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)
Make Love Not War
John Lennon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pushing the barriers planting seeds
Playing the mind guerrilla
Chanting the Mantra peace on earth
We all been playing those mind games forever
Some kinda druid dudes lifting the veil
Doing the mind guerrilla
Some call it magic the search for the grail
Love is the answer and you know that for sure
Love is a flower
You got to let it, you gotta let it grow
So keep on playing those mind games together
Faith in the future out of the now
You just can't beat on those mind guerrillas
Absolute elsewhere in the stones of your mind
Yeah we're playing those mind games forever
Projecting our images in space and in time
Yes is the answer and you know that for sure
Yes is surrender
You got to let it, you gotta let it go
So keep on playing those mind games together
Doing the ritual dance in the sun
Millions of mind guerrillas
Putting their soul power to the karmic wheel
Keep on playing those mind games forever
Raising the spirit of peace and love
In "Mind Games," John Lennon and The Plastic Ono Band urge listeners to embrace positivity and unity in the face of societal and personal turmoil. They acknowledge that humanity has been playing "mind games" for centuries, perpetuating cycles of conflict and suffering. However, they offer an alternative: planting seeds of peace and love through collective action and introspection. The lyrics describe the process of "playing the mind guerrilla," or challenging outdated beliefs and opening oneself up to new perspectives. Lennon suggests that this can feel magical, and compares it to searching for the Holy Grail.
Throughout the song, Lennon emphasizes that love is the answer. He compares love to a flower that needs nurturing to grow. By surrendering to love and accepting the reality of the present moment, individuals can have faith in the future and experience a sense of transcendence. The repetition of the phrase "yes is the answer" and "you got to let it go" reinforces this message of surrender and acceptance.
Overall, "Mind Games" is a call to action, a reminder that humanity has the power to choose its own destiny, and that choosing love and peace over hate and aggression is the only way to break the cycle of suffering.
Line by Line Meaning
We're playing those mind games together
We are engaging in intellectual and emotional challenges collaboratively
Pushing the barriers planting seeds
Breaking through our personal limits and sowing the seeds of progress and change
Playing the mind guerrilla
Engaging in strategic and nonviolent challenges to promote peace and progress
Chanting the Mantra peace on earth
Repeating and embodying a phrase that promotes global harmony and unity
We all been playing those mind games forever
As human beings, we have always challenged ourselves in intellectual and emotional ways
Some kinda druid dudes lifting the veil
Some individuals are adept at revealing the hidden truths and secrets of the universe
Doing the mind guerrilla
Engaging in strategic and nonviolent challenges to promote peace and progress
Some call it magic the search for the grail
Some see this quest for truth and enlightenment as a magical and mystical pursuit
Love is the answer and you know that for sure
Unconditional love is the ultimate solution to our problems, and we are convinced of its power
Love is a flower
Love is a delicately beautiful force that blooms in our hearts and lives
You got to let it, you gotta let it grow
We must nurture and allow love to grow within ourselves and others
So keep on playing those mind games together
Continue to engage in intellectual and emotional challenges collaboratively
Faith in the future out of the now
Believing in a better tomorrow, born out of our present actions
You just can't beat on those mind guerrillas
We cannot defeat those who strategically and nonviolently promote peace and progress
Absolute elsewhere in the stones of your mind
Deep within our consciousness lies a profound and true understanding of reality
Yeah we're playing those mind games forever
As human beings, we will continue to engage in intellectual and emotional challenges eternally
Projecting our images in space and in time
Creating and leaving our mark on the world, both physically and through history
Yes is the answer and you know that for sure
Unconditional acceptance and affirmation is the ultimate solution to our problems, and we are convinced of its power
Yes is surrender
Accepting and letting go of our fears and doubts to embrace love and harmony
You got to let it, you gotta let it go
We must release our negative emotions and doubts to allow love and harmony to flourish
So keep on playing those mind games together
Continue to engage in intellectual and emotional challenges collaboratively
Doing the ritual dance in the sun
Performing a symbolic and celebratory dance of life and harmony
Millions of mind guerrillas
Countless individuals strategically and nonviolently promoting peace and progress
Putting their soul power to the karmic wheel
Investing their spiritual energy into the wheel of fate and destiny
Keep on playing those mind games forever
As human beings, we will continue to engage in intellectual and emotional challenges eternally
Raising the spirit of peace and love
Elevating our collective consciousness towards universal peace and love
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHN LENNON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Iloveresses7
I love how he sings this during the fade out of Mind Games and old relic of the song it was once intended to be.
Alfredo Di Stéfano Laulhé
In the ending of the song.
Джерти (Архив)
актуальна для прошлого, для настоящего, и для будущего
Aлекс
Эх, а ведь золотые слова, куда лучше любовью заниматься, а не войной
Rosimar Messias Cunha Pires
Sempre que eu escuto essa canção eu choro, mind games é a mesma coisa, meu D'us como assim mataram John Lennon, eu nasci em 1989 e não consigo lidar com isso de boa, ele simplesmente foi o maior compositor da história.
Marcelo Rocha
Eu vivia em 1980 quando ele foi assassinado. O dia da morte de John Lennon foi um dia muito triste na existência de muitas pessoas. Quem gostava de Beatles sonhava com um último show, com John, Paul, George e Ringo, de cabelos brancos relembrando os velhos tempos.... Aquele ato violento enterrou muita coisa.
Scott Congdon
They killed him in the name of God.
Алексей Усов
в этот долгий день, она актуальна
W𝒊R
watching 💐💐🤭🤭
watching 💐💐🤭🤭
watching 💐💐🤭🤭watching 💐💐🤭🤭
wawaH20
The lo fi stuff from John and Paul really makes me appreciate Daniel Johnston. He was so close to being just as much of a musical genius. He just didnt have the right tech.
But lofi is a whole vibe by itself now