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TL;DR:

  • John Lennon’s son, Sean Ono Lennon, said some of his father’s solo songs are simpler than his work with The Beatles.
  • Sean likes two of his dad’s songs that show off his “composerly” side.
  • He thinks one of the songs has a lazy lyric.
John Lennon wearing a jean jacket with his son, Sean Ono Lennon
John Lennon and his son, Sean Ono Lennon | Vinnie Zuffante/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

John Lennon‘s son, Sean Ono Lennon, praised one of the former Beatle’s songs for being “composerly.” Subsequently, Sean revealed his two favorite songs by his father. Notably, Sean said one of the songs was cool because it doesn’t make sense.

John Lennon’s son called 1 of his dad’s songs ‘beautiful’

During a 2020 interview with Rolling Stone, Sean praised John’s song “Mind Games.” “It’s the more composerly side of him, because his best songs on Plastic Ono Band and Imagine are these really raw songs, like ‘Gimme Some Truth,’ ‘How Do You Sleep?’,” he opined. “They’re really rock songs. 

“They’re almost more simple than most anything he did in The Beatles,” Sean added. “I mean, ‘Revolution‘ is pretty similar. Hip, edgy, distorted stuff. [But] ‘Mind Games’ is this beautiful composition.”

Sean Ono Lennon said 1 of his favorite songs by his father has a ‘lazy’ lyric

Sean compared “Mind Games” to other tracks in John’s discography. “I think it’s a jewel in the whole John Lennon solo career,” he revealed. “I would say ‘Mind Games’ and ‘#9 Dream’ are my two favorite songs in terms of John Lennon, the musical composer.”

Sean went on to praise “#9 Dream.” He mentioned the song’s most famous lyric: “Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé.” He mentioned the song’s most famous lyric: “Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé.” The lyric has no meaning. Sean called the lyric “lazy.”

“I’m not a great lyricist, so don’t think that I’m criticizing because I think I could have done better,” Sean said. “But I know what it’s like to write a song. But then at that point, I think it was like, ‘Well, what if what if I didn’t say anything? That’s kind of cool.’ And it is kind of cool. I love it.”

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John Lennon’s Son Named His 2 Favorite Beatles Songs Even Though He Hates Being Asked About That

The impact John Lennon’s ‘#9 Dream’ and ‘Mind Games’ had on the world

“#9 Dream” became a hit in the United States. The track appropriately peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 12 weeks. The song appeared on John’s album Walls and Bridges. Walls and Bridges was No. 1 for one of its 35 weeks on the Billboard 200.

“Mind Games” had some success as well. The track reached No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100, remaining on the chart for 13 weeks. The song appeared on the album of the same name. Mind Games hit No. 9 on the Billboard 200 and lasted on the chart for 31 weeks.

“#9 Dream” and “Mind Games” are both classic songs and they clearly matter to Sean.