John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 1940 – 8 Decem… Read Full Bio ↴John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 1940 – 8 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame as the founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. His work included music, writing, drawings and film. His songwriting partnership with Paul McCartney remains the most successful in history.

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)

Jealous Guy
John Lennon Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I was dreaming of the past
And my heart was beating fast
I began to lose control
I began to lose control
I didn't mean to hurt you
I'm sorry that I made you cry
Oh no, I didn't want to hurt you
I'm just a jealous guy

I was feeling insecure
You might not love me anymore
I was shivering inside
I was shivering inside
Oh, I didn't mean to hurt you
I'm sorry that I made you cry
Oh no, I didn't want to hurt you
I'm just a jealous guy

I didn't mean to hurt you
I'm sorry that I made you cry
Oh no, I didn't want to hurt you
I'm just a jealous guy

I was trying to catch your eyes
Thought that you was trying to hide
I was swallowing my pain
I was swallowing my pain
I didn't mean to hurt you
I'm sorry that I made you cry
Oh no, I didn't want to hurt you
I'm just a jealous guy

Watch out, I'm just a jealous guy
Look out baby, I'm just a jealous guy

Overall Meaning

The song "Jealous Guy" by John Lennon is a powerful and emotional song that explores the feelings of jealousy and insecurity. The song begins with the singer dreaming of the past, with their heart beating fast and feeling a loss of control. The lyrics suggest that the singer may have hurt someone they love due to their own insecurities and jealousy, and they are apologizing for their actions. The chorus repeats the refrain "I'm just a jealous guy" several times, emphasizing the theme of jealousy throughout the song.

The second verse continues to explore the singer's feelings of insecurity, suggesting that they are afraid that the person they love may not love them back. They describe feeling shivery and scared inside, further emphasizing their vulnerability. The bridge of the song describes the singer's attempts to catch the eye of the person they love and the pain they feel when they believe that person is trying to hide from them.

Overall, the lyrics of "Jealous Guy" delve into a common human emotion and offer an honest portrayal of the feelings of jealousy and insecurity that can lead to hurtful actions. Through the song's lyrics, we see the singer grappling with their own faults and trying to make things right with the person they love.

Line by Line Meaning

I was dreaming of the past
I was lost in thought about past experiences.

And my heart was beating fast
This thought was exciting, intense and causing my heart to race.

I began to lose control
This thought was taking over and dominating my mind and emotions.

I didn't mean to hurt you
The thoughts and emotions I was experiencing were not meant to cause harm.

I'm sorry that I made you cry
I regret the impact these thoughts and emotions had on you and feel remorseful about it.

Oh no, I didn't want to hurt you
It was not my intention to cause pain or sadness for you.

I'm just a jealous guy
I recognize that the root of these thoughts and emotions is insecurity and jealousy within myself.

I was feeling insecure
I lacked confidence and felt uncertain about my place in our relationship.

You might not love me anymore
My insecurity led me to believe that you no longer had romantic feelings towards me.

I was shivering inside
These thoughts and feelings were causing me to feel anxious and unstable inside myself.

I was trying to catch your eyes
I wanted to make eye contact with you to confirm or deny my beliefs about your feelings for me.

Thought that you was trying to hide
I interpreted your behavior as you purposely trying to avoid me or hide your true feelings towards me.

I was swallowing my pain
I was attempting to suppress and hide the hurt and insecurity I was feeling.

Watch out, I'm just a jealous guy
I recognize that while my jealousy is causing issues in our relationship, it is a part of me that I have not fully come to terms with or addressed.

Look out baby, I'm just a jealous guy
I am warning you that my jealousy is not something that I can easily control or change, but I am willing to try to work on it and improve our relationship.

Lyrics © BUDDE MUSIC FRANCE, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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