"Beef Jerky" is an instrumental written by John Lennon that was released on his 1974 album Walls and Bridges and also as the b-side of the lead single from that album, the #1 hit "Whatever Gets You thru the Night."
| "Beef Jerky" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single by John Lennon | |
| from the album Walls and Bridges | |
| A-side | "Whatever Gets You thru the Night" |
| Released | 23 September 1974 (US) 4 October 1974 (UK) |
| Recorded | 1974 |
| Length | 3:25 |
| Label | Apple |
| Songwriter(s) | John Lennon |
| Producer(s) | John Lennon |
| Walls and Bridges track listing | |
12 tracks | |
Music edit
Beatle historian Bruce Spizer describes "Beef Jerky" as a "funky instrumental."[1] "Beef Jerky" developed during the recording sessions for "#9 Dream" from variations Lennon composed based on the music of two songs from Lennon's previous album Mind Games, "Tight A$" and "Meat City."[2][3][4] In a nod to his old partner, it also contains a riff that replicates one from Paul McCartney's "Let Me Roll It," which was a song McCartney wrote in a "Lennon style."[3][5][6] Uncut contributor David Cavanagh believes Lennon meant no offense by using this riff, and simply "nicked it" because he liked it.[7] The sound of "Beef Jerky" was inspired by the early rhythm and blues songs."[8] At one point during the song's bridge, there is a chorus calling out the song's title "beef jerky" several times[1] mimicking The Bar-kays similar bridge in their instrumental hit "Soul Finger". Lennon acknowledged its debt to earlier rhythm and blues and soul music by including a credit to "Booker Table and the Maitre D's," a pun on Booker T and the MGs.[2][9] The title comes from the dried meat strips that Lennon and then-girlfriend May Pang used to eat in the recording studio.[1]
Lennon said of the song "I like this one because I don't sing, and I can stand listening to it without hearing me voice all the time."[10]
Reception edit
Music critic Johnny Rogan claims that the horn playing of "Beef Jerky" by Bobby Keys and others is a good imitation of the Stax Records sound, particularly that of The Mar-Keys and Bar-Kays.[4] He also praises the guitar interplay between Lennon and Jesse Ed Davis.[4] Music lecturers Ben Urish and Ken Bielen describe the song as "a brass-laden rocker that that moves through rhythmic variations and distinctive horn riffs with aplomb and ease.[2] Music critic Tim Riley calls the song a "juicy instrumental" that helps give Walls and Bridges a "rocker's pulse."[11]
Beatle biographer John Blaney states that although Lennon incorporates a clever production and a good horn arrangement, he finds the song to be "pedestrian."[8] Blaney particularly criticizes the decision to put the rhythm section low in the mix, but like Rogan he praises Lennon's and Davis' guitar playing.[8] Beatle historians Chip Madinger and Mark Easter call the song "a somewhat pointless instrumental," and felt that like "What You Got," which would be Lennon's next b-side, it doesn't go anywhere after the opening verse.[12] Allmusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine considers it "mediocre."[13]
Music journalist Paul Du Noyer finds the song to be "nothing special — just an efficiently funky, bustling rocker" but notes that it plays an important role on Walls and Bridges by relieving some of the tension on the album between "the cold-hearted masterpiece of invective" "Steel and Glass" and what he considers "the most tortured track" on the album, "Nobody Loves You (When You're Down and Out)."[9] Urish and Bielen agree that the instrumental serves as an important role on the album as a "palette cleanser" between those two songs.[2]
References edit
- ^ a b c Spizer, Bruce (2005). The Beatles Solo on Apple Records. 498 Productions. p. 82. ISBN 0966264959.
- ^ a b c d Urish, Ben; Bielen, Ken (2007). The Words and Music of John Lennon. Praeger. p. 61. ISBN 9780275991807.
- ^ a b "Beef Jerky". The Beatles Bible. 12 July 2021. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
- ^ a b c Rogan, Johnny (1997). The Complete Guide to the Music of John Lennon. Omnibus Press. p. 92. ISBN 0711955999.
- ^ Nick DeRiso (27 April 2014). "Top 10 Wings Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
- ^ Metzger, John (14 April 2011). "John Lennon: Walls and Bridges". The Music Box. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
- ^ Cavanagh, David. "Walls and Bridges". The Ultimate Music Guide: Lennon. Time Inc.
- ^ a b c Blaney, J. (2007). Lennon and McCartney: Together Alone – A critical discography of their solo work. Jawbone Press. p. 91. ISBN 9781906002022.
- ^ a b Du Noyer, Paul (1999). John Lennon: Whatever Gets You Through the Night. Thunder's Mouth Press. pp. 93–94. ISBN 1560252103.
- ^ Burger, Jeff (2016). Lennon on Lennon: Conversations with John Lennon. Chicago Review Press. p. 351. ISBN 9781613748275.
- ^ Riley, Tim (2011). Lennon: The Man, the Myth, the Music - The Definitive Life. Hachette. ISBN 9781401303938.
- ^ Madinger, Chip & Easter, Mark (2000). Eight Arms to Hold You. 44.1 Productions. pp. 94–95, 103. ISBN 0-615-11724-4.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Walls and Bridges". Allmusic. Retrieved 2021-09-06.