Born in Liverpool, Lennon became involved in the skiffle craze as a teenager. In 1956, he formed The Quarrymen, which evolved into the Beatles in 1960. Sometimes called "the smart Beatle", Lennon initially was the group's de facto leader, a role he gradually ceded to McCartney. Through his songwriting in the Beatles, he embraced myriad musical influences, initially writing and co-writing rock and pop-oriented hit songs in the band's early years, then later incorporating experimental elements into his compositions in the latter half of the Beatles' career as his songs became known for their increasing innovation. Lennon soon expanded his work into other media by participating in numerous films, including How I Won the War, and authoring In His Own Write and A Spaniard in the Works, both collections of nonsense writings and line drawings. Starting with "All You Need Is Love", his songs were adopted as anthems by the anti-war movement and the larger counterculture of the 1960s. In 1969, he started the Plastic Ono Band with his second wife, multimedia artist Yoko Ono, held the two-week-long anti-war demonstration Bed-ins for Peace and left the Beatles to embark on a solo career.
Between 1968 and 1972, Lennon and Ono collaborated on many works, including a trilogy of avant-garde albums, several more films, his solo debut John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and the international top-10 singles "Give Peace a Chance", "Instant Karma!", "Imagine", and "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)". Moving to New York City in 1971, his criticism of the Vietnam War resulted in a three-year deportation attempt by the Nixon administration. Lennon and Ono separated from 1973 to 1975, during which time he produced Harry Nilsson's album Pussy Cats. He also had chart-topping collaborations with Elton John ("Whatever Gets You thru the Night") and David Bowie ("Fame"). Following a five-year hiatus, Lennon returned to music in 1980 with the Ono collaboration Double Fantasy. He was murdered by a Beatles fan, Mark David Chapman, three weeks after the album's release.
As a performer, writer or co-writer, Lennon had 25 number-one singles in the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Double Fantasy, his best-selling album, won the 1981 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. That year, he won the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. In 2002, Lennon was voted eighth in a BBC history poll of the 100 Greatest Britons. Rolling Stone ranked him the fifth-greatest singer and 38th greatest artist of all time. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame (in 1997) and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (twice, as a member of the Beatles in 1988 and as a solo artist in 1994).
Studio albums
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970)
Imagine (1971)
Some Time in New York City (with Yoko Ono, 1972)
Mind Games (1973)
Walls and Bridges (1974)
Rock 'n' Roll (1975)
Double Fantasy (with Yoko Ono, 1980)
Milk and Honey (Posthumous with Yoko Ono, 1984)
Experimental studio albums with Yoko Ono
Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins (1968)
Unfinished Music No. 2: Life with the Lions (1969)
Wedding Album (1969)
Goodnight Vienna
John Lennon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
she was so beautiful, she made me uptight, ah-hah-hah....
-oh gee! I'm worn out! Can we try another, can you hear what he's saying?
I took my baby to a party last night, ah-hah-hah,
she was so beautiful, she made me uptight, ah-hah-hah,
up come a butcher with her ju jus alight, ah-hah-hah,
Felt like a bohunk but I kept up my cool, ah-hah-hah,
green as a frog, man, I was back into school, ah-hah-hah,
zipped up my mouth 'cause I was starting to drool, ah-hah-hah,
it's all da-da-da-down to goodnight vienna.
Git it up!
Git it up!
Git it up!
Git it up!
It's all da-da-da-down to goodnight vienna.
She said she loved me but I knew she was lying, ah-hah-hah,
felt like an arab who was dancing through zion, ah-hah-hah,
don't call no doctor when you just feel like crying, ah-hah-hah,
it's all da-da-da-down to goodnight vienna.
Uhuh-
git it up!
Git it up!
Git it up!
Git it up!
I took my baby to a party last night, ah-hah-hah,
she was so beautiful, it made me uptight, ah-hah-hah,
up came a doct.... With his needles in sight, ah-hah-hah,
it's all down to goodnight vienna.
In "Goodnight Vienna," John Lennon describes a night out with his lady love. The song begins with him reminiscing about how beautiful she looked, and how it made him nervous. As they attend a party, a butcher with her ju jus - a herb or seasoning - arrives and John finds himself getting lost in the moment. He feels like he's back in school and is drooling over his lady friend, but he tries to keep his cool. As the night continues, he starts to question whether she truly loves him or not, feeling like an Arab dancing through Zion. In the end, he doesn't want to call a doctor when all he feels is like crying. The song ends with him repeating the phrase, "It's all down to Goodnight Vienna."
The lyrics of this song might be interpreted differently by different listeners. Some might see it as a straight-forward description of a night out with a lover, while others might see it as an allegory for something deeper, more profound. At its core, though, the song seems to be about the ups and downs of relationships. John is clearly taken by his partner's beauty, but he doesn't seem entirely sure of her affections, which fills him with anxiety. His reference to feeling like an Arab in Zion might also suggest that he feels out of place or unwelcome in this particular community. And by the end of the song, he seems to be in a state of emotional distress.
Line by Line Meaning
Last night, ah-hah-hah, she was so beautiful, she made me uptight, ah-hah-hah
I had an enjoyable time with my significant other at a party but her stunning appearance made me nervous and anxious.
I took my baby to a party last night, ah-hah-hah, she was so beautiful, she made me uptight, ah-hah-hah, up come a butcher with her ju jus alight, ah-hah-hah, it's all da-da-da-down to goodnight vienna.
I went to a party with my partner where a butcher arrived with knives and utensils. This caused me to feel worried and anxious about the events to come.
Felt like a bohunk but I kept up my cool, ah-hah-hah, green as a frog, man, I was back into school, ah-hah-hah, zipped up my mouth 'cause I was starting to drool, ah-hah-hah, it's all da-da-da-down to goodnight vienna.
Despite feeling out of place and inexperienced, I maintained my composure and tried not to show how nervous I was, ultimately leading to a pleasant experience.
She said she loved me but I knew she was lying, ah-hah-hah, felt like an arab who was dancing through zion, ah-hah-hah, don't call no doctor when you just feel like crying, ah-hah-hah, it's all da-da-da-down to goodnight vienna. Uhuh-
While my partner claimed to love me, I had a feeling that it wasn't true. I felt like I was doing something foreign, and despite internal feelings of sadness or distress, I didn't seek help and instead resigned myself to the events of the night.
I took my baby to a party last night, ah-hah-hah, she was so beautiful, it made me uptight, ah-hah-hah, up came a doct.... With his needles in sight, ah-hah-hah, it's all down to goodnight vienna.
I attended a party with my partner and was greeted by a doctor with needles visible. This obviously made me uneasy and led me to feel that the night wasn't going to end well.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHN LENNON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Triple Cripple
This is has got to be best quality lennon vocal of this song I've ever heard
Atrás das Coisas
NOT the Lennon original demo!!! His vocal was mixed with aliens vocals and a little bit of Ringo's at the end.
Carl Ranger
Had no idea John wrote and recorded this. Thanks for the upload.
AlbertoVO5
Is this the lead off track from Ringo’s albums remixed to bring John’s b-vox to the fore? It doesn’t sound like a different recording of the song but it’s been decades since I heard the GV album version.
Nicholas Crowe
Yes, I demixed Ringo's Version and John's demo version took Ringo's voice off and put John's on.
AlbertoVO5
@Nicholas Crowe wow. Nice job too.
Nicholas Crowe
Thank you :)
@AlbertoVO5