John Lennon Said He Was Perceived as a ‘Drunken Idiot’ When He Made This Album

John Lennon said people perceived him as a “drunken idiot” when he made one of his post-Beatles albums. The album only produced one hit — and it was a love song. In fact, it was a cover of one of the most famous love songs of all time.

John Lennon revealed what it was like to cover 1950s and 1960s songs for 1 of his albums

In 1975, John released a covers album loaded with 1950s and 1960s rock and pop standards called Rock ‘n’ Roll. It was his only record completely composed of covers. During a 1980 interview from the book All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono, he discussed what it was like to cover songs by Buddy Holly and other artists from that era. “I remember those,” he said.

“I don’t remember the chords or the lyrics or anything of The Beatles stuff,” he revealed. “So my repertoire is that. I still go back to the stuff The Beatles performed before they wrote, you see. I would still enjoy doing it.”

The ‘Imagine’ singer felt people didn’t really listen to his album properly

The “Imagine” singer discussed how he was perceived when he released Rock ‘n’ Roll. “There is so much of that ‘Oh, well, John is supposed to have things to say,'” he said. “I got locked into that business. I think, because of the way I had been behaving publicly, people got into the habit of reviewing my lifestyle and not my music. 

“So nobody really listened to the album,” he opined. “It was more, ‘That drunken idiot made a record, ha-ha-ha.’ So I don’t think many people really listened to it without seeing a guy with a Tampax on his head. So maybe [laughing] in the future … If I forget about the way it was made and just hear it, it ain’t so bad.”

How John Lennon’s ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’ and ‘Stand by Me’ performed on the charts

Rock ‘n’ Roll became a modest hit in the United States. It climbed to No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the chart for 15 weeks. The record produced one single: a cover of Ben E. King’s “Stand by Me.” The track reached No. 20 and remained on the chart for nine weeks. King’s version of the song would only grow in stature thanks to the Stephen King adaptation Stand by Me starring River Phoenix and Wil Wheaton.

According to The Official Charts Company, Rock ‘n’ Roll peaked at No. 6 in the United Kingdom and spent a total of 28 weeks on the chart. John’s “Stand by Me” hit No. 30, lasting seven weeks on the chart. “Stand by Me” has inspired numerous covers over the years, and John’s remains the most famous. Considering it’s a love song and John didn’t release many love songs as singles, it stands out in his catalog of hits.

Rock ‘n’ Roll was a hit album even if John’s public relations weren’t great when he released it.