Don't Worry, Kyoko
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"Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking for Her Hand in the Snow)" (also known as "Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking for a Hand in the Snow)") is a song by Yoko Ono that was originally released by Plastic Ono Band in October 1969 as the B-side of John Lennon's single " Cold Turkey" and was later released on Ono's 1971 album ''
Fly Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwing ...
''. Several live versions have been released, including on '' Live Peace in Toronto 1969'' and '' Some Time in New York City'' in 1972. An early version was titled "Mum's Only Looking for Her Hand in the Snow". It has been covered by several other artists.


Lyrics and music

"Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking for Her Hand in the Snow)" was inspired by Lennon's and Ono's custody fight with Ono's ex-husband Anthony Cox over Cox's and Ono's daughter Kyoko, representing Ono's attempt to communicate with her daughter. Ono and Kyoko were finally reunited in the 1990s when Kyoko was in her thirties. The lyrics of "Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking for Her Hand in the Snow)" consist primarily of Ono wailing the phrase "Don't worry." On the live version included on ''Live Peace in Toronto 1969'' the phrase "mummy's only looking for her hand in the snow" is also included. The song is driven primarily by a
blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...
-based guitar riff played by Lennon and
Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...
. John Blaney describes the riff as "hypnotic." Authors Ken Bielen and Ben Urish write that Lennon and Clapton alternate between a "lilting semi-
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" groove and playing "sniping bites." The other musicians on the studio version are Klaus Voormann on bass guitar and
Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...
on drums. According to Bielen and Urish, Starr's drumming variations ensure that the tension keeps mounting. John Lennon claimed that the song was "one of the fuckin' best rock 'n' roll records ever made." Allmusic critic Ned Raggett describes Ono's vocal as a "screwy blues yowl," claiming that it suggests "something off '' Led Zeppelin III'' gone utterly berserk." ''The New York Times'' critic Allan Kozinn compares Ono's vocal to "a wailing, overdriven electric guitar," claiming its virtuosity compares with the actual electric guitar playing of Lennon and Clapton. '' Rolling Stone Magazine'' contributor John Lewis describes it as a "mournful caterwaul of despair." The earliest recorded version of the song, titled "Mum's Only Looking for Her Hand in the Snow" was sung by Ono at Queen Charlotte's Hospital while she was being observed during her pregnancy with Lennon's child, a pregnancy that ended in a
miscarriage Miscarriage, also known in medical terms as a spontaneous abortion and pregnancy loss, is the death of an embryo or fetus before it is able to survive independently. Miscarriage before 6 weeks of gestation is defined by ESHRE as biochemical lo ...
. Lennon provides the sole accompaniment on
acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...
. This version was originally released by '' Aspen'' magazine and was later included as a bonus track on the CD reissue of the couple's ''
Wedding Album ''Wedding Album'' is the third and final in a succession of three experimental albums by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. It followed '' Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins'' and '' Unfinished Music No. 2: Life with the Lions''. In Britain, the album w ...
''. The studio version released as a single and on ''Fly'' was recorded on October 3, 1969, at Lansdowne Studios in London. The single has the words "PLAY LOUD" written on the label, as does " Cold Turkey" on the other side.


