Meat City

Lennon began to write "Meat City" soon after he moved to New York City. The song began as a boogie entitled "Shoeshine" but by late 1971 it began to take its final form, albeit with improvised lyrics. By late 1972, Lennon had rewritten the lyrics and finished developing the melody. On the single version released in the US and UK, an alternative backwards message says to "check the album." The song begins with Lennon yelling "Well!" in rockabilly style. However, the rockabilly style is not continued. Rather, the song is driven by a boogie riff described by authors Ben Urish and Ken Bielen as "aggressive" and "funky." Authors Chip Madinger and Mark Easter describe the song as "an absolute cacophony of sound," suggesting that this is a welcome contrast to the "mellow" tone of most of Mind Games. Lennon developed the riff for his later instrumental "Beef Jerky" by toying with variations on the music of this song and "Tight A$." ==Critical reception==

According to rock journalist Paul du Noyer, "Meat City" is a "satisfying" complement to the single's A-side "Mind Games." Whereas "Mind Games" is "ethereal and contemplative," "Meat City" is "earthy and physical." PopMatters describes the riff as one of Lennon's nastiest. Allmusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine considers "Meat City" to be a "forced, ham-fisted rocker." Journalists Roy Carr and Tony Tyler do not regard the song highly, but suggest that it is "rescued" by its "peerless unison guitars and jived-up beat." ==Personnel==

The musicians who performed on the original recording were as follows: • John Lennon – lead vocals, electric guitar, tambourine • David Spinozza – electric guitar • Ken Ascher – piano, electric piano • Gordon Edwards – bass guitar • Jim Keltner – drums • Rick Marotta – drums • Something Different (Christine Wiltshire, Jocelyn Brown, Kathy Mull, Angel Coakley) – backing vocals ==References==