Crippled Inside

The story behind

John Lennon recorded Crippled Inside in May 1971 at Ascot Sound Studios, during the sessions for what would become his album Imagine. The track stands out for a rhythm that Robert Christgau described as "good-time ricky-tick", a pulse that moves between folk-rock and country without settling in either, as if the beat resisted fitting entirely. This gives it a playful yet ironic edge, as if the song mocks itself as it progresses. What’s curious is that the melodic bridge too closely resembles the 1964 version of Black Dog by Koerner, Ray & Glover, a traditional tune. It’s not plagiarism, but that shadow of the past adds unexpected layers: something that sounds like nostalgia without being it, like a nod to a record Lennon himself heard as a teenager in Liverpool.