The first draft of John's lyric for
'I'm Only Sleeping' was scratched on to the back of a letter
for m the Post Office, dated 25 March 1966, reminding him
that he owed them 12 pounds and three schillings for an
outstanding radiophone bill. It's obvious from reading this
early lyric that he was writing about the joys of staying in
bed rather than any drug-induced dream state which the final
recording, with its two back-to-front guitar sounds recorded
by George, suggested.
John loved his bed. When he wasn't
sleeping in it, he would be lying on it, or sitting propped
up by pillows writing or watching television. 'I'm Only
Sleeping' celebrated the bed and its value as a place for
contemplation. It also prefigured 'Watching The Wheels' on
Double Fantasy album. The truth however was that John was
losing his grip on the Beatles, spending too much time
either in bed or lazing around Kenwood. Paul was now the one
who was cracking the whip and making sure everyone turned up
for sessions.
It was also in March 1966 that the
Evening Standard ran Maureen Cleave's famous interview with
John where he declared that "We're more popular than Jesus
now; I don't know which will go first - rock'n'roll or
Christianity." In the interview Cleave noted: "He can sleep
almost indefinitely, is probably the laziest person in
England. 'Physically lazy,' he said. 'I don't mind writing
or reading or watching or speaking, but sex is the only
physical thing I can be bothered with any more'."
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