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{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox song <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Songs -->
{{Infobox song
| Name = Well Well Well
| name = Well Well Well
| Artist = [[John Lennon]]
| cover =
| Album = [[John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band]]
| alt =
| Published = [[Northern Songs]]
| type =
| Released = 11 December 1970
| artist = [[John Lennon]]
⚫
| album = [[John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band]]
⚫
| Recorded = 1970
| Length = 5:59
| EP =
| written =
⚫
| Genre = [[Rock music|Rock]]
| Writer = [[John Lennon]]
| published = [[Northern Songs]]
| released = 11 December 1970
⚫
| Label = [[Apple Records|Apple]]
| format =
⚫
| Producer = [[John Lennon]], [[Yoko Ono]], [[Phil Spector]]
⚫
| recorded = 1970
⚫
| Tracks = {{John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band tracks}}
| Misc =
| studio =
| Audio sample? =
| venue =
⚫
| genre = [[Rock music|Rock]]
| length = 5:59
⚫
| label = [[Apple Records|Apple]]
| writer = [[John Lennon]]
| composer =
| lyricist =
⚫
| producer = [[John Lennon]], [[Yoko Ono]], [[Phil Spector]]
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| title =
| next_title =
| next_year =
| tracks = {{John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band tracks}}
}}
}}


"'''Well Well Well'''" is a song by English musician [[John Lennon]] from his 1970 album ''[[John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band]]''. The eighth and longest track on the album, "Well Well Well" features a blistering guitar part, screaming vocals and a brutal, pounding backing track.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.beatlesbible.com/people/john-lennon/songs/well-well-well/|title=Well Well Well|last=|first=|date=2 August 2010|work=The Beatles Bible|access-date=21 July 2017|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|language=en-GB}}</ref>
"'''Well Well Well'''" is a song by English musician [[John Lennon]] from his 1970 album ''[[John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band]]''. The eighth and longest track on the album, "Well Well Well" features an aggressive guitar sound, screaming vocals and a pounding backing track.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.beatlesbible.com/people/john-lennon/songs/well-well-well/|title=Well Well Well|date=2 August 2010|work=The Beatles Bible|access-date=21 July 2017|language=en-GB}}</ref>


==Lyrics and music==
==Lyrics and music==
The lyrics of "Well Well Well" describe mundane incidents from Lennon's daily life with wife [[Yoko Ono]].<ref name=blaney>{{cite book|title=Lennon and McCartney: together alone : a critical discography of their solo work|author=Blaney, J.|pages=35, 38, 173, 266–267|year=2007|publisher=Jawbone Press|isbn=9781906002022}}</ref><ref name=words/><ref name=night>{{cite book|title=John Lennon: Whatever Gets You Through the Night|author=du Noyer, P.|page=33|year=1999|publisher=Thunder's Mouth Press|isbn=1560252103}}</ref> Incidents described include eating a meal together, going for a walk, and discussing current events such as "revolution" and "[[women's liberation]]."<ref name=words/> The song also describes the uneasiness the couple feel during these events, but which they cannot understand.<ref name=words/><ref name=night/> Authors Ben Urish and Ken Bielen suggest that this uneasiness is due to guilt the couple feel about being able to talk about issues but having the luxury of deciding whether or not to take action.<ref name=words/>
The lyrics of "Well Well Well" describe mundane incidents from Lennon's daily life with wife [[Yoko Ono]].<ref name=blaney>{{cite book|title=Lennon and McCartney: together alone : a critical discography of their solo work|author=Blaney, J.|pages=35, 38, 173, 266–267|year=2007|publisher=Jawbone Press|isbn=9781906002022}}</ref><ref name=words/><ref name=night>{{cite book|title=John Lennon: Whatever Gets You Through the Night|author=du Noyer, P.|page=33|year=1999|publisher=Thunder's Mouth Press|isbn=1560252103}}</ref> Incidents described include eating a meal together, going for a walk, and discussing current events such as "revolution" and "[[women's liberation]]."<ref name=words/> The song also describes the uneasiness the couple feel during these events, but which they cannot understand.<ref name=words/><ref name=night/> Authors Ben Urish and Ken Bielen suggest that this uneasiness is due to guilt the couple feel about being able to talk about issues but having the luxury of deciding whether or not to take action.<ref name=words/>


