Number 13 - I Don't Want To Be A Soldier

Beatle involvement:  

John and George

Listenability: 3 out of 5

An anti-war song that sounds a bit like a jam session. Lyrically the message is in the title with the other lyrics barely even making sense, for example ‘I don’t want to be a sailor mama – I don’t want to fly’. Musically the song has little more than one line, with variations, that is repeated over and over. Thankfully George’s slide guitar adds to the song and helps make it sound more complete.

What they said about it:

John:

Started off in the 'working class hero days' finished off virtually in the studio. It has a peculiar rhythm and Jim Keltner and the rest of them do a fantastic job keeping up, this was another first take (obviously) the words are lost or wrong sometimes I also sing it in many keys at once! But it still has a nice feel - it depends on what mood I'm in to like it or not. Yoko sticks up for it (each song takes on a personality when it is finished and we get possessive!) 

John's handwritten notes. Taken from: Letter 150. The John Lennon Letters. Edited by Hunter Davies.

[Talking about the Imagine Album in general] It's the best thing I've ever done. This will show them. It's not a personal thing like the last album, but I've learned a lot and this is better in every way. It's lighter too - I was feeling very happy. There's a guy called George Harrison on it and he does some mother of solos. George used to be with The Bubbles or somebody. Then there's a guy called Nicky Hopkins. Then there's Jim Gordon on drums, Alan White on drums, Jim Keltner on drums, and they're fantastic."

John Lennon Interview: Hit Parader magazine, February 1972

Yoko:

"I don't wanna be a soldier, Mama, I don't want to die" — that says it all! A beautiful anti-establishment song, not just about a soldier but also a priest. He was just being himself. George's slide guitar is incredible. He was fantastic.  

Taken from: Rolling Stone – The Playlist Special December 2010

Joey Molland:

So they started playing I Don't Want To Be A Soldier Mama and me and Tommy [Evans] were just hanging out. We just started to play along because we weren't about to move and let somebody throw us out. We didn't play it, we just started this 'doodley-do' kind of Bo Diddley strumming, because the song didn't seem to settle into any particular rhythm. And it ended up on the record. One of the most exciting nights of me life.

Taken From: Without You: The Tragic Story Of Badfinger by Dan Matovina

Other bits and pieces:

• A version of the song without George Harrison playing appears on the John Lennon Anthology.
• According to author Keith Badman, 'Legendary sax player King Curtis' who played at the sessions  for 'It's So Hard', 'I Don't Want To Be A Soldier' and 'How Do You Sleep?' on 4th and 5th July 1971 was 'killed in a street fight just six weeks later'. Taken from The Beatles Diary Volume 2: After The Break-Up 1970-2001. Page.38