Someone told me Heaven was written for John Lennon after he was taken away..Comments anybody?

Never heard that before. And with lyrics like 'kissing and running away' and 'senses be praised' ... I don't see it.

Also, wasn't Heaven one of the earlier leftover tracks included for Tattoo You?

I've always thought it may have been somewhat inspired by Lennon's death, but I don't know whether it was written before or after Dec. 8, 1980, and, as already mentioned, the lyrics don't really speak to it in any way.

Here's one that actually is about John Lennon's murder, the lyrics addressed directly to his killer.

[www.youtube.com]



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2015-01-25 18:40 by tatters.

Near the beginning of this outtake it sounds like Mick refers to a "little girl." >>> [www.youtube.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-01-25 23:32 by Title5Take1.

An early version of Heaven was recorded in October 1980, so that rules out a Lennon connection -
unless you only mean the lyrics, but those don't suit either. I think Mick wrote it for/about his daughter Jade.
Kissing and running away sounds like a little girl, and the assurances that nothing will harm her sound like a father.

And now straight from the Mick:

"Yeah (I wrote Heaven) ... I'm afraid it wasn't a tribute to (John Lennon). I don't know why it was called that."
- Mick Jagger, 1981, quoted on [www.timeisonourside.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-01-25 18:58 by with sssoul.

_{duplicate, sorry!}



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-01-25 18:59 by with sssoul.

Nah - he probably wrote it after a great one night stand. Kiss me darling, and whoah (looking at watch) - is that the time already - got to be off! Heh heh. ><



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-01-25 21:14 by Silver Dagger.

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with sssoul
An early version of Heaven was recorded in October 1980, so that rules out a Lennon connection -
unless you only mean the lyrics, but those don't suit either. I think Mick wrote it for/about his daughter Jade.
Kissing and running away sounds like a little girl, and the assurances that nothing will harm her sound like a father.

And now straight from the Mick:

"Yeah (I wrote Heaven) ... I'm afraid it wasn't a tribute to (John Lennon). I don't know why it was called that."
- Mick Jagger, 1981, quoted on [www.timeisonourside.com]

Thanks for the quote..That clears that up..

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tatters
Here's one that actually is about John Lennon's murder, the lyrics addressed directly to his killer.

[www.youtube.com]

Wow! I did not know this..Thanks for sharing! David Gilmours 'Murder' from 'About Face'

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Keefy

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tatters
Here's one that actually is about John Lennon's murder, the lyrics addressed directly to his killer.

[www.youtube.com]

Wow! I did not know this..Thanks for sharing! David Gilmours 'Murder' from 'About Face'

Also note George Harrison's'All Those Years Ago'.

I remember Elton John singing his tribute to Lennon on SNL:

[www.youtube.com]

Not written about but sounds very much like Lennon 1980.

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Redhotcarpet
Not written about but sounds very much like Lennon 1980.

Exactly.
Thought it was Lennon when I first started listening to the clip....

Sort of a hodgepodge of the songs below









__________________________

And notice on the Elton John video he is playing John's white piano he played imagine on.

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whitem8
And notice on the Elton John video he is playing John's white piano he played imagine on.

Are you sure it's THE piano? Don't really see Yoko moving the piano from her house to the SNL studio, even for Elton. Interesting that Steinway now makes a Lennon commemorative version of this instrument. Actually 7 different models. Very cool.

[www.steinway.com]

peace



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-01-27 03:30 by Naturalust.

I don't think that was the SNL studio and was a video. I recall reading somewhere she let him use it for the video. That clearly is the video for the song, and was done about a year after his death...and I don't think Steinway was making those White pianos yet...? I will try to dig up the interview I read it in. Yoko did actually use the original piano in a sitcom she appeared in and again I can't recall the show! My memory is blanking.

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whitem8
I don't think that was the SNL studio and was a video. I recall reading somewhere she let him use it for the video. That clearly is the video for the song, and was done about a year after his death...and I don't think Steinway was making those White pianos yet...? I will try to dig up the interview I read it in. Yoko did actually use the original piano in a sitcom she appeared in and again I can't recall the show! My memory is blanking.

You're probably right, I'll take your word for it. It would be a fitting tribute played on his own piano. As far as Yoko using it in a sitcom...how strange, but no doubt she could use all the gimmicks she can muster.

And your right about the Steinway, I believe the Steinway Lennon edition came out in 2010 to celebrate his 70th birthday. Hard to believe he would be going on 75 years old. peace

>she could use all the gimmicks she can muster

Insulting Yoko, how original.

"peace"? rubbish

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Glam Descendant
>she could use all the gimmicks she can muster

Insulting Yoko, how original.

"peace"? rubbish

Ouch. Glad you feel better now. Not insulting her, just expressing my opinion on her music. You may be a big Yoko fan and think using her Steinway from John on a sitcom is perfectly normal. It's ok to joke and express divergent opinions. peace

I think we have to ask David Byrne about what Heaven is for a sort of place.

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Of The Psychedelic Furs. According to them it's a hole in the head.

I know I'm gonna get in trouble here, but IMHO, as a solo performer/artist, John Lennon is a bit over-rated. He was a superb songwriter as part of the Beatles/Lennon McCartney team, but his solo songwriting and solo recording endeavors leave a lot to be desired, for me, though the same can also be said for McCartney, Harrison and Starr as solo artists. Looking back, Lennon's musical collaborations with Yoko are...what? They were much more fun and interesting with their bed-ins for peace.