One line of the song refers to Yoko Ono as "she looked so beautiful I could eat her."<ref name=complete/> Music critic [[Wilfrid Mellers]] interprets this line as evidence of a "[[cannibal|cannibalistic impulse]]" to the song.<ref name=complete/><ref name=mellers/> However, critic [[Johnny Rogan]] believes it is more likely simply a reference to [[oral sex]].<ref name=complete/> Early lyrics for the song used a slightly different line: "she looked so beautiful I could wee."<ref name=night/><ref name=complete/>
One line of the song refers to Yoko Ono as "she looked so beautiful I could eat her."<ref name=complete/> Music critic [[Wilfrid Mellers]] interprets this line as evidence of a "[[Human cannibalism|cannibalistic impulse]]" to the song.<ref name=complete/><ref name=mellers/> However, critic [[Johnny Rogan]] believes it is more likely simply a reference to [[oral sex]].<ref name=complete/> Early lyrics for the song used a slightly different line: "she looked so beautiful I could wee."<ref name=night/><ref name=complete/> In the performance of the song during the One-To-One concert at [[Madison Square Garden]] (in NYC) on 30 August 1972, when Lennon says the line "she looked so beautiful I could eat her", he follows it with "and I did", while looking at Ono, who smiles and nods at Lennon.
This is a variation of a commonly used phrase meaning "Supremely beautiful; aesthetically pleasing."


The [[melody]] of "Well Well Well" is [[pentatonic scale|pentatonic]], incorporating a proper [[tritone]].<ref name=mellers>{{cite book|title=The Music of the Beatles: Twilight of the Gods|author=[[Wilfrid Mellers|Mellers, W.]]|pages=163–165|year=1973|publisher=Schirmer Books|isbn=0670735981}}</ref> In the [[stanza]]s there is little [[harmony]] other than the instruments [[monophony|doubling]] the vocal line and the thumping drum.<ref name=mellers/> The [[refrain|chorus]] is in [[antiphon|call and response]] form, and uses [[triad (music)|triadic harmony]].<ref name=mellers/>
The [[melody]] of "Well Well Well" is [[pentatonic scale|pentatonic]], incorporating a proper [[tritone]].<ref name=mellers>{{cite book|title=The Music of the Beatles: Twilight of the Gods|author=Mellers, W.|author-link=Wilfrid Mellers|pages=[https://archive.org/details/twilightofgodsmu0000mell/page/163 163–165]|year=1973|publisher=Schirmer Books|isbn=0670735981|url=https://archive.org/details/twilightofgodsmu0000mell/page/163}}</ref> In the [[stanza]]s there is little [[harmony]] other than the instruments [[monophony|doubling]] the vocal line and the thumping drum.<ref name=mellers/> The [[refrain|chorus]] is in [[antiphon|call and response]] form, and uses [[triad (music)|triadic harmony]].<ref name=mellers/>


