<![CDATA[ Latest from Guitar Player in John-lennon ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/tag/john-lennon Wed, 08 Apr 2026 16:00:00 +0000 en <![CDATA[ “He said, ‘My dear, I just wrote this in the bath.’” Brian May on the chart-topping Queen hit Freddie Mercury composed while getting ready one morning ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/music/he-said-my-dear-i-just-wrote-this-in-the-bath-brian-may-on-the-chart-topping-queen-hit-freddie-mercury-composed-while-getting-ready-one-morning aLsGEGFT88YSWVpnARkvF6 Wed, 08 Apr 2026 16:00:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “My least favorite Beatles song.” Elvis Presley inspired it. John Lennon hated it. Behind the song he wanted to keep off the Beatles’ first psychedelic record ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/music/the-elvis-presley-inspired-it-john-lennon-hated-it-behind-the-song-he-wanted-to-keep-off-the-beatles-first-psychedelic-record FcZNVTrebaWAoTPvoxQNeH Sat, 04 Apr 2026 14:14:42 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I know why he hired me.” Behind John Lennon's unusual decision to enlist David Bowie‘s go-to guitarist for his best-selling solo album ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/why-john-lennon-hired-earl-slick-for-double-fantasy um5YDGhsJrh5VHJK6pLgkR Thu, 22 Jan 2026 15:41:08 +0000 <![CDATA[ “It was a spiritual download that just flowed through me.” John Lennon played it on repeat. Frank Sinatra called it the best song of the 1970s. How a simple C9 chord inspired a timeless top-10 hit ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/lessons/it-was-a-spiritual-download-that-just-flowed-through-me-john-lennon-played-it-on-repeat-frank-sinatra-called-it-the-best-song-of-the-1970s-how-a-simple-c9-chord-inspired-a-timeless-pop-tune 8cTPUYYKWnTJKdetRT5eBo Mon, 22 Dec 2025 19:12:09 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Nothing was planned. It was all a first take.” The “accidental” 1976 smash hit created by a virtuoso rock group and the most recorded guitarist in history ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/the-accidental-1976-smash-hit-created-by-a-virtuoso-rock-group-and-the-most-recorded-guitarist-in-history 4y4wF4N65TWQDegpPNkNYj Fri, 19 Dec 2025 16:41:46 +0000 Fri, 19 Dec 2025 16:48:48 +0000 <![CDATA[ “One of the nurses said, ‘John Lennon.’ I thought, What does John Lennon have to do with it?” A surgeon remembers the night he tried to save the former Beatle’s life ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/a-surgeon-remembers-the-night-john-lennon-died gDEVmpNEkghYe9jEM7e6aT Sat, 06 Dec 2025 19:46:46 +0000 Sun, 07 Dec 2025 00:03:38 +0000 <![CDATA[ “John learned to play guitar upside down too. That’s more unusual.” Paul McCartney revealed he and John Lennon were both ambidextrous guitar players, thanks to this one thing ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/paul-mccartney-revealed-he-and-john-lennon-were-ambidextrous-guitar-players-thanks-to-this-one-thing 7i2jxWMPzwFkEJ2tw453RB Thu, 27 Nov 2025 15:53:34 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I’ll show you what got me in the Beatles.” Paul McCartney reveals the song he performed when he met John Lennon. But it wasn’t his guitar playing that earned him his respect ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/paul-mccartney-on-the-song-that-got-him-john-lennons-respect 2HWR2VZ6JrzcF38qonQ6HB Tue, 25 Nov 2025 21:42:58 +0000 <![CDATA[ "It was a bit of a macho song.” John Lennon said it was the worst. George Harrison called it one of his favorites. How a “throwaway” Beatles song made it onto 'Rubber Soul' ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/john-lennon-hated-this-beatles-song PnfsqeQXsJcoCcCsqEDiY4 Mon, 24 Nov 2025 20:06:10 +0000 Fri, 28 Nov 2025 16:01:01 +0000 <![CDATA[ “And in comes this thin, 98-pound, translucent dude.” The guitar legend who launched David Bowie and John Lennon to the top of the charts, got high with Paul McCartney and talked back to Chuck Berry ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/carlos-alomar-on-david-bowie-john-lennon-paul-mccartney-chuck-berry rfTP9DmwcsmTmTeKFRGWJG Sat, 22 Nov 2025 14:09:32 +0000 Sat, 22 Nov 2025 18:17:18 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I let John use my Les Paul. It was a blast to do that, especially a song from ‘Sgt. Pepper’s.’” Davey Johnstone on the time John Lennon joined Elton John on his hit remake of a Beatles classic ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/music/albums-singles/i-let-john-use-my-les-paul-it-was-a-blast-to-do-that-especially-a-song-from-sgt-peppers-davey-johnstone-on-the-time-john-lennon-joined-elton-john-on-his-hit-remake-of-a-beatles-classic U2R4vgxQKryNgtFnwrFNU8 Sat, 08 Nov 2025 13:02:02 +0000 Sat, 08 Nov 2025 13:36:13 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I was so thrilled. I mean, come on — John Lennon loved my song. It doesn’t get any better than that.” Alice Cooper on the 1972 hit that remade his image — and launched him to superstardom ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/alice-cooper-on-writing-elected-and-john-lennon zfD7kCRvDKTQ4NfGJRJDeF Fri, 31 Oct 2025 18:33:53 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I thought it was Paul’s answer to ‘How Do You Sleep.’” Did John Lennon really think Paul McCartney was talking to him in this 1976 chart-topping hit? ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/did-john-lennon-think-paul-mccartney-wrote-this-post-beatles-song-to-him 5bX9ABMJU6Vit9caAMypK9 Thu, 23 Oct 2025 20:03:39 +0000 Fri, 24 Oct 2025 14:35:04 +0000 <![CDATA[ “We we’re playing basketball, and he said, ‘I want to do something different — like a circus.’”Roger McGuinn on Bob Dylan’s big breakthrough, meeting the Beatles...and his question after hearing Tom Petty for the first time ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/roger-mcguinn-on-bob-dylan-the-beatles-tom-petty-and-more 4kYbSkTUjWzpiYmsWN8mbi Fri, 10 Oct 2025 20:42:33 +0000 Fri, 10 Oct 2025 23:15:18 +0000 <![CDATA[ “When we broke up, I went into that dark place. I didn’t give a s**t about the music anymore.” The breakup that nearly made Eric Clapton quit music ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/eric-clapton-on-nearly-quitting-music-after-derek-and-the-dominos WDZcj9R4AogUDojmwVXyNk Thu, 02 Oct 2025 13:09:42 +0000 Thu, 02 Oct 2025 13:25:25 +0000 <![CDATA[ “John said to me, ‘Have you seen this? We should go down, just you and me.’” Paul McCartney on the time he and John Lennon nearly accepted an offer for the Beatles to appear on Saturday Night Live ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/paul-mccartney-and-john-lennon-almost-reunited shykDm7CrgHr9sZhx2K78Y Sat, 27 Sep 2025 12:52:10 +0000 Sat, 27 Sep 2025 18:29:30 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I went to his studio one time, and he was making the weirdest freaking sounds I’ve ever heard.” Producer Mark Ronson on why Paul McCartney deserves a fresh look for his work in the Beatles and as a solo artist ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/mark-ronson-on-paul-mccartney-being-misremembered-as-a-beatle 9a6oDxsBTcZNhtbcxVWXZ6 Wed, 24 Sep 2025 20:12:50 +0000 Wed, 24 Sep 2025 20:17:16 +0000 <![CDATA[ “About three in the morning, there's a knock on the door. And John was there and he had Paul with him." David Bowie on how he almost got former Beatles John Lennon and Paul McCartney back together in 1974 ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/john-lennon-paul-mccartney-and-david-bowie-almost-formed-a-group q8m3HdmS87Qn9q835pzNZQ Sun, 21 Sep 2025 13:34:11 +0000 Thu, 25 Sep 2025 12:11:23 +0000 <![CDATA[ “We were talking about writing, and John said, ‘It’s very easy. This is all you have to do.’” David Bowie said John Lennon revealed his three rules for songwriting to him ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/john-lennon-songwriting-advice-to-david-bowie D7VK3N77gGtWuXktT9pkke Sun, 14 Sep 2025 15:39:16 +0000 Tue, 16 Sep 2025 10:53:03 +0000 <![CDATA[ "It was a bad time for him." John Lennon's sessions for a classic solo album were chaos. Larry Carlton reveals what made him quit after just one day ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/larry-carlton-on-his-john-lennon-session YuvnMuWAWZpcU2qgLy7msQ Fri, 12 Sep 2025 21:10:26 +0000 Sat, 13 Sep 2025 20:07:35 +0000 <![CDATA[ “They gave themselves credit, stuck it on an album and never paid me. It was a little bit disappointing.” John Lennon looked to Frank Zappa for career guidance. Zappa said the former Beatles guitarist got considerably more ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/john-lennon-frank-zappa-and-the-king-kong-controversy qPrdueTL3jXGib2WXf7XN5 Mon, 08 Sep 2025 18:35:25 +0000 Mon, 08 Sep 2025 18:36:53 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Someone said, ‘Guitar groups are on the way out, Mr. Epstein.’ That was probably the biggest error in music history.” George Harrison reveals the Beatles' early struggles in a newly discovered interview ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/george-harrison-1995-interview-emerges-online WzCdCWWViEFZJRSv9qo6Zd Fri, 05 Sep 2025 11:56:38 +0000 Tue, 09 Sep 2025 18:09:04 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I'd sooner have the John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, George's album, and Ringo's movies than 'Let It Be' or 'Abbey Road.'” John Lennon said the Beatles wrote better music after the band broke up. Here's why ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/john-lennon-says-the-beatles-flowered-after-they-broke-up CmjMexB7oSv8wcUEGdNCNS Thu, 04 Sep 2025 16:07:56 +0000 <![CDATA[ “There was just an overall feeling that John was around.” Paul McCartney on the ghost of John Lennon and “strange goings-on” that marked the recording of the Beatles’ ‘Anthology’ hits ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/paul-mccartney-on-the-strange-goings-on-when-recorded--the-beatles-1995-anthology oVZBm2FwArYH4YrC9Efnt9 Tue, 26 Aug 2025 16:04:25 +0000 Tue, 26 Aug 2025 16:12:30 +0000 <![CDATA[ “That would be great for you, Ringo!” How an unreleased John Lennon demo saw three-quarters of the Beatles write a song together, 40 years after Lennon's death ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/how-ringo-starr-got-the-beatles-back-together-on-grow-old-with-me 6pKcizGLqB9pCxfsJhPPsh Wed, 13 Aug 2025 17:06:39 +0000 Wed, 13 Aug 2025 17:06:48 +0000 <![CDATA[ “He was always the noisy one; we gained strength from each other.” Watch George Harrison talk about the power of comedy and why the Beatles clicked with the public in a resurfaced 1981 interview ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/rare-1981-george-harrison-interview-resurfaces qFHoFX2ecVfXAgLgXQiaq3 Mon, 11 Aug 2025 12:55:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I recall Paul asking John, ‘Are you making any music these days?’" History says John Lennon and Paul McCartney last met in 1976. A friend says it was two years later over a pizza dinner in New York City ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/elliot-mintz-on-john-lennon-and-paul-mccartneys-last-meeting EwonVFVrpEeZfwTnLQBaY7 Sat, 09 Aug 2025 12:00:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I can only imagine how they would have reacted if they had seen us playing their guitars.” How John Lennon and George Harrison's early Beatles guitars found their way onto an obscure psychedelic rock album ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/derek-shulman-on-recording-with-the-beatles-gear-and-jumping-on-john-lennons-bed VErqPQbdvMarf8jhNJhkwH Fri, 01 Aug 2025 11:16:34 +0000 Fri, 01 Aug 2025 11:30:19 +0000 <![CDATA[ “When I first met Paul McCartney, it was like meeting Jesus Christ.” Ozzy Osbourne had three words to say about John Lennon and Paul McCartney's life-saving impact on him ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/ozzy-osbourne-on-the-john-lennon-paul-mccartney-songwriting-partnership 6ip9UMyfXdvzqkiTf8Gew5 Thu, 24 Jul 2025 