And it's infinitely frustrating to scan the Web and find the same, rehashed information (or misinformation), over and over. So I'll keep my rehashing brief.
It's 1968. John Lennon is feeling pressure from various factions to support their radical agendas, including anarchy and overthrow. Also, the Vietnam War is escalating, and Lennon wants to publicly address the topic—something the band's former manager, the late Brian Epstein, had prevented him and the others from doing.
So Lennon writes "Revolution," which is distinctly anti-revolutionary. His message to the world: we all want change, but violence is not the answer.
The band records a semi-acoustic, bluesy version in May/June of 1968, which comes to be known as "Revolution 1." Paul McCartney and George Harrison feel it's "too slow" to be released as a single. So they head back into the studio in July to create a blistering version with Nicky Hopkins on electric piano, which ultimately is released as the B-side to McCartney's "Hey Jude."
So, there it is.
I hate to admit I first heard "Revolution" on a 1987 Nike commercial. (Yes, that one, which resulted in the surviving Beatles suing the shoe company, its ad agency, and EMI/Capitol Records.) And I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I think Yoko Ono was right—the commercial had the effect of introducing Lennon's song to a new generation. Personally, I couldn't have cared less about the commercial or what it was selling; I just liked the song.
Although, I was sporting a pair of Nikes by Christmas that year. Hmm...
Anyway, between Ringo Starr's compressed drums and Lennon/Harrison's overdriven guitars (fed directly into the mixing console to get that raunchy, fuzzed-out sound), I'd venture that no other song about pacifism has rocked quite as hard, before or since.
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