- Nobody Told Me
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"Nobody Told Me" Single by John Lennon from the album Milk and Honey B-side "O' Sanity" (Yoko Ono) (US)
"I'm Stepping Out" (UK)Released 6 January 1984 (US)
30 April 1990 (UK)Format 7" vinyl
12" vinyl (promotional only)Recorded 1980 Genre Rock Length 3:35 Label Polydor Writer(s) John Lennon Producer John Lennon & Yoko Ono John Lennon singles chronology "Love"
(1982)"Nobody Told Me"
(1984)"Borrowed Time"
(1984)"Nobody Told Me" is a song by the British musician John Lennon. Recorded (but uncompleted) shortly before his death in 1980, the song was later completed by Lennon's widow Yoko Ono in 1983 and released as the first single from Lennon and Ono's album Milk and Honey in 1984. The song was later released in the UK in 1990, b/w "I'm Stepping Out".[1] The song was originally written for Ringo Starr to include on his 1981 album Stop and Smell the Roses, but Lennon died before the song could be used.
"Nobody Told Me" was Lennon's last new single to reach the UK Top 10, peaking at #6 (although a reissue of "Imagine reached #3 in December 1999). The single was also Lennon's last US Top 10 hit, peaking at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, and was his third single to enter the US Top 10 posthumously.
The B-side features Yoko Ono's "O'Sanity", also from the Milk and Honey album.
The lyrics make reference to "a little yellow idol to the north of Kathmandu" which is similar to a line from J. Milton Hayes' poem entitled The Green Eye of the Yellow God. Hayes' line was "There’s a one-eyed yellow idol to the north of Kathmandu".
Another line in the song is "There's UFO's over New York and I ain't too surprised", apparently a reference to a UFO sighting Lennon had back in 1974. He made reference to this in the liner notes to his 1974 album Walls and Bridges with the message: "On the 23rd August 1974 at 9 o'clock I saw a U.F.O. - J.L.".
The line "Nobody told me there'd be days like these..." is in contrast to the old adage "My mother told me there'd be days like this."
The promo video for the single was made up of clips of footage from Lennon's other videos, as are most posthumous Lennon videos.
Cover versions
- The Flaming Lips recorded a version for the 1995 John Lennon tribute album Working Class Hero: A Tribute to John Lennon.
- The benefit album Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur contained a version by Big & Rich.
References
- Milk and Honey at Allmusic.
- Songfacts on "Nobody Told Me".
- Walls and Bridges discography on JPGR
John Lennon singles discography 1960s 1969: "Give Peace a Chance" / "Remember Love" · "Cold Turkey" / "Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking for a Hand in the Snow)"1970s 1970: "Instant Karma!" / "Who Has Seen the Wind?" · "Mother" / "Why"
1971: "Power to the People" / "Open Your Box" (UK) · "Power to the People" / "Touch Me" (US) · "Imagine" / "It's So Hard" (US) · "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" / "Listen, the Snow Is Falling"
1972: "Woman Is the Nigger of the World" / "Sisters O Sisters"
1973: "Mind Games" / "Meat City"
1974: "Whatever Gets You thru the Night" / "Beef Jerky"
1975: "#9 Dream" / "What You Got" · "Stand by Me" / "Move Over Ms. L" (UK) · "Imagine" / "Working Class Hero" (UK)
1977: "Stand by Me" / "Woman Is the Nigger of the World" (US)1980s 1980: "(Just Like) Starting Over" / "Kiss Kiss Kiss"
1981: "Woman" / "Beautiful Boys" · "Watching the Wheels" / "Yes, I'm Your Angel" (US) · "Watching the Wheels" / "Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)" (UK)
1982: "Love" / "Give Me Some Truth"
1984: "Nobody Told Me" / "O' Sanity" · "Borrowed Time" / "Your Hands" · "I'm Stepping Out" / "Sleepless Night" · "Every Man Has a Woman Who Loves Him" / "It's Alright"
1985: "Jealous Guy" / "Going Down on Love"Categories:- 1984 singles
- John Lennon songs
- Songs released posthumously
- Songs written by John Lennon
- Songs produced by John Lennon
- Songs produced by Yoko Ono
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