Instrumentation for "Well Well Well" is provided by Lennon, [[Klaus Voorman]] and [[Ringo Starr]] performing as a [[power trio]] with Lennon on guitar, Voorman on bass and Starr on drums.<ref name=words/> Rock journalist Paul du Noyer describes Lennon's guitar playing as "clenched" and "[[grunge]]-like" and claims that Starr's drumming is "some of Ringo's toughest."<ref name=night/> Urish and Bielen suggest that Lennon's guitar playing on the song and on ''[[Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band]]'' were an influence on [[punk rock]].<ref name=words/> Music critic [[Johnny Rogan]] comments on the "thumping [[bass drum]]" which, along with Lennon's guitar playing makes "Well Well Well" the "heaviest and loudest" song on ''Plastic Ono Band''.<ref name=complete>{{cite book|title=The Complete Guide to the Music of John Lennon|author=[[Johnny Rogan|Rogan, J.]]|pages=43–44, 136|year=1997|publisher=Omnius Press|isbn=0711955999}}</ref> Author John Blaney describes the rhythm track as "pulsing," claiming it "echoes the beating hearts" from Lennon's earlier song "[[John & Yoko]]" from ''[[Wedding Album|The Wedding Album]]''.<ref name=blaney/>
Instrumentation for "Well Well Well" is provided by Lennon, [[Klaus Voormann]] and [[Ringo Starr]] performing as a [[power trio]] with Lennon on guitar, Voormann on bass and Starr on drums.<ref name=words/> Rock journalist Paul du Noyer describes Lennon's guitar playing as "clenched" and "[[grunge]]-like" and claims that Starr's drumming is "some of Ringo's toughest."<ref name=night/> Urish and Bielen suggest that Lennon's guitar playing on the song and on ''[[Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band]]'' were an influence on [[punk rock]].<ref name=words/> Music critic [[Johnny Rogan]] comments on the "thumping [[bass drum]]" which, along with Lennon's guitar playing makes "Well Well Well" the "heaviest and loudest" song on ''Plastic Ono Band''.<ref name=complete>{{cite book|title=The Complete Guide to the Music of John Lennon|author=Rogan, J.|author-link=Johnny Rogan|pages=43–44, 136|year=1997|publisher=Omnius Press|isbn=0711955999}}</ref> Author John Blaney describes the rhythm track as "pulsing," claiming it "echoes the beating hearts" from Lennon's earlier song "[[John & Yoko]]" from ''[[Wedding Album|The Wedding Album]]''.<ref name=blaney/>


Lennon's singing on the song ranges between tender and ferocious.<ref name=blaney/> In the middle section he screams the song's title with particular abandon.<ref name=words/> Authors Chip Madinger and Mark Easter call this "the most tortured-[[larynx]] singing of John's career.<ref name=eight/> Mellers attributes the screams of the title phrase at the end of the song to Lennon capitulating "to the infant's hysteria, traumatically howling for the maternal breast," as a result of Lennon undergoing [[Arthur Janov]]'s [[primal therapy]] at the time he wrote the song.<ref name=mellers/>
Lennon's singing on the song ranges between tender and ferocious.<ref name=blaney/> In the middle section he screams the song's title with particular abandon.<ref name=words/> Authors Chip Madinger and Mark Easter call this "the most tortured-[[larynx]] singing of John's career.<ref name=eight/> Mellers attributes the screams of the title phrase at the end of the song to Lennon capitulating "to the infant's hysteria, traumatically howling for the maternal breast," as a result of Lennon undergoing [[Arthur Janov]]'s [[primal therapy]] at the time he wrote the song.<ref name=mellers/>
Line 35: Line 47:
Although the song was released commercially in mono, [[Phil Spector]] produced a rough mix in stereo.<ref name=blaney/><ref name=eight/> The stereo mix has appeared on [[bootleg album]]s.<ref name=eight/>
Although the song was released commercially in mono, [[Phil Spector]] produced a rough mix in stereo.<ref name=blaney/><ref name=eight/> The stereo mix has appeared on [[bootleg album]]s.<ref name=eight/>


According to [[Ringo Starr]], Lennon played [[Lee Dorsey]]'s "[[Everything I Do Gonh Be Funky (From Now On)]]" 100 times while recording "Well Well Well" in an effort to capture the feel of the song.<ref name=eight>{{cite book|title=Eight Arms to Hold You|author1=Madinger, C. |author2=Easter, M. |lastauthoramp=yes |pages=36, 39, 79–84|year=2000|publisher=44.1 Productions|isbn=0-615-11724-4}}</ref>
According to [[Ringo Starr]], Lennon played [[Lee Dorsey]]'s "[[Everything I Do Gonh Be Funky (From Now On)]]" 100 times while recording "Well Well Well" in an effort to capture the feel of the song.<ref name=eight>{{cite book|title=Eight Arms to Hold You|author1=Madinger, C. |author2=Easter, M. |name-list-style=amp |pages=36, 39, 79–84|year=2000|publisher=44.1 Productions|isbn=0-615-11724-4}}</ref>


