John Lennon: Power To The People

"Power to the People" is a John Lennon song recorded at Ascot Sound Studios in London, England and released on 12 March 1971 and 22 March 1971 in the United States. The song was written by Lennon in response to an interview he gave to Tariq Ali and Robin Blackburn, published in Red Mole (8-22 March 1971). As Lennon explained, "I just felt inspired by what they said, although a lot of it is gobbledygook. So I wrote 'Power to the People' the same way I wrote 'Give Peace a Chance,' as something for the people to sing. I make singles like broadsheets. It was another quickie, done at Ascot."

It entered the charts on 20 March 1971, and remained there for nine weeks. It was Lennon's fourth solo single and it was credited to John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, which on this occasion comprised Lennon, Klaus Voormann, Alan White, Bobby Keys and Billy Preston. Additional backing vocals were supplied by Rosetta Hightower and "44 others." Phil Spector, John Lennon, and Yoko Ono were credited as producers. Lennon's perception of the song changed during the 1970s. In Skywriting by Word of Mouth he called the song "rather embarrassing" and supported Hunter S. Thompson's claim that the anthem was "ten years too late." In 1980, he stated that the song "didn't really come off" as it had been "written in the state of being asleep and wanting to be loved by Tariq Ali and his ilk."

The B-side featured "Open Your Box" in the UK and "Touch Me" in the US. Both songs are by Yoko Ono.