It’s no secret that John Lennon was a talented songwriter, with a decades-long career that changed the trajectory of modern music.
The musician wrote dozens of songs with his bandmate Paul McCartney that have since become classics, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t regret it.
There was even one early Beatles song that Lennon was so “ashamed” of that he once admitted he wished he’d never written it at all.
Lennon said the hit, written for the Beatles’ release “Help!” from 1965, had ‘disgusting lyrics’ that he was ‘so ashamed of’ that he could ‘barely sing them’.
The song in question is, perhaps surprisingly, ‘It’s Only Love’.
It was written by both Lennon and McCartney – an underrated song that describes a romantic relationship, with simple lyrics and an undeniably catchy chorus.
“It’s only love, and that’s all, but it’s so hard to love you,” the lyrics say.
But Lennon harbored a hatred for the song – which had the working title ‘That’s A Nice Hat’ – which was once significant. Go to Parader magazine: ‘That’s the only song I really hate of mine. Terrible lyrics.’
It’s no secret that John Lennon (above) was a talented songwriter, with a decades-long career that changed the trajectory of modern music
The musician co-wrote dozens of songs with his bandmate Paul McCartney (together above) that have since become classics – but that doesn’t mean they didn’t regret it
He also described “It’s Only Love” as “the most embarrassing song I’ve ever written.”
Lennon explained, “Everything rhymed. Disgusting lyrics. Even then, I was so ashamed of the lyrics that I could barely sing them.
“That was a song I really wished I’d never written.”
But his co-writer McCartney was more forgiving about the song, which appeared in the second half of Help! – a studio album that accompanied a film of the same name.
He said: ‘Sometimes we didn’t fight it when the lyrics came out kind of lame on some of those filler songs like “It’s Only Love”.
“If a lyric was really bad, we’d edit it, but we weren’t too picky about it because it’s just a rock ‘n’ roll song. I mean, this isn’t literature.’
Although McCartney describes the song as filler, it is important to consider the context in which it was written: the height of so-called ‘Beatlemania’ in the 1960s.
Staff! accompanied a film of the same name and was the last of five albums The Beatles had released in just two years.
There was one early Beatles song that Lennon was so “ashamed” of that he once admitted he wished he’d never written it.
‘It’s Only Love’ was written by both Lennon and McCartney – an underrated song describing a romantic relationship, with simple lyrics and an undeniably catchy chorus
They started in March 1963 with Please Please Me, followed in November by With The Beatles. The critically acclaimed A Hard Day’s Night came in 1964, as did Beatles For Sale.
It was in 1965 that the band Help! released, before sharing a sixth album Rubber Soul just four months later.
Given the breadth of the songwriting – and the fact that Lennon was in his early 20s and at the very beginning of his career – it is not surprising that he has identified a ‘weakness’.
The track is also representative of the band at the time: a group of young men who wanted to write fun rock ‘n’ roll songs to get people dancing.
Lennon harbored a hatred for the song – which had the working title ‘That’s A Nice Hat’ – when he told Hit Parader magazine: ‘That’s the only song of mine that I really hate. Terrible lyrics’
He also described ‘It’s Only Love’ as ‘the most embarrassing song I’ve ever written’
Lennon explained, “Everything rhymed. Disgusting lyrics. Even then I was so ashamed of the lyrics that I could barely sing them’
As they grew older and more practiced, their artistry grew with bold concept albums – such as Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, released in 1967.
That said, “It’s Only Love” is not loved by fans, with many writing on social media that it was “one of the best songs” Lennon ever wrote.
One person said: ‘For 99% of bands this would be their ultimate masterpiece, for The Beatles it’s an underrated gem.’
Another explained: ‘John’s voice is just so raw and emotional with this song. One of the best songs John ever wrote.’
His co-writer McCartney was more forgiving about the song, which appeared in the second half of Help! – a studio album that accompanied a film of the same name
‘It’s Only Love’ is not liked by fans, with many writing on social media that it was ‘one of the best songs’ Lennon ever wrote
One person said: ‘For 99% of bands this would be their ultimate masterpiece, for The Beatles it’s an underrated gem’
‘It’s Only Love’ was recorded in June 1965 and took only six takes to get it right
A third said: ‘I don’t care what John thought, this was a great song.’
“This song is so underrated. Even John hated it. I love it,” another fan added.
‘It’s Only Love’ was recorded in June 1965 and took only six takes to get it right.
Lennon decided to double track his vocals on the sixth take, and five guitars were included to complete the two-minute song: three electric guitars, two acoustic guitars, and George Harrison’s 12-string Rickenbacker.
Another explained: ‘John’s voice is just so raw and emotional with this song. One of the best songs John ever wrote’