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TL;DR:

  • One of John Lennon’s songs was almost called “Make Love Not War.”
  • John explained why he decided not to give the track that title.
  • He said the song was about his feelings regarding romantic love.
Graffiti reading "Make Love Not War" near a peace sign
Graffiti reading “Make Love Not War” | Mike Kemp / Contributor

One of John Lennon‘s songs was originally called “Make Love Not War.” Subsequently, John felt he couldn’t use that title for a very specific reason. One of John’s sons is a huge fan of the track in question.

John Lennon said he was trying to become less political when he created 1 of his albums

The book Lennon on Lennon: Conversations with John Lennon includes an interview from 1975. In it, John discussed the origins of his album Mind Games.

He said the album came at an interim period in his life. He said he was trying to transition from being very political to just being a musician again when he made Mind Games. After making Mind Games, John was tired of trying to be an intellectual and just wanted to have some fun.

John Lennon couldn’t call 1 of his songs ‘Make Love Not War’ because he thought that slogan was cliched

The book All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono includes an interview from 1980. In it, John was asked about the title track from Mind Games. “It was originally called ‘Make Love Not War,’ but that was such a cliche that you couldn’t say it anymore, so I wrote it obscurely, but it’s all the same story,” he said. “How many times can you say the same thing over and over?” For context, “Make Love Not War” was a famous counterculture slogan from the Vietnam War era.

John contrasted the 1960s and the 1970s. “When this came out, in the early ’70s, everybody was starting to say the ’60s was a joke, it didn’t mean anything, those love-and-peaceniks were idiots,” he said. “‘We all have to face the reality of being nasty human beings who are born evil and everything’s gonna be lousy and rotten so boo-hoo-hoo … ‘ ‘We had fun in the ’60s,’ they said, ‘but the others took it away from us and spoiled it all for us.’ And I was trying to say: ‘No, just keep doin’ it.'”

John revealed the meaning of the song. He said the message of “Mind Games” is that trying to possess people often drives them away. He compared love to a flower, saying one has to let love grow.

John Lennon’s son, Sean Ono Lennon, wearing glasses
John Lennon’s son, Sean Ono Lennon | Paul Bergen / Contributor

The former Beatle’s son had a very positive reaction to the song

According to a Rolling Stone article, John enjoyed “Mind Games.” He liked the way his voice sounded in stereo. Furthermore, he liked that the bridge of the song sounded like reggae music.

During a 2020 interview with Rolling Stone, John’s son, Sean Ono Lennon, said “Mind Games” was one of his father’s greatest songs. He said the track featured some of his dad’s best work as a composer. He compared the track to the music of The Beatles and Johann Sebastian Bach.

“Mind Games” could have had a different title but Sean loves the song as it is.

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