Cold Turkey

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This article is about the John Lennon song. For unassisted withdrawal from heroin addiction, see cold turkey.
For other uses of "Cold turkey", see Cold turkey (disambiguation).
"Cold Turkey"
"Cold Turkey" cover
Single by John Lennon with the Plastic Ono Band
Released 24 October 1969
Format 7" vinyl
Recorded 30 September 1969
Genre Rock/Pop
Length 4:59
Label Apple Records
Writer(s) John Lennon
Producer(s) Phil Spector, John Lennon and Yoko Ono
Chart positions
John Lennon with the Plastic Ono Band singles chronology
"Give Peace a Chance"
(1969)
"Cold Turkey"
(1969)
"Instant Karma!"
(1970)

Cold Turkey was a 1969 single by John Lennon and The Plastic Ono Band. A stark, primal guitar track, its theme was the horrors of going "cold turkey". It should be noted that at one point in 1969 Lennon was going through a battle against his own heroin addiction. Lennon originally presented the song to the other Beatles as their next single, but they rejected it. Lennon then released it himself, "Cold Turkey" becoming the very first song for which he took sole writing credit.

The b-side features "Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking for a Hand in the Snow)" by Yoko Ono.

Freddie Hubbard recorded an instrumental version in 1970, as an outtake from his album, Red Clay. Hubbard's version, featuring Herbie Hancock and Joe Henderson, among others, is influenced by funk and free jazz.

In March 2005, Q magazine placed "Cold Turkey" at number 74 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks.

The song was featured in an episode of The Drew Carey Show titled "Turkeyspotting". The song plays during his hallucination of a turkey pole-dancing.

In 2006, the National Turkey Food Administration began using the song in its promotions.


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