John Lennon Comments From 1975 Might Reveal His Attitude Towards The Beatles’ ‘Now and Then’
The Beatles‘ “Now and Then” was released as a single in 2023, decades after John Lennon’s death in 1980. We can never know for sure if the “Whatever Gets You Thru the Night” singer would have had an issue with his bandmates completing the record without him. However, a comment he made in 1975 suggests he would have been fine with it. In the same interview, he revealed what he thought of a rock star covering “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.”
John Lennon wanted unreleased Beatles songs to see the light of day
During a 1975 interview with Spin, John discussed unreleased Beatles tunes. “There are so many good singles that The Beatles wrote that were never released,” he revealed. “Why don’t people do them? It’s good for me; it’s good for Paul. It’s good for all of us.” From this comment, we can reasonably assume he would have wanted the unfinished demo of “Now and Then” to get completed.
He discussed playing on one of the most famous Beatles covers of all time: Elton John’s “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.” “Elton would have had a No. 1 record without me; he didn’t need me,” John opined. “And anyway, I was only [credited as] Dr. Winston O. Boogie on it ’cause they weren’t sure; and we didn’t have time to get real permission.”
John Lennon liked Elton John covering The Beatles’ ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’
John gave fans insight into the cover of “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and Beatles covers in general. “I was thrilled he [Elton] was doing it,” he said. “People are afraid of Beatle music. They are still afraid of my songs.
“Because they got that big image thing: You can’t do a Beatle number,” he added. “You can’t touch a Lennon song; only Lennon can do it. It’s garbage! Anybody can do anything. A few people in the past have done Beatle songs. But in general they feel you can’t touch them.”
How ‘Now and Then’ has performed on the pop charts thus far
So far, The Beatles’ “Now and Then” has become a minor hit in the United Kingdom. According to The Official Charts Company, “Now and Then” reached No. 42 there and has spent a week on the chart. The track appeared on an edition of the compilation album 1967-1970. That edition of the album has not charted in the U.K.
“Now and Then” has not charted on the Billboard Hot 100. The tune had only been available for purchase for a few days, so that might change. The new version of 1967-1970 hasn’t charted in the United States either. It would be exhilarating to watch a Beatles song shoot up the charts over 50 years since the band broke up, and to see them share chart space with current artists such as Taylor Swift and Doja Cat.
“Now and Then” might not become a huge hit in the United States, but it seems like John would have been fine with his bandmates completing the tune.
