Revolution 9. Any Meaning To The Track?
-
Okay. I took a quick look around the Net. Read that people quote John as saying it is all about how a real-life revolution might sound. And how Sir Paul and George Martin both hated the track. I take such comments with a grain of salt until vetted. Verified. I've also encountered the claims of 'backwards masking', and of satanism, which I find to be absolute garbage. But I couldn't say for sure, other than 'the audio clips' which are pro-offered as 'proof' strike me as words being played backwards. Period. The forward words, when played according to normal playback, are more provocative than when they are played backwards! What drew me to this track today started as a joke. I was fooling around with my thoughts and I substituted the oft-repeated line, "Number 9" with "Sixty-Nine". Damn, I thought I was clever for doing so! But then I decided to check the track again. Give it a listen. And I am now wondering if there is a theme involved? One that has as yet not been quoted elsewhere. The numerical "Sixty-Nine" is of course a reference to a sexual act. But listening to the track, I could hear how the sounds might represent the way the world sounds to a newborn infant. A cacophonous world of sound and fury that holds absolutely no meaning at all to an infant. Except for the potential by well-meaning adults to interrupt and sometimes destroy a child's self-development. All other instances are a matter of personal investment in order to be appreciable. And then, several minutes into the track, there is the sound of an infant. And the matter of, "When you are naked". Like sex. Like childbirth. And also perhaps like "The Emperor's New Clothes". An act of disclosure. Your thoughts? It may only be a coincidence that the word "number", as in "number 9" contains six letters.
-
6 and 9 are found in the book of change...written by chinese metaphysicians centuries ago...it represents the balance between 2 of the most powerful archetypal forces in the universe...which are constantly at play in everyone's lives...every day strong and weak active and passive male and female night and day structure and free form mass and energy gravity and grace John pretty well defined what the song was about for him...and all of us...kinda'...in a way
-
Giving the "song" too much credence. Want the meaning? Ask Yoko. Cos she probably had more to do with it than anyone. A non-Beatles song. On a Beatles album. A terrible piece of tripe. No great "change my life" message in it. But, that being said, I love that it evokes conjecture. All adds to the power of the Beatles. Even as pathetic and forced and self-indulgent as it is, it adds to the greatness that is... "The Beatles"
-
Since 1968, that particular recording has kept The White Album from being one of my favorites.
-
I find it fascinating, not tripe at all, but I probably wouldn't go any further than John's idea of a revolution. 1968 was a violent year, so I guess he and George and Yoko were trying to capture that in sound.
-
I am not sure if the Revolution 9 title was decided before the finding of the tape of an engineer announcing 'This Is EMI test tape number 9' or whether it was titled with the # 9 specifically because of this parts inclusion. John said the repeated number 9 phrase is used just as joke. The number 9 as well as being John's birth date day it was supposedly his special number according to numerology which apparently John and Yoko were into. Also The Beatles' White Album is the ninth original UK album so I wonder if this had any significance.
-
i am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together surlaw><walrus ...backmask...and study...that one love is thee answer...and you know that...for sure love is a flower...you have to...let it grow and here's another clue for us all
-
Something about the Apocalypse, anarchy, overthrow of governments, etc.There does seem to be some kind of narrative here, but lets just say, it could have been much better edited & significant if John had given it some thought. It appeared John & Yoko were going after "shock" value by putting it on a Beatles album. As the longest Beatles song, it more than wears out its welcome.
-
"Revolution #9" was assembled at random, apparently in the tradition of Messrs. Cage & Varese. I doubt that it contained any hidden meaning; this depends on the listener. John simply went to the EMI tape library, which had been a common practice before when the Beatles needed sound effects, sat down and listened to whatever he found. Some of these were examination tapes which EMI had made for the Royal Academy of Music. The announcer's name is not known, but apparently "...John thought that was a real hoot!...He made a loop of just that one bit...fading it in or out..." Other tapes used were those made of both John and George reading poetry or just saying random words, much as they had done for some of the "Sgt. Pepper" bits. (e.g. the run-out groove "random nonsense.") They also had bits of studio chatter from their sessions which they mixed in as well. The bit on the beginning was Alistair Taylor apologizing to Sir George Martin for not bringing a bottle of claret. It seems that John simply chopped up all these "ingredients" and threw them in a pot...a sort of musical gumbo if you will. The "#9" bit serves as a mantra, though some pieces in this style do not have one. It's interesting to note that it was all done whilst Paul was out of the country, and that "It didn't get a great reaction...when he heard it." I get the sense John was simply trying to outdo "Carnival of Light". Yoko's influence is of course undeniable. I believe there was no hidden meaning, intentional or otherwise. It was only intended to be random sounds, a sound collage. George saying "Eldorado" may also have been a jab at Paul, since on "Carnival of Light" the city of "Barcelona" figures rather prominently...
Revolution #9 (alt.) "But John, it's experimental music..." From "Love Story:" 9 was also John's favorite number...you know his name, look it up... "The MYTH is bigger than the REALITY...I'm inclined to leave 'em with the MYTH..."
