John Lennon Worried a ‘Double Fantasy’ Song Would Come True
TL;DR:
- John Lennon said he changed the name of a song from Double Fantasy.
- His claim was not exactly true.
- John and Yoko Ono discussed the possibility of putting negative messages in their songs.
John Lennon was worried a song from Double Fantasy might come true. Subsequently, he said he changed the title of the tune. In the end, the track still became a self-fulfilling prophecy in the worst way.
The story of ‘I’m Losing You’ from John Lennon’s ‘Double Fantasy’
The book All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono includes an interview from 1980. In it, John discussed a song from Double Fantasy. He said the tune was initially titled “Losing You” but he renamed it “(Afraid I’m) Losing You.” He was worried that the original name of the tune could become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
John’s comment doesn’t reflect the final tracklist of Double Fantasy. The tune was ultimately named “I’m Losing You.” It’s not clear why there’s a discrepancy in his words. Notably, Double Fantasy was the last album John put out. This means he released “I’m Losing You” shortly before everyone in his life lost him.
Why John Lennon said he and Yoko Ono would never release an album about the apocalypse
In the interview, John discussed trying to have positive messages in his music. The interviewer asked the “Imagine” singer what he’d do if he and Yoko recorded an album about the end of the world. “I don’t think we’d put it out,” he said. “We’d be digging trenches and preparing rice. The apocalypse is not necessarily so.” For context, John was referencing the religiously skeptical song “It Ain’t Necessarily So” by George and Ira Gershwin.
Subsequently, Yoko discussed her feelings about projecting emotions. “I don’t know why people always project things negative, though you shouldn’t be afraid of projecting something negative as long as there is the other side, too,” she opined. “We all do have some garbage in us and we shouldn’t be afraid of bringing it out, as long as we end with a positive period. We have some songs on the album that can be considered negative, but at the same time the fact that we can honestly state those feelings is very positive, and we get a certain atonement through that.
“There is a negative side, so let it out, sing it, and dispense with it,” she added. “Singing a negative song does not mean we are setting up a negative fantasy. Instead, we are using the negative to get to the positive.”
How ‘Double Fantasy’ performed on the pop charts in the United States
Double Fantasy became a huge hit. It topped the Billboard 200 for eight weeks. The album remained on the chart for 77 weeks.
While Double Fantasy was popular, the album tracks from it are forgotten. It’s a bit of a shame that “I’m Losing You” languishes in obscurity. John’s angry vocal performance is great, and the song is an enjoyable return to his hard-rock side.
“I’m Losing You” is great even if it’s a sad song in the context of John’s death.
