Based on many conversations I've had and readings of articles and books that I've done over the years, it seems that "The Ballad of John and Yoko" is a relatively divisive song within the Beatles catalog, and particularly among their singles, when it comes to the degree to which people enjoy it. I've seen it dismissed as a throwback at a point when the band had moved beyond such simple genres, a throwaway put together quickly at John's insistence and reflective of that genesis, or simply one of their weaker singles. It's the one song my younger daughter skips on "The Beatles 1" CD. Others list it among the essential Beatle tracks.
For this Beatle and Lennon fanatic, though, it's always been at the top of my favorites list - once listed as my favorite Beatle track of all, and never, ever out of my personal top three Beatles tracks. With it's lilting calypso feel, "Don't Be Cruel" bassline and incomperable Lennon vocal, it's my idea of a perfect record. As a bonus, it's just John and Paul - and this at a point in their lives when they were supposedly at each other's throats.
However, one thing the song never seemed to be, in my view, was a likely candidate for remakes. Like certain tracks from the Plastic Ono Band album, it seems just too central to its creator's life for there to be an effective version by someone else. So when I became acquainted, in fairly quick succession, with three cover versions of the song, varying in style and entertainment level, I thought I'd share them here. Effectively avoiding that personal lyrical connection, two are instrumentals, and one is in another language, and that one seems to have re-written the lyrics.
The first one I heard, and by far the least appealing one, is by The Percy Faith Strings. If nothing else, it's worth a listen for the sheer looking-at-a-car-crash factor:
The Percy Faith Strings - The Ballad of John and Yoko (MP3)
Next up, a version which came along with a bunch of other material in a massive download gift from a friend. It did not arrive with a group name attached to it (no doubt someone out there will know who this is), but this almost undoubtably comes from one of the myriad copycat groups that sprang up in the second half of the '60's, in the wake of Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. It's peppy enough and mildly enjoyable, within that TJB format, if more than a bit unoriginal.
Unknown - The Ballad of John and Yoko (MP3)
Finally, the version that has quickly become my second favorite version of the song, by a group identified as Los Rockin' Devils. I find this endless entertaining - it's got just enough of the sound of the original to capture some of the magic of that record, while bringing it's own feel to the party as well. And I have retained just enough of my Spanish to know that the lyrics can't possibly be following the story of the original, at least not verse by verse. If anyone out there wants to translate it, I'd be much obliged.
According to Shazam, the second version here is by Los Norte Americanos (apparently a 1960s Herb Alpert clone).
Posted by: Dangold | February 03, 2013 at 01:28 PM
My favorite cover is the Teenage Fanclub version.
Posted by: S.A. from S.F. | February 03, 2013 at 01:38 PM
I love the Teenage Fanclub version too
Posted by: K. | February 03, 2013 at 01:43 PM
Thanks for the info on the second version!
Posted by: Bob Purse | February 03, 2013 at 03:34 PM
I just don't get the worship of the Beatles or especially John Lennon. A lot of their tunes were filler. A lot of them were great pop songs, but no better than ABBA or Phil Collins. Their big advantage was a) being first and b) George Martin. John Lennon himself was as pretentious and self important as Bono, with some extra underlying psychopathic, misogynistic nastiness. The Ballad of John and Yoko was most memorable for giving me, a nine year old, the cue to sing "Christ you know it ain't easy" until I got smacked on the ear for "taking the Lord's name in vain".
Posted by: Emmanuel Transmission | February 03, 2013 at 06:53 PM
I just don't get why some people like trashing The Beatles just to seem different. Bono wishes he could be Lennon! y'know who wrote tons of songs about Lennon's "underlying psychopathic, misogynistic nastiness"? John Lennon did. But good catch, there, 40 years later.
That's not why I'm commenting though... FYI Los Rockin' Devils were one of the biggest Mexican rock'n'roll bands of the early to mid 60s. They did a lot of covers, this is the first time I've heard this one & thanks for it. Later than any of the other material of theirs I've heard. Pretty much any compilation of pre-psych Mexican r'n'r is going to have Los RDs tracks on it, and you can go into any Mexican department or store store and find a CD of the greatest hits of the band if they have an oldies section.
