Comments on: Working Class Hero

By: b00kface

b00kface — Mon, 09 Jan 2017 16:11:41 +0000

Not completely true Quarry Bank was a grammar school at the time which meant you had to pass an entrance exam at 11 and the fees were paid by the local education authority. Likewise, Paul and George went to the more prestigious Liverpool Institute.
It was only poor Ringo who was failed by the education system and we described as being brought up in Dickensian poverty.

By: Billy Ateyo

Billy Ateyo — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 01:26:13 +0000

John didn’t go to a private school (known as Public Schools or Independent Schools in the UK), he went to Dovedale County Infants School and Quarry Bank High School, which was a comprehensive school (ie run by the state). Not the sort of schools that your average middle class family would send their children to. His Aunt and Uncle may have been a bit better off, but that doesn’t make you middle class!

By: George T.

George T. — Mon, 25 Jan 2016 21:15:22 +0000

Great song and a great website.
Being from he UK I find it odd that so many are trying to find reasons to portray Lennon as being middle-class. He was born into a poor family, went to state-run schools, and spoke with a ‘common’ accent because – like kids everywhere – he preferred to copy the speech of his school friends rather than his guardians.
I don’t believe the “if you want to be a hero, well just follow me” line is meant to be ironic; instead, it is Lennon saying “look what you can achieve if you look to the stars” in a country where poorer people were/are seen as mere subservient fodder for the factory. If you call them “fucking peasants” you had better be from them, not sneering down on them from your gilded country pile.
The only reason people cite him as being middle-class is that he moved in with his married-well Aunt when young; but they were lower-middle-class and Lennon never fit in even with that unimpressive social strata, doggedly holding on to his w-class roots.
To be truly-middle class in Britain you have to go to a private school (Quarry Bank was a comprehensive), be able to mix easily with the rugby and golf playing set (imagine Lennon playing golf, he’d have broken more clubs than Tommy Bolt…), and be from a solicitor/headmaster/doctor type background (his uncle was nowhere near that level).
Their house was nice but nothing exceptional and his later admittance into an art school was extremely common for ‘lower-order’ boys with a talent back then (sadly not so much now, hence the lack of great modern British rock music).
It’s also worth noting that Cynthia Powell’s parents were against her marrying John, due to his lowly background.
Interesting to read of the alternate versions of this song – I will certainly check them out.

By: sertaneja

sertaneja — Sun, 09 Aug 2015 01:28:57 +0000

I am not English, so I don’t know the system. But it is not possible com compare John’s situation with his mates. John studied in a private school, to start with. The house he used to live was huge and beautiful. Even his avenue was better. He never worked aside as a musician. I read some comments made by his mates in Quarrymen band and they said no way John was from the same class as George, Ringo and Paul. They were considered of a lower class than John. All of them had “proper” jobs. No, I don’t think he was an Working class hero. In “many years from now”, Paul says how he and George got surprised when they visited him for the first time. They thought he was…rich! They even had siamese cats in the garden. 🙂 Possibly John inspired in his friends whem wrote the song. He never says “I”. He says “you” all the time. If you see the video you will see a little boy looking at a private school from outside…John was inside it. By the way I don’t know if it’s called private school in British English. I mean schools you have to pay to study. Aunt Mimi was worried John had poor boys as friends. As for his accent, it was on purpose. It was sort of “in” to speak like that. He was raised to speak like that. They guys from the Quarrymen also informed they didn’t like Paul and George in the badn at first because they were not from the same class as they were.

By: Steve

Steve — Sun, 31 May 2015 13:32:15 +0000

It’s more complex than that in the UK. The North-South divide for a start. Accents are clear indications of your social class too. It’s unlikely you’ll hear an accent like Lennon’s in the institutions ‘at the top’ that Lennon sings of.

By: Patrick King

Patrick King — Sat, 16 May 2015 14:03:29 +0000

His uncle’s dairy farm was the source of his aunt’s relative comfort. His father was a stevedore, his mother had no profession but a poor reputation. Unlike the U.S., England has a class system one does not get out of simply by making money. John Lennon was working-class and made to feel he was working-class. This song is one of his more heartfelt efforts.

By: Graham Paterson

Graham Paterson — Wed, 18 Mar 2015 10:14:38 +0000

I would firstly like to compliment the Beatles Bible websites summary of this great song. He was commenting on what society does to people in order for the individual to supposedly make it. This song is also one that is misunderstood. This is one of Lennons greatest songs off his finest album. I love the line ” learn how to smile as you kill “. Even though these people aspire to be like the ” folks on the hill ” and may indeed reach that goal , they are still ” peasants” . This song is probably more applicable today as when it was recorded in 1970. Lennons great voice with finger picked rhythm guitar, simply brilliant.

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 03 Mar 2015 15:56:20 +0000

Funny…John was the only member of The Beatles who WASN’T working class…his family was considered Middle Class, which is like Upper Middle Class here in the U.S.