You’ve probably seen the title scrolling through a "most controversial songs" list or stumbled upon the grainy 1972 footage of John Lennon on The Dick Cavett Show. Even fifty years later, the phrase Woman Is the Nigger of the World hits like a physical blow. It was designed to. Lennon and Yoko Ono weren’t looking for a radio hit with this one; they were looking for a riot. Or at least a very loud wake-up call.
It’s one of those cultural artifacts that feels impossible to discuss without someone getting offended, and honestly, that’s exactly what the Lennons intended. But beneath the jarring use of a racial slur is a complex, messy, and deeply earnest attempt at feminist advocacy. To understand why John Lennon wrote Woman Is the Nigger of the World, you have to look at the radicalized, politically charged atmosphere of New York City in the early 70s.
The Origin Story Nobody Remembers
Most people assume John Lennon just woke up and decided to be provocative. Not quite. The phrase actually came from Yoko Ono. She first used it during an interview with Nova magazine back in 1968. She was trying to describe the systemic, global oppression of women by drawing a parallel to the most dehumanized group she could think of in a Western context.
Lennon was hesitant at first. He reportedly didn't "get it" immediately. But as he spent more time immersed in the radical politics of the era—and as his own worldview was dismantled by Yoko—he became obsessed with the concept.
The song eventually appeared on the 1972 album Some Time in New York City. It wasn't just a studio track; it was a full-blown political statement backed by the raw, garage-rock sound of Elephant's Memory.
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What was he actually trying to say?
Lennon’s argument was pretty straightforward, even if his delivery was a sledgehammer. He was drawing from the ideas of Irish revolutionary James Connolly, who famously said, "the female worker is the slave of the slaves." Lennon basically took that idea and updated it for the 1970s.
The lyrics go through a laundry list of grievances:
- How we make women paint their faces and dance.
- The way society insults them for being "too smart" but mocks them for being "stupid."
- The double standard of being a "slave to the children" while being told they’re free.
He wasn't trying to be "anti-Black." In his mind, he was using the word "nigger" as a synonym for "the oppressed" or "the lowest of the low." He even went to the offices of Jet and Ebony magazines to explain himself. He wanted people to see that the patriarchy wasn't just a "women's issue"—it was a foundational human rights violation that mirrored the horrors of racism.
The Backlash: Then and Now
The reaction in 1972 was swift and mostly negative. Most radio stations in the United States flat-out refused to play it. It peaked at #57 on the Billboard Hot 100, which, for an ex-Beatle, was basically a flop.
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But here is where it gets interesting: the National Organization for Women (NOW) actually gave John and Yoko an award for it. They saw the song as a "strong pro-feminist statement." They loved that a man with Lennon’s platform was shouting about these things, even if he used a megaphone made of barbed wire.
The Problem with the Analogy
If you look at the song through a 2026 lens, the problems are glaring. Many modern critics, including writers like Ta-Nehisi Coates, have pointed out that comparing the experience of white women to the trans-generational trauma of Black people is a massive oversimplification. It’s what we now call "false equivalency."
Lennon was a white man with millions of dollars. He was trying to be an ally, but he was doing it with a level of "clumsy radicalism" that often ignored the nuances of intersectionality. He thought he was being revolutionary; many Black activists felt he was just co-opting their pain to make a point about a different group.
Why it still matters in the 21st Century
So, why do we still talk about Woman Is the Nigger of the World? Because it represents a turning point for Lennon. This wasn't "I Want to Hold Your Hand." This was a man publicly grappling with his own history of chauvinism.
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Lennon admitted he used to be a "hitter"—he was physically and emotionally abusive to the women in his life early on. This song was part of his public penance. It was his attempt to scream at other men to wake up to the "subtle way you're taught male superiority."
The Dick Cavett Performance
If you want to see the song in its rawest form, watch the performance on The Dick Cavett Show. ABC was so terrified of the lyrics that they forced Cavett to read a disclaimer before the performance.
The funny thing? Cavett later said they got about 600 letters of protest. Not about the song, but about the disclaimer. People were annoyed that the network thought they couldn't handle a controversial idea. It shows that even in 1972, there was a segment of the audience that was ready for a more difficult conversation than the "suits" were willing to allow.
Actionable Insights for Music Lovers
If you're diving back into Lennon's political era, don't just stop at the surface level. Here is how to actually digest this piece of history:
- Listen to the full album: Some Time in New York City is often dismissed as a failure, but tracks like "Angela" (about Angela Davis) and "John Sinclair" give you the full picture of what Lennon was trying to do.
- Read Yoko's essay: Look up "The Feminization of Society" published by Yoko Ono in 1971. It provides the intellectual framework that the song often lacks.
- Watch the interviews: Look for the 1972 footage where Lennon and Ono discuss the song with Dick Gregory. It shows a much more nuanced conversation about race and gender than the song's title suggests.
- Compare the eras: Think about how "cancel culture" would handle a song like this today. It helps you understand the massive shift in how we view language and historical parallels.
Lennon wasn't always right, and he certainly wasn't always subtle. But he was willing to be hated for something he believed in. Whether you find the song brilliant or offensive, it remains a permanent scar on the history of pop music—one that refuses to let us look away from the messy intersection of race, gender, and power.
Next Step: To get a better handle on Lennon’s evolution, compare the lyrics of this song to "Run for Your Life" from the Beatles' Rubber Soul album. The difference in his perspective on women between 1965 and 1972 is staggering.