John Lennon Had a Strong Opinion About Artists Covering Beatles Songs
The Beatles are arguably the most famous music act ever, and their music has been covered by other artists since they emerged in the 1960s. Songs like “Let it Be” and “Yesterday” have been covered hundreds of times by famous artists or amateur singers on YouTube. People have been sharing their own versions of Beatles songs for a while, and John Lennon once shared his opinion on other artists covering their songs.
Many artists have made famous covers of Beatles songs
The Beatles have a lengthy discography of music containing many of the most memorable songs in rock history. Other artists have tried to capitalize on the popularity of these songs by providing their own renditions. Covers like Elton John’s “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds,” Rufus Wainwright’s “Across the Universe,” and “Johnny Cash’s “In My Life” provide a different sound while still paying homage to the original.
Other covers can reinvent the song, transitioning it into another genre and giving it new meaning. Aretha Franklin’s “Eleanor Rigby” and Stevie Wonder’s “We Can Work it Out” took The Beatles’ music and gave it the Motown R&B sound, more upbeat and funky instrumentation. Joe Cocker performed a blues rendition of “With a Little Help From My Friends,” and his version may be more recognizable than the original.
John Lennon loved other artists covering Beatles’ songs
John Lennon and Paul McCartney created most of the Beatles’ music, and many were aware of the iconic status of these songs. However, Lennon was a fan of other artists covering his music, even though he was aware of the lofty expectations. He even assisted Elton John with his “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” cover. In an interview with Spin, Lennon said he wants other artists to cover The Beatles and possibly cover songs the band never released.
“I love it. I was thrilled he [Elton] was doing it. 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 … 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. And there are so many good singles that the Beatles wrote that were never released. Why don’t people do them? It’s good for me; it’s good for Paul. It’s good for all of us. And Elton would have had a No. 1 record without me; he didn’t need me. And anyway, I was only Dr. Winston O. Boogie on it … ’cause they weren’t sure, and we didn’t have time to get real permission.”
‘Yesterday’ is the most covered song of all time
According to Guinness World Records, The Beatles are the most covered music act ever, being covered 4,136 times in 2018. “Yesterday” is the most covered song by the band, with versions recorded by Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Marvin Gaye, Ray Charles, and Bob Dylan. According to The Post, the song has been covered approximately 2,200 times since its release in 1965.
