My Mummy's Dead

The lyrics are direct, emotionally raw and appear to deal with Lennon's early-life loss of his mother, making it one of his most personal songs.

The song has a lo-fi sound due to being recorded on a basic cassette-tape machine rather than in a professional studio.

John Lennon's mother, Julia, was fatally struck by a car when he was just 17 years-old. This tragedy greatly influenced this song.

Like several other songs on the "John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band" album, "My Mummy's Dead" was influenced by the Primal Therapy that Lennon underwent with Dr. Arthur Janov. This therapy encourages patients to confront and vocalize their pain, which is why Lennon's feelings about his mother's death are so graphically expressed in the song.

"My Mummy's Dead" parallels the opening track of the album, "Mother", which also deals with Lennon's feelings about his parents.

The raw and unpolished sound of the track reflects the actual process of Lennon's grief and mourning over his mother's death.

Whilst most of the songs on the album were credited to Lennon–McCartney as a legal obligation, "My Mummy's Dead" was solely credited to John Lennon.

The song was believed to be recorded around the same time Lennon found out the Beatles were going to break-up. Lennon however never confirmed this.