Lennon called the song "just a piece of nothing",[2] though some have read the song as either a confession of troubles with his relationship with Yoko Ono or a message to former bandmate Paul McCartney.[1] Beatle biographer John Blaney notes that the song has Lennon apologizing to Ono and acknowledging that he has a lot to learn.[3] Music critic Paul du Noyer agrees that this is a song in which Lennon apologizes to Ono for his "unworthiness."[4] Music lecturers Ben Urish and Ken Bielen say that the theme of the song is the way love is like a living thing that grows as it is nurtured and as the two people involved get to know each other and recognize how each views the other.[5] Music critic Johnny Rogan noted that the song ends with a conclusion similar to that of Lennon's earlier song "God": that only his belief in his relationship with Ono is real.[6]
Blaney points out that Lennon incorporates a "delicate guitar figure" he learned from Donovan into the song, which Blaney believes "gives 'I Know (I Know)' and honesty that enhances his plea for his lover's absolution."[3] Du Noyer believes this guitar figure sounds like the Beatles.[4] Lennon worked hard when overdubbing the song to develop the song's delicate arrangement.[3]
Du Noyer considered "I Know (I Know)" to be one of the "stronger ballads" on Mind Games.[4] Urish and Bielen claim that it "stand out as lyrically superior to and expressing a more complex maturity than most of the songs on the album."[5] Rogan similarly called it one of the best songs on the album, saying that "the emotional commitment, largely missing from other songs he recorded during this period, is clearly revealed here."[6]
^ abcdBlaney, J. (2007). Lennon and McCartney: Together Alone – A critical discography of their solo work. Jawbone Press. pp. 82–83. ISBN9781906002022.
^ abcdu Noyer, P. (1999). John Lennon: Whatever Gets You Through the Night. Thunder's Mouth Press. p. 78. ISBN1560252103.
^ abUrish, B.; Bielen, K. (2007). The Words and Music of John Lennon. Praeger. pp. 52–53. ISBN978-0-275-99180-7.
^ abRogan, Johnny (1997). The Complete Guide to the Music of John Lennon. Omnibus Press. p. 83. ISBN0711955999.