Posted by: SPB | February 03, 2013 at 09:34 PM
Here's something you probably don't know, a famous Israeli singer called Arik Einstein recorded a Hebrew version of the song. The band playing is the monstrous psych band The Churchills.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0es0pGzeJU
Posted by: Yair | February 04, 2013 at 02:28 PM
Los Norte Americanos:
http://www.discogs.com/viewimages?release=2575261
Posted by: radioman02 | February 04, 2013 at 05:02 PM
The "Dawn Patrol" show on San Diego's KGB-FM (101.5) used to use the Percy Faith version as background music for one of their call-in contests that verged on being a prank call, I can't remember which one it was. That morning zoo group moved around a lot; they're now on 100.7 "Jack-FM" as "Dave, Shelly, and the Chainsaw."
Posted by: mr. mike | February 05, 2013 at 05:45 AM
I love the Rockin Devils, tho oddly enough, they misplace the apostrophe. It's actually spelled (on my albums at least) Rockin Devil's.
Posted by: MrFab | February 05, 2013 at 01:04 PM
Mike Melvoin's version from "The Plastic Cow Goes Moog" is a personal favorite of mine.
Posted by: Michael Newman | February 05, 2013 at 10:37 PM
"A lot of them were great pop songs, but no better than ABBA or Phil Collins. Their big advantage was a) being first and b) George Martin"
HA! Now, to be fair, Abba did write some great songs, I could see the argument for Phil Collins too, but "a) being first" is kind of nonsensical. It's like saying "All Neil Armstrong did was get to the moon FIRST, big deal!" Anyone who does something 'first' is important. And the fact remains, those songs are now considered standards, jazz groups cover Lennon/McCartney almost as often as Rogers/Hammerstein, so it's not just "being first" that matters here, the songs stand up on their own, even without George Martin.
Posted by: jimson | February 06, 2013 at 11:16 AM
ABBA's good but none of their songs have the depth of the Beatles' best stuff. There's nothing in Phil Collins' catalog that rivals "In My Life," "Happiness Is a Warm Gun," or "Tomorrow Never Knows," (Phil did cover "TNK" on his first solo album, though). Nor do either of those artists rock as hard as the Beatles rocked. Have you heard "Helter Skelter"? How about their early stuff, from when they were the tightest, loudest Beat band in England, bar none? And no one in pop or rock 'n' roll history can compete with the sheer volume of great songs they produced. Hating the Beatles is childish.
Posted by: Concerned Citizen | February 06, 2013 at 02:20 PM
Arik Einstein's version knocks it out of the park. Awesome.
Posted by: Ivy | February 12, 2013 at 12:12 PM
I'll never forget the face off between Lennon and cartoonist Al Capp at the Montreal Bed in 1969. Capp gave John and Yoko a hard time about the song's lyrics. At Capp’s exit, Lennon sang an impromptu version o with a slightly revised, but nonetheless prophetic lyric: “Christ, you know it ain’t easy / You know how hard it can be / The way things are goin’ / They’re gonna crucify Capp!"
Posted by: Ivy | February 12, 2013 at 12:24 PM
Does anyone recall a post in the last six months about Revolution #9 and its similarity to a John Cage composition with radios, etc? I thought it was on the FMU blog but can't find it--thanks in advance
Posted by: Doug Eklund | February 16, 2013 at 03:22 PM
Sorry, just found it. “Rozart Mix” by John Cage…performed at Brandeis in 1965, inconceivable that Yoko didn’t hear this and she and John were “inspired” by it in creating R9. Food for thought!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MckifQZuIxE
Posted by: Doug Eklund | February 17, 2013 at 09:57 AM
Always liked this one. It's not Ticket To Ride or Tomorrow Never Knows, but it is a pleasantly autobiographical lyric. One of the many strengths of the Beatles was that texture, the ability to create pop songs or psychedelic rock or ballads equally well, developing new ideas as rapidly as assimilating ideas from others and modifying them into the Beatles' style. And with three gifted songwriters in the same band, there was a lot of creative wealth. But as much a fan as I am, I have almost given up on Beatles bootlegs--to me, there's very little of value in hearing discarded takes when the 'official' versions are almost always superior.
Posted by: Jim | February 26, 2013 at 11:24 PM
Sorry it took me so long to comment on this. I was busy piling through all those U2, Abba, and Phil Collins tracks *(that are better than the Beatles' work. (It took me three minutes.)
Posted by: stu | March 15, 2013 at 12:27 AM