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John Lennon’s Son Clarifies Father’s Post-Beatles Joy, Citing Disenchantment with Fame, Not Music
Decades after John Lennon famously expressed that his post-Beatles career brought him the greatest joy, his son, Sean Ono Lennon, has offered a new perspective on those remarks. Despite The Beatles’ meteoric rise to global superstardom in the 1960s and their status as a premier musical phenomenon, Lennon’s feelings about his time in the band, which largely concluded with Paul McCartney’s departure in the early 1970s, appear to have been more complex than previously understood.
While establishing himself as a solo artist in America alongside his wife, Yoko Ono, Lennon performed two “One to One” benefit concerts at Madison Square Garden in 1972, raising funds for children with disabilities. Following these performances, he declared, “That Madison Square Garden gig was the best music I enjoyed playing since the Cavern or even Hamburg.”
However, during a recent conversation with BBC Radio 6 Music host Chris Hawkins, Sean Ono Lennon addressed whether his father’s statement suggested a “fallout with music.” Sean dismissed this notion, suggesting there was “a bit of a myth around that.” He clarified that his father’s sentiments likely reflected a disillusionment with “a certain kind of fame” and the “machinery of a pop machine.”
“I think he’d fallen out of love with having to be part of the machinery of a pop machine,” Sean explained. “I think that was, even though he was always rebellious within that framework, I think that he still resented… having to be a Beatle in a way. I think he really wanted to move on from that.”
Lennon was often candidly critical of The Beatles’ endeavors, both in and out of the studio, frequently voicing negative views even after the band’s split. His dissatisfaction extended to their entire discography, as recounted by producer George Martin, often dubbed the “fifth Beatle.” Martin recalled a conversation where Lennon expressed a radical desire to re-record every single Beatles song.
“I’d like to do everything we’ve done over again,” Martin remembered Lennon saying. When Martin questioned if he thought they “didn’t do anything right,” Lennon reportedly responded, “Most of what we did was c—.”
Even iconic tracks like “Strawberry Fields” were not spared his critique, which “floored” Martin. However, Martin noted that Lennon’s grand visions often remained “dreams” that never materialized into reality.
The 1972 Madison Square Garden “One to One” concerts, which also featured performances from Stevie Wonder and Yoko Ono, were a significant success, generating a substantial $1.5 million for charity.
Lennon’s live appearances became increasingly infrequent in the years that followed. His final significant performance before a large audience took place on November 28, 1974, when he joined Elton John on stage, also at Madison Square Garden. This appearance reportedly stemmed from a wager John had lost with Elton John, agreeing to perform if Elton’s song “Whatever Gets You Thru The Night” reached number one, which it ultimately did.