It takes a lot to change the world. In John Lennon’s case, he achieved this not only through his songwriting as a leader of The Beatles but also through his attitude. Every influential figure throughout history has shared the same characteristic of being bold and perhaps a touch arrogant as well.
In a world where rigid traditions permeated society, from social norms to music, it took a lot of courage for the four brash lads from Liverpool to emulate their American heroes and inject a unique vitality into rock music. That was only the beginning; from 1965’s Rubber Soul onwards, their most significant efforts were marked by daring and experimental approaches that could have easily led to the band’s downfall. However, their savvy execution of these innovations epitomized the era’s boundary-pushing spirit.
Being musical pioneers, wry pranksters, and outspoken Scousers made for a perfect blend. Led by Lennon, the Beatles changed the world with their attitude. Regarding their leader’s brazen nature, there is no better statement to typify it than his incendiary 1966 comment, where he told The London Evening Standard that the group was so immensely famous that they were “more popular than Jesus”.
In an age where most people were still religious, and the most abhorrent aspects of Christianity were still rearing their heads in the murderous racism of the KKK in America, despite the potentially sarcastic elements of what Lennon said, this was a significant statement. It evoked widespread rage. With such a straightforward attitude, Lennon transformed the understanding of a rockstar.
After The Beatles split in 1970, Lennon’s attitude became more pronounced in his solo career. He was now unchained by the parameters of his old band. He could do whatever he wanted artistically and personally, as evidenced by his crazed 18 months wandering the Los Angeles heath, ‘The Lost Weekend’. A drink and drugs-fuelled caper, it produced some of the most puzzling and controversial moments the ‘Imagine’ songwriter produced.
During his solo career, Lennon became even more outspoken about the limits of his songwriting, both with The Beatles and as a singular creative entity. He often criticised some of his old songwriting partner Paul McCartney’s efforts for the Fab Four, as well as some of his own contributions. This included him decrying ‘It’s Only Love’ as nothing short of abysmal.
As he was dedicated to evolving artistically, Lennon was quick to denigrate well-received songs. This includes 1974’s US number one hit, ‘Whatever Gets You Thru The Night’. The funky lead single from Walls and Bridges was such a success that it was Lennon’s only number one in America during his lifetime, which surprisingly qualified him as the last member of The Beatles to top the charts.
Regardless of its success though, Lennon was highly dismissive of the song, describing it as nothing more than a “novelty record”. He felt 1971’s candid request for world peace, ‘Imagine’, should have been the one to top the charts, and could not understand why it hadn’t given its message.
In an interview, he said: “‘Whatever Gets You Thru The Night’. That was a novelty record. It’s the only one I’ve done since I left the Beatles to get to number one. Imagine should have been number one, and ‘Whatever Gets You Thru The Night’ should have been number 39. It just doesn’t make sense.”
It’s a shame Lennon couldn’t have lived to have seen ‘Imagine’ become the timeless anthem it is today; it has done things that his sole US number one could never do.
