John Lennon Once Revealed the Part of Songwriting He Found ‘Phony’
Many songwriters like to write with their own voices, which could be seen in much of John Lennon’s work. Following his departure from The Beatles, the artist began writing songs that expressed his personal beliefs and drew from his personal experiences. John Lennon once revealed a part of songwriting that he found “phony” and was able to avoid this phoniness in his solo career.
John Lennon enjoys songwriting that is more personal
In a 1971 interview with Rolling Stone, Lennon discussed his first solo album, John Lennon/Plastic Solo Band. The former Beatle called the album the best thing he had ever done, mainly because of how personal the album was to him. He says he did write personal songs with The Beatles, including “Help” and “Strawberry Fields,” but his solo career gave him more opportunities to speak from the heart.
“I think it’s realistic and it’s true to the me that has been developing over the years from my life. ‘I’m a Loser,’ ‘Help,’ ‘Strawberry Fields,’ they are all personal records. I always wrote about me when I could. I didn’t really enjoy writing third person songs about people who lived in concrete flats and things like that. I like first person music. But because of my hang-ups and many other things, I would only now and then specifically write about me. Now I wrote all about me and that’s why I like it. It’s me! And nobody else. That’s why I like it. It’s real, that’s all.”
Lennon believes writing stories in songs feels ‘phony’
John Lennon also reveals that he believes projecting himself into other situations and writing stories about it felt “phony.” This could be a shot at many of the songs he wrote with The Beatles, as they were often stories about other people. Lennon says he would write this way sometimes because it was easier to create a story than think about his personal situation.
“I don’t know about anything else, really, and the few true songs I ever wrote were like “Help” and “Strawberry Fields.” I can’t think of them all offhand. They were the ones I always considered my best songs. They were the ones I really wrote from experience and not projecting myself into a situation and writing a nice story about it. I always found that phony, but I’d find occasion to do it because I’d be so hung up, I couldn’t even think about myself.”
Lennon was able to express himself best in rock
Lennon is an iconic figure in rock and roll history, and his lyrics were often inspired by rock music. The artist told Rolling stone that he enjoyed “simple rock” because it allowed him to share his voice better than anything else.
“Well, I’ve always liked simple rock. There’s a great one in England now, “I Hear You Knocking.” I liked the “Spirit in the Sky” a few months back. I always liked simple rock and nothing else. I was influenced by acid and got psychedelic, like the whole generation, but really, I like rock & roll, and I express myself best in rock. I had a few ideas to do this with “Mother” and that with “Mother,” but when you just hear, the piano does it all for you, your mind can do the rest. I think the backings on mine are as complicated as the backings on any record you’ve ever heard if you’ve got an ear.”
Lennon has many songs with incredible lyrics. Even many of the ones he wrote for The Beatles contain his voice that gives it a personal touch.
