Woman Is the Nigger of the World
"Woman Is the Nigger of the World" | ||||
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Record Plant East, New York City | ||||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 5:15 | |||
Label | Apple | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) |
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John Lennon and Yoko Ono as Plastic Ono Band singles chronology | ||||
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Some Time in New York City track listing | ||||
16 tracks
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"Woman Is the Nigger of the World" is a song by John Lennon and Yoko Ono with Elephant's Memory from their 1972 album Some Time in New York City. Released as the only single from the album in the United States, the song sparked controversy at the time due to the use of the word nigger in the title.
Composition
The phrase "woman is the nigger of the world" was coined by Yoko Ono in an interview on December 12, 1968 then released on Nova magazine in 1969 and quoted on the magazine's cover. Literary analysts note that the phrase owes much to Zora Neale Hurston's novel Their Eyes Were Watching God,[1] in which the protagonist Janie Crawford's grandmother says "De nigger woman is de mule uh de world so fur as Ah can see."[2][3] John and Yoko wrote the song in the summer of 1969, Lennon was originally against the statement Yoko made but when he saw the cover of Nova it changed his mind. The song describes women's subservience to men and misogyny across all cultures.[citation needed]
In a 1972 interview on
Release and reception
Due to its use of the racial epithet nigger and what was criticized as an inappropriate comparison of sexism to racism against black Americans, most radio stations in the United States declined to play the record.[5] It was released in the U.S. on 24 April 1972[6] and peaked at number 57 on the Billboard Hot 100, based primarily on sales, making it Lennon's lowest-charting U.S. single in his lifetime.[7] The song also charted at number 93 on the Cash Box Top 100.[8]
The
In the 1 June 1972 issue of Jet magazine, Apple Records ran an ad for the song with a purported quote from Congressman Ron Dellums, a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, claiming that he "agreed" with Lennon and Ono that "women are the niggers of the world."[11] In the 15 June issue, Dellums wrote a letter in response rejecting that he had "agreed" with Lennon and Ono. He clarified that "In a white male-dominated society that sees the role of women as bed-partners, broom pushers, bottle washers, typists and cooks, women are niggers in THIS society."[12]
Record World said that "with hard rock backing and expert guitar work from Elephant's Memory, John and Yoko deliver the message suggested by the title" and called it "strong stuff, musically and lyrically."[13] Classic Rock critic Rob Hughes rated it as Lennon's 9th best political song.[14]
Response to criticism
Through radio and television interviews, Lennon described his use of the term nigger as referring to any oppressed person.
I had John and Yoko on, and the suits said: "We're gonna write a little insert just before the song for you to say." I said, "You are going to censor my guests after I get them on the show? This is ludicrous." So they wrote this thing, and I went in and taped it in order to retain the song. About 600 protests did come in. None of them about the song! All of them about, quote: "that mealy-mouthed statement you forced Dick to say before the show. Don't you believe we're grown up..." Oh, God. It was wonderful in that sense; it gave me hope for the republic.[15]
Lennon also visited the offices of Ebony and Jet magazines with comedian/activist Dick Gregory and appeared in a cover story, "Ex-Beatle Tells How Black Stars Changed His Life", in the 26 October 1972 issue of Jet.
John and Yoko would continue to defend the song in multiple 1980 interviews including John Lennon's last interview on December 8, 1980. Yoko would continue expressing support for the song most recently admitting its controversial nature in a 2012 interview.
Reissues
An edited version of the song was included on the 1975 compilation album
In popular culture
An episode of the television series Better Things, written by Pamela Adlon and Louis C.K., named "Woman is the Something of the Something", features characters discussing the saying "woman is the nigger of the world".[17]
Chart performance
Chart (1972) | Peak position |
---|---|
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[18] | 20 |
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[19] | 45 |
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[20] | 73 |
Denmark (IFPI)[21] | 9 |
Italy (Musica e dischi)[22] | 12 |
Japan (Oricon Singles Chart)[23] | 38 |
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[24] | 24 |
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[25] | 21 |
US Billboard Hot 100[26] | 57 |
US Cash Box Top 100[27] | 93 |
Personnel
Personnel on the single and Some Time in New York City recording are:[28][29]
- vocals, guitar
- Stan Bronstein – tenor saxophone
- Gary Van Scyoc – bass
- Adam Ippolito – piano, organ
- Wayne "Tex" Gabriel – guitar
- Richard Frank Jr. – percussion
- Jim Keltner – drums
See also
References
- ISBN 978-0-312571-29-0.
- ISBN 9780860685241.
- ISBN 0-760735-32-8.
- ^ ISBN 0-7389-3357-0.
- ^ Hilburn, Robert. "New Disc Controversy" Los Angeles Times 22 April 1972: B6
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7119-8307-6.
- ^ Duston, Anne. "Lennon, Ono 45 Controversial" Billboard 17 June 1972: 65
- ISBN 978-0-9544528-1-0.
- ^ Johnston, Laurie. "Women's Group to Observe Rights Day Here Today" New York Times 25 August 1972: 40
- ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 6 May 1972. p. 18. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
- ISSN 0021-5996. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
- ^ Dellums, Ronald V. (15 June 1972). "Rep. Dellums Objects to Quote in Record Ad". Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
- ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 5 May 1972. p. 1. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
- ^ Hughes, Rob (8 December 2021). "John Lennon's 10 best political songs". Classic Rock. Louder Sound. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
- ^ 2010 documentary LennoNYC
- ISBN 978-0-9544528-1-0.
- ^ Felsenthal, Julia (30 September 2016). "Pamela Adlon on Better Things's Most Meta Episode Yet". Vogue. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
- ^ "John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band With Elephant's Memory And The Invisible Strings – Woman Is the Nigger of the World" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
- ^ "John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band With Elephant's Memory And The Invisible Strings – Woman Is the Nigger of the World" (in French). Ultratop 50.
- ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 7673." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
- ^ "Hitlisten". Ekstra Bladet. 28 September 1972. p. 34.
- ^ Spinetoli, John Joseph. Artisti In Classifica: I Singoli: 1960-1999. Milano: Musica e dischi, 2000
- ISBN 978-4-87131-088-8.
- ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band With Elephant's Memory And The Invisible Strings" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
- ^ "John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band With Elephant's Memory And The Invisible Strings – Woman Is the Nigger of the World" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
- ^ "John Lennon Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Top 100 1972-06-03". Cashbox. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
- ISBN 978-1-906002-02-2.
- ^ "Woman Is The N—r Of The World". The Beatles Bible. 3 August 2010. Retrieved 23 July 2020.