Power to the peo-POLL: The John Lennon Hits Poll

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:jxfwxzyrldse

― late adopter, Saturday, 9 October 2010 23:51 (2 years ago) Permalink

'instant karma'

― balls, Saturday, 9 October 2010 23:54 (2 years ago) Permalink

Cold Turkey but I prefer the one from Toronto.

― Trip Maker, Sunday, 10 October 2010 00:05 (2 years ago) Permalink

money for dope

― David Allah Coal (sexyDancer), Sunday, 10 October 2010 00:07 (2 years ago) Permalink

I know it's overplayed but "Imagine" really is a beautiful song.

― scott pgwp (pgwp), Sunday, 10 October 2010 00:13 (2 years ago) Permalink

1. mind games
2. #9 dream

― iatee, Sunday, 10 October 2010 00:20 (2 years ago) Permalink

Instant Karma

― EZ Snappin, Sunday, 10 October 2010 00:23 (2 years ago) Permalink

gimme some truth, to give it a vote

― iago g., Sunday, 10 October 2010 00:24 (2 years ago) Permalink

"Instant Karma" over "Jealous Guy" (though I think I prefer the Faces & the Roxy covers of the latter to the original)

― Euler, Sunday, 10 October 2010 01:29 (2 years ago) Permalink

Nearly a tie for me between Jealous Guy and Imagine, though I do have a strange attraction to Whatever Gets You Through the Night as well.

Imagine is just too wonderful to not vote for.

― Johnny Fever, Sunday, 10 October 2010 01:32 (2 years ago) Permalink

I like all the Double Fantasy singles a lot.

― Euler, Sunday, 10 October 2010 01:33 (2 years ago) Permalink

Hey, it's still his birthday..."Instant Karma," followed by "#9 Dream."

― clemenza, Sunday, 10 October 2010 01:34 (2 years ago) Permalink

wait where's Borrowed Time I wanna vote for that one

― acoleuthic, Sunday, 10 October 2010 01:35 (2 years ago) Permalink

Had to be "Imagine" although I would have voted "Oh My Love" had it been on that compilation.

― Tied Up In Geir (Geir Hongro), Sunday, 10 October 2010 11:29 (2 years ago) Permalink

'Give Peace A Chance' over 'Instant Karma' over 'Watching The Wheels'. But this is a pretty thin return for half of a stellar career.

― Ismael Klata, Sunday, 10 October 2010 11:57 (2 years ago) Permalink

Cold Turkey or Mind Games. The latter (and #9 Dream) somehow always sounded great - really full & enveloping - on car radio in the 70s

― modest marky (m coleman), Sunday, 10 October 2010 13:19 (2 years ago) Permalink

Pretty difficult, but I went with Jealous Guy.

― Tim. E "LazRus" Lucas (Prose b4 Hoes...and Big Hoos), Sunday, 10 October 2010 13:39 (2 years ago) Permalink

This needed "Nobody Told Me."

― raging hetero lifechill (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 10 October 2010 13:41 (2 years ago) Permalink

These are my favorites. I guess I like his sentimental side.

Jealous Guy <---- voting for this
(Just Like) Starting Over
Watching the Wheels
Imagine

― Waldstein Sinatra (Paul in Santa Cruz), Sunday, 10 October 2010 17:17 (2 years ago) Permalink

Instant Korma

― Histrionic-Dependent (PappaWheelie V), Sunday, 10 October 2010 17:24 (2 years ago) Permalink

#9 Dream

― In "Bob" There Is No East or West (WmC), Sunday, 10 October 2010 17:26 (2 years ago) Permalink

nothing from jl/plastic ono band? you'd expect "mother" and "working class hero" at least.

― my sex drew back into itself tight and dry (abanana), Sunday, 10 October 2010 17:32 (2 years ago) Permalink

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

― System, Thursday, 14 October 2010 23:01 (2 years ago) Permalink

Imagine narrowly over Instant Karma.

― i was like a person at a table at a place (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 14 October 2010 23:10 (2 years ago) Permalink

"Imagine no possessions. I wonder if you can." FUCK OFF, BILLIONAIRE.

― Mr. Snrub, Thursday, 14 October 2010 23:12 (2 years ago) Permalink

I really really really hate that line.

― Mr. Snrub, Thursday, 14 October 2010 23:13 (2 years ago) Permalink

Neil Young once said that the "you" addressed in the majority of his songs was himself

may wanna keep that in mind

― i was like a person at a table at a place (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 14 October 2010 23:21 (2 years ago) Permalink

more than the browns-steelers line this week snrub? harsh

― balls, Thursday, 14 October 2010 23:21 (2 years ago) Permalink

"Imagine no possessions. I wonder if you can." FUCK OFF, BILLIONAIRE.

There's more than a little self-criticism in that line.

― raging hetero lifechill (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 14 October 2010 23:48 (2 years ago) Permalink

Listen to his singing.

― raging hetero lifechill (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 14 October 2010 23:48 (2 years ago) Permalink

Not a single song from his best solo album is a bit weird. "Mother" is better than all these songs.

― Zelda Zonk, Friday, 15 October 2010 00:47 (2 years ago) Permalink

"nobody told me" would be the one but it's not here so... instant karm, i'm thinking. i've got a soft spot for "watching the wheels" too.

