John Lennon was recognized for expressing his deepest emotions via his music. Lennon was not one to sugarcoat his remarks to the public. Either it was about his love for Yoko Ono or his troubles with his friends and family in the Plastic Ono Band. While his vicious side was on display at the end of The Beatles’ tenure, John Lennon was equally venomous when pursuing his manager after the fact.
The Fab Four’s breakup began when they lost their manager, Brian Epstein. After guiding them through the first part of Beatlemania, Epstein’s untimely death in 1967 cast a heavy shadow over the group’s future direction. The Beatles believed that they could manage themselves for the first several years. But their need for someone at the office caused a split between Paul McCartney and the other three.
While McCartney preferred his father-in-law, John Eastman, the rest of the band decided Allen Klein was the best choice. Because McCartney’s selection would have created a conflict of interest. It may occur due to his connection with Linda Eastman. The band chose to choose Klein as their manager. They had no idea how much of a jerk Klein would turn out to be.
Klein, who had previously worked with The Rolling Stones, was attempting to extract as much goodwill from the band as possible. He focused only on the dollars at the end of the check rather than the group’s well-being. Following the news of the band’s separation by McCartney, Lennon’s former creative partner enraged him. He penned ‘How Do You Sleep‘ from Imagine as a premeditated assault on McCartney.
While the paperwork was still being finalized, Lennon began to suspect that he had made a mistake. In addition to his questionable financial dealings, the other Beatles were also having issues with Klein. They went through numerous court hearings. George Harrison questioned whether all of the funds from his Concert For Bangladesh were truly going to the correct people.
After one too many disputes, Lennon severed relations with Klein. During that time he was working on Walls and bridges. Now estranged from Yoko Ono, Lennon wrote ‘Steel and Glass‘. He wrote the song as a premeditated slam on Klein. The peace-and-love Lennon is nowhere to be found in this song. It sets his harsh comments for Klein to a sluggish funk beat.
Lennon never claimed that the song was about Klein. But the lyrics depict many aspects of the pair’s existence. From Klein’s alleged LA tan to his fast-talking New York attitude when holding business meetings. Given their past, Lennon could also go below the belt, making light of Klein’s mother, who died when he was a youngster.
In addition to the scathing language, Lennon inserted a small Easter egg in the song’s music. The guitar riff in the chorus is identical to the riff in the chorus of ‘How Do You Sleep,’ which is one of his compositional techniques. Although Lennon had expended his negative energy on McCartney at the time, it was only right to employ that acerbic riff against the guy who had set The Beatles against one other.
