Gene Simmons Explains John Lennon’s Meaningless Lyrics

0
75

Gene Simmons is no stranger to controversy—both on stage and off. But when the KISS frontman weighed in on John Lennon’s iconic I Am the Walrus, Simmons’ critique of its ‘meaningless’ lyrics sparked a new wave of discussion.

Released in 1967 as part of Magical Mystery Tour, I Am the Walrus is a song that has puzzled fans for decades. Its nonsensical lyrics—like ‘yellow matter custard dripping from a dead dog’s eye.’ It leaves listeners scratching their heads but singing along all the same.

Even Lennon himself admitted the song was nonsense, crafted to baffle over-analytical fans. But does that mean it’s truly meaningless? Not so fast.

Gene Simmons, never one to shy away from offering his opinion, has been vocal about his views on music and its meaning—or lack thereof. Speaking on Literally! with Rob Lowe, Simmons discussed I Am the Walrus and described the song as entertaining but ultimately devoid of deeper substance.

Lennon wrote I Am the Walrus after discovering that students were analyzing The Beatles’ lyrics in school. He decided to troll them with a song so obscure that its meaning would be impossible to pin down.

In several interviews after the fact, Lennon explained that “I Am The Walrus” was written in response to learning that fans were analyzing the lyrics of The Beatles’ songs. More specifically, Lennon had read a letter from a student from his alma mater, Quarry Bank High School for Boys, that said the literature classes were studying the meaning of The Beatles lyrics.

Despite—or perhaps because of—its nonsensical nature, I Am the Walrus remains one of The Beatles’ most beloved tracks.

In his infamous 1980 interview with Playboy and Yoko Ono, which was published in 1981, Lennon explained his thought process for the song in more depth.

“The first line was written on one acid trip one weekend,” he began. “The second line was written on the next acid trip the next weekend, and it was filled in after I met Yoko. Part of it was putting down Hare Krishna. All these people were going on about Hare Krishna, Allen Ginsberg in particular. The reference to ‘Element’ry penguin’ is the elementary, naive attitude of going around chanting, ‘Hare Krishna,’ or putting all your faith in any one idol. I was writing obscurely, a la Dylan, in those days.”