Child Of Nature: Introduction
“Child Of Nature” is a Beatles’ song, that is now commercially available. However, this John Lennon composition evolved with different lyrics after The Beatles broke up.
In Detail
- Songwriter: John Lennon
- Recorded: May, 1968
Performers And Instruments
- John Lennon: vocals, acoustic guitar
- Ringo Starr: a shaker
Paul McCartney and George Harrison did not play on this demo.
Where To Find “Child Of Nature”
This demo song is still available to buy because it is available on the White Album upgrade. Click on the image to see what other songs it contains.
White Album 50th Anniversary Edition (2018)
Child Of Nature: Background
Written by John Lennon in 1968, the song was one those demos from George Harrison’s home in Esher, Surrey, UK. Inspiration came from a lecture by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi about a “son of the mother nature”. Because of this, Paul McCartney and John Lennon both wrote songs on a similar theme. Obviously, McCartney’s song was “Mother Nature’s Son.”
“[Paul McCartney’s song, ‘Mother Nature’s Son’] was from a lecture of Maharishi where he was talking about nature, and I had a piece called I’m Just A Child Of Nature, which turned into Jealous Guy years later. Both were inspired by the same lecture of Maharishi.”
John Lennon
All We Are Saying, David Sheff
Although the song came to nothing with The Beatles, it did resurface when John Lennon went solo. Indeed, it became “Jealous Guy” on his 1972 solo album “Imagine.” Then, much later, it became a single in 1985. That single only reached number 65 in the UK charts.
Shortly after John Lennon’s murder, Roxy Music released the song in February 1981. That single topped the UK charts for two weeks.
The reason why the song remained undeveloped while The Beatles were still together remains unclear. However, the probability is that it was far too close to McCartney’s offering.
Recording Studio
Although the Esher demo came about during the “White Album” period, there was never any attempt to record it for that album. However, there was a second attempt to record it during the “Get Back/Let It Be” sessions. This was at the Twickenham Film Studios on January 2, 1969, while partnering up with George Harrison.
The only other version we know of is from the Beatles’ Apple Studio on January 24, 1969. There is a 24-second snippet of this attempt available on the “Fly on the Wall bonus disc,” which came with the 2003 album “Let It Be… Naked.”
Of course, it is the demo that appears on the 2018 release of the “White Album 50th Anniversary Edition.”
Take A Listen
Take a listen and see the resemblance to “Jealous Guy.” Comments are welcome, of course. However, you can leave your thoughts below or in the massive Beatles Forum. The forum link is above every article on the Beatles Fan Club.
