Steel and Glass

John Lennon

About Steel and Glass

"Steel and Glass" is a song written and performed by John Lennon, released on his 1974 album Walls and Bridges. A dark folk song, it has been interpreted as an attack on Lennon's former business manager Allen Klein. The song contains a lick performed by violins and horns in the chorus that's reminiscent of Lennon's song "How Do You Sleep?", an attack on his former Beatles bandmate Paul McCartney.


Year:
1990
161 
#3

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This is a story about your friend and mine
Who is it, who is it, who is it?

There you stand with your L.A. tan
And your New York walk and your New York talk
You're mother left you when you were small
But you're going to wish you wasn't born at all

Steel and glass
Steel and glass
Steel and glass
Steel and glass

Your phone don't ring no one answers your call
How does it feel to be off the wall

Well your mouthpiece squawks as he spreads your lies
But you can't pull strings if your hands are tied
Well your teeth are clean but your mind is capped
You leave your smell like an alley cat

Steel and glass
Steel and glass
Steel and glass
Steel and glass

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John Lennon

John Ono Lennon MBE, born John Winston Lennon (9 October 1940 – 8 December 1980) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as a founder, and member of the Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Together with Paul McCartney, he formed one of the most celebrated songwriting partnerships of the 20th century. Lennon left the Beatles at the end of the sixties soon after meeting Yoko Ono. He formed the Plastic Ono Band and continued a succesful solo career recording until 1975, when his second child Sean Lennon was born. In 1980, with the release of the LP "Double Fantasy," Lennon was once more in the publice eye. Lennon passed away after being shot b… more »

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Written by: JOHN LENNON

Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


10 facts about this song

Classical Genre
"Steel and Glass" is a song by English musician John Lennon from his 1974 album "Walls and Bridges." Unlike many of Lennon's popular songs, this one has a classical music influence.
Single Release
The song was released as the B-side to the single "Shaved Fish" in the United States. However, it was not released as a single in the UK.
Album Ranking
"Steel and Glass" is a part of "Walls and Bridges," John Lennon's fifth studio album that peaked at Number 1 in the Billboard 200 chart.
Inspiration Origin
Some conjecture that the song is a follow-up to his earlier song "How Do You Sleep?" which is widely considered a criticism of his former Beatles bandmate Paul McCartney.
Second Criticism Theory
Others conjecture that "Steel and Glass" is criticism towards Allen Klein, who was the Beatles’ manager for a period of time but had differences with McCartney, which eventually led to a lawsuit.
Spiritual Theme
"Steel and Glass" carries some of the spiritual and introspective themes that are characteristic of Lennon's work, which reflected his ongoing exploration of religion and spirituality.
Musicians Participated
Some of the musicians who played on this song include Nicky Hopkins on keyboards, Jesse Ed Davis on guitar, and Arthur Jenkins on percussion, apart from Lennon on lead and rhythm guitars.
Video Creation
A promotional video was created for the song which features Lennon and his band performing the song in a studio with the lyrics appearing on the screen. The video was directed by John and Yoko Ono.
Usage in Media
The song was also used in the 2010 documentary "Lennon Naked," a biographical film about Lennon's life.
Song Structure
"Steel and Glass" exhibits a verse-chorus structure, which is typical in popular music but also features an extended instrumental section. This combination of popular and classical music elements is one of the song's distinguishing features.

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