John Lennon’s Junk Sick Noise, “Cold Turkey”

Cast off as a Beatles single release at the tail end of their Abbey Road sessions, the raucous guttural stomp of “Cold Turkey” made its inaugural appearance during the Toronto Rock & Roll Revival 1969. Two weeks later, Lennon and his band of misfits, The Plastic Ono Band, including Eric Clapton and Ringo Starr, recorded the ode to kicking heroin cold turkey style at Abbey Road and Trident Studios. The track hit number 14 in the United Kingdom, and number 30 in the United States, despite being banned from American airwaves.

You can practically feel the shiver-inducing, heavy heroin gloom in this track: suffering, pain and anguish in Lennon’s smack-addled, tortured wail, along with Clapton’s potent, hypnotizing jagged riff. The lack of treble and echo in Starr’s kit and Voormann's bass evokes an eerie hopelessness. Lennon moans, “I promise you anything / Get me out of this hell / Cold turkey has got me / On the run,”

John Lennon, vocals, electric guitar; Eric Clapton, electric guitar; Klaus Voormann, bass; Ringo Starr, drums.

“Cold Turkey”
Written by: John Lennon

Temperature's rising,
Fever is high,
Can't see no future,
Can't see no sky.

My feet are so heavy,
So is my head,
I wish I was a baby,
I wish I was dead.

Cold turkey has got me on the run.

My body is aching,
Goose-pimple bone,
Can't see no body,
Leave me alone.

My eyes are wide open,
Can't get to sleep,
One thing I'm sure of,
I'm in at the deep freeze.

Cold turkey has got me on the run.
Cold turkey has got me on the run.

Thirty-six hours,
Rolling in pain,
Praying to someone,
Free me again.

Oh I'll be a good boy,
Please make me well,
I promise you anything,
Get me out of this hell.

Cold turkey has got me on the run.
Oh-, oh-, oh--, oh...

Take Up Thy Rock 'N Roll Stethoscope and Walk,



Enjoy this single cc from the newly remastered Lennon Signature Box

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John Lennon-Cold Turkey (Single Version) by doctormooney


MP3: Plastic Ono Band – “Cold Turkey”



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