==Reception==
==Reception==
Music critic [[Robert Christgau]] describes "Well Well Well" as an "unsung great song."<ref>{{cite web|title=John Lennon|author=[[Robert Christgau|Christgau, R.]]|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=John+lennon|publisher=robertchristgau.com|accessdate=19 December 2012}}</ref> ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' critic Stephen Holden considers the "furious howls" on "Well Well Well," as well as two other ''John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band'' songs–"[[Mother (John Lennon song)|Mother]]" and "[[Isolation (John Lennon song)|Isolation]]"– to be unprecedented in [[rock 'n' roll]].<ref name=holden>{{cite web|title=Lennon's Music: A Range of Genius|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/lennons-music-a-range-of-genius-20101207|author=Holden, S.|date=7 December 2010|accessdate=20 December 2012|publisher=[[Rolling Stone]]}}</ref> Music critic Paul Evans claims that the ''Plastic Ono Band'' songs "Well Well Well" and "[[I Found Out]]" are "tougher rock than nearly anything released before [[the Sex Pistols]]."<ref>{{cite book|title=The Rolling Stone Album Guide|author=Evans, P.|pages=481–482|edition=4th|editor=Brackett, N. |editor2=Hoard, C.|publisher=Simon & Schuster|year=2004|isbn=0743201698}}</ref>
Music critic [[Robert Christgau]] describes "Well Well Well" as an "unsung great song."<ref>{{cite web|title=John Lennon|author=Christgau, R.|author-link=Robert Christgau|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=John+lennon|publisher=robertchristgau.com|accessdate=19 December 2012}}</ref> ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' critic Stephen Holden considers the "furious howls" on "Well Well Well," as well as two other ''John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band'' songs–"[[Mother (John Lennon song)|Mother]]" and "[[Isolation (John Lennon song)|Isolation]]"– to be unprecedented in [[rock 'n' roll]], which serves as a clear influence to later rock singers like [[Kurt Cobain]].<ref name=holden>{{cite magazine|title=Lennon's Music: A Range of Genius|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/lennons-music-a-range-of-genius-20101207|author=Holden, S.|date=7 December 2010|accessdate=20 December 2012|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]}}</ref> Music critic Paul Evans claims that the ''Plastic Ono Band'' songs "Well Well Well" and "[[I Found Out]]" are "tougher rock than nearly anything released before [[the Sex Pistols]]."<ref>{{cite book|title=The Rolling Stone Album Guide|author=Evans, P.|pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/481 481–482]|edition=4th|editor=Brackett, N.|editor2=Hoard, C.|publisher=Simon & Schuster|year=2004|isbn=0743201698|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/481}}</ref>


==Personnel==
==Personnel==
The musicians who performed on the original recording were as follows:<ref name="blaney60">{{cite book |first=John |last=Blaney |title=John Lennon: Listen To This Book |year=2005 |pages=60| publisher=Biddles Ltd. |location=Guildford, Great Britain |isbn=0-9544528-1-X}}</ref>
The musicians who performed on the original recording were as follows:<ref name="blaney60">{{cite book |first=John |last=Blaney |title=John Lennon: Listen To This Book |year=2005 |pages=60| publisher=Biddles Ltd. |location=Guildford, Great Britain |isbn=0-9544528-1-X}}</ref>
*[[John Lennon]] – [[singing|vocals]], [[electric guitar]]
*[[John Lennon]] – vocals, [[electric guitar]]
*[[Ringo Starr]] – [[drum kit|drums]]
*[[Ringo Starr]] – drums
*[[Klaus Voormann]] – [[bass guitar|bass]]
*[[Klaus Voormann]] – bass guitar


