Nowhere Man by the Beatles

As I was scanning through videos on YouTube, I came across a live recording of the Beatles performing their classic, Nowhere Man. I had heard the song many times over the decades and enjoyed and loved the song, but I heard it differently this time.

It struck me how young and self-confident the Beatles were. This was in 1966 as they were ending their touring life and preparing to become a studio band. As I think about it now, it was a loss of identity as they had been performing together for almost a decade. Behind Lennon’s lead vocal came McCartney and Harrison’s rich backing harmonies, a Beatles trademark, adding a counterpoint to the melody going from suspended fourths and resolving major thirds.

I heard the lyrics anew this time I was struck by the vulnerability expressed in them. It was John Lennon’s reflection on the meaninglessness of his fame and fortune and loss of identity. As if he were saying, “so who am I now? Just another rich guy who made fun of wealthy people?”

As was part of his personality he was making fun, of himself and his situation. The irony of having long sought wealth and fame but feeling uprooted and lost. Being a “nowhere man.” 

He then broadens his view and includes the listener in on the joke. Saying, “Isn’t he a bit like you and me.” We all have our lives uprooted, losing our footing and sense of self. And then engage in the struggle of again finding our who we are at this new stage.

After the opening verses, there is a lovely solo by George Harrison who echoes the melody and ends his brief foray with a slide down his low e-string and ending with an elegant harmonic on that same string. He was truly an under rated musician, but it is understandable as he was always compared to Lennon and McCartney.

Lennon then shifts to a more caring tone. Singing, “Nowhere man, don’t worry, take your time, don’t hurry. Leave it all till somebody lends you a hand.”

He urges patience and not pushing towards resolving his search for identity too quickly. When we are in a state of indecision rushing can lead us in the wrong direction. And the suggestion of to “leave it all until somebody lends you a hand” suggests that he will need help in defining who he is and what he wants at this stage of his life. An accurate description of the power of relationships that help us see ourselves more clearly. Often through the eyes of others close to us.

And then I was presented with another video on YouTube with a group called “The Choir” performing the same Beatles song. They are an assembly of thirty or so singers who perform popular songs. I was struck by the lovely mix of men and women’s voices and the joy expressed as they sang Nowhere Man. The camera moved over the assembled group showing their excitement and enjoyment of singing. The group was somewhat diverse in age with I am guessing just a few being old enough to remember hearing the song when it was released in the 60s. I counted the years and realized that John Lennon has been dead for over forty years and his song lives on! It has been reinvented as a choir arrangement and is now bringing the uplift and insight of his work to a new generation.

The Beatles work continues to inspire and entertain all these years on. I and many others have been or are now Nowhere Men and Women. Thank you for your vulnerability John

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