Live versions

The version of "Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking for Her Hand in the Snow)" included on ''Live Peace in Toronto 1969'' was recorded at Varsity Stadium in Toronto, Canada on September 13, 1969. The Plastic Ono Band for that performance was assembled on short notice and included Ono, Lennon, Clapton, Voormann and Alan White on drums. After Lennon played some of his recent songs and rock 'n' roll classics, Ono sang a two-song set consisting of "Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking for Her Hand in the Snow)" followed by "John John (Let's Hope for Peace)." Audience reaction to her set was muted, and some booing was reported, more directed at "John John" than "Don't Worry Kyoko." John Blaney explains that the audience "had come to listen to good ol' rock 'n' roll, not a Japanese woman screaming at the top of her voice," but "one could at least get into the groove of 'Don't Worry Kyoko.'" Chip Madinger and Mark Easter claim that despite the audience's cold reception, the band "did an admirable job" backing Ono on the song. Ken Bielen and Ben Urish claim that the audience may have been startled by "Ono's full-throttle vocals and Lennon and Clapton's hard core guitar sounds. The version on ''Some Time in New York City'' was recorded at the
Lyceum Ballroom The Lyceum Theatre ( ) is a West End theatre located in the City of Westminster, on Wellington Street, just off the Strand in central London. It has a seating capacity of 2,100. The origins of the theatre date to 1765. Managed by Samuel Arnol ...
in London on December 15, 1969 at the "Peace for Christmas" Concert for UNICEF. In addition to the musicians who performed in Toronto,
Billy Preston William Everett Preston (September 2, 1946 – June 6, 2006) was an American keyboardist, singer and songwriter whose work encompassed R&B, rock, soul, funk, and gospel. Preston was a top session keyboardist in the 1960s, during which he ba ...
played
keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...
,
George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...
played guitar,
Keith Moon Keith John Moon (23 August 19467 September 1978) was an English drummer for the rock band the Who. He was noted for his unique style of playing and his eccentric, often self-destructive behaviour and addiction to drugs and alcohol. Moon grew ...
joined in on drums towards the end, and members of
Delaney & Bonnie & Friends Delaney & Bonnie were an American duo of singer-songwriters Delaney Bramlett and Bonnie Bramlett. In 1969 and 1970, they fronted a rock/soul ensemble, Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, whose members at different times included Duane Allman, Gregg All ...
also performed. This version reportedly lasted 40 minutes, as the musicians became "locked in the hypnotic riff," and was edited down to 15 minutes for the album release. Drummer Alan White recalls finally bringing the song to its conclusion by speeding up to the point where the other musicians couldn't keep up, and then slowing the tempo down, allowing the song to end. Lennon claimed that the musicians on this version were "inspired out of their skulls" and that it was "the most fantastic music e'dever heard." Bielen and Urish describe this performance as "vibrant", enhanced by the call and response between Ono's vocal and the
horn Horn most often refers to: *Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound ** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various ...
section, and claim that the finale was so "hyped-up" that even Ono had trouble keeping up. Lennon biographer Geoffery Giuliano and Moon biographer Tony Fletcher claim that half the audience walked out during the performance. The Lennons played the song, backed by Jim Keltner on drums and
Elephant's Memory Elephant's Memory (also billed as Elephants Memory, without the apostrophe) was an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in the late 1960s, known primarily for backing John Lennon and Yoko Ono from late 1971 to 1973. For live p ...
, at the matinee performance of the One to One benefit concerts at
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
in New York City on August 30, 1972. These concerts were released as the '' Live in New York City'' album and video, but "Don't Worry Kyoko" was not performed for the evening concert and was not included on either the album or video versions of ''Live in New York City''. In September 2005, Ono performed the song as an
encore An encore is an additional performance given by performers after the planned show has ended, usually in response to extended applause from the audience.Lalange Cochrane, in ''Oxford Companion to Music'', Alison Latham, ed., Oxford University Pres ...
to her performance at ArthurFest. Ono's and Lennon's son Sean Lennon led the band for that performance. Reviewing that performance, '' Los Angeles Times'' critic Steve Hochman claimed that "the bleats and squalls for which Ono became famous/infamous were now expressions of a wide range of emotions as her band, led by her son Sean Lennon, pounded out primal art-blues."


Reception

Music critic Johnny Rogan considers "Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking for Her Hand in the Snow)" to be "arguably Yoko Ono's finest recorded moment." Authors Ken Bielen and Ben Urish praise the studio version as "the standout inclusion on ''Fly''," calling it "an amazing achievement," particularly the guitar work of Lennon and Clapton, Starr's "slowly varying drum work" and Ono's vocal, which they call "one of her most effective." ''The New York Times'' Kozinn calls the song a "searing rocker." The ''Los Angeles Times'' Hochman describes the song as "a raw, anguished cry from the soul." Author Bruce Pollock describes it as having "frenzied glory." The live version included on ''Some Time in New York City'', Bielen and Urish call "a stunning masterwork." Lewis finds this version to be "astonishing," stating that Ono "sounds remarkable: screaming, yelping, howling and ululating over a blues-funk jam.


Personnel

* Yoko Ono – vocals * John Lennon – electric guitar *
Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...
– electric guitar * Klaus Voormann – bass guitar *
Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...
– drums


Cover versions

"Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking for a Hand in the Snow)" has been recorded by other artists. The B-52's recorded it on their "Whammy!" LP, but it was removed and replaced with a new recording of "There's a Moon in the Sky" on the UK pressing. All CD reissues have used the UK version, without formal explanation.
Tater Totz Redd Kross is an American rock band from Hawthorne, California, who had their roots in 1978 in a punk rock band called the Tourists, which was started by brothers Jeff and Steve McDonald while Steve was still in middle school. With the additio ...
released a 17-minute live version, recorded in San Francisco in 1989, on their 1993 album ''
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''. A 27-minute version, recorded live in Los Angeles in 1988, was included as a bonus track on the CD version of the album. They also released it on their 1988 album '' Alien Sleestacks from Brazil''. Alan Decotes covered the song on his 2007 album ''Don't Worry Rock N' Roll''. Donny Who Loved Bowling covered it on the 2005 album ''Tree Fort''. Yo La Tengo covered it live on the radio in New Jersey and released it in 2006 on their album ''
Yo La Tengo Is Murdering the Classics ''Yo La Tengo Is Murdering the Classics'' is an album by the band Yo La Tengo, released in 2006, consisting solely of covers. Yo La Tengo supported the fundraising efforts of independent radio channel WFMU with annual studio visits. All listene ...
'', a compilation of their live impromptu cover-song performances on the New Jersey freeform radio station WFMU. A version of the song was recorded by John Flansburgh and John Linnell, two high school friends that would later form the alt rock duo They Might Be Giants in Flansburgh’s basement in around 1975. It has often been cited by the band as their first recording together.


References

{{authority control Yoko Ono songs Songs written by Yoko Ono Song recordings produced by Yoko Ono Song recordings produced by John Lennon 1969 singles 1969 songs Apple Records singles Songs about mothers Songs about children Songs about weather Plastic Ono Band songs