This song, which was begun in 1969 and can be heard in the Beatles’ Let It Be sessions, was originally titled “Make Love, Not War”, a popular hippie slogan at that time. Another song, “I Promise”, contains the melody that would later be featured on “Mind Games”. The original John Lennon demos for “Make Love, Not War” and “I Promise”, recorded in 1970, are available on the John Lennon Anthology. Lennon finished writing the song after reading the book Mind Games: The Guide to Inner Space by Robert Masters and Jean Houston (1972). Lennon later encountered Masters in a restaurant and told him, “I am one of your fans. You wrote Mind Games. In keeping with the original theme, the lyrics advocate unity, love, and a positive outlook. The lyric “YES is the answer” is a nod to his wife Yoko Ono’s artpiece that brought them together originally. The song was recorded as Lennon split with her for his 18-month “lost weekend” with May Pang.
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