"Dig a Pony" (Lennon – May 18, 1970)
Let It Be – Side 1, Track 5
YouTube (Poor video quality)
From Wikipedia, Rolling Stone and About.com –
Background –
John Lennon was the song's composer and singer but the song was credited to Lennon/McCartney. It was originally called "All I Want Is You". Lennon would later comment that he thought the song was 'a piece of garbage,' though he has shown similar scorn for many of his songs. It was written for his soon-to-be wife Yoko Ono, and featured a multitude of strange, seemingly nonsense phrases which were strung together, culminating in the chorus "All I Want is You", aimed at Yoko.
Reflecting the simplicity of John's recent musical turn, but also employing the trademark wordplay he was about to abandon forever, "Dig A Pony" (mistakenly listed as "I Dig A Pony" on early US releases, but since corrected) was the very first song the band worked on for the "Get Back" project (later to become the film and album Let It Be), and one of only five songs performed during the band's infamous "rooftop concert" in London on January 30, 1969.
Lennon had already come up with the song's chorus in another composition, a Yoko Ono devotional entitled "All I Want Is You," then built the verses around it, mostly in the studio, based on a series of nonsense phrases with similar structures. The band first attempted the song on January 2, 1969, then rehearsed and refined it on the 7th, 13th, 22nd, 23rd, 26th, 28th, and 29th. On January 30th, after a brief run-through, the band recorded the rooftop performance that would be featured in the film and the album. It was the fifth and last of the original songs to be performed, though the group would then go back over the set list and perform it again.
The lyrics of "Dig A Pony" were the most fluid and changing of Lennon's career: the title phrase began as "Con A Lowrey (organ)," but was changed because John thought the plosives of "d" and "p" would flow better. Similarly, the last verse's opening line started as "dog a boney" and accidentally became "bog a doney" before John settled on "rode a lorry." "I dig a skylight" became "I do a groundhog" and then, later, "road hog." In the next verse he sings "I pick a moondog," a reference to one of the Beatles' earlier band names, Johnny and the Moondogs. During the performance, an assistant held the lyrics up on a clipboard, to make sure Lennon remembered the latest version. In later years, John would be very critical of this song for its nonsense lyrics.
The song was one of the songs on Let It Be that was recorded at the rooftop concert. It begins with a false start, with Ringo Starr yelling, "hold it!" to halt the other band members because he was holding a cigarette and had only one drum stick in his hand. On the Anthology 3 version of this song, the first verse and the end of the song start off with Paul McCartney singing "All I want is...". This phrase appeared in every performance of the song but was cut from the final version by Phil Spector, and subsequently cut from the Let It Be... Naked version.
In rehearsals and takes, the last variation on "dig a pony" was "dog a boney", perhaps a reference to "This Old Man". This is the lyric that appears on Glyn Johns' assembly of Get Back. On the Anthology version, Lennon sang the spoonerism 'bog a doney.' During the rooftop concert, Lennon substituted what sounds like "rode a lorry," and this is the version that appears on both the Let It Be album and Let It Be... Naked.
Recording –
Takes: 1
Personnel
John Lennon – Lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1965 Epiphone E230TD(V) Casino)
Paul McCartney– Harmony vocals, bass guitar (1961 Hofner 500/1)
George Harrison – Lead guitar (1966 Gibson Les Paul Standard SG)
Ringo Starr – Drums (1968 Ludwig Hollywood Maple)
Trivia –
American copies of Let It Be mis-titled this song as "I Dig a Pony."
At the beginning of the song, the band does a count-off but then stops abruptly after Ringo shouts "Hold it!" Although it's often thought that the drummer was busy putting down his cigarette, the scene in the film clearly shows him having already put the cig down; he actually stopped to blow his nose.
In the film, "Dig A Pony" both opens and closes with a snippet of the "All I want is you" chorus, but this was edited from the album version by producer Phil Spector.
