John Lennon – Mind Games

I hardly ever do birthdays or anniversaries except the ones I repeat…but this one lined up perfectly. John Lennon would have been 83 today. He has been gone 43 years…more than the 40 years he spent alive.

I bought this in the late seventies at Port ‘O’ Call Records in Nashville. One of my favorites of John’s radio hits. It was released in 1973 and peaked at #18 in the Billboard 100, #26 in the UK, and #11 in Canada. It didn’t do great on the charts but has remained one of my favorites and continues to be played on classic rock radio stations.

When Lennon was starting Mind Games…he separated from Yoko Ono and started an 18-month stint known as his lost weekend. He spent the time getting drunk with Harry Nilsson, Keith Moon, and others along with a small reunion with Paul McCartney in Los Angeles. He was living with May Pang and they eventually moved back to New York where he reunited with Yoko and had Sean.

I also bought the Mind Games album and it was the fourth album I had by him. You didn’t have the raw emotion that the first two gave you but it was a good pop album. With songs like “I Know, I Know” it remains in my rotation along with Walls and Bridges his follow-up album.

John got the name from a book called Mind Games by y Robert Masters and Jean Houston. The book was about promoting mental health through a raised consciousness. Some of the content of the book found its way into this song.

The original title was ‘Make Love Not War’ but John saw that as such a worn-out cliche at this time… he couldn’t use it. He tried to make the same message in the song though.

Usually, I don’t mention much about the video…but this one is great if you like John Lennon.

John Lennon: How many times can you say the same thing over and over? When this came out in the early Seventies, everybody was starting to say the Sixties was a joke; it didn’t mean anything; those love-and-peaceniks were idiots. [Sarcastically] ‘We all have to face the reality of being nasty human beings who are born evil, and everything’s gonna be lousy and rotten so boo-hoo-hoo…’ ‘We had fun in the Sixties,’ they said, ‘but the others took it away from us and spoiled it all for us’…‘No, just keep doin’ it.’”

Mind Games

We’re playing those mind games together
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

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

45 thoughts on “John Lennon – Mind Games”

  1. Superb song, in my top 3 or 4 he did post-Beatles. As a kid, I knew ‘Imagine’, liked it, was able to recognize the lyrics were good, hopeful. Then ‘Whatever Gets You Through The Night’ was pretty ok, had Elton on it which was neat. But when this came out – wow! I loved it. It just sounded amazing. I listened to it over & over.

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    1. Yea I didn’t know it until later on in 79 or so…so I still bought the single and then the album. It’s kinda dreamy sounding…

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  2. When John was killed, an old acquaintance of mine called me out of the blue. She had old buttons from when the US was trying to deport him and Yoko. They said “John and Yoko. America Don’t Let Them Down”. She wanted me to distribute them. Why she couldn’t herself is a long story.

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      1. I have an idea how he got involved with her. She was controlling and I think she was a surrogate mommy. I know what it is to not have a good relationship with your mother. My saving grace was two grandmothers.

        Yoko steered him like a mother would a son. May Pang was a symptom of his finally growing up and needing to get away from her. Sadly, he was murdered while still married to her.

        He did get Sean out of the deal but, ended up sacrificing Julian.

        Just my two cents… I am far from being a Lennon expert.

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      2. Oh yes…he was always looking for a mother after his mother was killed at 17…but from all I read from people who were around them…it was about to end. He started to sneak calls to May Pang again at the end. I truly believe he would have left her within 2 years.

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  4. It really is one of those timeless songs, and I have never watched that video! Choked me up a bit I have to say, what a remarkable man. Sorry, getting a bit too nostalgic here but it just reminded me of the music he left us with, a greater gift there has never been. Thanks for posting this!

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    1. No I get it. I watch that video and it’s hard to believe he is gone…and it looked like he finally chilled out a bit from his Beatle days and enjoyed people. It still shocks me Randy

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  7. Man, 43 years, that’s hard to believe! If I recall it correctly, my first encounter with “Mind Games”, a song I always loved, was on the 1975 compilation “Shaved Fish”. I got on vinyl after I had bought the “Double Fantasy” album.

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      1. The sentimental fool I am, I had to revisit the entire album and literally just finished doing so!😀

        In addition to the title cut, it reminded me of some great other songs on there like “Tight As$“ and “Out of the Blue”. That said, I also once again realized John never quite reached the magic The Beatles had, something that’s also true for Paul, George and Ringo – as much as I love these guys!

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      2. Only two of their albums came close…close but not there was All Things Must Pass and Band on the Run…to me anyway
        I love I Know, I Know off of that album. The album was popular but not massive but it was a good album.

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      5. “Mother” still gives me chills every time I hear it. And while it may be overexposed, “Imagine” remains one of my all-time favorites by John. “Jealous Guy” and “Gimme Some Truth” are other gems. So, yes, definitely, a good number of great songs between these two albums. And the aforementioned isn’t meant to be an exhaustive list.

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  10. His death came as a kick to the head, it didn’t seem possible, whereass Elvis and Jacko kind of made sense as they were insulated in their own worlds.
    Mind Games HAS that dreamy feel; but I agree, separately the Fab Four were great, but not as great as the whole Four, though they came close at times individually.
    Good as they were, John and Harry should not have ever been drinking buddies.

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    1. I agree…they never got where the Beatles were. Johns first two albums were great…but in a different way…it would not have went with The Beatles.
      It is tough watching that video obbverse. He seemed to grow out of his “Lennon” phase and from what I’ve read…he invited fans in their apartment quite a bit…. of course he paid for that dearly.

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      1. We were driving back from Sudbury today (which is a 13 hour drive) and on the radio came on Days Like These. Man I love that tune….

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