Nobody Loves You (When You're Down And Out); John Lennon

Today is a very special day to me. I was gonna post this song in December — the day when Lennon was shot — but it fits perfectly today.

Changing the subject, I do here one thing I hate to see when I do a research. I copy and paste. It's bloody irritating to see people blatantly blogging with someone's words (and the worse!) without making reference. At least I do make references.

But people they shall understand that my purpose is to create a complete source to answer their questions about songs which have whistling. This is my excuse to copy and paste. And it is a fair excuse. ^^

So, with you the great website The Beatles Bible from where I took every single word from now to the end of the post:


An account of John Lennon's darkest days during his Lost Weekend, Nobody Loves You (When You're Down And Out) was the penultimate song on his 1974 album Walls And Bridges.

The song was the only one from the album to have been written during Lennon's initial stay in Los Angeles. He recorded a home demo in October 1973 on an acoustic guitar. At this stage the lyrics were largely complete, but Lennon was still working on the chord structure.

The song was clearly inspired by the 1923 blues standard Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out, written by Jimmy Cox about the Prohibition era. That song recounted the tale of a former millionaire who had fallen on hard times, and reflected on the transient nature of friendships and material wealth.

"Well, that says the whole story. I always imagined Sinatra singing that one, I dunno why. He could do a perfect job with it. Ya listenin', Frank? You need a song that isn't a piece of nothing. Here's one for you. The horn arrangement - everything's made for you. But don't ask me to produce it!" — John Lennon, 1980. All We Are Saying, David Sheff

Lennon's travails in 1974 were mostly self-inflicted, as the excesses of his Lost Weekend and the strains of his separation from Yoko Ono took their toll. He had moved to Los Angeles with his girlfriend May Pang, and for a time lived with the hard-living Keith Moon, Harry Nilsson and Ringo Starr.

Realising the effects his lifestyle was having on his health, Lennon and Pang moved back to New York. Nobody Loves You (When You're Down And Out) was one of the songs recorded during the pre-production rehearsals for Walls And Bridges in July 1973; an edited version of the recording was released posthumously in 1986 on the Menlove Ave collection.

The lyrics of Nobody Loves You were among Lennon's most soul-baring, demonstrating his feelings of rejection, despair and loneliness. By 1974 he had fallen out of favour with record-buyers, was separated from his wife, and his attempted solace in alcohol had proved little more than illusory.

I've been across to the other side
I've shown you everything, I got nothing to hide
But stull you ask me do I love you, what it is, what it is
All I can tell you is it's all showbiz
All I can tell you is it's all showbiz

Walls And Bridges was recorded in New York's Record Plant East in July and August 1974. Along with Scared, Nobody Loves You (When You're Down And Out) was the bleakest of his new compositions, although both showed Lennon's self-awareness and his determination to lift himself from the gutter.

The 1998 box set John Lennon Anthology contained an alternative studio outtake. It could have been a contender for Walls And Bridges, but for a slightly out of tune acoustic guitar. It also lacks the brass and string overdubs which sweetened the final take.

A solo rendition performed on acoustic guitar was also included as a bonus track on the 2005 reissue of Walls And Bridges. This was announced as take nine during the studio sessions.

Nobody loves you when you're down and out
Nobody sees you when you're on cloud nine
Everybody's hustlin' for a buck and a dime
I'll scratch your back and you scratch mine

I've been across to the other side
I've shown you everything, I got nothing to hide
And still you ask me do I love you, what it is, what it is
All I can tell you is it's all show biz
All I can tell you is it's all show biz

Nobody loves you when you're down and out
Nobody knows you when you're on cloud nine
Everybody's hustlin' for a buck and a dime
I'll scratch your back and you knife mine

I've been across the water now so many times
I've seen the one eyed witchdoctor leading the blind
And still you ask me do I love you, what you say, what you say
Everytime I put my finger on it, it slips away
Everytime I put my finger on it, it slips away

Well I get up in the morning and I'm looking in the mirror to see, ooo wee!
Then I'm lying in the darkness and I know I can't get to sleep, ooo wee!

Nobody loves you when you're old and grey
Nobody needs you when you're upside down
Everybody's hollerin' 'bout their own birthday
Everybody loves you when you're six foot in the ground

Walls and Bridges version. Download.


The Anthology version. Download.


