One of John Lennon’s most well-known songs for the band was banned for a very different reason than the others, which included the Beatles’ and other songs that were banned by radio stations.
The Beatles, known for stirring the pot, certainly did so when John Lennon’s bold statement in 1966 that they were “more popular than Jesus” sparked outrage among American Christians, contributing to the band’s cessation of touring later that year.
Their knack for pushing boundaries also saw several of their songs slapped with bans by radio stations. The BBC censored ‘A Day in the Life’ over alleged drug references, while ‘The Ballad of John and Yoko’ faced bans from some US stations for its mention of Christ.
After John, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr started acting as solo artists after 1970, the controversy persisted. For instance, the ECHO examined how the BBC rejected Paul McCartney and Wings’ “Hi, Hi, Hi” due to alleged nods to sex and drugs.
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One particularly infamous song from John’s Beatles career, “Happyness Is a Warm Gun,” was written by him in 1968 and released under the Lennon-McCartney songwriting banner, just like the rest of the Beatles’ compositions.
The title, which kick-started the song, was lifted straight from the May 1968 issue of American Rifleman magazine, where an article by Warren W. Herlihy depicted his experience teaching his son shooting skills, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Regarding his initial impression of it, John said, “I just thought it was a fantastic, insane thing to say. You just shot something with a warm gun, right?
The Beatles’ infamous “White Album” was released in November 1968, a turbulent period for the band as creative disagreements started to develop. They worked together to create this complex track despite their differences.
The final piece, which dealt with various themes, was created by John after combining “three sections of different songs.”
Some of the lyrics in the song were interpreted as sex and drug references upon its release. The BBC and commercial radio stations banned the “warm gun” in the title because it represented John’s desire for Yoko Ono.
Some people also made the claim that “I need a fix” was a reference to heroin. John, however, refuted this, pointing out that “Happyness Is A Warm Gun” was another radio show that was prohibited because it involved drug shooting. However, they were selling guns, and I concocted a song out of it because I thought it was crazy. It was completely unrelated to “H” (heroin).
John’s longing for Yoko prompted the lyrics to “Mother Superior jumped the gun.” He was not overly concerned that censors would pick up on the song’s sexual undertones.
By the time that I’m into double meanings, John continued, “Oh, well, by then I’m into double meanings. The magazine cover served as the initial inspiration. However, that was when my relationship with Yoko began, and I had a strong sexual orientation at the time. We were in bed when we weren’t in the studio.
Although ‘The White Album’ garnered mixed reviews and radio stations boycotted ‘Happiness Is A Warm Gun’, critics commended the song, which all Beatles members proclaimed their favourite on the album. A Record Mirror magazine review described it as “a serene ballad, but is soon taken over in the true vein of this foremost stylist”.