==Other versions==
==Other versions==
Lennon played "Well Well Well" live in concert twice, at the One on One benefit concerts at [[Madison Square Garden]] on 30 August 1972.<ref name=blaney/><ref name=eight/> A heavily edited version of the matinee performance was included on the album and video ''[[Live in New York City (John Lennon album)|Live in New York City]]''.<ref name=eight/> Urish and Bielen note that the live version is taken at a quicker pace than the studio version, which they believe makes it one of the stronger songs on ''Live in New York City''.<ref name=words/> Music critic [[Johnny Rogan]], though not considering "Well Well Well" to be one of the strongest songs on ''Plastic Ono Band'', notes that the live performance "works remarkably well."<ref name=complete/> On the other hand, [[Allmusic]] critic Richard Ginell calls the live performance "a perfunctory run-through."<ref>{{cite web|title=Live in New York City|author=Ginell, R.S.|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/live-in-new-york-city-mw0000650407|publisher=[[Allmusic]]|accessdate=16 December 2012}}</ref>
Lennon played "Well Well Well" live in concert twice, at the two One on One benefit concerts at [[Madison Square Garden]] on 30 August 1972.<ref name=blaney/><ref name=eight/> A heavily edited version of the matinee performance was included on the album and video ''[[Live in New York City (John Lennon album)|Live in New York City]]''.<ref name=eight/> Urish and Bielen note that the live version is taken at a quicker pace than the studio version, which they believe makes it one of the stronger songs on ''Live in New York City''.<ref name=words/> Music critic [[Johnny Rogan]], though not considering "Well Well Well" to be one of the strongest songs on ''Plastic Ono Band'', notes that the live performance "works remarkably well."<ref name=complete/> On the other hand, [[Allmusic]] critic Richard Ginell calls the live performance "a perfunctory run-through."<ref>{{cite web|title=Live in New York City|author=Ginell, R.S.|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/live-in-new-york-city-mw0000650407|publisher=[[Allmusic]]|accessdate=16 December 2012}}</ref>


An acoustic version of "Well Well Well" was released on the 2004 album ''[[Acoustic (John Lennon album)|Acoustic]]''.<ref name=blaney/> The instrumentation on this version include just Lennon playing [[acoustic guitar]].<ref name=blaney/> This version of the song contains the line "She looked so beautiful I could wee" instead of "She looked so beautiful I could eat her."<ref name=words/> Urish and Bielen raise the possibility that since Lennon was singing in a nasal voice and dropping some consonants, he may have been actually singing "She looked so beautiful I could weep."<ref name=words/> [[Allmusic]] critic [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] calls the ''Acoustic'' version "lean, mean...with a heavily [[phased]] vocal."<ref>{{cite web|title=Acoustic|author=[[Stephen Thomas Erlewine|Erlewine, S.T.]]|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/acoustic-mw0000259214|publisher=[[Allmusic]]|accessdate=16 December 2012}}</ref>
An acoustic version of "Well Well Well" was released on the 2004 album ''[[Acoustic (John Lennon album)|Acoustic]]''.<ref name=blaney/> The instrumentation on this version include just Lennon playing [[acoustic guitar]].<ref name=blaney/> This version of the song contains the line "She looked so beautiful I could wee" instead of "She looked so beautiful I could eat her."<ref name=words/> Urish and Bielen raise the possibility that since Lennon was singing in a nasal voice and dropping some consonants, he may have been actually singing "She looked so beautiful I could weep."<ref name=words/> [[Allmusic]] critic [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] calls the ''Acoustic'' version "lean, mean...with a heavily [[phased]] vocal."<ref>{{cite web|title=Acoustic|author=Erlewine, S.T.|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/acoustic-mw0000259214|publisher=[[Allmusic]]|accessdate=16 December 2012}}</ref>


