"Gimme Some Truth" (originally spelled "Give Me Some Truth") is a

protest song A protest song is a song that is associated with a movement for social change and hence part of the broader category of ''topical'' songs (or songs connected to current events). It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre. Among social mov ...

written and performed by

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

. It was first released on his 1971 album '' Imagine''. "Gimme Some Truth" contains various political references emerging from the time it was written, during the latter years of the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. Co-produced by

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...

, the recording includes a

slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos t ...

solo played by

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...

, Lennon's former bandmate in

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

. In 1982, "Gimme Some Truth" was issued as the B-side of "

Love Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...

" on a posthumous single. The song provided the title track for the 2000 documentary film ''Gimme Some Truth: The Making of John Lennon's Imagine Album''.

Origins

Work on the song began as early as January 1969 during

' ''Get Back'' sessions, which would eventually evolve into '' Let It Be''. Bootleg recordings of the group performing songs that would eventually go onto the members' solo recordings feature a few performances of "Gimme Some Truth". A recording of the Beatles performing the song was officially released in 2021, appearing on the '' Let It Be: 50th Anniversary Edition'' reissue, and in '' The Beatles: Get Back'' documentary.

Lyrics

"Gimme Some Truth" conveys Lennon's frustration with deceptive politicians ("short-haired yellow-bellied sons of Tricky Dicky"), hypocrisy, and

chauvinism Chauvinism is the unreasonable belief in the superiority or dominance of one's own group or people, who are seen as strong and virtuous, while others are considered weak, unworthy, or inferior. It can be described as a form of extreme patriotism ...

("tight-lipped condescending mommy's little chauvinists"). The lyrics encapsulate some widely held feelings of the time, when many people were participating in protest rallies against their governments. The song also uses a reference to the nursery rhyme "

Old Mother Hubbard "Old Mother Hubbard" is an English-language nursery rhyme, first given an extended printing in 1805, although the exact origin of the rhyme is disputed. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 19334. After a notable nursery success, it was eventu ...

" (about a woman going to get her dog a bone, only to discover that her cupboard is empty) as a verb. The mention of "soft-soap" employs that slang verb in its classic sense − namely, insincere flattery that attempts to convince someone to do or to think something, as in the case of politicians who use specious or beguiling rhetoric to quell public unrest or to propagandise unfairly. Lennon employs the recurring lyric "Money for rope/Money for dope", the former phrase being a variation of the British idiom "Money for old rope" (a profit obtained by little or no effort). According to

Peter Jackson Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known as the director, writer and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy ( ...

, it was

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

who came up with this line during the ''Get Back'' sessions. Jackson showed McCartney the footage from his documentary of the Beatles performing the song, who had no memory of working on it.

Reception

In a review of the ''Imagine'' album, music critic

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

said that the song "unites Lennon unmasked with the Lennon of Blunderland wordplay as it provides a rationale for '

Jealous Guy "Jealous Guy" is a song written and originally recorded by English rock musician John Lennon from his 1971 album '' Imagine''. Not released as a single during Lennon's lifetime, it became an international hit in a version by Roxy Music issued ...

,' which doesn't need one, and ' How Do You Sleep?,' which may". Lisa Wright of the '' NME'' ranked "Gimme Some Truth" as Lennon's fifth greatest solo song, stating that in the song Lennon "tried to sift through the maelstrom of media bullshit to find the light at the end of the tunnel" and concluding that "scorn never sounded so good". ''Classic Rock'' critic Rob Hughes rated “Gimme Some Truth" as Lennon's greatest political song, saying "Lennon is at his acerbic best here, taking potshots at hypocrites, bigots, prima donnas and White House incumbent, Richard Nixon: 'No short-haired, yellow-bellied, son of Tricky Dicky/Is gonna Mother Hubbard soft-soap me/With just a pocketful of hope/Money for dope/Money for rope.'” ''Ultimate Classic Rock'' critic Nick DeRiso rated it as Lennon's 3rd greatest solo political song, and praised its "brilliant wordplay."

Recording

Lennon recorded "Gimme Some Truth" on 25 May 1971 at Ascot Sound Studios. Overdubbing of his lead vocal on 28 May was also captured on film. Author Robert Rodriguez comments that ''Imagine'' is well known for its commercial qualities and "radio-friendly fare", but on the more substantial tracks,

provides "some of the grittiest playing", particularly on "Gimme Some Truth". Rodriguez highlights Harrison's slide guitar solo as being "equally sstinging" as his playing on "How Do You Sleep?" and describes the track as an "acidic attack on governmental hypocrisy".

Personnel

– vocals, electric guitar *

– electric guitar,

Nicky Hopkins Nicholas Christian "Nicky" Hopkins (24 February 1944 – 6 September 1994) was an English pianist and organist. Hopkins performed on many popular and enduring British and American rock music recordings from the 1960s to the 1990s, most notably ...

– piano * Rod Linton –

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

* Andy Davis – acoustic guitar *

Klaus Voormann Klaus Otto Wilhelm Voormann (born 29 April 1938) is a German artist, musician, and record producer. Voormann was the bassist for Manfred Mann from 1966 to 1969, and performed as a session musician on a host of recordings, including " You're So ...

– bass * Alan White – drums

Cover versions and performances by other artists

Generation X Generation X (or Gen X for short) is the Western demographic cohort following the baby boomers and preceding the millennials. Researchers and popular media use the mid-to-late 1960s as starting birth years and the late 1970s to early 1980s ...

recorded it as a B-side to the single "

King Rocker ''King Rocker'' is a 2020 British documentary film directed by Michael Cumming and written by Stewart Lee about the singer Robert Lloyd (Nightingales), Robert Lloyd and his bands, The Prefects and The Nightingales. It premiered at the 2020 Sheff ...

