Song · The Beatles
“Happiness is a Warm Gun” by The Beatles
Released 1968
“Happiness is a Warm Gun” by The Beatles appears on 13 radio countdowns from 7 stations between 1991 and 2026. It was first released in 1968. Its best result is #412 on the WNEW Firecracker 500 (1996). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #2,367 indie & aaa song of all time.
Watch
Video from YouTube (The Beatles - Topic). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
Tucked into the sprawl of the White Album in 1968, "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" crams a whole suite's worth of mood swings into one song, and it's John Lennon's baby from top to bottom, even with the Lennon–McCartney stamp on it. He took the title from an article in American Rifleman and turned it into a double entendre, the gun standing in for his desire for Yoko Ono.
Whatever the friction in those sessions, the four pulled together to nail its knotty rhythms and lurching time changes, with George Harrison drawing on what he knew of Indian classical music to help steer them. Harrison and Paul McCartney chime in on backing vocals in the closing stretch. The BBC banned it for its suggestive lyrics, and it was the one track on the album all four Beatles called their favourite.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Indie & Adult Alternative
Classic Rock
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 485 | WNEW-FM | WNEW Firecracker 500 (1991) | 500 |
| 1996 | 412 | WNEW-FM | WNEW Firecracker 500 (1996) | 500 |
| 2007 | 502 | WTMD | WTMD Top 897 Songs of All Time | 897 |
| 2009 | 580 | WXPN | WXPN 885 Desert Island Songs (2009) | 885 |
| 2011 | 1022 | 100.7 WZLX | 100.7 WZLX Top 1100 Countdown (2011) | 1100 |
| 2012 | 1081 | 100.7 WZLX | 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) | 1200 |
| 2012 | 467 | WXPN | WXPN 885 Greatest Rock Songs (2012) | 885 |
| 2013 | 838 | 100.7 WZLX | 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) | 1000 |
| 2014 | 872 | 100.7 WZLX | 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) | 1000 |
| 2014 | 733 | WXPN | WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2014) | 885 |
| 2019 | 990 | 102.5 KZOK | KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 | 1025 |
| 2021 | 488 | Q104.3 | Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2021) | 1043 |
| 2026 | 553 | WYEP | WYEP Greatest Songs of All Time | 1180 |
Also listed as: Happiness Is a Warm Gun; Happiness Is a Warm Gu; Happiness Is A Warm Gun.
Comments
Log in or create a free account to join the conversation about "Happiness is a Warm Gun" by The Beatles.
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.