The Primal Story Behind "Jealous Guy" by John Lennon
After The Beatles broke up in April 1970, John Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, began primal therapy sessions with Arthur Janov. The technique emphasized reliving repressed traumas. Lennon threw himself into the process, just as he had done with Transcendental Meditation several years before. Revisiting his emotional wounds became “too primal.” Ono later said the therapy helped curb his possessiveness toward her when he realized his jealous feelings were rooted in events from before they met. Let’s take a look at the story behind “Jealous Guy” by John Lennon.
I was dreaming of the past
And my heart was beating fast
I began to lose control
I began to lose control
I didn’t mean to hurt you
I’m sorry that I made you cry
Oh no, I didn’t want to hurt you
I’m just a jealous guy
Possessive and Insecure
Lennon told author David Sheff in 1980, “The lyrics explain themselves clearly. I was a very jealous, possessive guy toward everything. A very insecure male. A guy who wants to put his woman in a little box, lock her up, and just bring her out when he feels like playing with her. She’s not allowed to communicate with the outside world—outside of me—because it makes me feel insecure.”
Source: Jay McDowell/americansongwriter.com
