There are few songwriters more celebrated than John Lennon. With his partner in rhyme, Paul McCartney, Lennon penned some of the most innovative and influential songs of all time for The Beatles. From ‘All You Need Is Love’ to ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’, his words and compositions have received unparalleled praise, but little of it coming from the songwriter himself.
Lennon once declared that the only true songs he ever wrote were ‘Help!’ and ‘Strawberry Fields (Forever)’. It seems like an absurd statement, as so many of his other works have been considered amongst the greatest songs of all time, but the Beatle denounced his own creations on a number of occasions. He heaped criticism on them generously, particularly in moments when McCartney had been heavily involved.
Throughout his life, Lennon littered interviews with less than complimentary critique of Beatles tracks, from hits like ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’ to widely ridiculed tracks like ‘Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da’. The latter was, famously, one of his most hated tracks, with studio engineer Geoff Emerick suggesting that he “openly and vocally detested” and deemed it “more of Paul’s ‘granny music shit’” in Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of the Beatles.
McCartney’s ‘Rocky Raccoon’ was another Beatles song that came under fire from Lennon, who once said he “thanked God it wasn’t one of mine”. He was equally unimpressed with McCartney’s 1970 single and future all-time great ‘Let It Be’, which he suggested could’ve been a Wings song.
Lennon also criticised McCartney for spoiling songs that he had written, such as ‘Across the Universe’. Lennon loved the track initially but believed that it was ruined in McCartney’s process of experimentation. “Paul would sort of subconsciously try and destroy a great song,” he told David Sheff, “Meaning that we’d play experimental games with my great pieces.”
‘Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds’ was another track that he believed could have been great but suffered from the way it was produced. But Lennon’s distaste for certain Beatles tracks wasn’t limited to those penned (or supposedly ruined) by his partner. He frequently shared his dislike for his own work, from disowning ‘Cry Baby Cry’ to hating ‘It’s Only Love’.
Despite receiving so much praise for their songwriting, Lennon’s pessimism and growing tension with McCartney led him to slam a number of his own masterpieces. While some may be worthy of it – the widely disliked ‘Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da’, for example – others remain beloved by Beatles fans worldwide.
The Beatles songs John Lennon hated:
‘Let It Be’
‘Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da’
‘Rocky Raccoon’
‘It’s Only Love’
‘When I’m Sixty-Four’
‘Cry Baby Cry’
‘Mean Mr Mustard’
‘Across the Universe’
‘Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds’