This song would not become "Dig A Pony" until the very last minute; test pressings list it as "All I Want Is You." John himself jokingly refers to it as "I Dig A Pygmy" during the rooftop concert, and the take on Let It Be preserves his other, post-song chatter, including a comment on how cold his hands are and an impromptu version of the standard "Danny Boy."
The 1988 movie Imagine: John Lennon features home footage of John at his Tittenhurst estate talking to a somewhat disturbed hippie who'd wandered onto the grounds, certain that Lennon was "calling him" in the lyrics to this song. John patiently explained that the lyrics were nonsense, and as such could have any meaning read into them.
Today in Beatles History (From The Beatles Internet Album): January 8 –
1935 – Elvis Presley is born in Tupelo, Mississippi.
1964 – "Beatles Christmas Show" at the Astoria, Finsbury Park, London.
– "She Loves You", 19th week in the Top 10 (UK New Musical Express chart).
– "Please Please Me" LP, 42nd week in the Top 10 (UK New Musical Express chart).
– "With The Beatles" number 1, 7th week (UK New Musical Express chart).
– "I Want To Hold Your Hand" number 1, 6th and last week (UK New Musical Express chart).
1965 – "Another Beatles Christmas Show" at the Hammersmith Odeon, London (two performances).
– After the second performance at the Hammersmith Odeon, the Beatles visit the annual Boat Show, at the Earl's Court Exhibition Building, London, after 9.00pm, public closing time.
1966 – "We Can Work It Out" number 1, 1st week (Billboard).– Party hosted by Mick Jagger at his house, 13a Bryanston Mews East, Marylebone, London, attended by John, George and Ringo.
1967 – Brian, dressed as a clown, attends a fancy dress party thrown by Georgie Fame at the Cromwellian club, celebrating the 21st birthday of his bride, Carmen Jimenez.
1973 – US LP release: "Approximate Infinite Universe", by Yoko.
1974 – US Gold certification: "The Early Beatles".
Photos from Google.
Let It Be – Side 1, Track 5
YouTube (Poor video quality)
From Wikipedia, Rolling Stone and About.com –
John Lennon was the song's composer and singer but the song was credited to Lennon/McCartney. It was originally called "All I Want Is You". Lennon would later comment that he thought the song was 'a piece of garbage,' though he has shown similar scorn for many of his songs. It was written for his soon-to-be wife Yoko Ono, and featured a multitude of strange, seemingly nonsense phrases which were strung together, culminating in the chorus "All I Want is You", aimed at Yoko.
Reflecting the simplicity of John's recent musical turn, but also employing the trademark wordplay he was about to abandon forever, "Dig A Pony" (mistakenly listed as "I Dig A Pony" on early US releases, but since corrected) was the very first song the band worked on for the "Get Back" project (later to become the film and album Let It Be), and one of only five songs performed during the band's infamous "rooftop concert" in London on January 30, 1969.
Lennon had already come up with the song's chorus in another composition, a Yoko Ono devotional entitled "All I Want Is You," then built the verses around it, mostly in the studio, based on a series of nonsense phrases with similar structures. The band first attempted the song on January 2, 1969, then rehearsed and refined it on the 7th, 13th, 22nd, 23rd, 26th, 28th, and 29th. On January 30th, after a brief run-through, the band recorded the rooftop performance that would be featured in the film and the album. It was the fifth and last of the original songs to be performed, though the group would then go back over the set list and perform it again.
The lyrics of "Dig A Pony" were the most fluid and changing of Lennon's career: the title phrase began as "Con A Lowrey (organ)," but was changed because John thought the plosives of "d" and "p" would flow better. Similarly, the last verse's opening line started as "dog a boney" and accidentally became "bog a doney" before John settled on "rode a lorry." "I dig a skylight" became "I do a groundhog" and then, later, "road hog." In the next verse he sings "I pick a moondog," a reference to one of the Beatles' earlier band names, Johnny and the Moondogs. During the performance, an assistant held the lyrics up on a clipboard, to make sure Lennon remembered the latest version. In later years, John would be very critical of this song for its nonsense lyrics.
