Sometimes he was known as “the smart one.” Sometimes he was known as The Walrus. On occasion, he was known as Dr. Winston O’Boogie. He was The Beatles’ rhythm guitarist and many considered him the best songwriter of the four. Certainly, his solo career was the most adventurous — even if it was cut short. Of course, we’re talking about John Lennon.
Lennon was also the most controversial Beatle — whether it was his comment about the band being “more popular than Jesus,” his marriage to Yoko Ono or the shenanigans during his “lost weekend” period. He was not as cuddly and cute as Paul McCartney, not as deferential and spiritually committed as George Harrison, not as funny and humble as Ringo Starr. But with McCartney, he was one half of arguably the greatest songwriting team of the 20th century. And while some of his solo albums were better than others, Lennon never made a dull record.
It’s pointless to speculate on where Lennon would have gone — musically, personally or spiritually — had he not been murdered on December 8th, 1980. His death rocked the world in a way that few events before or since have. In this writer’s opinion, the night that he died was the night that the 1970s officially ended. Lennon was far from perfect (as he would have been the first to admit), but he left us with both an amazing catalog of music and a series of ideals for which to strive.
On what would have been his 83rd birthday, Classics Du Jour celebrates John Lennon with a list of his greatest songs. As with the other three Beatles, this list is not meant to be definitive. The emphasis is on diversity: You’ll find big hits and deep cuts, rockers and ballads, selections from Lennon’s solo career and from his years with The Beatles. Taken together, these songs make a convincing case for Lennon being one of our greatest songwriters. Happy Birthday, John.
25 Happy Xmas (War Is Over) — 1971
Released in December of 1971 as a standalone single, “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” was both a holiday song and a gentle protest against the Vietnam War. Backed by Yoko Ono’s “”Listen, the Snow is Falling,” it included not only John and Yoko but also the Harlem Community Choir and a band of top session musicians. It has since become a holiday standard.
24 Remember — 1970
One of many great songs from Lennon’s solo debut Plastic Ono Band, “Remember” was simultaneously upbeat and haunting. The lyrics (like many on the Plastic Ono Band album) looked back at his childhood while the music employed unrelated chords to make for a strange, unsettling effect. The only musicians on the track were Lennon on piano and vocals; Ringo on drums; and Klaus Voormann on bass.
The last line of the song is “Remember, remember / The Fifth of November,” followed by the sound of an explosion. This was taken from an English nursery rhyme and refers to Guy Fawkes Night, a British public holiday.
23 I’m So Tired — 1968
Lennon contributed several classics to 1968’s The Beatles (better known as “The White Album”). One of them was “I’m So Tired,” a short but intense song about insomnia.
22 I’m Only Sleeping — 1966
A deep cut from The Beatles’ Revolver album, “I’m Only Sleeping” can almost be seen as the flip side of “I’m So Tired.” In this song, Lennon is happily somnambulant! “I’m Only Sleeping” is notable for its backwards guitar part, which was played by George Harrison and which added to the song’s dream-like quality.
21 Gimme Some Truth — 1971
The mid-tempo rocker “Gimme Some Truth” saw Lennon at his finger-pointing best. A popular track from the 1971 Imagine album, it featured excellent wordplay and a slide guitar solo from Harrison.
20 Help! — 1965
The title track of The Beatles’ 1965 soundtrack, “Help!” was an early classic. It topped the charts both here and in the UK.
19 Mother — 1970
Another song from Plastic Ono Band, “Mother” was a simple but powerful tribute to his late mother. Julia Lennon was killed by a car driven by an off-duty policeman when John was still in his teens (and after his father had already abandoned the family). The song opens with a funeral bell tolling three times and ends with Lennon — who had recently undergone primal scream therapy — screaming “Mama don’t go/Daddy come home!” repeatedly.
Though it was released as a single, “Mother” was not a hit. Great song? Yes. AM radio-friendly? Not in the least!
18 Intuition — 1973
“Intuition” — from the 1973 Mind Games disc — is just a good pop song. It opened side two of the album.
