Bring On The Lucie (Freeda Peeple)

‘Bring On The Lucie (Freeda Peeple)’ was a protest song begun by John Lennon in 1971, and recorded for Mind Games two years later.

Lennon taped an early version of the song towards the end of 1971, at which time it had the title ‘Free The People’. He was entering the political phase which would culminate with the following year’s Some Time In New York City, and anthems for the people were very much the order of the day.

‘Free The People’ was performed with three chords on a dobro guitar. Lennon then either forgot about it or decided to wait before continuing work on the composition, for it was more than a year later before he revived it.

The words ‘bring on the lucie’ are only heard at the very end of the song, during the fade-out. Despite the novelty title, ‘Bring On The Lucie (Freeda Peeple)’ was a more eloquent protest song compared to much of Some Time In New York City’s crude preaching:

Well you were caught with your hands in the kill
And you still got to swallow your pill
As you slip and you slide down the hill
On the blood of the people you killed
Stop the killing now!

In the studio

Lennon began recording ‘Bring On The Lucie (Freeda Peeple)’ on 2 August 1973 at New York’s Power Station studio.

Five tape reels were used. Reel 1 contained three takes, although the first two were false starts. Take 3 was complete, although mainly a rehearsal, and featured vocals, electric slide guitar, organ, bass guitar, and drums.

Reel 2 contained a further four takes, numbered 4-7. All but take 6 were complete.

Four more takes, numbered 8-11, were recorded onto the third reel. Take 8 was incomplete as the band started playing before recording began. Lennon took over from David Spinozza on slide guitar from take 11.

Reel 4 had two more takes, numbered 12 and 13, although the first was incomplete. It was then decided to leave the song for another day.

Recording resumed on 5 August with a final reel used. Four takes, numbered 1-4, were recorded. Take 3 was a jam around ‘That’s All Right (Mama)’.

The final take was the master, and featured Lennon on vocals and acoustic guitar, more acoustic guitar by David Spinozza, electric piano by Ken Ascher, bass guitar by Gordon Edwards, three drum tracks by Jim Keltner, and bongos by Rick Marotta.

Overdubs included double-tracked electric guitar played by Lennon, which were mixed down to one track; piano by Lennon; maracas, tambourine, cowbell, performed by Lennon and Keltner and mixed down to a single track; pedal steel guitar by ‘Sneaky’ Pete Kleinow; two more vocal tracks by Lennon; and two backing vocal tracks by Something Different.

Outtakes of ‘Bring On The Lucie’ from the Mind Games sessions were included on the 1998 box set John Lennon Anthology and the expanded 2024 reissue of Mind Games.