The song was one of the songs on Let It Be that was recorded at the rooftop concert. It begins with a false start, with Ringo Starr yelling, "hold it!" to halt the other band members because he was holding a cigarette and had only one drum stick in his hand. On the Anthology 3 version of this song, the first verse and the end of the song start off with Paul McCartney singing "All I want is...". This phrase appeared in every performance of the song but was cut from the final version by Phil Spector, and subsequently cut from the Let It Be... Naked version.
In rehearsals and takes, the last variation on "dig a pony" was "dog a boney", perhaps a reference to "This Old Man". This is the lyric that appears on Glyn Johns' assembly of Get Back. On the Anthology version, Lennon sang the spoonerism 'bog a doney.' During the rooftop concert, Lennon substituted what sounds like "rode a lorry," and this is the version that appears on both the Let It Be album and Let It Be... Naked.
Recording –
Takes: 1
Personnel
John Lennon – Lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1965 Epiphone E230TD(V) Casino)
Paul McCartney– Harmony vocals, bass guitar (1961 Hofner 500/1)
George Harrison – Lead guitar (1966 Gibson Les Paul Standard SG)
Ringo Starr – Drums (1968 Ludwig Hollywood Maple)
Trivia –
American copies of Let It Be mis-titled this song as "I Dig a Pony."
At the beginning of the song, the band does a count-off but then stops abruptly after Ringo shouts "Hold it!" Although it's often thought that the drummer was busy putting down his cigarette, the scene in the film clearly shows him having already put the cig down; he actually stopped to blow his nose.
In the film, "Dig A Pony" both opens and closes with a snippet of the "All I want is you" chorus, but this was edited from the album version by producer Phil Spector.
This song would not become "Dig A Pony" until the very last minute; test pressings list it as "All I Want Is You." John himself jokingly refers to it as "I Dig A Pygmy" during the rooftop concert, and the take on Let It Be preserves his other, post-song chatter, including a comment on how cold his hands are and an impromptu version of the standard "Danny Boy."
The 1988 movie Imagine: John Lennon features home footage of John at his Tittenhurst estate talking to a somewhat disturbed hippie who'd wandered onto the grounds, certain that Lennon was "calling him" in the lyrics to this song. John patiently explained that the lyrics were nonsense, and as such could have any meaning read into them.
Today in Beatles History (From The Beatles Internet Album): January 8 –
1935 – Elvis Presley is born in Tupelo, Mississippi.
1964 – "Beatles Christmas Show" at the Astoria, Finsbury Park, London.
– "She Loves You", 19th week in the Top 10 (UK New Musical Express chart).
– "Please Please Me" LP, 42nd week in the Top 10 (UK New Musical Express chart).
– "With The Beatles" number 1, 7th week (UK New Musical Express chart).
– "I Want To Hold Your Hand" number 1, 6th and last week (UK New Musical Express chart).
1965 – "Another Beatles Christmas Show" at the Hammersmith Odeon, London (two performances).
– After the second performance at the Hammersmith Odeon, the Beatles visit the annual Boat Show, at the Earl's Court Exhibition Building, London, after 9.00pm, public closing time.
1966 – "We Can Work It Out" number 1, 1st week (Billboard).– Party hosted by Mick Jagger at his house, 13a Bryanston Mews East, Marylebone, London, attended by John, George and Ringo.
1967 – Brian, dressed as a clown, attends a fancy dress party thrown by Georgie Fame at the Cromwellian club, celebrating the 21st birthday of his bride, Carmen Jimenez.
1973 – US LP release: "Approximate Infinite Universe", by Yoko.
1974 – US Gold certification: "The Early Beatles".
Photos from Google.
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