― hypnosis is the reason some Jewish people backed him → (will), Friday, 15 October 2010 00:51 (2 years ago) Permalink

instant karma. fucking unbelievably brilliant. how did a song ever sound so polished yet so ramshackle so 'produced' yet so 'done-in-one-take'? Spectors's finest few minutes? it's certainly the most urgent, desperate, direct lyric of any of the solo Beatles and sounds for all the world to these ears like proto-Pistols.

i mean jesus christ have you heard this thing lately?

― piscesx, Friday, 15 October 2010 01:05 (2 years ago) Permalink

otm

― raging hetero lifechill (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 15 October 2010 01:09 (2 years ago) Permalink

I love "Instant Karma" and voted for it, but I'm not sure I understand the Pistols connection. I've never heard it as a desperate song, just sprightly and buoyant and engagingly optimistic (i.e., lots of optimistic songs aren't the least bit engaging).

― clemenza, Friday, 15 October 2010 01:19 (2 years ago) Permalink

Voted Instant Karma without thinking about it. Kinda surprised Oh Yoko isn't on here, just so perfectly bouncy and poppy, and was given renewed popularity by "Rushmore"

― A solo Beatle--Paul, George, John, Yoko, etc. (Whitey on the Moon), Friday, 15 October 2010 01:43 (2 years ago) Permalink

o there's a definite threat buried in there. sometimes i hear it in 'imagine' also.

― balls, Friday, 15 October 2010 01:44 (2 years ago) Permalink

instant karma def has a very unique production sound

― iatee, Friday, 15 October 2010 01:49 (2 years ago) Permalink

It's the drums. Alan White MAKES that song.

― Mr. Snrub, Friday, 15 October 2010 01:55 (2 years ago) Permalink

yeah considering how much i love his production for lennon and harrison solo i do wonder what it would've been if he'd actually been able to produce the beatles instead of just post-production. might've been a mess, but those solo beatles productions are the only post-'river deep' spector productions that actually sound fresh, still recognizably spector but not end of the century or whatever.

xpost - snrub otm! when i think of this song i think of 3 things - john's voice, that piano intro, and those fucking drums

― balls, Friday, 15 October 2010 01:57 (2 years ago) Permalink

haha I said "very unique"

but yeah 'post-'river deep' spector productions that actually sound fresh, still recognizably spector but not end of the century or whatever.' is otm

― iatee, Friday, 15 October 2010 02:11 (2 years ago) Permalink

on the one hand v. v. spector but you have lennon's vocal and the drums which are rebelling against the spector-form

― iatee, Friday, 15 October 2010 02:18 (2 years ago) Permalink

still voted for mind games tho

― iatee, Friday, 15 October 2010 02:18 (2 years ago) Permalink

I don't like his work for solo-Beatles at all. OK, "All Things Must Pass" was not all that bad because he compromised and did a more polished production than Spector usually did. But the Lennon ones sound tinny and awful. Probably because John wanted it that way (the John songs on "The Beatles" and "Abbey Roads" largely sound tinny and awful as well).

― Tied Up In Geir (Geir Hongro), Friday, 15 October 2010 09:07 (2 years ago) Permalink

IMO Spector's last great work was the mid 70s Dion comeback.

― Tied Up In Geir (Geir Hongro), Friday, 15 October 2010 09:08 (2 years ago) Permalink

mind games
instant karma
watching the wheels
jealous guy

― contenderizer, Friday, 15 October 2010 09:18 (2 years ago) Permalink

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

― System, Friday, 15 October 2010 23:01 (2 years ago) Permalink

Well right you are!

― piscesx, Saturday, 16 October 2010 04:03 (2 years ago) Permalink

is that 'instant karma' video linked upthread an alternate mix or a remaster or something? it's always been my favorite lennon solo moment, but i don't think i've ever heard it sound that good.

― (The Other) J.D. (J.D.), Tuesday, 30 October 2012 01:37 (6 months ago) Permalink

that's a great song, great vid. but both jealous guy and gimme some truth are better songs

― Dominique, Tuesday, 30 October 2012 05:30 (6 months ago) Permalink

I would probably go for "Mind Games" these days. That album is actually pretty good in a sleeper kinda way.

"Imagine no possessions. I wonder if you can." FUCK OFF, BILLIONAIRE.

It's so funny that people still say this, it was in some Onion article recently when someone was slagging off "Imagine". No doubt JL heard it 10,000x when it came out 30+ years ago.

Imagine that song instead being about not wanting to pay taxes or some other area that would be more appropriate for a BILLIONAIRE to discuss.

― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Tuesday, 30 October 2012 19:44 (6 months ago) Permalink

Sorry, 40+ years ago!

― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Tuesday, 30 October 2012 19:45 (6 months ago) Permalink

'i can't get no satisfaction' -- yeah right, you oversexed billionaire!

― (The Other) J.D. (J.D.), Tuesday, 30 October 2012 19:53 (6 months ago) Permalink

"Was it a millionaire who said 'Imagine no possessions?'/A poor little schoolboy who said 'We don't need no lessons?'"

― C-3PO Sharkey (Phil D.), Tuesday, 30 October 2012 19:57 (6 months ago) Permalink

thank god elvis costello never said anything stupid or ill-considered

― (The Other) J.D. (J.D.), Tuesday, 30 October 2012 20:04 (6 months ago) Permalink

He just did sit down in a blue chair

― Mark G, Tuesday, 30 October 2012 20:32 (6 months ago) Permalink