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"I Found Out" is a song by the English musician John Lennon from his 1970 album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band.

Writing and recording

The song expresses Lennon's disillusionment with a world dominated by what he saw as false religion and idols, and warns against being taken in by such beliefs.

Recorded at EMI Studios on 27 September 1970, the instrumentation, style, and production of the song are typical of Lennon's Plastic Ono Band era work. The song features a low, rumbling tremolo guitar, thumping drums, a rolling, minimal bass guitar line, and a scathing vocal delivery. The recording is bare-bones, in stark contrast to the heavy production of Lennon's later albums. It is influenced more heavily by blues music than other songs on Plastic Ono Band.

Reception

In a review for Plastic Ono Band, website Classic Rock Review described "I Found Out" as a "dark but fine tune", describing the bass line as the track's highlight. Ultimate Classic Rock critic Nick DeRiso called "I Found Out" the most underrated song on John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band.

Stereogum contributors Timothy and Elizabeth Bracy rated it as Lennon's 8th best solo song, saying that "This is the artist at his funniest and most withering."

Personnel

The musicians who performed on the original recording were as follows:

• John Lennon – vocals, fuzzed electric guitar
• Ringo Starr – drums
• Klaus Voormann – bass guitar

Popular culture

The song was covered by the Red Hot Chili Peppers on Working Class Hero: A Tribute to John Lennon.

The song has also been recorded by Nathaniel Mayer on I Just Want to Be Held (2004).

The song was featured during the end credits of the sixth episode of season three of The Marvelous Mrs.Maisel.

References

1. "John Lennon: I Found Out | The Beatles Bible". beatlesbible.com. 2 August 2010. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
2. Madinger, Chip; Raile, Scott (2015). Lennonology – Strange Days Indeed – A Scrapbook of Madness. Chesterfield, MO: Open Your Books, LLC. p. 210. ISBN 978-1-63110-175-5.
3. "Plastic Ono Band by John Lennon | Classic Rock Review". 21 May 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
4. DeRiso, Nick (5 June 2021). "Underrated John Lennon: The Most Overlooked Song from Each LP". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
5. Bracy, Timothy; Bracy, Elizabeth (13 May 2014). "The 10 Best John Lennon Songs". Stereogum. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
6. Blaney, John (2005). John Lennon: Listen To This Book. Guildford, Great Britain: Biddles Ltd. p. 58. ISBN 0-9544528-1-X.
7. "Various - Working Class Hero - A Tribute To John Lennon". Discogs. 1995. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
8. I Just Want to Be Held - Nathaniel Mayer. Allmusic, retrieved 15 October 2020
9. Leeds, Sarene (7 December 2019). "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Recap: Oh, Honey". Vulture. Retrieved 15 October 2020.

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