The song expresses Lennon's disillusionment with a world dominated by what he saw as false religion and idols, and warns against being taken in by such beliefs.[1]
Recorded at EMI Studios on 27 September 1970,[2] the instrumentation, style, and production of the song are typical of Lennon's Plastic Ono Band era work. The song features a low, rumbling tremolo guitar, thumping drums, a rolling, minimal bass guitar line, and a scathing vocal delivery. The recording is bare-bones, in stark contrast to the heavy production of Lennon's later albums. It is influenced more heavily by blues music than other songs on Plastic Ono Band.
Reception
In a review for Plastic Ono Band, website Classic Rock Review described "I Found Out" as a "dark but fine tune", describing the bass line as the track's highlight.[3]Ultimate Classic Rock critic Nick DeRiso called "I Found Out" the most underrated song on John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band.[4]
Stereogum contributors Timothy and Elizabeth Bracy rated it as Lennon's 8th best solo song, saying that "This is the artist at his funniest and most withering."[5]
Personnel
The musicians who performed on the original recording were as follows:[6]
^Madinger, Chip; Raile, Scott (2015). Lennonology – Strange Days Indeed – A Scrapbook of Madness. Chesterfield, MO: Open Your Books, LLC. p. 210. ISBN978-1-63110-175-5.
