John Lennon’s Eternal Love for The Beatles: Debunking Misconceptions
John Lennon was often accused of no longer caring about The Beatles. However, this is a gross misrepresentation of the man behind one of the most iconic music groups in history. While Lennon and George Harrison may have shifted their priorities, John’s passion and love for The Beatles remained steadfast.
John Lennon was always a huge fan of The Beatles and even during his time making Double Fantasy in 1980, he still talked about the band with great enthusiasm and affection. Jack Douglas, the producer who worked with Lennon on this album, spoke about Lennon’s deep connection to The Beatles. According to Jack, John was a huge fan and loved the band incredibly.
Jack Douglas's Recollections
During an interview with Beatlefan magazine in 1999, Jack Douglas provided insight into how John felt about The Beatles.
Q: Was John talking about touring at all?
Jack Douglas: Yes, yes. He loved the guys in The Beatles. He loved them. And he loved that band. And you know it was like his band. And I mean the way he went on about it…
Q: What was his plan?
Jack Douglas: Oh tremendous production including — and these have to be on some of the “Lost Lennon Tapes” or whatever they call them — his arrangements of songs that he said 'We never got right' which were “She Loves You” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand”.
Q: Were these plans to do these songs?
Jack Douglas: Yeah he was gonna do them. He was going “You know we never – we always wanted to do something like… but it never got done exactly the way we wanted to do it.”
Q: How did he want to differ from the original versions?
Jack Douglas: Maybe the tempo was a little different but it was more like ideas he had for what the rest of the band was gonna do. But that was gonna be in the show.
Q: So he was planning on including some Beatles songs in his performances?
Jack Douglas: Oh yeah absolutely.
Q: Was there any interference from Paul McCartney or Harrison?
Jack Douglas: It was McCartney. Paul called the studio, but Yoko didn’t allow the call to be placed through. McCartney was looking to spend time with John before his trip to Japan for some writing.
Q: What happened after that?
Jack Douglas: Well from what I heard and from what I heard from John as well, he was looking to get like hooked up with Paul before Paul went to Japan to do some writing. But after the sessions John never left the studio immediately. He always sat in the control room and usually took a little grass. He had an old opium pipe that was probably 500 years old and would say, “Is it all over?” because he would never do anything if they were working.
Jack continued: A few of us – I'd ride home with him because I only lived two blocks from him. He'd start talking, reminiscing about things, we'd listen to the radio and if a Beatles song came on, he'd talk about it.
But the one thing – the overwhelming feeling about the things that he was saying was that he loved the guys in that band more than anybody else. He was pissed off at George because George's book had come out and didn’t mention John. You know like 'How can he write a book about his life and not mention me? I’m the most important…' Yeah. But he loved the guys in The Beatles. He loved them. And he loved that band. And you know it was like his band. And I mean the way he went on about it…
Jack concluded: And he was looking to get hooked up with Paul, yeah. But yeah, that call came through and that didn't happen. And Paul went off and got in trouble. And when he got in trouble…
Yes. He didn't get the message from anyone. I think Yoko probably thought... I can't speak for Yoko. Maybe she thought it’d be a distraction. I don't think it would have been… Who knows what would have happened. But when Paul got busted for pot in Japan, we were in the studio when that call came in and he was in trouble. You oughta see John flippin' out. He was really upset.
Through these insights, it is clear that John Lennon never stopped caring about The Beatles. His passion and dedication to the band remained strong, even as he explored other projects and interests. He cherished the memories and the legacy of The Beatles, and even planned to revisit and re-imagine some of their most iconic songs.
Lennon's love for The Beatles is also evident in his constant reminiscence about the band, sharing and analyzing their songs, and even working to refine their legacy through the Lost Lennon Tapes. These recordings speak volumes about his ongoing affection for his former bandmates and the legacy they have left behind.
Further Reading
For a deeper dive into John Lennon's relationship with The Beatles and his creative vision for the future, you may want to explore the Lost Lennon Tapes and look into biographies and documentaries that discuss his collaborations and plans.
Keywords
John Lennon, The Beatles, Beatles Love, Double Fantasy, Lost Lennon Tapes