John Lennon’s Son Contrasted the Former Beatle’s Work With 1 Jimi Hendrix Song
TL;DR:
- John Lennon’s son, Sean Ono Lennon, revealed he is a fan of Jimi Hendrix.
- He said a live performance of one of Hendrix’s songs meant a lot to him.
- Sean discussed what he thought about his parents’ music.
John Lennon’s son, Sean Ono Lennon discussed his parents’ music. Subsequently, he revealed footage of Jimi Hendrix performing one of his songs had a big impact on him. He contrasted his views of Hendrix’s music with his views of his parents’ music.
John Lennon’s son said a live performance of 1 of Jimi Hendrix’s songs represented a period of his life
During a 2015 interview with Humanity, Sean was asked if any of the music his father or Yoko Ono made had a particular impact on him. “I think it’s different for me,” he said.
“It’s like somebody might be a fan, like I’m a fan of Jimi Hendrix, you know,” he continued. “There is a performance that he did of the song ‘Machine Gun’ that sort of represents a period of my life in a certain way that’s really important to me, but when it’s your parents, it doesn’t really feel the same way.”
John Lennon’s son discussed why his parents’ music stands out from other political music from other artists
Sean ruminated more on his parents’ art. “It’s not like you stumble upon some aspect of their work and it resonates with you the way you would with your favorite musician or your favorite film,” he said. “With your parents it’s like everything they are is a part of you, you know, it’s in your cellular structure.
“So it’s harder to identify or pinpoint certain ideas or certain lyrics or certain pieces of work that might represent something to you, because everything they did is inside you,” he continued. “It’s like trying to identify your face from your mouth and your heart.” Sean opined his parents were really good at merging their politics and their art without sounding condescending.
How Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Machine Gun’ performed on the pop charts in the United States and the United Kingdom
“Machine Gun” was never a single, so it did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100. The tune appeared on the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s album Band of Gypsys. The album reached No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the chart for 61 weeks, making it one of the band’s most successful albums. While the album is a classic, it unfortunately uses a slur for the Romani people in its title.
According to The Official Charts Company, “Machine Gun” never charted in the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, Band of Gypsys reached No. 6 and spent a total of 22 weeks on the chart.
“Machine Gun” isn’t one of Hendrix’s more popular songs; however, it meant something to Sean.
