"Revolution 1" You say you want a revolution Well, you know We all want to change the world You tell me that it's evolution Well, you know We all want to change the world But when you talk about destruction Don't you know that you can count me out Don't you know it's gonna be alright Alright, alright You say you got a real solution Well, you know We'd all love to see the plan You ask me for a contribution Well, you know We're all doing what we can But if you want money for people with minds that hate All I can tell you is brother you have to wait Don't you know it's gonna be alright Alright, alright, al... You say you'll change the constitution Well, you know We all want to change your head You tell me it's the institution Well, you know You'd better free your mind instead But if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao You ain't going to make it with anyone anyhow Don't you know know it's gonna be alright Alright, alright Alright, alright Alright, alright Alright, alright Alright, alright | society but in reality it is causing destruction and pain for others. The song I will be analyzing is "Revolution 1" by The Beatles. First of all, this song was released in 1968 during the Vietnam war. This song is written as a message or letter to the government. It has a strong rock rhythm and inspirational lyrics. John Lennon wrote this song to influence the minds of young voters and also the minds of the people behind the Vietnam war. He was very anti-establishment. This song represents not only his feelings but also the feelings of citizens. He wants to prove that the system behind wars are telling us lies and are trying to make us see war as a good thing for This song does use many elements of narrative structure. The conflict in this song is the Vietnam war and Lennon is giving his point of view on it. Lyrics such as "But if you want money for people with minds that hate, All I can tell you is brother you have to wait" implies that John Lennon doesn't want to donate or give money to support the war because he wants no part in it. This lyric caused a lot of political and social issues during the time because political parties started to get worried that John Lennon's efforts in changing the mind of young voters might jeopardize the reelection of Richard Nixon. Lennon's use of the word "we" in this song both influenced and angered many people. Many thanked Lennon for sharing the same feelings towards the Vietnam war but others took great offense of this song because it made them look unpatriotic and anti-government. Although, this song continues to be a popular song from the 60's and represents a very important and chaotic time in US history. |