The Luck of the Irish

"The Luck of the Irish" is a song written by John Lennon and Yoko Ono that was first released on the couple's 1972 Plastic Ono Band album with Elephant's Memory, Some Time in New York City. It was written in late 1971 and was performed by Lennon and Ono live at several protest rallies and television appearances before being released on the album. It had been slated to be the first single from Some Time in New York City backed by "Attica State" but the release was shelved in favor of "Woman Is the Nigger of the World". A live acoustic performance was released on several John Lennon compilation albums. Music and lyrics "The Luck of the Irish" uses a folk-like melody. At the time, Lennon and Ono believed that the simplicity of a folk melody would encourage audience participation and help engage the audience in their political causes. Music critic Johnny Rogan describes it as having a "waltztime arrangement". A flute played by Stan Bronstein provides a countermelody to the vocal part. Rogan regards the flute part as evidence that the song began as a folk song and was subsequently converted to a pop song. Ben Urish and Ken Bielen describe the music as having a "pleasant lilting rhythm." The song's lyrics castigate the history of British rule in Ireland, describing how a "land full of beauty and wonder" was "raped by the British brigands". The title of the song was intended to be ironic, as Lennon sings that the luck of the Irish has been historically non-existent, and "if you had the luck of the Irish" that "you'd wish you was English instead." The pleasant melody was also intended to provide an ironic contrast to the lyrics, in which Lennon describes how "a thousand years of torture and hunger" drove the Irish people "away from their land".