John Lennon’s Son Said 1 of His Dad’s Hits Was His Favorite Song as a Kid
John Lennon‘s son, Sean Ono Lennon, enjoys many of his father’s songs. During an interview, Sean revealed one of his father’s solo hits was his favorite song when he was a kid. Furthermore, Sean discussed his interpretation of the song’s lyrics.
John Lennon’s son listened to 1 of the former Beatle’s songs ‘over and over again’
John collaborated with Yoko Ono on several of his albums. Perhaps the most famous album they made together was 1980’s Double Fantasy. Double Fantasy includes classic hits like “Woman” and “(Just Like) Starting Over.” During a 2020 interview with Rolling Stone, Sean said many fans consider one song the highlight of the album.
“Whenever I talk about Double Fantasy with anyone, the most common favorite is ‘Watching the Wheels,'” he said. “It was actually my favorite song as a kid, too. I used to listen to it over and over and over again, and I didn’t know what it was about at the time.”
How John Lennon’s son interprets the lyrics of ‘Watching the Wheels’
Speaking with Rolling Stone, Sean said the lyrics of “Watching the Wheels” reflect John’s personal life at the time.
“Looking back on it, it’s clearly about that time,” he told the publication. “Taking that time off and just being a house dad. And people may be saying, ‘Why did you stop being a rock star?’ And him saying essentially, ‘I’m happier than I was when I was doing that, because I’m at home, I’ve got a family and I’m doing what’s important, and it’s more important.'”
Sean felt the lyrics of “Watching the Wheels” have some similarities to the lyrics of “God” from the album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band.
“I think he was touching upon with ‘God,’ that love and family are ultimately more important than anything else, and I think that’s true,” Sean opined. “I think anyone would say that ultimately in the end, what counts is the people you love.”
Sean said “Watching the Wheels” is still one of his favorite songs by his father and he praised the feel of the song.
“I think ‘Watching the Wheels’ is just musically so vibe-y, but it has a kind of depth and melancholy to it,” Sean told Rolling Stone.
Sean felt the song could have been the start of a new musical path for his father, saying, “My dad had come up with almost like a new style of music for himself that wasn’t contrived. It just naturally came out of him.”
The way the world reacted to ‘Watching the Wheels’
Sean wasn’t the only one who enjoyed “Watching the Wheels.” The Official Charts Company reports the song reached No. 30 in the United Kingdom. It lasted on the chart for six weeks. Meanwhile, Double Fantasy hit No. 1 in the U.K. for two weeks. It stayed on the chart for 36 weeks in total.
Since then, a number of artists covered “Watching the Wheels.” Chris Cornell, Gwen Guthrie, and The Samples each took a crack at it. “Watching the Wheels” remains a classic song with a positive message.
