Power to the People (song)

1971 song written by John Lennon

"Power to the People"

US picture sleeve

Single by John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
B-side|

* "Open Your Box" (UK) (Yoko Ono)
* "Touch Me" (US) (Yoko Ono)

Released| 12 March 1971 (UK)
22 March 1971 (US)
Recorded| 22 January - 9 February 1971
Studio| Ascot Sound, Berkshire
Genre| Rock, protest song
Length| 3:15
Label| Apple
Songwriter(s)| John Lennon
Producer(s)|

* Phil Spector
* John Lennon
* Yoko Ono

John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band singles chronology
| "Mother"
(1970)  | "Power to the People"
(1971)  | "Imagine"
(1971)

|
|

"Power to the People" is a song written by John Lennon, released as a single in 1971, credited to John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. It was issued on Apple Records (catalogue number R5892 in the United Kingdom, 1830 in the United States) and charted at #6 on the British singles chart,[1] at number 10 on the Cashbox Top 100, and at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100[2] The song's first appearance on album was the 1975 compilation Shaved Fish.

## Writing and recording

[edit]

"Power to the People" was recorded at Ascot Sound Studios[3] on 15 February 1971,[4] during sessions that would produce songs for Lennon's Imagine album. The single was released on 12 March 1971 in the UK and 22 March 1971 in the US[5][6] (although some sources give the British release as 8 March[7]). The song was written by Lennon in response to an interview he gave to Tariq Ali and Robin Blackburn,[8] published in Red Mole (8–22 March 1971).[9] As Lennon explained: "I just felt inspired by what they said, although a lot of it is gobbledygook. So I wrote 'Power to the People' the same way I wrote 'Give Peace a Chance,' as something for the people to sing. I make singles like broadsheets. It was another quickie, done at Ascot."[3]

It entered the charts on 20 March 1971, and remained there for nine weeks. It was Lennon's fifth solo single, the Plastic Ono Band on this occasion comprising Lennon, Bobby Keys and Billy Preston in addition to regulars Klaus Voormann and Alan White.[10] Backing vocals were supplied by Rosetta Hightower[10] and "44 others".[11] The singers also stomped their feet to make it sound more like a political rally.[12] Phil Spector, Lennon and Yoko Ono were credited as producers.[10]

Record World called it a "a fantastic choral chant-song that really rocks."[13]

Lennon's regard for the song changed during the 1970s. In Skywriting by Word of Mouth, he called the song "rather embarrassing" and supported Hunter S. Thompson's claim that the anthem was "ten years too late".[14][15] In 1980, he stated that the song "didn't really come off" as it had been "written in the state of being asleep and wanting to be loved by Tariq Ali and his ilk".[16]

Ultimate Classic Rock critic Nick DeRiso rated it as Lennon's 6th greatest solo political song, calling it "one of Lennon's funkiest and hardest-hitting musical achievements."[12]

## Cover versions and other uses of the song

[edit]

The Minus 5 recorded a version of "Power to the People" for the 1995 tribute album Working Class Hero: A Tribute to John Lennon. In 2000, Eric Burdon, Billy Preston and Ringo Starr recorded the song for Steal This Movie!, a film about Abbie Hoffman.[17]

The song has been used as a theme song of the 2016 and 2020 US presidential campaigns of Bernie Sanders.[18]

## Personnel

[edit]

The musicians who performed on "Power to the People" were as follows:[19]

* John Lennon \- vocals, electric guitar, piano
* Klaus Voormann \- bass guitar
* Bobby Keys \- saxophone
* Jim Gordon \- drums
* Doris Troy, Madeline Bell, Nanette Workman, Rosetta Hightower and others - backing vocals

## Chart history

[edit]

### Weekly charts

[edit]

| Chart (1971)  | Peak
position

|

Australia (Kent Music Report)  | 21
Canada RPM Top Singles  | 4
Germany  | 7
Ireland (IRMA)[20] | 7
Italy (Musica e Dischi)[21] | 15
Japan  | 66
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[22] | 5
Norway  | 3
Switzerland  | 5
UK[23] | 7
US Billboard Hot 100[24] | 11
US Cash Box Top 100  | 10

