The 3 Songs Elton John and John Lennon Worked on Together
Elton John and John Lennon formed a strong friendship during the early 1970s. While Lennon was in his “Lost Weekend” era, he met with the “Tiny Dancer” to collaborate on some music together. Their studio sessions led to three songs, with two hitting No. 1 on the charts. Here are three songs Elton John and John Lennon collaborated on.
‘One Day (At a Time)’
“One Day (At a Time)” was originally released by John Lennon on his 1973 album Mind Games. The track features a rare falsetto lead vocal performance by Lennon, which he says was the idea of Yoko Ono.
“Well, that’s just a concept of life, you know. How to live life,” Lennon told Playboy in 1980. “It was Yoko’s idea for me to sing it all falsetto.”
Another version was released in the 1998 John Lennon Anthology without the falsetto. It wasn’t a song Lennon seemed particularly fond of, but Elton John thought differently. John recorded the song as the B-side to his “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” single. Lennon does contribute vocals and guitar to the track, but it’s hard to hear his contributions.
‘Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds’
“Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” is an iconic song that Lennon wrote for The Beatles. While many believe the track to be a subtle endorsement of LSD, the former Beatle said it was based on a drawing from his son, Julian. Elton John wanted to record a cover of this song, and he received help from John Lennon. However, the “Imagine” singer didn’t want to steal John’s thunder and contributed his part under the name Dr. Winston O’Boogie.
While most still remember The Beatles’ version of this song, John’s cover was a hit when it debuted in 1974. The cover reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and No. 10 on the U.K. singles chart. While many love his version, he doesn’t perform it live often as it reminds too much of Lennon, who died in 1980.
‘Whatever Gets You Through the Night’
“Whatever Gets You Through the Night” debuted in 1974 and earned the former Beatle his only No. 1 hit in the U.S. during his lifetime. Elton John provides harmony vocals and piano on the track and made a bet with John Lennon that the song would reach No. 1. Lennon disagreed, and he lost the bet. As punishment, he had to join John on stage and perform the track live with him.
Lennon made a surprise appearance with John at a concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In the documentary John Lennon at 80, Elton said Lennon was “terrified” to go on stage and almost became “physically sick.” However, he overcame his nerves and managed to perform three songs with Sir Elton: “Whatever Gets You Through the Night”, “I Saw Her Standing There”, and “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.”
Fortunately, Lennon did lose that bet as his surprise MSG performance was his final major concert appearance before his death. It was rare to get a Lennon feature on anything, but Sir Elton and Lennon were able to create magic together.
