friend" went into a tirade detailing all my faults which made me laugh at the hypocrisy of it all. I see this as just another thread that is allowed on this site to bash John Lennon and it is getting boring and distasteful. I mean uber distasteful.
How many more threads and excuses can one use to bash John Lennon's memory? I really doubt Sir Paul would approve of it. 
-
This is a discussion about which song people prefer and why. If you are above this, as you stated, fine. But, please don't bash everyone who wants to discuss it.
-
Fan4-45years:
SurSteven:
Bruce M.:
They're utterly different songs. "How Do You Sleep?" is a rant. "Dear Friend" is quiet and contemplative. Putting aside the tempation to take sides in the feud they were having at the time, John's song is clearly stonger. It's tight, focused, and gets its point across like a laser. "Dear Friend" is lovely but kind of wanders. Like severeal songs on Wild Life, it would have been better if it were at least a minute shorter.
John expressed far much more love for Paul than not...and vice a versa...Just like all of us do! Anyone who tells you anything different...is XXXXXX! "THINK" ~ //oo\\
Not disagreeing with you. I'm just discussing those two songs. I think John said his song was his answer "in a moment of anger" to some of the lyrics on Ram. I'm not sure which lyrics he thought specifically pin pointed him, though.
Whether their break-up was inevitable or not, it was Paul who first legally filed for "The Divorce". This of course pretty well alienated him from the other 3. I am surprised (unless I missed it) that no one has mentioned Ringo's Back Off Boogaloo song. Wasn't RAM created while The Beatles finances were legally tied up and Paul was living on Linda's income?
-
SurSteven:
Fan4-45years:
SurSteven:
Bruce M.:
They're utterly different songs. "How Do You Sleep?" is a rant. "Dear Friend" is quiet and contemplative. Putting aside the tempation to take sides in the feud they were having at the time, John's song is clearly stonger. It's tight, focused, and gets its point across like a laser. "Dear Friend" is lovely but kind of wanders. Like severeal songs on Wild Life, it would have been better if it were at least a minute shorter.
John expressed far much more love for Paul than not...and vice a versa...Just like all of us do! Anyone who tells you anything different...is XXXXXX! "THINK" ~ //oo\\
Not disagreeing with you. I'm just discussing those two songs. I think John said his song was his answer "in a moment of anger" to some of the lyrics on Ram. I'm not sure which lyrics he thought specifically pin pointed him, though.
Whether their break-up was inevitable or not, it was Paul who first legally filed for "The Divorce". This of course pretty well alienated him from the other 3. I am surprised (unless I missed it) that no one has mentioned Ringo's Back Off Boogaloo song. Wasn't RAM created while The Beatles finances were legally tied up and Paul was living on Linda's income?
Yes, that's what I read, too. They all were saying things during that time period. Lots of hurt feelings, I would imagine. Didn't the others eventually thank Paul for getting them loose from Klein?
-
hey_kittay:
Well I must be like John Lennon too. I was accused the other day from a "friend" that I was "vitriolic" as well. Then my "friend" went into a tirade detailing all my faults which made me laugh at the hypocrisy of it all. I see this as just another thread that is allowed on this site to bash John Lennon and it is getting boring and distasteful. I mean uber distasteful.
How many more threads and excuses can one use to bash John Lennon's memory? I really doubt Sir Paul would approve of it. I don't think it is bashing John thread. My comments above are just my opinion of HDYS. I think John completely over reacted to Paul's digs in Too Many People off RAM. John actually started this lyric war on Plastic Ono Band on the track I Found Out where he actually names Paul in this line : "I've seen religion from Jesus to Paul" I don't even understand the point John is making. Maybe that line spurred Paul to write the lyric "Too many people preaching practices". Meaning if any one is being preachy it is John.
-
"I've seen religion from Jesus to Paul" "John came before Jesus Jesus was The Greatest Stephen Confirmed Jesus Paul took The Message To The World" What was The Message? Which Paul was John talking about?
-
SurSteven:
"I've seen religion from Jesus to Paul" "John came before Jesus Jesus was The Greatest Stephen Confirmed Jesus Paul took The Message To The World" What was The Message? Which Paul was John talking about?
Which was precisely the point -- typical John wordplay. He loved to do stuff like that.
-
SurSteven:
"I've seen religion from Jesus to Paul" "John came before Jesus Jesus was The Greatest Stephen Confirmed Jesus Paul took The Message To The World" What was The Message? Which Paul was John talking about?
Which Paul ??? Obviously Paul McCartney not St. Paul the Apostle
: -
I've always thought that in general "I Found Out" was more John's expression of his feeling isolated, repeating many of the themes in his "I don't believe in ..." soliloquy, rather than a rant on Paul. But as Bruce M. noted, he loved and excelled at word play. The line reminds me of his much earlier comment that "Jesus was OK, but his apostles were kind of thick" or something to that effect, which is why I've always thought he was referring to St. Paul the Apostle. In the previous stanza he takes a shot at the Hare Krishna's, so again, I think he was primarily knocking religion, but if people wanted to construe it as a slight on McCartney, that would be fine with him. Who knows!? With the brilliant, unorthodox mind of John Lennon, we're often left to peel the Glass Onion ...
-
Soft-Hearted Hana:
I've always thought that in general "I Found Out" was more John's expression of his feeling isolated, repeating many of the themes in his "I don't believe in ..." soliloquy, rather than a rant on Paul. But as Bruce M. noted, he loved and excelled at word play. The line reminds me of his much earlier comment that "Jesus was OK, but his apostles were kind of thick" or something to that effect, which is why I've always thought he was referring to St. Paul the Apostle. In the previous stanza he takes a shot at the Hare Krishna's, so again, I think he was primarily knocking religion, but if people wanted to construe it as a slight on McCartney, that would be fine with him. Who knows!? With the brilliant, unorthodox mind of John Lennon, we're often left to peel the Glass Onion ...
I can't accept he put the name Paul in thinking people would know he really meant St. Paul the Apostle. I don't believe for a minute he meant anyone but Paul McCartney. I wonder how George felt about the dig at Hare Krishna. George stilled seemed to be quite pally with John during the Imagine recording period but as we know things got frosty between them later on.
