John Lennon Felt He Sang Better Without The Beatles: ‘We Inhibited Each Other a Lot’
John Lennon served as the lead singer for many songs by The Beatles. Following the band’s split, he then wrote and performed many of his own songs as a solo artist. In one of his first interviews following his departure from The Beatles, Lennon admitted that he sang better without the other band members.
John Lennon sang a majority of songs for The Beatles
John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote and performed most of The Beatles’ music. Lennon sang 109 tracks, while McCartney comes in at a close second with 98 songs. Lennon and McCartney also shared the vocals on songs like “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “A Hard Day’s Night.”
Many of the tracks Lennon performed include “Twist and Shout,” “In My Life,” “Strawberry Fields Forever,” “Revolution,” “Ticket to Ride,” and “Help!”. Many of these songs performed well on the charts, with a few reaching No. 1 in the U.S. and the U.K.
Lennon believed he sang better without The Beatles
In a 1971 interview with Rolling Stone, John Lennon discussed moving on from The Beatles with his solo career and his first solo album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. The “Imagine” singer said it was often “embarrassing” performing in front of McCartney and George Harrison because they were often critical of one another, leading to more limiting performances.
“It’s probably better because I have the whole time to myself, you know. I mean, I’m pretty good at home with the tapes. This time it was my album, and it used to get a bit embarrassing in front of George and Paul, because we know each other so well. We used to be a bit supercritical of each other, so we inhibited each other a lot. And now I have Yoko there, and Phil there, alternatively and together, who sort of love me so that I can perform better, and I’m relaxed. I’ve got a whole studio at home now, and I think it will be better next time, because that is even less inhibiting than going to E.M.I. It’s like that, but the looseness of the singing was developing on “Cold Turkey” from the experience of Yoko’s singing. You see, she does not inhibit her throat.”
Lennon called his first album the “best thing I’d ever done’
In addition to being able to sing more freely without The Beatles, John Lennon felt Plastic Ono Band was the best accomplishment in his music career at that point. Another reason why he loved the album was that it allowed him to write more personal tracks. While he did write personal songs for The Beatles, his voice could be amplified louder on these songs.
“I think it’s the best thing I’ve ever done. I think it’s realistic, and it’s true to the me that has been developing over the years from my life,” Lennon shared. “I always wrote about me when I could. I didn’t really enjoy writing third-person songs about people who lived in concrete flats and things like that. I like first-person music. But because of my hang-ups and many other things, I would only now and then specifically write about me. Now I wrote all about me and that’s why I like it. It’s me! And nobody else. That’s why I like it. It’s real, that’s all.”
