Cold Turkey
"Cold Turkey" | ||||
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Single by Plastic Ono Band | ||||
B-side | "Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking for a Hand in the Snow)" (Yoko Ono) | |||
Released | 20 October 1969 | |||
Recorded | 30 September 1969 | |||
Studio | EMI, London | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 5:01 | |||
Label | Apple | |||
Songwriter(s) | John Lennon | |||
Producer(s) |
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Plastic Ono Band singles chronology | ||||
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"Cold Turkey" is a song written by English singer-songwriter
Writing and recording
According to
"Cold Turkey" was the first song Lennon wrote for which he took sole credit; his previous compositions, including his first single release, "Give Peace a Chance",[10] were attributed to the Lennon–McCartney partnership, although the credit for "Give Peace a Chance" was later changed to Lennon alone.[11] "Cold Turkey" was recorded in Abbey Road Studio 2, and features Eric Clapton.[9] There are other versions besides the single, several of which are acoustic, and a live version included on Live in New York City that features Ono adding vocalizations.[12]
Release and reception
The single was released with a standard green Apple label, with the words "Play Loud" printed on the spindle plug of the UK pressing[13] and above and beneath the spindle hole of the US pressing.[14] This instruction would also appear on the labels of Lennon's next solo single, "Instant Karma!"[15][16]
"Cold Turkey" rose to number 14 on the
Cover art
The original single cover art features Lennon's head with glasses on an X-ray image. An alternative sleeve with the X-ray photographs of John and Yoko side by side, rather than on either side of the cover, was issued in several European countries. The Japanese version includes a colour photo of both in a smaller size.
Live performance
Its first public performance on 13 September 1969, was recorded and released on the Live Peace in Toronto 1969 album by Plastic Ono Band which included Lennon, Yoko Ono, Eric Clapton, Klaus Voormann, and Alan White.[12] Yoko introduced it as the newest song written by John; John added that the band had never played the song together as a group before. He also performed this song on 15 December 1969, along with "Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking for Her Hand in the Snow)", at the Lyceum Ballroom with more members of the Plastic Ono Band.[22] This version would be available on his Some Time in New York City album.[22] Lennon performed the song again, at two Madison Square Garden shows, on 30 August 1972.[22]
Personnel
According to author John C. Winn:[23]
- John Lennon – lead and harmony vocals, guitars
- Eric Clapton – guitar
- Klaus Voormann – bass
- Ringo Starr – drums
Chart performance
Chart (1969) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canadian RPM Singles Chart[24] | 30 |
Dutch Top 40[25] | 39 |
UK Singles Chart[26]
|
14 |
Chart (1970) | Peak position |
US Billboard Pop Singles[27] | 30 |
US Cashbox Top 100[28] | 32 |
Cover versions
- Red Clay. Hubbard's version, featuring Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson, Ron Carter and Lenny White, is influenced by funkmusic.
- A live recording appears on the 1979 LP Soft Boys.
- The Godfathers recorded a version in 1986 with producer Vic Maile. It was first released on a 1986 compilation album called Hit by Hit that included their three early 12" singles.[29]
- PiL founder/guitarist Keith Levene covered the song on his 1989 solo album Violent Opposition.
- Cheap Trick recorded two versions in 1994. One went on the album Working Class Hero: A Tribute to John Lennon, and the other was released on one of the Bun E.'s Basement Bootleg albums.
- Beki Bondage of Vice Squad released a version on her 2000 solo covers album, also called Cold Turkey.
- Lenny Kravitz recorded a version for the 2007 benefit album Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur.
- Billy Talent covered it on the B-side of their single "Rusted from the Rain" in 2009.
- Alice Cooper covered the song with his supergroup Hollywood Vampires on their debut album, released 11 September 2015. "We weren't going to do 'Imagine'," he noted. "'Let's do something that really represented the John that we knew."[30]
References
- ISBN 978-1-4408-3514-8.
- ]
- ISBN 978-1-4766-2403-7.
- ISBN 978-0-275-99180-7.
- ISBN 978-0-9544528-1-0.
- ^ "John Lennon Discography". Homepage.ntlworld.com. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
- ^ a b Brown, Peter. The Love You Make: An Insider's Story of The Beatles. McGraw-Hill, 1983. New American Library, 2002. 331.
- ISBN 978-1-84732-665-2.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-84732-665-2.
- ^ "John Lennon - Give peace A Chance". Jpgr.co.uk.
- ^ "Give Peace a Chance (Legal Title) BMI Work #476096". BMI.com. Archived from the original on 22 March 2004. Retrieved 24 October 2009.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-84732-665-2.
- ^ "Images for Plastic Ono Band, The - Cold Turkey / Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking for a Hand in the Snow)". Discogs.com. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
- ^ "Images for Plastic Ono Band* - Cold Turkey / Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking for a Hand in the Snow)". Discogs.com. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
- ^ "Images for Lennon* With Plastic Ono Band, The - Instant Karma". Discogs.com. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
- ^ "Images for John Ono Lennon* - Instant Karma (We All Shine On)". Discogs.com. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
- ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 8 November 1969. p. 36. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
- ^ "Single Reviews" (PDF). Record World. 8 November 1969. p. 8. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
- ^ "MBE that John Lennon returned in protest is found - Times Online". Archived from the original on 25 October 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2010.
- ISBN 978-1-84732-665-2.
- ^ Bracy, Timothy; Bracy, Elizabeth (13 May 2014). "The 10 Best John Lennon Songs". Stereogum. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-9544528-1-0.
- ^ Winn 2009, pp. 327, 330.
- ^ "Top Singles - Volume 12, No. 19, December 27, 1969". RPM. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2011.
- ^ "De Nederlandse Top 40, week 50, 1969". Archived from the original on 8 May 2008. Retrieved 5 December 2008.
- ^ "John Lennon | Artist". Official Charts. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
- ^ "Allmusic - John Lennon - Billboard Singles". Retrieved 5 December 2008.
- ISBN 978-0-9544528-1-0.
- ^ Liner notes for original 1986 release of Hit by Hit (Link Records #009). Retrieved 17 February 2011.
- ^ Murphy, Kevin: "The vampire diaries"; Classic Rock #216, November 2015, p33
Sources
- Winn, John C. (2009). That Magic Feeling: The Beatles' Recorded Legacy, Volume Two, 1966–1970. New York: ISBN 978-0-307-45239-9.
External links
- John Lennon - Cold Turkey at Graham Calkin's Beatles Pages