A small portion of "Well Well Well" appears within "Something More Abstract," a bonus track on the CD version of the ''[[Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band]]'' album.<ref name=eight/> On this version, Ringo Starr and Klaus Voorman get to briefly play drums and bass before Yoko Ono tells them play "something more abstract."<ref name=eight/>
A small portion of "Well Well Well" appears within "Something More Abstract," a bonus track on the CD version of the ''[[Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band]]'' album.<ref name=eight/> On this version, Ringo Starr and Klaus Voormann get to briefly play drums and bass before Yoko Ono tells them play "something more abstract."<ref name=eight/>


==Covers==
==Covers==
Super 8 covered "Well Well Well" for the 1995 tribute album ''[[Working Class Hero: A Tribute to John Lennon]]''.<ref name=words>{{cite book|title=The Words and Music of John Lennon|authors=Urish, B. & Bielen, K.|pages=22, 96, 115|year=2007|publisher=Praeger|isbn=978-0-275-99180-7}}</ref> It was included in the soundtrack to [[Martin Scorsese]]'s film, ''[[The Departed]]'',<ref>{{cite web|title=Soundtracks for The Departed|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407887/soundtrack|publisher=imdb|accessdate=1 January 2013}}</ref> and also in the Showtime series, ''[[Brotherhood (2006 TV series)|Brotherhood]]''.
Super 8 covered "Well Well Well" for the 1995 tribute album ''[[Working Class Hero: A Tribute to John Lennon]]''.<ref name=words>{{cite book|title=The Words and Music of John Lennon|author1=Urish, B. |author2=Bielen, K. |pages=22, 96, 115|year=2007|publisher=Praeger|isbn=978-0-275-99180-7}}</ref> It was included in the soundtrack to [[Martin Scorsese]]'s film, ''[[The Departed]]'',<ref>{{cite web|title=Soundtracks for The Departed|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407887/soundtrack|publisher=imdb|accessdate=1 January 2013}}</ref> and also in the Showtime series, ''[[Brotherhood (2006 TV series)|Brotherhood]]''.


On their 2015 club tour, rock band [[Cold War Kids]] often covered this to start their encore.
On their 2015 club tour, rock band [[Cold War Kids]] often covered this to start their encore.
<ref>http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/cold-war-kids/2015/riviera-theatre-chicago-il-63caca6f.html</ref>
<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/cold-war-kids/2015/riviera-theatre-chicago-il-63caca6f.html|title = Cold War Kids Setlist at Riviera Theatre, Chicago|website = setlist.fm}}</ref>


The Argentinian punk band Los Rusos Hijos de Puta recorded a Spanish version of the song "Bien Bien Bien" on their 2015 album titled "La Rabia Que Sentimos Es El Amor Que Nos Quitan".
The Argentinian punk band Los Rusos Hijos de Puta recorded a Spanish version of the song "Bien Bien Bien" on their 2015 album titled "La Rabia Que Sentimos Es El Amor Que Nos Quitan".


The song makes its appearance in the last chapter of the second season of the series For all mankind
==References==
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{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}


==External links==
==References==
⚫
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
* {{MetroLyrics song|john-lennon|well-well-well}}<!-- Licensed lyrics provider -->


{{John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band}}
{{John Lennon}}
{{John Lennon}}
{{Authority control}}


[[Category:1970 songs]]
[[Category:1970 songs]]
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[[Category:Song recordings produced by Phil Spector]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Phil Spector]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Yoko Ono]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Yoko Ono]]
[[Category:Plastic Ono Band songs]]

Latest revision as of 09:32, 3 March 2024

"Well Well Well"
Song by John Lennon
from the album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
PublishedNorthern Songs
Released11 December 1970
Recorded1970
GenreRock
Length5:59
LabelApfel
Songwriter(s)John Lennon
Producer(s)John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Phil Spector
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band track listing
11 tracks
Side one
  1. "Mother"
  2. "Hold On"
  3. "I Found Out"
  4. "Working Class Hero"
  5. "Isolation"
Side two
  2. "Remember"
  3. "Love"
  4. "Well Well Well"
  5. "Look at Me"
  6. "God"
  7. "My Mummy's Dead"

