Comments on: Glass Onion

By: MikeP

MikeP — Sun, 17 Mar 2019 13:26:51 +0000

It’s an enjoyable song to listen to, but doesn’t mean anything. Another “bunch of words and phrases” mumbo-jumbo from this Lennon-period.

By: Teddy Boy

Teddy Boy — Sun, 17 Mar 2019 11:47:22 +0000

“Glass Onion” is a very interesting song, one in which the lyrics are truly reflected by the song’s title. If we gaze into a glass onion, we would see fragmented prisms of light and distorted images. Lyrically, the song is composed of a series of fragmented images of Lennon’s life as a person and as a Beatle. You can see this in his references to Beatles’ songs, his poetic creativity, his reality distorted by drugs, etc. Also, Lennon was a huge fan of Lewis Carroll. The “Walrus and the Carpenter”, I’m sure, must have visually and imaginatively come into play for Lennon on multiple levels. Maybe what John is saying, is that when he looks back on his life, it is like looking into a glass onion. The Glass Onion is both a symbol and an image. It is literal and figurative. Lennon uses “light” (and reflection and distortion) for us visually and to illuminate us. It is poetic and brilliant. It is: John Lennon!

By: David Mason

David Mason — Mon, 05 Nov 2018 05:20:54 +0000

Yes sounds like a Fender VI to me too. Which leads to the question. Did Paul have one? Don’t think so but … Or is it the right handed Fender VI John (Helter Skelter among other things) and George both played on occasion? If so who is playing? Its a great bass line and I think any of the 3 of them were capable of it, I had always thought it was my favourite McCartney line and now I am wondering.

By: Derek Smith

Derek Smith — Tue, 09 Oct 2018 18:28:23 +0000

Hey Jude was written for Julian Lennon as his mother Cynthia and John Lennon had just split. Paul explains this in the Anthology. John thought it was written about him, but it was for Julian to help cope with the split.

By: Joe

Joe — Sat, 06 Oct 2018 22:42:53 +0000

This is one of their songs which shows how much George Martin really was a 5th Beatle. It’s a great song, but without Martin’s funky string arrangement it would be utterly forgettable rubbish. It’s the strings that really make this song special.

By: Choking Smoker

Choking Smoker — Fri, 17 Aug 2018 08:48:41 +0000

Love this little gem. Not one of The Beatles most well known but such a funky little tune.

By: Wilhelm

Wilhelm — Fri, 13 Jul 2018 00:01:55 +0000

Love this song, and with the self-referential lyrics it becomes an important part of the Beatles’ mythology. It seems a bit out of place on the White album though, the psychedelic imagery seems more in tune with Sgt Pepper or MMT. Good decision to scrap the sound effects in an earlier version of the song, the coda by George Martin is great and a perfect transition into “Dear Prudence”.

By: jeff

jeff — Fri, 27 Apr 2018 22:57:42 +0000

I take it to mean we perceive everything distorted by our own biases like we’re looking through a glass onion.

By: Lucy Diamond

Lucy Diamond — Sun, 25 Feb 2018 23:18:55 +0000

“I told you about the walrus and me, man
You know we’re as close as can be, man
Well here’s another clue for you all
The walrus was Paul.”

This is his loving line to Paul. Just as Hey Jude is about encouraging John to go for it with Yoko.

By: whimsy be here

whimsy be here — Sun, 08 Oct 2017 00:07:27 +0000

Glass Onion means not having to think .

By: dgw28

dgw28 — Fri, 06 Oct 2017 01:16:05 +0000

Always found the addition of strings spoilt the groove on Onion.

By: Ant

Ant — Fri, 27 Jan 2017 22:47:45 +0000

Ive heard it is also a like a derrogatory slang for a window on a coffin so the corpse/spirit can see out and people can see in if the body was too putrified to be exposed before the viewing i imagine the stench would be terrible as well, making a pun about double entendres as the the onion has many layers where you can expose deeper meaning (or more onion ) as you peel away, also the closer to the truth you get the smell gets stronger . There is way more to this song than that, that is if you are seeking clues about events in pepperland

By: J Neo Marvin

J Neo Marvin — Wed, 23 Nov 2016 23:50:38 +0000

Those wonderful snare crashes sound like Ringo announcing “I’m back!” after two songs featuring Paul on drums and they always bring a smile to my face for that reason.

By: John Pepper

John Pepper — Tue, 22 Nov 2016 19:08:11 +0000

There are certainly two basses at play. One at the left channel, one in the middle. The thick bas being in the left channel.

By: Bongo

Bongo — Wed, 16 Mar 2016 21:38:41 +0000

Love Johns witty tongue in cheek lyrics on this songs and others. Brilliant!

By: Graham Paterson

Graham Paterson — Wed, 16 Mar 2016 09:05:24 +0000

“Glass Onion” is a great John Lennon composition off the wonderful “White Album”.It is well explained on this websites editorial how this was Lennon’s way of answering those that read too much in to The Beatles lyrics. In so doing he creates another brilliant song.

By: Steve sawyer

Steve sawyer — Thu, 10 Mar 2016 14:59:23 +0000

I know exactly what you mean the bass tone is unusual for Paul sounds like he’s playing a Fender a Jazz bass using a pick and mutes for that lovely percussive tone.

By: Julie

Julie — Sun, 15 Nov 2015 22:21:32 +0000

Good thing Paul “revealed” to us it was him in the Walrus costume. The walrus playing a lefty bass wasn’t a dead giveaway. hehe

By: Joseph Brush

Joseph Brush — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 14:06:49 +0000

If you had read Francie Schwartz’s “Body Count” you would have discovered that in the summer of 1968 Paul sent John and Yoko anonymous letters criticizing John for being with “that Jap”. When John asked Paul about the letters all Paul did in response was that he tried to shrug it off as nothing.
The press in London described Yoko as “ugly” and for being “that Japanese woman”. The British Press were still thinking with World War Two mentality like the British soldiers were still fighting the Japanese in Burma.
I used to glance at the British newspapers back then and I couldn’t believe the flak that John and Yoko took (on the front page) for just being together.

By: Emma

Emma — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 00:34:21 +0000

There’s a restaraunt in South Carolina called the Glass Onion.