John Lennon Once Explained Why The Beatles Reuniting Would Never Happen, and He Was 100% Right
John Lennon and The Beatles gave their fans a rare gift — a sustained creative peak that began almost as soon as the band debuted and lasted until they broke up. The Fab Four transformed from writing saccharine pop tunes to lengthier experimental songs. John even bragged about pioneering one recording trick before anyone else. Fans surely pined for a reunion when they disintegrated in 1970, but John was right when he explained why The Beatles had no shot at reuniting.
John Lennon once explained why The Beatles had no chance at reuniting: ‘That’s just how it is’
If the last 60 years or so have shown us anything, it’s that The Beatles created music that seems destined to endure. They proved equally capable of writing short and sweet pop songs like “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and first-wave psychedelic rock like “Tomorrow Never Knows.”
Still, as the 1960s wore on, the pressure to continue churning out hits remained. Internal tensions mounted, and the Fab Four’s foundation started cracking. Lennon and Paul McCartney continued to write most of the tunes, leading to some frustration from budding songwriter George Harrison. Ringo Starr was bored recording 1967’s Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band since he felt more like a session musician.
John knew the end was coming long before it arrived in 1970, as Express reported:
“[B]y the time The Beatles were at their peak, we were cutting each other down to size. We were limiting our capacity to write and perform by fitting it into some kind of format, and that’s why it caused trouble. I knew I wouldn’t be doing the same thing. It just doesn’t work like that. It’s like a rugby team. Sometimes you just have to get married and leave the boys on a Saturday night. That’s just how it is.”
John Lennon describes why The Beatles had to break up
John, who once compared The Beatles’ breakup to falling in love, never intended to see The Beatles reunite, and that was the right choice to make.
John made the right call shooting down a Beatles reunion
The aftermath of the 1970 split made it clear The Beatles couldn’t have stayed together much longer.
They all had solo albums in the works, signaling each member anticipated and even looked forward to the split. Paul released his first solo album before The Beatles officially split. (Which led to him kicking Ringo Starr out of his house). Ringo released two albums in 1970, including one that beat Macca’s first salvo into stores. John and George put out their solo debuts the same year.
Reuniting as The Beatles in the 70s would have been insanely lucrative, but John said there was no putting the puzzle back together once they took it apart, per Express. “[P]ersonally I don’t see any reason to form that group again. Paul has his new band, I have a new band, no doubt George will have a band, and Ringo will have a band.”
John was right to dismiss talks of reuniting soon after the split.
Each Beatle finally being in charge of his own work satisfied their personal creative interests. John and Paul didn’t have to share writing credits. George didn’t have to fight to get his songs on albums, and Ringo had an opportunity to escape the shadow of his bandmates. Once they tasted that freedom, going back to collaborating again would have felt unnatural.
Plus, The Beatles packed a lot into a relatively short time together.
The quartet toured, recorded albums, shot films, made talk show appearances, and did endless press conferences nearly nonstop from 1962 to 1966. They traded touring for intensive studio experimentation in 1966. Landmark albums such as Revolver, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and Abbey Road resulted. Their time together appeared short, but it was intense.
Reuniting the Fab Four would have been a crass decision
Most of all, a Beatles reunion would have felt crass, especially the longer they waited.
Getting back together in 1971, even for a one-off performance, would have felt too soon. John’s lost weekend began in mid-1973, a year in which Paul released two albums with Wings. George put out Living in the Material World, and Ringo released his self-titled third solo album that year.
John committed himself to being a family man when emerged from his lost weekend in 1975. The Beatles were 10 years in the past by the time he started making music again in 1980 after a five-year break. At that point, John and The Beatles reuniting would have appeared like a money grab, no matter how sincere the intentions were. They protected their lofty legacy by not getting back together.
John closed the door on reuniting with The Beatles soon after they broke up, and it was the right choice.
The Beatles did get back together on one album — sort of
Ringo once contributed to another band’s classic album without picking up his drumsticks. Ringo, which achieved Recording Industry Association of America gold status shortly after its November 1973 release and remains the drummer’s only platinum record, saw all members of the Fab Four contribute.
John wrote album opener “I’m the Greatest,” on which he played piano and George played guitar. George wrote three songs: “Sunshine Life for Me (Sail Away Raymond),” “You and Me Babe” (with Mal Evans), and the Billboard No. 1 single “Photograph,” which he co-wrote with Ringo. Paul wrote “Six O’Clock” for the album.
John Lennon said The Beatles reuniting after they broke up would never happen. He was 100% right to stick to his guns so each of the Fab Four could move on.
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