17:05:18 +0000 <![CDATA[ “When I’m singing it, that is when I think of John.’” Paul McCartney on how John Lennon saved him in a moment of doubt — and why the former Beatles bassist keeps going ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/paul-mccartney-john-lennon-moment-of-doubt fuPuuHErkonBdMca3DVscR Mon, 21 Jul 2025 12:21:33 +0000 Tue, 22 Jul 2025 19:22:26 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I realized I had something very exciting on my hands. I wasn’t expecting it at all.” Dad unknowingly buys John Lennon’s “White Album” combo for about $4,000 ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/english-guitarist-unknowingly-buys-john-lennons-white-album-amp 62w2rVVE7MUNLrLFULQS8A Fri, 18 Jul 2025 11:34:54 +0000 Fri, 18 Jul 2025 14:06:52 +0000 <![CDATA[ "John sounded like Django Reinhardt. It was one of them where you just close your eyes and happen to hit all the right notes.” George Harrison on the John Lennon guitar solo he called his best on the Beatles’ recordings ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/john-lennon-beatles-solo-george-harrison-called-his-best NpmojeQcFZf9mCsMqMJXuG Thu, 17 Jul 2025 20:52:20 +0000 Fri, 18 Jul 2025 10:43:52 +0000 <![CDATA[ “It’s the most weird song. I’ve no recollection of ever recording it.” How a John Lennon rocker got banished from the Beatles' albums ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/music/john-lennon-beatles-song-for-ringo-starr-disaster mXcpcx7Pmhkf5xR4jsqQ2B Fri, 13 Jun 2025 15:21:04 +0000 Fri, 13 Jun 2025 15:42:16 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I hear from people who want ‘Spirit in the Sky’ played at their funeral.” Norman Greenbaum tells how a Telecaster with a built-in fuzz helped him create a psychedelic hit about Jesus that even John Lennon liked ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/music/norman-greenbaum-the-story-behind-spirit-in-the-sky RGApzERJoNjhAtNaR8fxjg Fri, 16 May 2025 16:01:28 +0000 Fri, 16 May 2025 16:25:15 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Those aren’t the words. It’s ‘I can’t hide.’ ” How a misheard John Lennon lyric led Bob Dylan to meet the Beatles and change both their destinies ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/how-bob-dylan-misheard-a-beatles-lyric fEmEo3WGDLqPLUEwqGsM6K Sun, 11 May 2025 12:55:54 +0000 <![CDATA[ “George started freaking out. He said, ‘I feel like I’m dying.’ And then, Peter Fonda said, ‘Oh, I know what it’s like to be dead.’” Byrds founder Roger McGuinn on the origins of John Lennon’s trippiest track ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/roger-mcguinn-behind-the-beatles-she-said-she-said 8HYMWfamXdkuB8xD7UoFSK Thu, 08 May 2025 13:46:58 +0000 Fri, 09 May 2025 00:34:16 +0000 <![CDATA[ "I wrote it in five minutes the night before.” How a candid moment caught on camera became the final Beatles song the band recorded together ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/the-final-song-the-beatles-recorded Hr4ke6tjSwTooiFCLvhyqK Wed, 02 Apr 2025 13:27:21 +0000 Wed, 02 Apr 2025 13:31:34 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Eric never asked for the guitar back. He was happy that I was enjoying it and using it onstage.” When Albert Lee received a Les Paul Custom from Eric Clapton, he had no idea how much history it held ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/albert-lee-and-eric-claptons-1958-les-paul-custom Zm3nQjqNpEUcoWRb6wwht9 Wed, 26 Mar 2025 18:20:44 +0000 Tue, 22 Apr 2025 08:19:18 +0000 <![CDATA[ “It became a partnership of editing each other's material, which would carry on all through the Beatles' career.” John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s songwriting partnership explored in new book ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/beatles-author-onthe-john-lennon-paul-mccartney-songwriting-partnership 5eUJDnvkaUsEszViFeFFZh Tue, 25 Mar 2025 16:00:00 +0000 Wed, 26 Mar 2025 10:55:06 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I got sticky fingers. I thought, What