17 Bless You — 1974
A deep cut from the Walls and Bridges album, “Bless You” is a beautiful love song about Lennon’s relationship with Yoko Ono. The musicians include Jesse Ed Davis on guitar, Ken Ascher on piano and mellotron, Jim Keltner on drums and the reliable Klaus Voormann on bass.
16 (Just Like) Starting Over — 1980
The first single from Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Double Fantasy album, “(Just Like) Starting Over” set the tone for the rest of the album with its depiction of domestic bliss. Set to a ‘50s-style melody, the song featured guitarist Earl Slick, bassist Tony Levin, drummer Andy Newmark and other stellar session musicians.
His first single in five years, “Starting Over” topped the charts in the USA for a record five weeks and also hit number-one in several other countries. It was at number-six on the US charts and climbing when Lennon was killed.
15 Ticket To Ride — 1965
Another one from the Help! soundtrack, “Ticket to Ride” was one of Lennon’s best early songs: a mid-tempo tune with a slight folk-rock influence. It topped the charts here, in the UK and in several other countries.
14 Whatever Gets You Thru the Night — 1974
Another song from the Walls and Bridges effort, “Whatever Gets You Thru the Night” was an existential rocker. The song topped the charts here in the States and went to number-two in Canada.
13 Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) — 1980
“Beautiful Boy,” a tribute to Lennon and Yoko Ono’s young son Sean, was the centerpiece of the Double Fantasy album and the B-side of the “Watching the Wheels” single.
“Beautiful Boy” is Lennon at his warmest. It contains the immortal line “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans” (which was originally coined by Allen Saunders in the late ‘50s). It also includes the whisper “Good night, Sean. See you in the morning” — which is heartbreaking when you take into account his death shortly after recording it.
12 She Said She Said — 1966
“She Said She Said” was the last song recorded for The Beatles’ Revolver album. A psychedelic rocker, it was inspired by a party The Beatles had attended. Lennon was allegedly in the midst of a positive acid trip when the actor Peter Fonda brought him down by saying, “I know what it’s like to be dead.”
11 Strawberry Fields Forever — 1967
If you want to see proof that Lennon’s songwriting was growing by leaps and bounds, remember that “Strawberry Fields Forever” was written only two years after “Help!” Lyrically and musically, the song — which was issued as a two-sided single with McCartney’s “Penny Lane” — was like nothing before it. The lyrics were almost impenetrable, Lennon’s delivery lacked affect and the music featured everything from a fade out/fade in coda to a cello and brass section arranged by producer George Martin. “Strawberry Fields Forever” later appeared on the Magical Mystery Tour soundtrack.
The song’s initial inspiration came from Strawberry Field, a Salvation Army children’s home in Liverpool, near where Lennon grew up. After his death, a two-and-a-half acre section of NYC’s Central Park — commissioned by Yoko Ono and designed by architect Bruce Kelly — was dubbed Strawberry Fields and dedicated to Lennon’s memory. To this day, fans gather there each year on December 8th.
10 It’s Only Love — 1965
Definitely a deep cut, “It’s Only Love” appeared on The Beatles’ Rubber Soul album here in the States (but on the Help! soundtrack in the UK). It’s a straightforward love song with a ’50s feel, clocking in at less than two minutes. Legend has it that Lennon himself once dismissed it as “a lousy song” but this writer begs to differ!
09 Across the Universe — 1969
“Across the Universe” was one of two Lennon contributions to the final Fabs studio disc, Let It Be. The song was allegedly triggered by an argument Lennon was having with his first wife, Cynthia. Rather than write something angry — and inspired by his recent interest in Transcendental Meditation — he wrote something cosmic and beautiful. The phrase “Jai guru deva om” translates roughly to “Hail to the divine guru.”
08 Come Together — 1969
The bluesy “Come Together” appeared on The Beatles’ Abbey Road album and was released as a two-sided single with George Harrison’s “Something.” It sported some great phrases (even if they didn’t always make sense!) and a sinister bass line from Paul McCartney. “Come Together” topped the charts and has been covered by everyone from Michael Jackson to Aerosmith.