" in 1978. It appeared on the US release of their eponymous first album and also appears as a bonus track on the remastered version of 1979's '' Valley of the Dolls''. * The Wonder Stuff included "Gimme Some Truth" on the expanded version of the 1989 album ''Hup''. *

Sam Phillips Samuel Cornelius Phillips (January 5, 1923 – July 30, 2003) was an American record producer. He was the founder of Sun Records and Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, where he produced recordings by Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, ...

recorded a version for her 1994 album ''Martinis & Bikinis''. *

Ash Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non-gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...

released it as a B-side to "

Angel Interceptor "Angel Interceptor" is a song by Ash, released as the third single from their album ''1977'' on 9 October 1995. It was released as a single CD, a 7" vinyl, and as a cassette. The song was written by Rick McMurray and Tim Wheeler and produced by ...

" in 1995. * Travis's version is a B-side to " More Than Us", released in 1998, and also appears on the various artists compilation ''Causes 1'' released in 2011. *On the 2007 compilation album '' Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur'',

the Wallflowers The Wallflowers is an American rock solo project of American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jakob Dylan. The Wallflowers were originally a roots rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1989 by Dylan and guitarist Tobi Miller. The band ...

' frontman

Jakob Dylan Jakob Luke Dylan (born December 9, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter. He rose to fame as the lead singer and primary songwriter for the rock band the Wallflowers. Born in New York City to musician Bob Dylan and model Sara Lownds, Dylan be ...

(son of

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

) covers the song and

Dhani Harrison Dhani Harrison (; born 1 August 1978) is an English musician, composer and singer-songwriter. He is the only child of George and Olivia Harrison. Dhani debuted as a professional musician assisting in recording his father's final album, ''Brainw ...

(son of George Harrison) reprises his father's role as lead guitarist. Mexican group Jaguares made another cover version for the same album. *

Primal Scream Primal Scream are a Scottish rock band originally formed in 1982 in Glasgow by Bobby Gillespie (vocals) and Jim Beattie. The band's current lineup consists of Gillespie, Andrew Innes (guitar), Simone Butler (bass), and Darrin Mooney (drums). ...

recorded the song as a B-side to their " Country Girl" single in 2006, in the style of the Generation X cover. *

Matthew Sweet Sidney Matthew Sweet (born October 6, 1964) is an American alternative rock/power pop singer-songwriter and musician who was part of the burgeoning music scene in Athens, Georgia, during the 1980s before gaining commercial success in the 1990 ...

and

Susanna Hoffs Susanna Lee Hoffs (born January 17, 1959) is an American singer and guitarist, best known as a co-founder of the pop-rock band The Bangles. Hoffs founded The Bangles (originally called the Bangs) in 1981 with Debbi and Vicki Peterson. They r ...

released a version on their 2009 collaboration '' Under the Covers, Vol. 2''. *

Lydia Canaan Lydia Canaan ( ar, ليديا كنعان) is a Lebanese singer-songwriter and humanitarian activist. Credited as the first internationally successful Lebanese recording artist,Sinclair, David. "Global Music Pulse", ''Billboard'', New York, De ...

released a cover of the song as a single in 2014. *

Cheap Trick Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. The current lineup of the band consists of Zander, Nielsen a ...

released a cover of "Gimme Some Truth" as a single in 2019. It appears on their 2021 album '' In Another World''. *On 8 December 2019, the Full Story Band, featuring

KT Tunstall Kate Victoria "KT" Tunstall (born 23 June 1975) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and musician. She first gained attention with a 2004 live solo performance of her song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on '' Later... with Jools Holland''. The ...

, released a version of "Gimme Some Truth" in aid of the War Child charity. *In the summer of 2020,

Billie Joe Armstrong Billie Joe Armstrong (born February 17, 1972) is an American musician who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Green Day, which he co-founded with Mike Dirnt in 1987. He is also a guitarist and vocalist for ...

Green Day Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career, they have been a ...

posted a cover of the song on his Instagram page. The punk band

Anti-Flag Anti-Flag is an American punk rock band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The band is known for its left-wing political activism. Their current members include Justin Sane (vocals, guitar), Chris Head (guitar), Pat Thetic (drums), and Chris Bar ...

also recorded a version. *During the Covid lockdown in 2020,

Mike Portnoy Michael Stephen Portnoy (born April 20, 1967) is an American musician who is primarily known as the former drummer, backing vocalist, and co-founder of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. In September 2010, Portnoy announced his departure ...

released to celebrate John Lennon's 80th Birthday.

Other works named after the song

*A 2000

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy w ...

documentary film showing the recording sessions and evolution of ''Imagine'' took its title, '' Gimme Some Truth: The Making of John Lennon's Imagine Album'', from this song. *

Jon Wiener Jon Wiener (born May 16, 1944) is an American historian and journalist based in Los Angeles, California. His most recent book is '' Set the Night on Fire: L.A. in the Sixties'', a ''Los Angeles Times'' bestseller co-authored by Mike Davis. ...

took the title of this song for his 1999 book, ''Gimme Some Truth: The John Lennon FBI Files'', about Nixon's attempt to deport Lennon in 1972. *The title is used for a 2020 compilation album of Lennon's greatest songs, remixed from scratch by his son Sean. The album was released on 9 October 2020, John Lennon's 80th birthday. *The Australian rock’n’roll band Money for Rope took its name from the song lyrics.

References

External links

* {{authority control 1971 songs John Lennon songs Protest songs Songs written by John Lennon Song recordings produced by John Lennon Song recordings produced by Phil Spector Song recordings produced by Yoko Ono Songs about Richard Nixon Generation X (band) songs