But there is no video! :(

Billy Don’t Be a Hero; Paper Lace

“Billy Don’t Be A Hero” is a 1974 anti-war pop song by Paper Lace and was also recorded by Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods. It was written by Mitch Murray and Peter Callander.

Because the song was released in 1974, it is often associated with the Vietnam War, though it may also refer to the American Civil War as evidenced by the “soldier blues” (the Union Forces) in the lyrics and on the cover of the single album. A young woman is distraught that her fiancé chooses to leave the area with an Army contingent passing through the town and go with them to fight.

The song goes on to describe how Billy is killed in action in a pitched battle after volunteering to ride out and seek reinforcements. In the end, the woman throws away the regret letter notifying her of Billy’s “heroic” death.

Paper Lace’s version of “Billy Don't Be a Hero” hit number one on the UK singles chart on March 16 1974. The band made plans to release it in America but the song was covered and released by Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods. Their version was rushed out before Paper Lace could release and it hit no 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on June 15. Subsequently although Paper Lace had the chart-topper in the UK, its version stalled at #96 on the Billboard Hot 100. The Bo Donaldson version failed to chart at all in the UK.¹

The marching band came down along Main Street
The soldiers blue step in behind
I looked across and there I saw Billy
Waiting to go and going the line
And with her head upon his shoulder
His young and lovely fiance
From were I stood I saw she was crying
And through a tear I heard her say

"Billy, don’t be a hero,
Don’t be a fool with your life!
Billy, don’t be a hero,
Come back and make me your wife."
And as Billy started to go
She said "keep your pretty head low,
Billy, don’t be a hero, come back to me"

The soldiers blue were traped on a hill side
The battle raging all around
The seargent cried "we’ve got to hang on, boys.
We’ve got to hold this piece of land
I need a voluteer to ride up
And bring us back some extra men"
And Billy’s hand was up in a moment
forgeting all the words she said.

She said:
"Billy, don’t be a hero,
Don’t be a fool with your life!
Billy, don’t be a hero,
Come back and make me your wife."
And as Billy started to go
She said "keep your pretty head low,
Billy, don’t be a hero, come back to me"

I heard his fiance got a lettter
That told how Billy died that day
The lettter said that he was a hero
She should be proud he died that way
I heard she threw the letter away

"Billy, don’t be a hero,
Don't be a fool with your life!
Billy, don’t be a hero,
Come back and make me your wife."
And as Billy started to go
She said "keep your pretty head low,
Billy, don’t be a hero, come back to me"

Bennie and the Jets; Elton John

This is one of the most popular songs of Elton John. Coincidentally, there is whistles on it. But this time is different. It isn't he whistling and it isn't a melodic whistle. Just happens, during the instrumental solo, a few bliss whistles.

But it worth? Yes. Why? Because the original record whistles are done until now in the live shows by the fans, as we can see in Youtube video posted here. I mean, these whistles are an essencial part of the song.

John and his band didn't believe in the sucess of this tune, but despite their worries it was released as a single and bursted in the whole world radios.

“Bennie and the Jets” was co-written with Bernie Taupin. Taupin has said, in interviews, that the lyrics are a satire on the music industry.

Axl Rose has stated that this song inspired him to become a vocalist: “For myself as well as many others, no one has been there more for inspiration than Elton John. When I first heard 'Bennie and the Jets' I knew at the time I had to be a performer.”

a cold, cold heart

Hey kids, shake it loose together,
The spotlight's hitting something
That's been known to change the weather.
we'll kill the fatted calf tonight
So stick around,
You're gonna hear electric music,
Solid Walls of sound.

Say, Candy and Ronnie, have you seen them yet
But they're so spaced out, Bennie and the Jets,
But they're weird and they're wonderful,
Oh, Beannie she's really keen
She's got electric boots a mohair suit,
You know I read it in a magazine,
Oh! Bennie and the Jets.

Hey kids, plug into the faithless,
Maybe they're blinded
But Bennie makes them ageless.
We shall survive, let us take ourselves along,
Where we fight our parents out in the streets
To find who's right and who's wrong.

Say, Candy and Ronnie, have you seen them yet
But they're so spaced out, Bennie and the Jets,
But they're weird and they're wonderful,
Oh, Beannie she's really keen
She's got electric boots a mohair suit,
You know I read it in a magazine,
Oh! Bennie and the Jets.

Download