Aisumasen (I'm Sorry)

Lyrics and music

In this song, John Lennon apologizes to his wife Yoko Ono. The title "Aisumasen" twists the formal Japanese word "sumimasen," which means "I'm sorry." A line from the lyrics, "It's hard enough I know to feel your own pain," echoes a similar idea from Lennon's earlier track "I Found Out." Once the singing stops, a guitar solo takes over, which some hear as an extension of the apology.

That solo cuts off suddenly, and this abrupt ending is thought to represent the rejection of Lennon's request for forgiveness. By the time the song came out, Lennon and Ono had already split up. Several writers believe the track shows Lennon will not get the pardon or comfort he seeks from Ono, and it reveals just how much he relied on her. The song shares traits with the Beatles' "I Want You (She's So Heavy)," another Lennon composition inspired by Ono.

Some critics note that "Aisumasen (I'm Sorry)" has a rhythm similar to a slowed-down, semi-acoustic version of that Beatles song, which also ends without warning. Lennon had been developing the melody since at least 1971. A demo was cut during the sessions for his album Imagine. The tune originally belonged to a piece called "Call My Name," from a demo recorded in December 1971.

In that earlier version, Lennon offered to comfort someone else, but in the final song, he is the one asking for forgiveness. In "Call My Name," the melodic line that later became "Aisumasen" was sung to the phrase "I'll ease your pain."

Reception

Music critic Johnny Rogan finds the song "occasionally powerful" and feels it "brings some depth" to the Mind Games album. Keith Spore of The Milwaukee Sentinel called it "a lovely ballad" serving as a reminder of Lennon's past brilliance. Some consider it one of Mind Games' strongest songs, though they think it may have been stronger had Lennon stuck to his original lyrical impulses of "Call My Name." PopMatters feels the song starts well, "like classic Lennon blues," but that Lennon "never finds the conviction to carry the song across the finish line." Ultimate Classic Rock critic Stephen Lewis rated it as Lennon's 8th greatest solo love song, saying that Lennon's falsetto singing of the line "All that I know is just what you tell me / All that I know is just what you show me" is a highlight.