"Well Well Well" is a song by English musician John Lennon from his 1970 album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. The eighth and longest track on the album, "Well Well Well" features an aggressive guitar sound, screaming vocals and a pounding backing track.[1]

Lyrics and music

[edit]

The lyrics of "Well Well Well" describe mundane incidents from Lennon's daily life with wife Yoko Ono.[2][3][4] Incidents described include eating a meal together, going for a walk, and discussing current events such as "revolution" and "women's liberation."[3] The song also describes the uneasiness the couple feel during these events, but which they cannot understand.[3][4] Authors Ben Urish and Ken Bielen suggest that this uneasiness is due to guilt the couple feel about being able to talk about issues but having the luxury of deciding whether or not to take action.[3]

One line of the song refers to Yoko Ono as "she looked so beautiful I could eat her."[5] Music critic Wilfrid Mellers interprets this line as evidence of a "cannibalistic impulse" to the song.[5][6] However, critic Johnny Rogan believes it is more likely simply a reference to oral sex.[5] Early lyrics for the song used a slightly different line: "she looked so beautiful I could wee."[4][5] In the performance of the song during the One-To-One concert at Madison Square Garden (in NYC) on 30 August 1972, when Lennon says the line "she looked so beautiful I could eat her", he follows it with "and I did", while looking at Ono, who smiles and nods at Lennon.

The melody of "Well Well Well" is pentatonic, incorporating a proper tritone.[6] In the stanzas there is little harmony other than the instruments doubling the vocal line and the thumping drum.[6] The chorus is in call and response form, and uses triadic harmony.[6]

Instrumentation for "Well Well Well" is provided by Lennon, Klaus Voormann and Ringo Starr performing as a power trio with Lennon on guitar, Voormann on bass and Starr on drums.[3] Rock journalist Paul du Noyer describes Lennon's guitar playing as "clenched" and "grunge-like" and claims that Starr's drumming is "some of Ringo's toughest."[4] Urish and Bielen suggest that Lennon's guitar playing on the song and on Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band were an influence on punk rock.[3] Music critic Johnny Rogan comments on the "thumping bass drum" which, along with Lennon's guitar playing makes "Well Well Well" the "heaviest and loudest" song on Plastic Ono Band.[5] Author John Blaney describes the rhythm track as "pulsing," claiming it "echoes the beating hearts" from Lennon's earlier song "John & Yoko" from The Wedding Album.[2]

Lennon's singing on the song ranges between tender and ferocious.[2] In the middle section he screams the song's title with particular abandon.[3] Authors Chip Madinger and Mark Easter call this "the most tortured-larynx singing of John's career.[7] Mellers attributes the screams of the title phrase at the end of the song to Lennon capitulating "to the infant's hysteria, traumatically howling for the maternal breast," as a result of Lennon undergoing Arthur Janov's primal therapy at the time he wrote the song.[6]

Recording

[edit]

Although the song was released commercially in mono, Phil Spector produced a rough mix in stereo.[2][7] The stereo mix has appeared on bootleg albums.[7]

According to Ringo Starr, Lennon played Lee Dorsey's "Everything I Do Gonh Be Funky (From Now On)" 100 times while recording "Well Well Well" in an effort to capture the feel of the song.[7]

Reception

[edit]

Music critic Robert Christgau describes "Well Well Well" as an "unsung great song."[8] Rolling Stone critic Stephen Holden considers the "furious howls" on "Well Well Well," as well as two other John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band songs–"Mother" and "Isolation"– to be unprecedented in rock 'n' roll, which serves as a clear influence to later rock singers like Kurt Cobain.[9] Music critic Paul Evans claims that the Plastic Ono Band songs "Well Well Well" and "I Found Out" are "tougher rock than nearly anything released before the Sex Pistols."[10]

Personnel

[edit]

The musicians who performed on the original recording were as follows:[11]