### Year-end charts

[edit]

| Chart (1971)  | Rank

|

Canada[25] | 71
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[26] | 88
US (Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual)[27] | 99

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Power to the People". Official Charts.
2. ^ Blaney, John (2005). John Lennon: Listen to This Book (illustrated ed.). [S.l.]: Paper Jukebox. p. 326\. ISBN 978-0-9544528-1-0.
3. ^ a b Williams, Richard (2003). Phil Spector: Out of His Head. London: Omnibus Press. p. 160\. ISBN 0-7119-9864-7.
4. ^ Madinger, Chip; Raile, Scott (2015). LENNONOLOGY Strange Days Indeed - A Scrapbook of Madness. Chesterfield, MO: Open Your Books, LLC. p. 226\. ISBN 978-1-63110-175-5.
5. ^ Castleman, Harry; Podrazik, Walter J. (1977). All Together Now – The First Complete Beatles Discography 1961–1975 (Second ed.). New York: Ballantine Books. p. 100. ISBN 0-345-25680-8.
6. ^ Blaney, John (2005). John Lennon: Listen To This Book. Guildford, Great Britain: Biddles Ltd. pp. 66–70\. ISBN 0-9544528-1-X.66-70&rft.pub=Biddles+Ltd.&rft.date=2005&rft.isbn=0-9544528-1-X&rft.aulast=Blaney&rft.aufirst=John&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Power+to+the+People+(song)" class="Z3988">
7. ^ Badham, Keith (2002). The Beatles Diary Volume 2: After the Break-Up 1970−2001. London: Omnibus Press. p. 32.
8. ^ Ingham, Chris (2003). The Rough Guide to the Beatles. London: Rough Guides Ltd. p. 117\. ISBN 1-84353-140-2.
9. ^ Thomson, Elizabeth; Gutman, David, eds. (2004). The Lennon Companion. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press. p. 165. ISBN 0-306-81270-3.[dead link‍]
10. ^ a b c Blaney, John (2005). John Lennon: Listen To This Book. Guildford, Great Britain: Biddles Ltd. p. 70\. ISBN 0-9544528-1-X.
11. ^ Castleman & Podrazik, All Together Now, p. 172.
12. ^ a b DeRiso, Nick (9 October 2013). "Top 10 John Lennon Solo Political Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
13. ^ "Picks of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 20 March 1971. p. 1. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
14. ^ Lennon, John (1986). Skywriting by Word of Mouth: And Other Writings, Including "The Ballad of John and Yoko". New York: HarperCollins. p. 25. ISBN 0-06-091444-0.
15. ^ Thompson, Hunter S. (1998). Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream. Ralph Steadman (Vintage Books (2nd) ed.). New York: Random House. p. 21\. ISBN 0-679-78589-2. OCLC 41049769.
16. ^ Cadogan, Patrick (2008). The Revolutionary Artist: John Lennon's Radical Years. Morrisville, North Carolina: Lulu. p. 137\. ISBN 978-1-4357-1863-0.
17. ^ Harry, Bill (2004). The Ringo Starr Encyclopedia. London: Virgin Books. p. 269\. ISBN 978-0-7535-0843-5.
18. ^ End Corporate Greed Rally in Iowa City, 25 October 2019, archived from the original on 22 December 2021, retrieved 31 October 2019
19. ^ Imagine: The Ultimate Edition
20. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Power to the People". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
21. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 27 May 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "John Lennon".
22. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1971" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
23. ^ "Official Charts Company". Retrieved 8 March 2019.
24. ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 \- ISBN 0-89820-089-X
25. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca.
26. ^ Dutch Charts Annual Reviews - Single 1971
27. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.

