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)
O'Sanity
John Lennon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Psychotic builds a castle
And neurotic lives in it
I don't know what to do with my sanity
When the world's at the verge of calamity
O'sanity, O'sanity
What am I to do with you
But you're always standing behind me like a devil in hell
O'sanity, o'sanity
Why don't you let me go
Let go, let go, cut it out!
The lyrics to John Lennon and Yoko Ono's song O'Sanity explore the concept of sanity in a world that seems on the verge of calamity. The opening lines suggest that in a world gone mad, it may be more reasonable to embrace one's insanity rather than cling to an illusion of normalcy. Lennon and Ono then seem to suggest that there are two distinct forms of madness: psychosis, which is outwardly aggressive and assertive, and neurosis, which is inward-turning and self-doubting. The lyrics seem to suggest that both forms of madness are equally difficult to manage, and that there may be no easy answers when it comes to dealing with one's own mental health.
Throughout the song, the repeated refrain of "O'sanity" feels like a cry of frustration or desperation. It's almost as if Lennon and Ono are pleading with their own demons to leave them alone, to let them find some measure of peace amid the chaos of the world around them. The closing lines, "let go, let go, cut it out!" are a direct address to a perceived antagonist, but it's not entirely clear whether Lennon and Ono are addressing their own mental demons, or the societal forces that seem to be pushing them towards the brink of despair.
Line by Line Meaning
It's only sane to be insane
Being considered insane in a crazy world is actually a sane reaction.
Psychotic builds a castle
Those with extreme mental illnesses may create their own world to live in.
And neurotic lives in it
The less extreme may still dwell in these created worlds due to their own unstable mental state.
I don't know what to do with my sanity
In a world where chaos is the norm, one may struggle with what to do with their own mental stability.
When the world's at the verge of calamity
Amidst a state of constant chaos, the world may always seem like it's on the edge of collapse.
O'sanity, O'sanity
Addressing the concept of sanity itself.
What am I to do with you
Feeling unsure about how to handle their own mental state.
Drink up, shoot up, anything you please
Desperate attempts to cope with their own sanity through self-destructive means.
But you're always standing behind me like a devil in hell
Despite attempts to escape their mental state, it seems to always follow them like a haunting presence.
Why don't you let me go
Wishing to be released from the burden of maintaining their sanity in a world that seems crazy.
Let go, let go, cut it out!
Desire to be free from the weight of their own stable mentality and embrace the chaos.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: YOKO ONO, JOHN LENNON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
thefabulousthomasj
Love this song. But it ends too soon!!!
JoeyDno3 JoeyDno3
You should buy the 12" extended version, that really goes on ....... and on ..........and on..........and on ......and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz . Be safe take care of each other 💝.
Shepcat
I think it's funny that this is a song written by Yoko Ono but it has a picture with Yoko and John
Gloria Miranda
Linda YOKO
SILLYBILLY BILLYSILLY
Satanic.