You say you want a revolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world
You tell me that it's evolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world
But when you talk about destruction
Don't you know that you can count me out
Don't you know it's gonna be all right
all right, all right
You say you got a real solution
Well, you know
We'd all love to see the plan
You ask me for a contribution
Well, you know
We're doing what we can
But when you want money
for people with minds that hate
All I can tell is brother you have to wait
Don't you know it's gonna be all right
all right, all right
Ah
ah, ah, ah, ah, ah...
You say you'll change the constitution
Well, you know
We all want to change your head
You tell me it's the institution
Well, you know
You better free you mind instead
But if you go carrying pictures of chairman Mao
You ain't going to make it with anyone anyhow
Don't you know it's gonna be all right
all right, all right
all right, all right, all right
all right, all right, all right
First heard in 1968, ‘Revolution was an inspiring song composed by John Lennon, though officially, the credit is given to both Lennon and Paul McCartney. The Beatles released three different versions of this song- ‘Revolution’ (August 1968), ‘Revolution 1’ (November 1968) and ‘Revolution 9’ (Nov 1968). Even though ‘Revolution’ was the last to be produced, it was the first to be released. Revolution was released as a single and ‘Revolution 1’ and ‘Revolution 9’ were part of the ‘White Album”. ‘Revolution’ and ‘Revolution 1’ were quite similar in the wording (one line was different). However after complains about the original- ‘Revolution 1’ being really slow, Lennon began composing a tune “as loud raucous as anything the Beatles had released.” The result was a high aggressive song with a distorted tone that became highly popular during that time. Revolution 9 was quite different from both Revolution and Revolution 1. The only part that was recognizable was the repeated shouting of “all right, all right, all right.”
This song is also said to be a highly political song. Some say the Beatles were talking to hippies during the Vietnam was telling them that violence and hate were not the way to go about resolving the conflict. Inspired by their time in a “a transcendental meditation camp with The Maharishi” in Rishikesh, India, the Beatles wanted to go back to that idealism of the early 60s when people like Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King were the general public’s role models and their messages of peace and nonviolence everyone’s weapon. Rishikesh, a holy town that is a popular pilgrimage spot for Hindu devotees, is filled with ‘sadus’-holy men, who spend most of their time meditating and cleansing themselves of anything unholy. Inspired by the sadus’ long meditation periods and the messages of peace and godliness presented by them, the Beatles were convinced that such a world would achieve more that world where destruction and chaos was caused by the government itself and so came back from the India with ‘Revolution’ in mind. During that time, the hippies started protesting against the Vietnam War with violence, and in response to their violence, the government started taking harsh action against hippies in general, making the hippies even angrier. Soon Gandhi and Martin Luther King were replaced by new ‘revolutionaries’ like Malcolm X and the Black Panthers. The hippies, after facing opposition from the government felt that peace wasn’t working and so they might as well give violence a try. Even though the word Revolution is only mentioned in the song once, it is clear that the Beatles wanted to tell the hippies who had “strayed from the peace” that that peace would accomplish more and was the right way to go about starting a ‘Revolution’. Rioting was the popular way of voicing the ‘public’s’ opinion, but if everyone began pursuing nonviolence and truth, a real Revolution would take place. The Che Guevara T-shirt wearers and other ‘new age’ hippies were protesting against the Vietnam War by causing destruction, and sending out messages with hate. Using their popularity during that time, the Beatles made it clear that they were not going to have anything to do with those who said they wanted to “change the world” with violence. By trying to make sure that the Americans knew that their ideal world was turning towards violence, the Beatles were hoping that once people saw the error of their ways; they would want to go back the values of the 1960s. However, in the slow version of ‘Revolution’- ‘Revolution 1’, instead of just singing “you can count me out”, he sings “you can count me out…in”. This has made many people say that the song actually has a double meaning and that Lennon still wasn’t sure if he against destruction.
Recently, Nike used this song for a commercial, and many Beatles fans went crazy because such a politically inspiring song used to promote shoes. Fans felt that Nike was disrespecting Lennon’s legacy. A few fans today feel that this wasn’t only referring to a political revolution but also to a “mini revolution that the Beatles themselves were leading in the British recording industry.” Always arguing about what was permissible and what was not and trying to introduce new sounds into their music. However, even though is message that the Beatles is sending out is, to some people, not clear, many have been inspired and most agree that this song applies to today’s world also.
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