John Lennon’s 6 best songs
Seventy-six years ago today, John Winston Lennon was born in Liverpool, England. Throughout the 60s and 70s, he brought us some of the most incredible and unforgettable songs the world has ever heard, and despite his tragic death in 1980, his memory lives on in his ground-breaking music. Join us as we count down six of the greatest songs John Lennon ever wrote, both as a Beatle and a solo artist.
6. “Across the Universe”
Released in December 1969, John Lennon was inspired to write “Across the Universe” after a bit of a spat with his first wife, Cynthia. “She must have been going on and on about something and she'd gone to sleep and I kept hearing these words over and over, flowing like an endless stream. I went downstairs and it turned into a sort of cosmic song rather than an irritated song, rather than a ‘Why are you always mouthing off at me?’” It became one of the Beatles’ most recognisable songs, and in 1970, Lennon told Rolling Stone it was “one of my favourite songs”.
5. “Revolution”
A B-side to “Hey Jude”, Lennon wrote “Revolution” after seeing the media coverage of the 1968 political protests against the Vietnam War. It marked the beginning of Lennon becoming more socially and politically vocal, as well as leading to his first collaboration with Yoko Ono, the highly experimental “Revolution 9”.
4. “Strawberry Fields Forever”
One of the band’s most psychedelic songs, “Strawberry Fields Forever” drew on Lennon’s memories of his childhood growing up near the Salvation Army’s children’s home, Strawberry Field. According to Rolling Stone, Lennon considered the song to be his “greatest achievement” with the Beatles.
3. “Give Peace a Chance”
“Give Peace a Chance” was Lennon’s first solo single, released with the Plastic Ono Band in 1969 while he was still in fact a Beatles member. It represented Lennon’s increasingly anti-war and anti-establishment mentality, becoming something of an anthem among the American Peace movement of the 1970s.
2. “All You Need is Love”
Lennon wrote the Beatles’ 1967 chart-topper in an effort to create a song that had a universal message. “The nice thing about it is that it cannot be misinterpreted,” manager Brian Epstein said of the song. “It is a clear message saying that love is everything.” It became one of the band’s signature songs, covered countless times by other artists.
1. “Imagine”
Could there be any other song in the number one spot? “Imagine” was Lennon’s masterpiece. Rolling Stone ranked it number three on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, describing it as “an enduring hymn of solace and promise that has carried us through extreme grief, from the shock of Lennon's own death in 1980 to the unspeakable horror of September 11th. It is now impossible to imagine a world without ‘Imagine’, and we need it more than he ever dreamed.” And isn’t that particularly true in light of the horrific events of the last two years?
Tell us in the comments below, what’s your favourite John Lennon or Beatles song?
Related links:
Unforgettable songs of the '60s
Paul McCartney and John Lennon’s secret feud
8 facts about The Beatles most people don’t know