John Lennon’s Son Said 1 of the Former Beatle’s No. 1 Songs Didn’t Age Well
John Lennon‘s son, Sean Ono Lennon, gave an interview where he discussed some of the former Beatle’s songs. During the interview, he said one of his father’s most famous solo tracks hadn’t aged well. Notably, the “Imagine” singer collaborated with Elton John on this song.
How John Lennon’s son reacted to remastering some of the former Beatle’s solo songs
Sean helped remaster some of his father’s songs for the compilation album Gimme Some Truth. The Ultimate Mixes. Sean enjoyed the process. “It’s been a really tough year for everybody,” Sean told Rolling Stone in 2020.
“It’s been genuinely therapeutic to have a reason to reinvestigate all the music and listen to it and really think about it,” he added. “It’s given me an opportunity to look back at my life and look at my dad’s work in a way that I don’t always have to.”
John Lennon’s son had a theory as to why a song he didn’t like was a hit
Sean commented on his father’s album Walls and Bridges. “I think Walls and Bridges might be one of my dad’s lesser-known solo albums,” he opined. “Maybe because ‘Whatever Gets You Thru the Night‘ was a hit at the time, because it was a big deal that Elton and my dad had done it.” For context, the “Bennie and the Jets” singer performed on “Whatever Gets You Thru the Night.”
Sean discussed the quality of “Whatever Gets You Thru the Night.” “I don’t think it’s the kind of song that stood the test of time in the same way as ‘Imagine’ did or even ‘Gimme Some Truth,'” he said. “The best song on the record, as far as I’m concerned, is ‘#9 Dream.'” Sean felt the music John made during his Walls and Bridges era was important even if he had issues with “Whatever Gets You Thru the Night.”
The way audiences reacted to ‘Whatever Gets You Thru the Night’
“Whatever Gets You Thru the Night” became a massive hit for John. It peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for one week of its 15-week run on the chart. It was John’s first No. 1 hit without The Beatles. Its parent album, Walls and Bridges, was a hit too. It peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for one week and stayed on the chart for 35 weeks in total.
“Whatever Gets You Thru the Night” was significantly less popular in the United Kingdom. According to The Official Charts Company, the song peaked at No. 36 in the U.K. and remained on the chart for four weeks. Meanwhile, Walls and Bridges hit No. 6 there and lasted on the chart for 10 weeks. “Whatever Gets You Thru the Night” remains a classic track even if Sean isn’t much of a fan.
