Podcast Summary

Podcast: Something About the Beatles
Host: Robert Rodriguez (Evergreen Podcasts)
Episode: SATB Special: Power To WHAT People? - Canceling Lennon in 2025 with Candy Leonard
Date: August 30, 2025
Guest: Candy Leonard (author of Beatleness)

Overview

This SATB special examines the recent controversy in the Beatles world over the omission of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s “Woman Is the Nigger of the World” from the newly announced “Power to the People: John and Yoko” deluxe set. Host Robert Rodriguez is joined by sociologist and Beatles scholar Candy Leonard to analyze the implications of this decision, its intersection with cancel culture, changing social sensibilities, gender and race politics, artistic legacy, and the continuing relevance and discomfort sparked by Lennon’s most politically charged works.

Key Discussion Points

1. The New Beatles/Lenonn-Ono Releases and the Omission

• A major new John & Yoko box set is announced, intended to highlight their political activism, but it conspicuously leaves out "Woman Is the Nigger of the World," igniting debate (02:00).
• The Anthology project's paperback and Anthology 4 also announced, but the main focus is on the glaring song omission.

2. Why Was the Song Omitted?

• The host and guest assume (with some industry insight) that fear of backlash over the song’s title, particularly the “N-word,” drove the omission (04:01, 08:08).
• Quote: "We are assuming... the decision to leave it off the new compilation is based on the fact that that word is offensive." — Candy Leonard (04:01)
• Considerations of offense focused more on Black audiences, but Rodriguez notes there has been no clear, vocal outrage from the Black community about this song.
• Counterpoint: Could this also be about discomfort with the song’s strong feminist message? (08:08)
• Corporations (labels, Disney) likely acting from risk aversion, not interest in fostering dialogue. "Record companies and corporations generally... They're here to make money. They're not here to get political change the world." — Rodriguez (10:14)

3. Context and Evolution: Then vs. Now

• The song was considered controversial even in 1972, but Lennon actively sought approval/explanation (e.g., the Dick Cavett show, Jet Magazine) and made the contextual intent clear. (08:40)
• Quote: "John took great pains to do [this] in 1972... to explain it, get their tacit, if not explicit approval." — Host (08:40)
• Now, in 2025, the song’s discussion is blurred by “instant judgment, super short attention spans,” and online cancellation culture (08:40).

4. Feminist and Artistic Importance

• Leonard argues omission “silences and disappears” Lennon’s evolution as a feminist, which is particularly meaningful given modern criticism of his past behavior (07:10).
• The song’s message and relevance have only grown with current regressive politics (14:46).
• Quote: "Musically, it's just phenomenal. The vocal is magnificent." — Leonard (12:08)
• Irony in dropping the most musically and thematically resonant song from a set about John & Yoko’s political years.

5. Intersectionality & Who Speaks?

• The conversation touches on why women’s voices are sought for commentary, and why intersectional perspectives (e.g., Black women) are often not foregrounded (03:16-04:39).
• Discussion of how issues of race, sex, and who "owns" offense become muddied in cancel debates.

6. Who Is Responsible for Such Decisions?

• Questions about the role of boardrooms (likely male-dominated), legal fears, and Sean Lennon’s personal complicity/acquiescence in the omission (09:39–11:16).
• Debate over Sean’s silence or potential justification. "It does seem like a betrayal... there's historic precedent..." — Host (15:11)

7. Historic and Cultural Echoes

• The guest connects the song’s theme to Lola Young’s contemporary hit “Messy,” underlining the persistence of cultural expectations and double standards for women (22:08–23:29).
• Parallel drawn to other artists (Patti Smith, Nina Simone) who have repurposed controversial language or pushed boundaries with intent for social good (20:09, 28:21).

8. Censorship, Artistic Integrity, and Precedent

• Comparison to other cases of censorship or self-censorship in rock (e.g., Rolling Stones' “Brown Sugar,” Blind Faith cover, Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy) (35:45–36:49).
• Reflection on how attitudes to content change over time; challenge of judging past behavior/art by current standards (36:23–39:06).
• The “Disneyfication” of the Beatles and the drive for sanitized, risk-free mass appeal (33:10–33:26).