* v
* t
* e

John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band

Songs|

| Side one|

* "Mother"
* "Hold On"
* "I Found Out"
* "Working Class Hero"
* "Isolation"

|

Side two|

* "Remember"
* "Love"
* "Well Well Well"
* "Look at Me"
* "God"
* "My Mummy's Dead"

2000 reissue
bonus tracks|

* "Power to the People"
* "Do the Oz"

Related|

* John Lennon discography
* Plastic Ono Band
* Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band
* Primal therapy
* Lennon Remembers

* John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
* Imagine
* Some Time in New York City
* Mind Games
* Walls and Bridges
* Rock 'n' Roll

* v
* t
* e

John Lennon

* Discography
* Instruments
* Jukebox
* Song list
* Death

Studio albums|

* John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
* Imagine
* Mind Games
* Walls and Bridges
* Rock 'n' Roll

with Yoko Ono|

* Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins
* Unfinished Music No. 2: Life with the Lions
* Wedding Album
* Some Time in New York City
* Double Fantasy
* Milk and Honey

Live albums|

* Live Peace in Toronto 1969
* Live Jam
* Live in New York City

Compilations|

| Hits|

* Shaved Fish
* The John Lennon Collection
* Lennon Legend: The Very Best of John Lennon
* Instant Karma: All-Time Greatest Hits
* Working Class Hero: The Definitive Lennon
* Power to the People: The Hits
* Icon

|

Themed|

* Menlove Ave.
* Wonsaponatime
* Acoustic
* Peace, Love & Truth

Box sets|

* Lennon
* John Lennon Anthology
* John Lennon Signature Box
* Gimme Some Truth
* Gimme Some Truth. The Ultimate Mixes

Video|

* The John Lennon Video Collection
* Lennon Legend: The Very Best of John Lennon

Books|

* In His Own Write
* A Spaniard in the Works
* Skywriting by Word of Mouth

Films|

* Self-Portrait (1969)
* Apotheosis (1970)
* Fly (1970)
* Erection (1971)
* Up Your Legs Forever (1971)
* Live in New York City (1972)
* Imagine (1972)

Bootlegs|

* A Toot and a Snore in '74
* S.I.R. John Winston Ono Lennon

Associates|

* The Quarrymen
* The Beatles
* Plastic Ono Band
* David Peel
* The Lower East Side Band
* The Dirty Mac
* May Pang
* Harry Nilsson
* John Sinclair
* Rosaura Lopez

Fictionalised|

* Chapter 27
* In His Life: The John Lennon Story
* John and Yoko: A Love Story
* The Killing of John Lennon
* Lennon Naked
* Birth of the Beatles
* Nowhere Boy
* Backbeat
* Two of Us
* The Lennon Report
* Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed
* Yesterday

Tributes and
memorials|

* The 30th Annual John Lennon Tribute: Live from the Beacon Theatre, NYC
* "All Those Years Ago"
* Come Together: A Night for John Lennon's Words and Music
* "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)"
* "Here Today"
* Imagine Peace Tower
* "The Immigrant"
* Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur
* John Lennon Art and Design Building
* John Lennon Museum
* John Lennon Park
* John Lennon Peace Monument
* John Lennon Educational Tour Bus
* "The Late Great Johnny Ace"
* Lennon (musical)
* Lennon Bermuda
* Lennon Wall
* "Life Is Real (Song for Lennon)"
* Liverpool John Lennon Airport
* Non-Violence
* Strawberry Fields
* "Roll On John"
* Working Class Hero: A Tribute to John Lennon

Related media|

* Imagine: John Lennon
* soundtrack
* I Met the Walrus
* John (book)
* John & Yoko: Above Us Only Sky
* Lennon Remembers
* LennoNYC
* The Lives of John Lennon
* The Lost Lennon Tapes
* Marx & Lennon: The Parallel Sayings
* Nowhere Man: The Final Days of John Lennon
* The Pope Smokes Dope
* Pussy Cats
* The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus
* Roots: John Lennon Sings the Great Rock & Roll Hits
* "That's My Life (My Love and My Home)"
* The U.S. vs. John Lennon
* soundtrack

Other topics|

* 251 Menlove Avenue
* Kenwood
* Tittenhurst Park
* The Dakota
* Bagism
* Bed-in
* Imagine Piano Peace Project
* John Lennon Artificial Intelligence Project
* John Lennon UFO incident
* Lennon–McCartney
* LennonOno Grant for Peace
* Mark David Chapman
* "More popular than Jesus"
* Nutopia
* Toronto Rock and Roll Revival
* Sweet Toronto
* Psychedelic Rolls-Royce
* 4147 Lennon