Lennon's being killed by a crazed fan is a given and real tragedy. It was a loss to the music world, his family and fans. I think it can also be seen as a given that after his death, Yoko Ono set about making a saint of the man so that any criticism of him seemed/seems wrong. That she's also made a fortune from his legacy is another thing to be considered in view of how he, akin to Elvis-Jim Morrison and others, became a much more valuable property through death. This isn't a diss of Yoko, but just my view. She did what she thought she needed to do after Lennon's killing.

I know this is a bit off track considering this thread is about whom a song may be about. Just take it again, as one person's thoughts about the alleged subject of a song.

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dmay
I know I'm gonna get in trouble here, but IMHO, as a solo performer/artist, John Lennon is a bit over-rated. He was a superb songwriter as part of the Beatles/Lennon McCartney team, but his solo songwriting and solo recording endeavors leave a lot to be desired, for me, though the same can also be said for McCartney, Harrison and Starr as solo artists. Looking back, Lennon's musical collaborations with Yoko are...what? They were much more fun and interesting with their bed-ins for peace.

Lennon's being killed by a crazed fan is a given and real tragedy. It was a loss to the music world, his family and fans. I think it can also be seen as a given that after his death, Yoko Ono set about making a saint of the man so that any criticism of him seemed/seems wrong. That she's also made a fortune from his legacy is another thing to be considered in view of how he, akin to Elvis-Jim Morrison and others, became a much more valuable property through death. This isn't a diss of Yoko, but just my view. She did what she thought she needed to do after Lennon's killing.

I know this is a bit off track considering this thread is about whom a song may be about. Just take it again, as one person's thoughts about the alleged subject of a song.

Agree 100% although I enjoy quite a bit of all 4 Beatles' solo work.

"No Anchovies, Please"

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dmay
I think it can also be seen as a given that after his death, Yoko Ono set about making a saint of the man so that any criticism of him seemed/seems wrong. That she's also made a fortune from his legacy is another thing to be considered in view of how he, akin to Elvis-Jim Morrison and others, became a much more valuable property through death. This isn't a diss of Yoko, but just my view. She did what she thought she needed to do after Lennon's killing.

Very distasteful auctioning off John's belongings which were wanted by his son Julian. Julian had to buy back things like postcards which were sent to him by John, and ones he had sent to his father among other personal belongings and instruments. Pretty sad, imo and hard to imagine that this was something she needed to do. peace

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dmay
I know I'm gonna get in trouble here, but IMHO, as a solo performer/artist, John Lennon is a bit over-rated. He was a superb songwriter as part of the Beatles/Lennon McCartney team, but his solo songwriting and solo recording endeavors leave a lot to be desired, for me, though the same can also be said for McCartney, Harrison and Starr as solo artists. Looking back, Lennon's musical collaborations with Yoko are...what? They were much more fun and interesting with their bed-ins for peace.

Lennon's being killed by a crazed fan is a given and real tragedy. It was a loss to the music world, his family and fans. I think it can also be seen as a given that after his death, Yoko Ono set about making a saint of the man so that any criticism of him seemed/seems wrong. That she's also made a fortune from his legacy is another thing to be considered in view of how he, akin to Elvis-Jim Morrison and others, became a much more valuable property through death. This isn't a diss of Yoko, but just my view. She did what she thought she needed to do after Lennon's killing.

I know this is a bit off track considering this thread is about whom a song may be about. Just take it again, as one person's thoughts about the alleged subject of a song.

Jeeze...overrated...question is rather if there has been any better solo artist ever

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From Come On: "Jeeze...overrated...question is rather if there has been any better solo artist ever".


I guess the question is who could be considered a solo artist? If we're gonna talk about people doing their own thing, I would certainly put, at anytime, Bob Dylan far ahead of John Lennon and just about anybody. I would also list as good,if not better than Lennon as singer/songwriter/performer, folks such as Neil Young; Stevie Wonder in his glory days; Springsteen, depending on the album; Lucinda Williams; Willie Nelson in his glory days; Merle Haggard; Jimi Hendrix; Miles Davis; John Coltrane; Gram Parsons on Grievous Angel which is still one of the best country rock albums ever recorded; Frank Sinatra even though he apparently didn't write songs; Chuck Berry in his glory days; Keith Richards on his first solo album. The list could go on but this suffices for now.

Don't get me wrong. John Lennon did some good work as a solo artist. I love Dream # 9, Working Class Hero, God and some others, but, as I noted, neither he nor any of the other Beatles as solo acts came up to the quality of when they were part of The Beatles. I would say the same re the Stones. Mick and Keith, if they can keep their egos and sh*t in check, are better together, than separately.

I know where you're coming from dmay. Mind Games and Imagine had good tracks. But there is a case to be made for Lennon-by-numbers even then.
His honesty in his work is astonishing, and his voice singularly powerful,but his songcraft did become a bit rote.

What is really hard to get over, though, is that with tracks like Watching The Wheels, I'm Losing you, Starting Over & Nobody Told Me, he was on the cusp of the stunning artistic renaissance when he was cut down all those years ago.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-01-28 00:39 by andrewt.

I was thinking his new wave, 1980 stuff. Beautiful boy, Forgive me, Every man has a womnan and stuff like that. Also Mind Games era. 9thdream.