am I doing here?” Paul McCartney said this performance ruined his chance to be the Beatles' lead guitarist ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/paul-mccartney-on-playing-lead-guitar-in-the-beatles eDCCeP5YPcpD4WroKN9akg Sat, 01 Mar 2025 09:00:10 +0000 Mon, 17 Mar 2025 10:47:16 +0000 <![CDATA[ “It's the sound you recognize when you hear 'You've Got To Hide Your Love Away.' ” John Lennon’s legendary Framus 12-string gets an official reissue just months after its landmark sale ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitars/acoustic-guitars/john-lennons-hootenanny-acoustic-reissue 4kdbbeiHmu5ej8a8SfiFGj Tue, 04 Feb 2025 02:17:36 +0000 <![CDATA[ "That's my main instrument. If I couldn't have anything else, I would have to have it." Paul McCartney made some surprising revelations about his favorite guitar in our historic interview with him ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/paul-mccartney-sees-himself-as-an-acoustic-guitarist XVZKsEcviAwTUt6dNP4bsG Sun, 26 Jan 2025 21:03:06 +0000 Sun, 26 Jan 2025 21:15:17 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Paul said that in the more than 300 songs he and John wrote, he could only remember one time where they got stuck”: Paul McCartney guitarist Brian Ray talks the Beatles' creative process ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/brian-ray-on-beatles-drive-my-car VKcbTzPPvzdkSTJgw7rREL Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:50:32 +0000 Thu, 02 Jan 2025 19:14:39 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I really feel that I can bring out the best in you and bring back the balls in rock ‘n’ roll.” John Lennon invited Eric Clapton to help him start a rock band in 1971. His letter is a reminder of the many times they'd already played together ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/news/john-lennon-letter-to-eric-clapton-1971-auction 2P9pvAi3gdQUUkNjKsU5QT Wed, 27 Nov 2024 18:18:53 +0000 Thu, 12 Dec 2024 12:06:19 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I showed Paul McCartney my hollowbody guitar that I’d bought when I was in the army. He got a hollowbody after to get that tone." Why did the Beatles play Epiphone Casinos? It all comes back to one man ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/gear/the-man-who-turned-the-beatles-on-to-the-epiphone-casino 8PkqJfs4wgPQ7VLjfWsGiD Sat, 23 Nov 2024 21:32:56 +0000 Tue, 22 Apr 2025 08:19:11 +0000 <![CDATA[ “It took me months of searching through tens of thousands of photos. And there we had it: George Harrison at home with his collection of guitars.” An unusual guitar is at the center of a mystery about the Beatles' White Album ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/news/mysterious-beatles-guitar XiDkkFnr8zqYConKHePpxN Fri, 22 Nov 2024 13:12:09 +0000 Sun, 24 Nov 2024 00:13:11 +0000 <![CDATA[ “People always say I’m the Beatle who changed the most.” How playing sitar helped George Harrison become a guitar legend ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/players/george-harrison-guitar-legend iBXroncySosahr9uFGDA3 Fri, 08 Nov 2024 10:02:37 +0000 Sun, 10 Nov 2024 15:12:53 +0000 <![CDATA[ D’Addario unveils commemorative John Lennon’s collection – including a replica of his 1972 Madison Square Garden solo show strap ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/news/john-lennon-daddarion-collection-2024 SetxpncvFWtHRvRC2PA8fD Wed, 30 Oct 2024 13:43:47 +0000 <![CDATA[ "We sold a few and John Lennon ended up with one." The former Beatle's weirdest guitar is one of the last he played ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/gear/john-lennon-sardonyx yLULND3vYdLdZwUVUVAXgk Wed, 09 Oct 2024 14:32:53 +0000 <![CDATA[ "Paul said, 'Why don’t you just play it the same way each time?'" Brian Ray on what he learned playing Beatles songs with Paul McCartney ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/players/brian-ray-how-to-play-beatles GsHnvRewPLgUZDpLnnDhPK Fri, 04 Oct 2024 12:39:43 +0000 Mon, 07 Oct 2024 11:25:59 +0000