BEATLES RUNDOWN: "Come Together" (1969)
Self-portrait of John from a 1962 letter to Stu Sutcliffe:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEo9Bh679wM
This was the first song you heard when you rushed home with the new ABBEY ROAD album, ripped off the shrinkwrap and dropped the stylus down, then settled back to be gobsmacked. What the...? Let me detour for a second. Why was the WHITE ALBUM such an unholy mess with all those mediocre self-indulgent songs and filler while ABBEY ROAD a year later was so packed with genius? I know the WHITE ALBUM was done while the Beatles were getting on each others' nerves and when Yoko Ono bulldozed her way into the studio to make everyone uncomfortable and self-conscious to the point where even Ringo walked out and quit the band for a week. Yet, somehow the guys got together not long afterwards and buckled down to produce what (in my opinion) was their best album ever with one great song after another and a Side Two medly of little bits and pieces that worked perfectly. You'd think it would be the other way around with ABBEY ROAD coming first. But then, people are full of surprises.
Anyway, "Come Together" has a driving, hypnotic melody and puzzling lyrics. John Lennon himself said that the words are nonsense and were just there to tie the song together, and I don't doubt him but my brain insists on trying to fill in blanks and make sense of random items. You can't leave a crossword puzzle near me and not expect me to get started on it. So my theory for the longest time was that "Come Together" is basically a character study of a nasty old drug-addled derelict rather like Jethro Tull's "Aqualung." He used to wear a crewcut enough to get a nickname ("Here come Old Flat-Top") but it has been a long time since his last haircut ("he got hair down below his knees"). The guy has dirty gnarled hands ("he got monkey fingers") and generally rundown clothing ("he wear no shoeshine" and "he got walrus gumboots"). Hygiene is not the best ("he got toe jam football"). And he's unsavory enough ("Holds you in his armchair/You can feel his disease" *ACK!* no thanks). Voodoo seems to be in the guy's life as well ("he want mojo filter," "he got juju eyeball" and I suppose "He got early warning" could be psychic defense against hexes...?!).
Also, Old Flat-Top approaches people to panhandle. His opening phrase ("I know you, you know me") reminds me of the opening line I've been given by moochers in seedy parts of town, often something like 'hey buddy, remember me?' when you never met them before. "One and one and one is three" is just weird, I don't get it but it was one of many "clues" people dug out of the albums to support the Paul Is Dead conspiracy theory. Remember that? Even Batman had an issue where he tried to solve the Dead Paul controversy and as I recall, it turned out that Paul was actually the only survivor and the other three Beatles were dead! Sheesh.
A few more parts to the lyrics are more specifically autobiographical. "Bag production" was the name of John and Yoko's company. "He want spinal cracker" refers to Yoko walking on John's back to crack it therapeutically. I have experienced this personally and saw no benefits. Even though the woman was tiny enough I could have picked her up by the back of the neck like a mother cat carrying a kitten, it just didn't feel like a good idea to have someone actually walk up and down my spine, and I wouldn't repeat it. I'm fortunate enough not to have back problems and see no reason to risk starting some.
"He got Muddy Waters" seems obvious enough, a tip of the hat to an influential blues guitarist. The chorus "Come together, right now/Over me" could be taken as a general plea for peace and understanding and so forth as was common in rock songs of that era. (John had already recorded "Give Peace a Chance" at this point.) But it could also be sexual, of course, and John said later he was so infatuated with Yoko that sex was on his mind all the time. Also, 'sideboards' was what we here in the States called 'sideburns,' so the phrase "he got Ono sideboards" conjures up an image I would just as soon delete from my memory, thank you.
Aside from the lyrics, "Come Together" sounds great and I enjoyed listening to it just now to focus on the different contributions made by the other Beatles. George's melancholy little plucking as the song ends in particular appeals to me. Back to our hypothetical 1969 Beatle fan sitting next to the record player, after the baffling "Come Together" would come the soothing and mellow, "Something." Just a hint of the rollercoast ride of ABBEY ROAD.
Finally, all these years I thought John was just going "Shoop.. shoop..." during the breaks. But it seems like he was actually saying, "Shoot." That gave me a chill.