* Category

* v
* t
* e

John Lennon singles discography

Lifetime|

| 1969|

* "Give Peace a Chance" / "Remember Love" (Ono)
* "Cold Turkey" / "Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking for a Hand in the Snow)" (Ono)

|

1970|

* "Instant Karma!" / "Who Has Seen the Wind?" (Ono)
* "Mother" / "Why" (Ono)

1971|

* "Power to the People" / "Open Your Box" (Ono) (UK)
* "Power to the People" / "Touch Me" (Ono) (US)
* "Imagine" / "It's So Hard" (US)
* "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" / "Listen, the Snow Is Falling" (Ono)

1972|

* "Woman Is the Nigger of the World" / "Sisters O Sisters" (Ono)

1973|

* "Mind Games" / "Meat City"

1974|

* "Whatever Gets You thru the Night" / "Beef Jerky"
* "#9 Dream" / "What You Got"
* "Ya Ya" / "Be-Bop-a-Lula" (Germany only)

1975|

* "Stand by Me" / "Move Over Ms. L"
* "Imagine" / "Working Class Hero" (UK)

1977|

* "Stand by Me" / "Woman Is the Nigger of the World" (reissue) (US)

1980|

* "(Just Like) Starting Over" / "Kiss Kiss Kiss" (Ono)

Posthumous|

| 1981|

* "Woman" / "Beautiful Boys" (Ono)
* "Watching the Wheels" / "Yes, I'm Your Angel" (Ono) (UK)
* "Watching the Wheels" / "Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)" (US)

|

1982|

* "Love" / "Give Me Some Truth"

1984|

* "Nobody Told Me" / "O' Sanity" (Ono)
* "Borrowed Time" / "Your Hands" (Ono)
* "I'm Stepping Out" / "Sleepless Night" (Ono)
* "Every Man Has a Woman Who Loves Him" / "It's Alright" (Ono)

1985|

* "Jealous Guy" / "Going Down on Love"

1986|

* "Rock and Roll People" (promo)

1998|

* "I'm Losing You" (promo)

* v
* t
* e

Plastic Ono Band

* John Lennon
* Yoko Ono

Members|

| 1969–1974|

* Eric Clapton
* Klaus Voormann
* Alan White
* Ringo Starr
* Delaney Bramlett
* Bonnie Bramlett
* Jim Gordon
* George Harrison
* Nicky Hopkins
* Bobby Keys
* Keith Moon
* Billy Preston
* Jim Price
* Hugh McCracken
* Stuart Scharf
* David Spinozza
* Kenneth Ascher
* Michael Brecker
* Arthur Jenkins
* David Friedman
* Pete Kleinow
* Don Brooks
* Jeremy Steig
* Jesse Ed Davis
* Eddie Mottau

|

2009–present|

* Sean Ono Lennon
* Cornelius
* Yuka Honda
* Michael Leonhart
* Erik Friedlander

Albums|

* Live Peace in Toronto 1969
* John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
* Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band
* Some Time in New York City
* Approximately Infinite Universe
* Feeling the Space
* Mind Games
* Walls and Bridges
* Shaved Fish
* Live in New York City
* Don't Stop Me!
* Between My Head and the Sky
* The Flaming Lips with Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band
* Take Me to the Land of Hell

Singles|

* "Give Peace a Chance"/"Remember Love"
* "Cold Turkey"/"Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking for a Hand in the Snow)"
* "Instant Karma!"/"Who Has Seen the Wind?"
* "Mother"/"Why"
* "Power to the People"/"Open Your Box"
* "Power to the People"/"Touch Me"
* "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)"/"Listen, the Snow Is Falling"
* "Woman Is the Nigger of the World"/"Sisters, O Sisters"
* "Now or Never"/"Move on Fast"
* "Death of Samantha"/"Yang Yang"
* "Mind Games"/"Meat City"
* "Whatever Gets You thru the Night"/"Beef Jerky"
* "#9 Dream"/"What You Got"
* "Working Class Hero"

Related articles|

* List of Plastic Ono Band line-ups
* Elephant's Memory
* The Dirty Mac
* Toronto Rock and Roll Revival
* Sweet Toronto

* Category

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz work

|

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