Other versions

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Lennon played "Well Well Well" live in concert twice, at the two One on One benefit concerts at Madison Square Garden on 30 August 1972.[2][7] A heavily edited version of the matinee performance was included on the album and video Live in New York City.[7] Urish and Bielen note that the live version is taken at a quicker pace than the studio version, which they believe makes it one of the stronger songs on Live in New York City.[3] Music critic Johnny Rogan, though not considering "Well Well Well" to be one of the strongest songs on Plastic Ono Band, notes that the live performance "works remarkably well."[5] On the other hand, Allmusic critic Richard Ginell calls the live performance "a perfunctory run-through."[12]

An acoustic version of "Well Well Well" was released on the 2004 album Acoustic.[2] The instrumentation on this version include just Lennon playing acoustic guitar.[2] This version of the song contains the line "She looked so beautiful I could wee" instead of "She looked so beautiful I could eat her."[3] Urish and Bielen raise the possibility that since Lennon was singing in a nasal voice and dropping some consonants, he may have been actually singing "She looked so beautiful I could weep."[3] Allmusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine calls the Acoustic version "lean, mean...with a heavily phased vocal."[13]

A small portion of "Well Well Well" appears within "Something More Abstract," a bonus track on the CD version of the Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band album.[7] On this version, Ringo Starr and Klaus Voormann get to briefly play drums and bass before Yoko Ono tells them play "something more abstract."[7]

Covers

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Super 8 covered "Well Well Well" for the 1995 tribute album Working Class Hero: A Tribute to John Lennon.[3] It was included in the soundtrack to Martin Scorsese's film, The Departed,[14] and also in the Showtime series, Brotherhood.

On their 2015 club tour, rock band Cold War Kids often covered this to start their encore. [15]

The Argentinian punk band Los Rusos Hijos de Puta recorded a Spanish version of the song "Bien Bien Bien" on their 2015 album titled "La Rabia Que Sentimos Es El Amor Que Nos Quitan".

The song makes its appearance in the last chapter of the second season of the series For all mankind

References

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  1. ^ "Well Well Well". The Beatles Bible. 2 August 2010. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Blaney, J. (2007). Lennon and McCartney: together alone : a critical discography of their solo work. Jawbone Press. pp. 35, 38, 173, 266–267. ISBN 9781906002022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Urish, B.; Bielen, K. (2007). The Words and Music of John Lennon. Praeger. pp. 22, 96, 115. ISBN 978-0-275-99180-7.
  4. ^ a b c d du Noyer, P. (1999). John Lennon: Whatever Gets You Through the Night. Thunder's Mouth Press. p. 33. ISBN 1560252103.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Rogan, J. (1997). The Complete Guide to the Music of John Lennon. Omnius Press. pp. 43–44, 136. ISBN 0711955999.
  6. ^ a b c d e Mellers, W. (1973). The Music of the Beatles: Twilight of the Gods. Schirmer Books. pp. 163–165. ISBN 0670735981.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Madinger, C. & Easter, M. (2000). Eight Arms to Hold You. 44.1 Productions. pp. 36, 39, 79–84. ISBN 0-615-11724-4.
  8. ^ Christgau, R. "John Lennon". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  9. ^ Holden, S. (7 December 2010). "Lennon's Music: A Range of Genius". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  10. ^ Evans, P. (2004). Brackett, N.; Hoard, C. (eds.). The Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 481–482. ISBN 0743201698.
  11. ^ Blaney, John (2005). John Lennon: Listen To This Book. Guildford, Great Britain: Biddles Ltd. p. 60. ISBN 0-9544528-1-X.
  12. ^ Ginell, R.S. "Live in New York City". Allmusic. Retrieved 16 December 2012.
  13. ^ Erlewine, S.T. "Acoustic". Allmusic. Retrieved 16 December 2012.
  14. ^ "Soundtracks for The Departed". imdb. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  15. ^ "Cold War Kids Setlist at Riviera Theatre, Chicago". setlist.fm.
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