" Woman Is the Nigger of the World " is a song written by John Lennon and Yoko Ono of their 1972 album Some Time in New York City . Released as a single in the United States, the song sparked controversy at the time because of the title and the subject matter.
Video Woman Is the Nigger of the World
Composition
The phrase "woman is a negro of the world" was coined by Yoko Ono in an interview with Nova magazine in 1969 and quoted on the magazine cover. Literary analysts note that the phrase relies heavily on the novel by Zora Neale Hurston Their Eyes Are Watching God , in which the protagonist Janie Crawford's Grandmother says "De nigger woman is de mule deuh de world so feathers like Ah can see. "The song depicts women's adherence to men and hatred towards women in all cultures.
In a 1972 interview on Dick Cavett Show, John Lennon stated that James Connolly, an Irish revolutionary, was an inspiration for the song. Lennon cited Connolly's statement "female workers are slave slaves" in explaining the pro-feminist inspiration behind the song.
Maps Woman Is the Nigger of the World
Release and acceptance
Due to the use of offensive racial epithets and what counts as inappropriate women's rights against the oppression of African-Americans, most US radio stations refuse to play recordings. It was released in the US on April 24, 1972 and peaked at number 57 on the Billboard Hot 100, primarily based on sales, making it Lennon charting the lowest US single released in his lifetime. The song also charted at number 93 on the Top 100 Cash Box .
The National Organization for Women gave Lennon and Ono a quote "The Positive Image of Women" for the song's "strong pro-feminist" proclamation in August 1972.
Responses to criticism
Through radio and television interviews, Lennon explained the use of the term "negro" as referring to the oppressed. Apple Records placed ads for singles in the May 6th edition of Billboard magazine featuring a recent statement, unrelated to the song, by black congressman Ron Dellums famous for demonstrating the use of the broader term. Lennon also refers to Dellums excerpts during his performance on The Dick Cavett Show, where he and Ono perform songs with Elephant's Memory band. Due to its controversial title, ABC asks Cavett to apologize to the audience first for the song's content, otherwise the show will not be shown. Dick Cavett does not like to give statements, stated in the 2010 documentary LENNONYC :
I have John and Yoko, and his jacket says, "We'll write a little insert before the song for you to say." I said, "You will censor my guest after I get it on the show? It's ridiculous." So they write this, and I go in and record it to keep the song. About 600 protests came. None of them about the song! All about them, quote: "that the mouth-to-mouth statement that you forced Dick to say before the show Do not you believe we're grown up..." Oh, God. That's amazing in that sense; it gives me hope for republic.
Lennon also visited Ebony's Ebony jet magazine with comedian/activist Dick Gregory and appeared in the cover story titled "Ex-Beatle Telling How the Black Star Changed His Life" on October 26, 1972 edition of Jet .
Re-issue
The edited version of the song was included in the 1975 compilation album Shaved Fish . The song was re-published as B-side to "Stand by Me" on April 4, 1977. It also included in the Working Class Hero: The Definitive Lennon and Gimme Some Truth box set.
In popular culture
An episode of the Better Things television series, written by Pamela Adlon and Louis CK, named "Woman is the Something of the Something", features characters that speak of John Lennon's words "women are the negro of the world. "The characters incorrectly state that the phrase is a" direct quote "from Zora Neale Hurston, and does not mention the origin of Yoko Ono.
Performance chart
Personnel
Personnel on singles recording and Some Time in New York City are:
- John Lennon - vocals, guitar
- Stan Bronstein - tenor saxophone
- Gary Van Scyoc - bass
- Adam Ippolito - piano, organ
- Wayne "Tex" Gabriel - guitar
- Richard Frank Jr. - drums, percussion
- Jim Keltner - drums
See also
- White Negro
References
External links
- Lyrics of this song in MetroLyrics
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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