Working Class Hero

"Working Class Hero" is a song from John Lennon's first post-Beatles solo album, 1970's John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. The song is a take on the class split of the 1940s and 1950s, and of the 1960s in which he was famous. The song appears to tell the story of someone growing up in the working class of capitalism. According to Lennon in an interview with Jann S. Wenner of Rolling Stone magazine in December 1970, it is about working class individuals being processed into the middle classes, into the machine. Lennon stated (in the same interview) that he hoped that it was a warning to the people, a contemporary song for the revolution, for workers, thematically like Give Peace a Chance , aimed to replace the older songs like "We Shall Overcome". Notable Covers: # Tommy Roe recorded his version in 1973. peaked at #97 on the Billboard Hot 100. # Marianne Faithfull covered the song on her 1979 album Broken English. # Then-New Zealand politician Marilyn Waring covered the song as a single in 1980. # Jerry Williams covered the song in 1984 on his album Working Class Hero. # Richie Havens covered the song for his 1987 album Richie Havens Sings Beatles and Dylan. # Mike Peters covered the song when with The Alarm as a backing track to their 1989 single "A New South Wales". # David Bowie's band Tin Machine recorded a version of the song on their self-titled debut album. # Cyndi Lauper covered the song live on Lennon: A Tribute in 1992. # Screaming Trees covered the song for the 1995 tribute album Working Class Hero: A Tribute to John Lennon. # Roger Taylor, of Queen, covered the song on his 1998 album Electric Fire. # Marilyn Manson covered the song on the B-side of the "Disposable Teens" single. # Noir Désir covered the song on the 2000 album Liberté de Circulation'. # Hilton Valentine covered the song on his 2004 album It's Folk'n' Skiffle, Mate! # Elbow covered the song for Q magazine in 2005. # Ozzy Osbourne recorded a version for his 2005 collection Under Cover. # Tina Dickow covered the song for Amnesty International's 'Make Some Noise' campaign in Denmark. # The Academy Is... covered the song in 2006 on its From the Carpet EP. # Green Day contributed a cover of the song to the Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur. It peaked at #53 on the Billboard Hot 100, #6 on the Canadian Hot 100, #8 in Norway and #11 in Sweden. It also achieved notable success at rock radio, peaking at #10 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart and #18 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The ending features an excerpt of the final line of Lennon's version. # Exit Clov covered the song on their EP Jolly Roget Sessions. # Manic Street Preachers recorded a cover of the song on their 2007 album Send Away the Tigers. # Racoon covered the song on their album Before You Leave (2008). # Antimatter covered the song live. # Pain of Salvation covered the song live in 2001 together with Dream Theater's Mike Portnoy. # Euphoria covered the song on their soon-to-be-released self-titled album. # English Rock band; PROLONG recorded a cover for release on their upcoming debut album: White Cliffs Of Rock.

[Verse 1] As soon as you're born, they make you feel small By giving you no time instead of it all Till the pain is so big you feel nothing at all [Refrain] A working class hero is something to be A working class hero is something to be [Verse 2] They hurt you at home, and they hit you at school They hate you if you're clever, and they despise a fool Till you're so fucking crazy, you can't follow their rules [Refrain] A working class hero is something to be A working class hero is something to be [Verse 3] When they've tortured and scared you for twenty-odd years Then they expect you to pick a career When you can't really function, you're so full of fear [Refrain] A working class hero is something to be A working class hero is something to be [Verse 4] Keep you doped with religion and sex and TV And you think you're so clever and classless and free But you're still fucking peasants as far as I can see [Refrain] A working class hero is something to be A working class hero is something to be [Verse 5] There's room at the top they are telling you still But first you must learn how to smile as you kill If you want to be like the folks on the hill [Refrain] A working class hero is something to be A working class hero is something to be [Outro] If you want to be a hero well just follow me If you want to be a hero well just follow me