BUT WAIT, there's more! Here's the Aerosmith version:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDtoZ8M3Q50
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEo9Bh679wM
This was the first song you heard when you rushed home with the new ABBEY ROAD album, ripped off the shrinkwrap and dropped the stylus down, then settled back to be gobsmacked. What the...? Let me detour for a second. Why was the WHITE ALBUM such an unholy mess with all those mediocre self-indulgent songs and filler while ABBEY ROAD a year later was so packed with genius? I know the WHITE ALBUM was done while the Beatles were getting on each others' nerves and when Yoko Ono bulldozed her way into the studio to make everyone uncomfortable and self-conscious to the point where even Ringo walked out and quit the band for a week. Yet, somehow the guys got together not long afterwards and buckled down to produce what (in my opinion) was their best album ever with one great song after another and a Side Two medly of little bits and pieces that worked perfectly. You'd think it would be the other way around with ABBEY ROAD coming first. But then, people are full of surprises.
Anyway, "Come Together" has a driving, hypnotic melody and puzzling lyrics. John Lennon himself said that the words are nonsense and were just there to tie the song together, and I don't doubt him but my brain insists on trying to fill in blanks and make sense of random items. You can't leave a crossword puzzle near me and not expect me to get started on it. So my theory for the longest time was that "Come Together" is basically a character study of a nasty old drug-addled derelict rather like Jethro Tull's "Aqualung." He used to wear a crewcut enough to get a nickname ("Here come Old Flat-Top") but it has been a long time since his last haircut ("he got hair down below his knees"). The guy has dirty gnarled hands ("he got monkey fingers") and generally rundown clothing ("he wear no shoeshine" and "he got walrus gumboots"). Hygiene is not the best ("he got toe jam football"). And he's unsavory enough ("Holds you in his armchair/You can feel his disease" *ACK!* no thanks). Voodoo seems to be in the guy's life as well ("he want mojo filter," "he got juju eyeball" and I suppose "He got early warning" could be psychic defense against hexes...?!).
Also, Old Flat-Top approaches people to panhandle. His opening phrase ("I know you, you know me") reminds me of the opening line I've been given by moochers in seedy parts of town, often something like 'hey buddy, remember me?' when you never met them before. "One and one and one is three" is just weird, I don't get it but it was one of many "clues" people dug out of the albums to support the Paul Is Dead conspiracy theory. Remember that? Even Batman had an issue where he tried to solve the Dead Paul controversy and as I recall, it turned out that Paul was actually the only survivor and the other three Beatles were dead! Sheesh.
A few more parts to the lyrics are more specifically autobiographical. "Bag production" was the name of John and Yoko's company. "He want spinal cracker" refers to Yoko walking on John's back to crack it therapeutically. I have experienced this personally and saw no benefits. Even though the woman was tiny enough I could have picked her up by the back of the neck like a mother cat carrying a kitten, it just didn't feel like a good idea to have someone actually walk up and down my spine, and I wouldn't repeat it. I'm fortunate enough not to have back problems and see no reason to risk starting some.
"He got Muddy Waters" seems obvious enough, a tip of the hat to an influential blues guitarist. The chorus "Come together, right now/Over me" could be taken as a general plea for peace and understanding and so forth as was common in rock songs of that era. (John had already recorded "Give Peace a Chance" at this point.) But it could also be sexual, of course, and John said later he was so infatuated with Yoko that sex was on his mind all the time. Also, 'sideboards' was what we here in the States called 'sideburns,' so the phrase "he got Ono sideboards" conjures up an image I would just as soon delete from my memory, thank you.
Aside from the lyrics, "Come Together" sounds great and I enjoyed listening to it just now to focus on the different contributions made by the other Beatles. George's melancholy little plucking as the song ends in particular appeals to me. Back to our hypothetical 1969 Beatle fan sitting next to the record player, after the baffling "Come Together" would come the soothing and mellow, "Something." Just a hint of the rollercoast ride of ABBEY ROAD.
Finally, all these years I thought John was just going "Shoop.. shoop..." during the breaks. But it seems like he was actually saying, "Shoot." That gave me a chill.
BUT WAIT, there's more! Here's the Aerosmith version:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDtoZ8M3Q50