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TL;DR:

  • John Lennon’s son, Sean Ono Lennon, worked on a compilation of some of the former Beatle’s songs.
  • He said one of the songs in the collection reminded him of music by Johann Sebastian Bach.
  • The song became an international hit.
The Beatles' John Lennon wearing glasses
The Beatles’ John Lennon | Ron Howard/Redferns

John Lennon‘s son, Sean Ono Lennon, named two of his favorite songs by the former Beatle. He said one of them reminded him of music by Johann Sebastian Bach. In addition, he said that track was akin to a Möbius strip.

John Lennon’s son said 1 of the former Beatle’s songs sounded more like The Beatles than his previous solo tracks

Sean worked on a compilation of his father’s solo songs called Gimme Some Truth. The Ultimate Mixes. During a 2020 interview with Rolling Stone, Sean discussed some of the songs included in the collection. He praised a number of the songs, including “Mind Games.”

“There’s something in ‘Mind Games’ that’s more Beatle-esque, I think, than anything he had done so far in the solo work,” Sean opined. “It has this kind of descending Bach bass line, but it doesn’t sound like The Beatles either. To me, it’s a remarkable song. It’s like his songwriting is still evolving.”

Why Sean Ono Lennon felt ‘Mind Games’ was so unconventional

Sean further elaborated on why he enjoys “Mind Games.” “‘Mind Games’ is this beautiful composition,” he said. “It’s almost like a Möbius strip, because it loops back on itself. It’s like ‘God‘ in that it doesn’t have a discernible chorus. So it’s an unconventional song structure.

“But in this case, it’s very pop, it’s very musical — I don’t think you have to be edgy to like it,” Sean added. “I always thought his guitar line was strings, but it’s not. It’s just him on guitar.”

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How John Lennon’s ‘Mind Games’ performed on the charts in the United States and the United Kingdom

“Mind Games” became a modest hit in the United States. The track peaked at No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 13 weeks. The song appeared on the album of the same name. Mind Games was even more popular than its title track, reaching No. 9 on the Billboard 200 and remaining on the chart for 31 weeks.

According to The Official Charts Company, “Mind Games” became similarly successful in the United Kingdom. There, the track reached No. 26 and lasted nine weeks on the chart. Meanwhile, the album of the same name hit No. 13 and stayed on the chart for 12 weeks.

“Mind Games” spawned a number of covers. Sinéad O’Connor, Arcade Fire, Kevin Spacey, and George Clinton each performed the track. “Mind Games” wasn’t one of John’s most popular songs but it clearly had an impact on Sean.

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