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After The Beatles broke up, John Lennon publicly voiced his frustration and derision for the group. He disparaged their music, including songs he wrote, and insulted his former bandmates. He also was reportedly the first to inform the band that he wanted to step away from them. Despite all this, Lennon admitted that he didn’t think their break up would be permanent. He noted that the band dynamic was always open, so this didn’t feel all that different.

Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, and George Harrison of The Beatles stand on a rooftop and play small instruments.
John Lennon | Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

John Lennon said he didn’t think The Beatles’ breakup would be permanent

After the band broke up, each former member embarked on a solo career. While, over the years, they all scoffed at the idea of a Beatles reunion, Lennon was less certain about this shortly after the breakup. In a 1970 interview, he, unsurprisingly, was asked if The Beatles would record together again.

“I’ve no idea if The Beatles will work together again, or not,” he said, per The Beatles Diary Volume 2: After The Breakup. “I never really have. It was always open. If somebody didn’t feel like it … that’s it!

Still, he admitted that he thought there was a greater chance they would get back together than stay apart.

“It could be a rebirth or death,” he said. “We’ll see what it is. It’ll probably be a rebirth.”

John Lennon later changed his attitude about a Beatles reunion

Soon after, though, Lennon had changed his attitude about a potential Beatles reunion. He said it was better for each member to focus on their solo careers. He also noted that people clamoring for a reunion likely didn’t understand the band in the first place.

“For the ones who want to relive it, ‘Resurrect the Beatles’ and all,” he told Playboy, per the book The Love You Make. “for those who didn’t understand the Beatles and the sixties in the first place, what the f*** are we going to do for them now? Do we have to divide the fish and the loaves for the multitudes again? Do we have to get crucified again? Do we have to do the walking on water again because a whole pile of dummies didn’t see it the first time or didn’t believe it when they saw it? That’s what they’re asking; ‘Get off the cross. I didn’t understand it the first time. Can you do it again?’ No way!”

Here, Lennon describes his time with a band as an experience he would never want to relive.

A reunion likely wouldn’t have worked out

Lennon’s death in 1980 officially put to rest hopes that the band would reunite. In the decade after they broke up, though, many wished for a reunion tour or new music from The Beatles. This likely would not have worked out.

While the individual members worked together over the years, a full-scale reunion would have fallen apart. They fought for creative control while in the band together. After each experiencing success in their solo careers, the reunion would see their egos clashing once again, likely to a more intense degree. George Harrison would likely want more songwriting credits, which Lennon and McCartney had been unwilling to give him. In addition, after working on their own, they may have struggled to fit back together as a group.

Beyond that, they had argued fiercely over business relations following the split. While they had reformed friendships, their relationships may not have handled the strain of all working together again.

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