9. Critical Moments and Solutions Missed

• Suggestion: Could controversial songs be released with wise contextualizing notes or endorsements by respected public figures (Whoopi Goldberg, Questlove)? (67:41)
• Missed opportunity for a “teachable moment." "Why couldn't Sean have written a few paragraphs... putting this in its historical context?" — Leonard (67:22)

10. Legacy, Cancel Culture, and the Beatles’ Historical Role

• The Beatles as historical change agents, reflecting and influencing social progress—for omission to erase evidence of Lennon’s evolution does violence to history (17:52).
• The danger of evaluating legacy only by moments of imprudence, rather than growth. "He was a guy that moved beyond that... in the end, give him a little bit of credibility for wanting to change in a positive direction." — Host (61:52).

11. Contemporary Relevance of the Message

• Ongoing gender inequality, setbacks in women’s rights, and misogyny show how little things have changed (13:08).
• Speculation: if "Woman Is the Nigger of the World" were covered by modern artists (Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Lola Young), would it change the debate? Might it become palatable? (27:13–27:49)
• Call for courage in addressing history and respecting uncomfortable, important art.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the purpose of omission:
  "We're assuming that they took it out because they were afraid of getting some backlash about the use of that word. Now, it may also be that they didn't like the feminist message." — Candy Leonard (08:08)

• On teachable moments:
  "Rather than looking at this as a teachable moment... as John took great pains to do in 1972... they didn't want to deal with any of that." — Host (08:40)

• On artistic legacy:
  "It's really an insult to him. It's an insult to both of them, but it's really... It's really an insult to the whole historical record of the 60s in a way." — Candy Leonard (18:53)

• On Lennon’s evolution:
  "It's silencing and it's disappearing his evolution as a man and as a feminist. And that's what makes it wrong." — Candy Leonard (07:10)

• On missed possibilities:
  "Surely Sean could have done a 2025 equivalent… Maybe bring... in just as John 50 years ago went to Jet magazine and the head of the Black Caucus, Ron Dellums, vouched for this." — Leonard (13:08)

• On relevance of the song:
  "This is the evergreen. This is the song that is just as relevant today." — Host (05:12)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 02:00 – Introduction of the Power to the People box, context for its release
• 04:00–07:40 – Reasoning and speculation for omission, intersectionality
• 08:08–10:14 – Risk aversion, fear of offense, corporate culture
• 12:08–15:11 – Musical and feminist importance of the song, John Lennon’s growth
• 22:08–23:36 – Parallels with Lola Young’s “Messy,” persistence of societal judgment
• 27:13–28:21 – Speculation on covers by modern female artists
• 33:10–33:26 – The “Disneyfication” of the Beatles
• 36:23–39:06 – Historical change in sensibility; censorship and overcorrection
• 41:20–44:49 – Album artwork, male gaze, and feminine representation
• 47:45–49:21 – The significance of opening tracks, Lennon’s intent
• 67:22–67:49 – Missed opportunity for liner notes and context
• 68:36–69:33 – Impact of omission on generational listeners and Lennon’s legacy
• 70:35–71:54 – Perceptions of offensiveness and censorship
• 73:07 – Final thoughts on the Beatles as a “reliable source of joy” and cultural refuge

Tone & Style

The conversation is thoughtful, passionate, and frank—a mixture of scholarly, fan, and contemporary cultural critique. Both host and guest highlight absurdities, ironies, and missed opportunities, maintaining a passionate belief in the Beatles and Lennon as agents of real and lasting change, while lamenting the cost of institutional timidity and oversensitivity in art and remembrance.

Closing Thoughts

Rodriguez and Leonard argue that by omitting “Woman Is the Nigger of the World,” the box set’s curators missed a vital historical and cultural opportunity—one to foster dialogue about intent, evolution, and the relevance of feminism and social critique. They see the Beatles, and Lennon in particular, as still urgently resonant in a 2025 wracked by misogyny and regressive politics. Art should not be sanitized but contextualized and discussed. The Beatles’—and Lennon’s—legacy endures as a cultural touchstone, but that legacy deserves honesty, not erasure.

Recommended for:
Beatleologists, music historians, cultural critics, feminists, and listeners interested in understanding how legacy, offense, and context intersect in today’s “cancel culture,” and how revisiting the past can illuminate the present.

For specific quotes or topics, refer to the detailed timestamps above.