Open Up Your Eyes, an Analysis of Dear Prudence
Written on June 16, 2017
Beatlemania occurred during the early 1960s, when teenagers everywhere obsessed over escaping harsh reality. Be it hallucinogenic drugs or cult-like groups following new forms of spirituality, everyone sought distraction. In February of 1968, The Beatles left for India with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and a few other celebrities, including Mia Farrow, to study Transcendental Meditation. During the trip, John Lennon wrote “Dear Prudence:” an attempt at saving Farrow’s sister, Prudence, who lost herself in meditation, often refusing to leave her room for days. The song means exactly what is says. Lennon attempts to convince Prudence to “come out to play.” However, the song exceeds its initial purpose and stretches beyond the audience of Ms. Farrow. “Dear Prudence” serves as an anthem of recovery and personal strength through moral support, with heavy inspiration behind the lyrics.
Lennon’s time in India inspired a good handful of songs on The White Album, almost all of which are satirical, sarcastic, and playful. This holiday away from fans and responsibility enhanced Lennon’s writing skills. During his stay, we know that he missed two people in his life: Ringo and Yoko. Lennon’s marriage to Cynthia proved void of fidelity and passion during their trip, as they slept in separate beds and he checked the mail daily for letters from Yoko. The longing for his lover and his best friend influenced his request for community- or at least a sense of intimacy- in the song. The melody plays sweetly, swaying us with words. At the same time the song sounds like your younger brothers knocking on your door after you told them “buzz off.”
Whether the song instantly entrances you or kicks you around for a bit until you catch on at verse two, the message reaches you one way or another: don’t lose touch with reality.
“Dear Prudence” pleads the audience in a straightforward way: through lyrics. The Beatles want Prudence open and engaging, and using frank (and flirty) language provides the best way for that message gets across. Perhaps Lennon’s irresistible persuasion stems from his years of courting women. He knows how to lure them in, singing love songs to timid girls, like a siren to a sailor.
His longing for Yoko and his disdain towards Cynthia push him to attach to Farrow as an object of affection; his temporary muse. The lyrics easily enchant with their simplicity and tone. Regarding feeling, Lennon referenced the physical beauty of Prudence, which makes the song intimate and personal: “Let me see you smile,” “Dear Prudence won’t you let me see you smile,” “It's beautiful and so are you.” He calls direct attention to her beauty, enticing her into his conversation. For audience members other than Prudence Farrow, the effect remains the same. The compliments flatter the listener and provide a boost of confidence. Nothing raunchy or excessive leading to feelings of degradation or subjectivity come from the song; just simple flattery.
Outside of calling attention to the audience, Lennon’s choice in words also provides great imagery of the setting: “The sun is up, the sky is blue.” The narrator plays outside surrounded by the beauty of the natural world. “Greet the brand new day,” he sings. The word greet uplifts; it almost leaves us no other choice but to do as he says. Using nature as a persuasion technique proves very effective. To overcome an obstacle, step outside of your bubble of problems and seek enlightenment. “Dear Prudence see the sunny skies / The wind is low the birds will sing / That you are part of everything.” That last line holds the most significance. “That you are a part of everything” shows Lennon reminding Prudence that she belongs in the world and needs to rejoin it.
She spends hours meditating, yet the true awakening is right outside her door. These lyrics hold meaning not just for her sake, but for Lennon’s. The man’s life rattles with fragmented bits trying to form a happy connection, soon discovering that the leader of this transcendental “awakening” cheats on his own word, causing more of a spiral. Lennon held personal contemptment in the words of a love song that brings anyone out of their slum and into the discussion of “I am here, will you join me?”
“Dear Prudence” builds with each stanza, adding layer after layer to the production. As the song progresses, the instrumentals keep building along with the lyrics. We start with finger picking guitar and bass- a timid tune, just like Prudence. Her mind fragmented away from reality, so Lennon approaches her in such a soft way. Being abrupt head on in this situation turns the audience off completely.
By the middle of the refrain, The Beatles add vocals, drums, and the occasional tambourine. The song invites and persists, poking deeper with each additional track that joins in. Another tune becomes another push. This remains steady for the first minute and a half of the song. Again, Lennon refrains from being abrupt- we ease into the climax.
As the plead for Prudence to open up intensifies, so does the track. Back-up vocals, lead guitar, cowbells, flugelhorn, and handclapping all join in. This progresses with the lyrics: they keep pushing for cooperation from the audience, and as momentum of the request builds we hear it do so in all aspects.
“Recorded on eight-track equipment during Ringo’s hiatus from the band, the accompaniment features inspired performances on piano, bass, and drums—all by Paul McCartney, who made the most of Ringo’s absence by playing a stunning ten-bar drum solo in the instrumental break that leads to the last refrain, where George Harrison’s ascending octaves on guitar (piped through a Leslie speaker) add a note of ethereal urgency to John’s efforts to convince this timid girl to be a little less prudent on such a perfect day.” (Gould 517)
The structure of the song, on all levels, prevails. It builds slowly; it allows you to get comfortable with it and once you do so, you get everything all at once. Realizing the song structure’s importance helps with understanding the main idea, and Lennon intends for the words to build off of each other as they do. The song starts and ends with the refrain:
“Dear Prudence open up your eyes
Dear Prudence see the sunny skies
The wind is low the birds will sing
That you are part of everything
Dear Prudence won't you open up your eyes?”
The refrain starts slow and quiet, each word spoken carefully and delicately.
The song progresses, and with it the lyrics become more friendly and inviting. Lennon says smile, look around. Cooling off from that rampage, they bring it back down to the refrain, just as it started, and close with the soft arpeggiated guitar. By having the refrain at the beginning and the end, it shows that Lennon retreated to his original form of persuasion for one final push. The song ends and you feel at peace.
The song screams simplicity, yet it a deeper look into it shows how much detail and care Lennon puts into his songs. He literally sings to Prudence, beckoning her to join the fun, while internally calling more action from those he loves (or dare I say himself). For just a band of three, The Beatles manage to create an outstanding instrumental piece. They structured the build ups and downs intentionally and well aligned with the purposefully chosen lyrics. Any different arrangement and the song’s meaning vanishes, all feeling lost.