Working Class Hero

Allow me to tell you what Working Class Hero is about. There seems to be a decided vagueness shrouding this song and even Lennon himself was not entirely certain of the song's meaning. I am of the opinion that creatives are not always the most qualified people to explain their own work, so the numerous bland utterances to pass Lennon's own lips are of little interest to me; and, having listened to his rather naïve and uninsightful descriptions of both politics and art, it is surely safe to disregard much of what he has said about this song.

Fans' comments too, posted online, provide not much more than a stating of the obvious, pointing out how the lyrics are about a working class person and their experiences growing up. The best critique I have read can be found here, and this is hardly detailed, but it does point out the irony present in some of the lyrics. It is the noted sarcasm and Lennon's harboured bitterness which need to be examined in order to discover the true meaning of the song.

For me the song's meaning became apparent only when I considered it in context. I first heard the song on the reasonably banal compilation album Lennon Legend, and listening to the song as a stand alone composition aids only ambiguity and misinterpretation. The song originally appeared on the album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, Lennon's solo album released after the Beatles split up. It is in this context that a new reading is revealed.

John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, although musically quite conservative, is in many ways stylistically more experimental than Lennon's Beatles output. It is here Lennon advances into stylistic realms he could not or did not dare to enter as a Beatle. It is an album that Lennon uses to denounce and distance himself from The Beatles.

Here we have Lennon screaming real, heavy screams as well as using the f-word a couple of times. His attitude is a little bit on the bitter side and his lyrics are personal, introspective. These are things a little bit too awkward to be present on a healthy pop act Beatles record – certainly the swearing and I would argue the screaming. Yes, the Beatles were innovative, but they had their limits. They couldn't be too obscure; they had fans to please, records to sell. The opening 30 seconds of a bell tolling, is something I cannot imagine existing on a Beatles record. This might be merely a matter of opinion since Lennon did manage to put Revolution: 9 onto the White Album, but even if this argument is put aside, one must have to accept the deathly symbolism of the bell: the death of The Beatles, the death Lennon's former self. This is an album Lennon uses to assert his individuality as John Lennon to destroy the myth-like entity of John the Beatle.

The key to John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band comes from the song God in which Lennon lists his disbelief in religions, supposedly great political figures, and god-like pop stars, concluding with his disbelief in his old band The Beatles. In the last section of the song he gives us: 'I was the dream weaver, but now I am John', keen to create a division between his present self and his former self, finishing the song with: 'The dream is over.'

This creative split is as much an attempt to break away from his previous supposed song writing partner Paul McCartney as it is an attempt to separate his name from The Beatles. This is an exercise in egoism, Lennon making sure the public know he can exist without McCartney's help; but this is also a need to break away from the stifling nature of The Beatles.

At the end of the 60s The Beatles were overtaken in terms of musical experimentation and avant-garde-ism by a number of memorable bands. The Beatles being (virtually) the greatest band in the world meant they could never be too experimental. Whether conscious of this or not, I think Lennon was trying to become more creatively liberated, more like his wife Yoko Ono, even if he never manages to be as avant-garde as her.

Bearing this in mind, Working Class Hero takes on a rather sarcastic tone because the 'hero' referred to in the song is the hero that exists current in the public's mind: John the Beatle. The line, 'A working class hero is something to be', and certainly the last line, 'if you want to be a hero, well just follow me', are particularly bitter in their delivery as Lennon dwells not so favourably on his stardom and the fact his stardom has become largely a burden, something which doesn't necessarily offer liberation. The song is as much a reflection upon his distaste for his hero worship as a reflection upon his upbringing.

Over and out for now, guys!

xxx