Lost weekend or not, there’s plenty of wisdom to find in “Mind Games.” This may be his deepest idea since “Imagine.”
Kronomyth 6.01: I, Me, Mind.
The music of The Beatles and, by extension, John Lennon has been so over-analyzed, picked at and picked over, that there’s almost no joy of discovery anymore in hearing this music. It’s a shame, since I don’t believe that contemporary listeners will ever experience a “Mind Games” or “Meat City” without immediately being told what it really means, where it really came from and a dozen other annoying realities foisted upon you. Part of the problem, I suppose, is man’s intrinsic need to rationalize everything a posteriori. Genius, they say, is a process, and inspiration is an accumulation.
What I see and hear in “Mind Games” is the hand of God, the author of music and millipedes and everything else. And I wonder sometimes if all of these facts and opinions aren’t like so many silver crosses to ward off the “demon” of a divine will that doesn’t need you or me or John Lennon to make things happen. Then again, it’s 3:30 in the morning, and I probably shouldn’t pontificate after three cups of coffee.
Original 7-inch single version
A1. Mind Games (John Lennon) (3:59)
B1. Meat City (John Lennon) (2:52)
The Plastic
Released on 7-inch single on October 29, 1973 in the US (Apple, 1868), on November 16, 1973 in the UK (Apple, R 5994) and in 1973 in Australia (Apple, 4 C006_05494), France (Apple, 2C 008-05494) and Japan (EMI Odeon, EAS-17128) with picture sleeve; reached #18 on the US charts (charted on November 10, 1973 for 13 weeks) and #26 on the UK charts. Regional versions feature slightly different picture sleeves.
- Re-issued on 7-inch single in 1978 in the US (Capitol, 1878) {purple label}.
