The Beatles constantly raised the game in the world of rock and roll during their time together. Not only did they accomplish this by pushing the boundaries of what they could accomplish with their instrumental output, but they also immeasurably advanced the art of lyric writing.
In response, fans and critics began frantically analyzing those lyrics, inspecting every nook and cranny to find meanings. The meanings they found were often a far cry from what the writers intended. This phenomenon led John Lennon to respond with “Glass Onion,” a song deliberately meant to mislead the lyrical sleuths in the audience.
Working in “Glass”
John Lennon was a study in contradictions, and some of that can be seen in his decision to write a song such as “Glass Onion.” On the one hand, Lennon worked hard to raise the level of his lyrics, advancing from the simplistic love/romance songs of the band’s early days to the point where he composed complex, profound words on landmark songs like “In My Life,” “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown),” and so many more.
But he also began to feel uncomfortable about all the scrutiny placed on his lyrics, the way people would pick them apart looking for clues. Considering that he still considered himself a rock and roller at heart who idolized the straightforward pleasures offered by early Elvis and Chuck Berry songs, he thought folks were missing the plot.
Lennon decided to beat these analysts at their own game by writing a song that was purposely confusing. He had done something similar with “I Am the Walrus” for the Magical Mystery Tour project. But that song at least had roots in the Lewis Carroll school of nonsensical poetry. With “Glass Onion,” which would appear on the White Album, Lennon was dropping all kinds of hints that intentionally led to nowhere.
Clues and Mysteries
Lennon includes references to several Beatles songs throughout the lyrics to “Glass Onion.” “Strawberry Fields Forever,” “Fool on the Hill,” “Fixing a Hole,” and “Lady Madonna” all get shout-outs. (The latter two were mostly written by Paul McCartney, which suggested Lennon was also aware of how his partner’s songs were getting analyzed.)
The most scrutinized couplet in the song: Well, here’s another clue for you all / The Walrus was Paul. Those last lines were interpreted by some conspiracy theorists of that era as a reference to the “Paul is Dead” rumor, which suggested that Paul McCartney had died in a car accident in 1966, but the other group members covered it up and used a lookalike to replace him.
Is it possible Lennon was making a reference to this silliness with the lines in “Glass Onion?” Well, the rumor didn’t make worldwide news until late in 1969, but there is evidence it existed before that. The fact he specifically used the word clue seems a bit suspicious.
Interestingly, Lennon later claimed in an interview with author David Sheff that the contentious line was a hidden message all right, but it was about his own desire for escape:
“Well, that was a joke. The line was put in partly because I was feeling guilty because I was with Yoko and I was leaving Paul. I was trying—I don’t know. It’s a very perverse way of saying to Paul, you know, ‘Here, have this crumb, this illusion—this stroke, because I’m leaving’.”
“Glass Onion,” with its striking imagery (bent-backed tulips, cast-iron shore), invited the kind of deep thinking about it that Lennon wanted to push away. The very title itself suggests a prism-like, multilayered object that skews the view. That’s just the way John Lennon wanted it on this puzzle box of a track.
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