07 Working Class Hero — 1970
Yet another selection from Plastic Ono Band, “Working Class Hero” was (like most of that album) simple but powerful. It featured only Lennon’s voice and acoustic guitar. But that musical simplicity allowed the lyrics to come to the fore — and these were some of Lennon’s best, and angriest, lyrics to date. “You’re still f***ing peasants as far as I can see,” he says to the powers that be.
06 Rain — 1966
Arguably The Beatles’ first psychedelic song, “Rain” was relegated to being the B-side of their “Paperback Writer” single. Boasting backward vocals, dreamy lyrics and a droning bass line, it was the sort of mid-tempo rock song that Lennon excelled at.
05 Nobody Told Me — 1984
Originally recorded during the Double Fantasy sessions, “Nobody Told Me” was not completed at that time. Lennon also considered giving the song to Ringo Starr for inclusion on his 1981 album, Stop and Smell the Roses. It was finally released in early 1984, on the posthumous album Milk and Honey, and became a Top 10 hit here and abroad. Definitely one of the more lighthearted songs in Lennon’s solo catalog.
04 Imagine — 1971
The title track of Lennon’s 1971 solo album, “Imagine” is without question one of Lennon’s signature songs and has become synonymous with him. A plaintive plea for peace, it featured Lennon on vocals and piano, Klaus Voormann on bass and Alan White on drums. “Imagine” went to number-three here in the States, but that only hints at the song’s impact.
Rolling Stone once ranked “Imagine” at number three on its list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time,” adding, “We need [the song now] more than he ever dreamed.” In 1999 alone, it received the Grammy Hall of Fame Award and was named one of the top 100 most-performed songs of the 20th century by BMI. Since 2005, “Imagine” has been played before the New Year’s Times Square Ball drops in New York City. It has been covered by more than 200 artists ranging from Stevie Wonder to Lady Gaga. And just this year, the song was selected for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
03 A Day in the Life — 1967
The final track on The Beatles’ album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, “A Day in the Life” was both a great song in its own right and a production masterpiece. The opening lyrics were inspired by a news story that Lennon read about the fatal car crash of socialite Tara Browne. The song’s ending, meanwhile, is arguably the most famous in rock and roll — one chord struck simultaneously on several pianos and sustained for more than 40 seconds.
Paul McCartney’s “Woke up, got out of bed/Dragged a comb across my head” bridge is completely different from the rest of the song yet fits it perfectly. If anything, “A Day in the Life” is a testimony to the genius of both men and to how their talents complimented each other.
02 In My Life — 1965
“In My Life” — from The Beatles’ Rubber Soul disc— was Lennon at his most sentimental. The lyrics were nostalgic without being sappy and George Martin contributed a wonderful baroque piano bridge. In 2000, MOJO magazine named “In My Life” the greatest song of all time.
01 Watching the Wheels — 1980
The third and final single from Double Fantasy, “Watching the Wheels” followed “Starting Over” and “Woman” into the US Top 10. In addition to session pros like Earl Slick and Tony Levin, the song featured the previously unknown Matthew Cunningham on hammered dulcimer. Producer Jack Douglas had apparently seen Cunningham playing on the NYC streets and was impressed enough to invite him into the studio.
“Watching the Wheels” was a subtle but powerful statement of purpose — a reaction to all the people who criticized Lennon for taking time off to be, as he put it, a “househusband.” To wit:
“People asking questions/Lost in confusion
Well, I tell them there’s no problem/Only solutions
Well, they shake their heads and they look at me, as if I’ve lost my mind
I tell them there’s no hurry, I’m just sitting here doing time…”
It’s actually more than a statement of purpose; it’s a statement of contentment. While nothing can change the tragedy of John Lennon’s murder, it was a small measure of solace that he was both artistically and emotionally fulfilled at the time of his death.
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