Why John Lennon Stopped Caring About Having Hits
John Lennon had hits over and over and over again. But he didn’t think always hitting the top 10 was a good long-term goal. He said part of the reason he felt this way was because he was “34 going on 60.”
John Lennon felt whether he had top 10 hits ‘was a moot point’ in 1975
John was one of the most popular singers who ever lived. He also made a lot of music that just wasn’t commercial, from the avant-garde soundscape of Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins to the screaming sadness of “Mother.” John felt that always being accessible would hurt his work.
During a 1975 interview with Rolling Stone, John discussed a personal revelation. “I’ve come to learn something big this past year,” he said. “I cannot let the top 10 dominate my art. If my worth is only to be judged by whether I’m in the top 10 or not, then I’d better give up,” he said. “Because if I let the top 10 dominate my art, then the art will die. And then whether I’m in the top 10 is a moot point.”
John Lennon discussed his overall feelings about art
John had a lot to say about his self-perception. “I do think now in terms of long term,” he revealed. “I’m an artist. I have to express myself. I can’t be dominated by gold records. As I said, I’m 34 going on 60.
“The art is more important than the thing and sometimes I have to remind meself of it,” he opined. “Because there’s a danger there, for all of us, for everyone who’s involved in whatever art they’re in, of needing that love so badly that … In my business, that’s manifested in the top 10.”
The ‘Whatever Gets You Thru the Night’ singer had so many hits it’s mind-boggling
Regardless of what John thought about the top 10, he was in it quite a bit! Seven of his albums hit the top 10 of the Billboard 200: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, Live Peace in Toronto 1969, Rock ‘n’ Roll, Mind Games, Imagine, Walls and Bridges, and Double Fantasy. The latter three hit No. 1. He also had two Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles: “Whatever Gets You Thru the Night” and “(Just Like) Starting Over.” His other singles “Woman,” “Watching the Wheels,” “Nobody Told Me,” “Instant Karma!,” “#9 Dreams,” and “Imagine” hit the top 10 but they didn’t reach No. 1.
John was similarly successful in the United Kingdom. According to The Official Charts Company, John’s studio albums John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, Imagine, Walls and Bridges, Rock ‘n’ Roll, Double Fantasy, and Milk and Honey all hit the top 10, with only Imagine and Double Fantasy hitting No. 1. Meanwhile, “Instant Karma!,” “Power to the People,” “Happy Xmas (War Is Over),” “Imagine,” “(Just Like) Starting Over,” “Woman,” and “Nobody Told Me” were top 10 hits, with “Imagine,” “(Just Like) Starting Over,” and “Woman” topping the chart.
John knew how to make pop music gold but he didn’t always want to flex that muscle.
