Queen’s Brian May Regrets Never Working With John Lennon

Only a few artists were lucky enough to work with John Lennon. He primarily worked solo after The Beatles disbanded, but he did some collaborations with artists such as Elton John and David Bowie. While Queen became a prominent band during the 1970s, guitarist Brian May never had the opportunity to work with John Lennon before his death. 

Brian May says he regrets never working with John Lennon

Queen formed in 1970, the same year The Beatles disbanded. They released their debut album, Queen, in 1973 and received international fame with their 1975 album, A Night at the Opera. Their new level of fame gave them opportunities to collaborate with other bands and artists, leading to hits like “Under Pressure” with David Bowie. 

While Queen lost Freddie Mercury when he died in 1991, May has had a long career as an acclaimed guitarist, working with many excellent musicians. In an interview with The Guardian, the guitarist said he rarely turns down an opportunity to work with other artists, and he would have loved to work with Lennon. 

“I very seldom turn down a collaboration. A regret is that I didn’t get the chance to work with John Lennon,” May admitted. “The Beatles didn’t always agree, they were always pulling and pushing – a bit like us and Queen – and I think John would be such a stronger pusher and puller. You’d have to work really hard to keep up, to believe in your instincts. I could imagine us hitting it off.”

May said he would have loved to have been in The Beatles

John Lennon and Brian May might never have crossed paths, but they were both parts of influential bands from the U.K. The Beatles took over the world in the 1960s and set the stage for other bands, like The Rolling Stones, The Who, and Queen, to become stars in international countries. Their successful singles and albums dominated the charts and changed how music was marketed and distributed. 

Queen followed on their heels, and while their music never sold as well as The Beatles, they were influential in other areas. The band sounded so unique with their style that infused so many different instruments and sounds into a more glamorous rock experience. Freddie Mercury’s booming voice and energy also changed how eccentric a band’s performance could be. While May was in a legendary band, he still would have loved to have been a Beatle. 

“I’m sure it wouldn’t have been easy to be a Beatle, but that incredible level of creativity, I would relate to,” May explained. “I watched a lot of Get Back. I got a bit sad watching the first one because it reminded me of us – sometimes Queen in the studio would be, ‘Here we are, and things aren’t quite fitting.’ I felt they were in quite a painful place – but the second one, I felt like they were really finding each other again. It’s a textbook of how to be in a studio. If it wasn’t the Beatles, it could’ve been Led Zeppelin. If they let me in.”