That’s one of those songs that is difficult to deal with.
But, as much of a dick as Lennon was, the song isn’t wrong. And I can’t say I disagree with the choice to go with that phrase and title, even with decades of change in the world between then and now. It makes it impossible to even hear about the song without having to wrestle with the concept internally.
When something makes you confront your own thinking and process ideas to even address it, that’s a powerful piece of art. And the choice of wording really does force you to think about the role of women, and that of black people, and consider that juxtaposition. Well, unless you knee-jerk and don’t think about it at all.
I just wish the song itself was a little better. It’s mid tier for Lennon, at best. It comes off as a bit preachy rather than being an expression of thought and emotion. To me, anyway. A little too forced. He could do better.
"Woman Is the Nigger of the World" is a song by John Lennon and Yoko Ono with Elephant's Memory from their 1972 album Some Time in New York City. The song was produced by Lennon, Ono and Phil Spector. Released as the only single from the album in the United States, the song sparked controversy at the time due to the use of the word nigger in the title, and many radio stations refused to play the song as a result.
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