When The Beatles released their debut album, John Lennon was just 22, still refining his songwriting skills. As the band produced more music, listeners witnessed his evolution into the iconic artist we remember today. However, looking back at his early work, it’s natural to find some tracks that haven’t aged well.
Every artist experiences this; reflecting on their younger creations often brings a mix of pride and cringe. Paul McCartney admitted to feeling regret over songs like “Hold Me Tight” and “Little Child,” which he considered filler that failed to showcase his true talent.
For Lennon, the embarrassment over one particular song ran deep—so much so that he wished he could erase it entirely. Ironically, it wasn’t a controversial track like “Run For Your Life” with its problematic lyrics; instead, it was the seemingly innocuous “It’s Only Love” from the 1965 album Help!. During the peak of Beatlemania, this song was produced amid a flurry of creativity, with the band releasing five albums in just two years. The rushed timeline could explain the song’s shortcomings, but Lennon held himself accountable.
“It’s the most embarrassing song I ever wrote,” he confessed, criticizing its simplistic rhymes and weak lyrics. “Even then, I was so ashamed of the lyrics, I could hardly sing them. That was one song I really wished I’d never written.”
Despite its lackluster lyrics, “It’s Only Love” mirrored the band’s early approach to songwriting. At that stage in their career, Lennon and McCartney aimed to create catchy rock and roll tunes that resonated with audiences. Artistic depth and experimentation would come later; in those early days, energy and entertainment were the priorities.
“If a lyric was really bad, we’d edit it, but we weren’t that fussy about it because it’s only a rock n’ roll song,” McCartney explained. He acknowledged that their creative process sometimes allowed less impressive songs to slip through, admitting, “Sometimes we didn’t fight it if the lyric came out rather bland on some of those filler songs like ‘It’s Only Love.’”
Perhaps with more scrutiny and effort, Lennon could have avoided the lasting embarrassment over this particular track.
