John Lennon’s ‘Jealous Guy’ Didn’t Reach No.1 But a Cover Did

TL;DR:

• A band covered John Lennon’s “Jealous Guy” in a huge arena.
• They released the cover as a single.
• The singer of the band had to recreate the whistling solo from “Jealous Guy.”

John Lennon‘s “Jealous Guy” never reached No. 1. Despite this, a cover of the track by a famous band became a No. 1 single in the United Kingdom. The cover was intended as a tribute to John.

Why Roxy Music covered John Lennon’s ‘Jealous Guy’ after John’s death

Roxy Music’s cover of “Jealous Guy” was a huge hit shortly after John’s death. During a 2019 interview with Noise 11. Roxy Music’s Bryan Ferry discussed the origin of the cover. “We were due to play a show in Germany at a big arena,” Ferry said. “We thought we should do something special because we were all John Lennon fans. His version is beautiful, very poignant. Donny Hathaway also did a very good version.”

He discussed the reaction to the track. “Our version caught the public’s imagination,” he recalled. “It was a big record in Europe for us. It has become a standard for me and Roxy Music.” Ferry called Roxy Music’s “Jealous Guy” “a proper tribute record.”

How Bryan Ferry remade John Lennon’s whistling solo for Roxy Music’s cover

In Roxy Music’s “Jealous Guy,” Ferry recreated the original song’s whistling solo. During a 2022 interview with The Guardian, he was asked if it he had to practice a lot to get the solo down.” As far as I remember it was pretty spontaneous, but I must’ve done a lot of whistling on my paper round in Washington [in Tyne and Wear, England] when I was a young lad,” he said. 

“I had a round before school in the morning and another in the evening, and on Saturday, after working in a tailor’s shop, I’d deliver the football special,” he added. For context, “football special” is a kind of Irish soda. Ferry had to deliver a very heavy bag of it, but the job paid well, so he was happy.

How both versions of ‘Jealous Guy’ performed in the United Kingdom

The original “Jealous Guy” was not a single during John’s lifetime. Roxy Music’s cover became a hit in the United Kingdom during the early 1980s. According to The Official Charts Company, Roxy Music’s “Jealous Guy” reached No. 1 for two weeks, staying on the chart for 11 weeks. The tune appeared on the compilation Street Life: 20 Great Hits. The album was No. 1 for five of its 77 weeks on the chart.

The Official Charts Company reports John’s “Jealous Guy” eventually became a minor hit in its own right. The tune reached No. 65 in 1985, remaining on the chart for two weeks. A 1988 rerelease of the track with “Imagine” peaked at No. 45 and spent five weeks on the chart. The tunes’ parent album, Imagine, was No. 1 for two weeks, lasting 101 weeks on the chart.

John’s “Jealous Guy” is a classic track and Roxy Music’s cover is a classic in its own right.