John Lennon owed much of his fame and fortune to The Beatles, the band that fulfilled his artistic ambitions and turned him into a global icon. Yet, Lennon, known for his unfiltered honesty, didn’t hesitate to critique aspects of the band’s legacy—even his own contributions. While he celebrated the authenticity of many Beatles tracks, there was one song that he openly admitted made him feel “ashamed.”
Over the years, Lennon frequently spoke about his time with The Beatles, offering candid insights into their creative process and his relationships with his bandmates. He praised tracks that he felt captured a sense of “realness” but was equally vocal about songs he found lacking. From Paul McCartney’s “granny music” to his own “throwaway” compositions, Lennon wasn’t afraid to critique their work. However, the one song he disliked the most was “It’s Only Love.”
Lennon’s Harsh Critique
During a particularly revealing interview with Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner, conducted shortly after The Beatles disbanded, Lennon was in a blunt mood. While he acknowledged standout tracks like “Strawberry Fields Forever,” “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” and “I Am the Walrus” as emblematic of his artistic identity, he drew a firm line when it came to “It’s Only Love.”
“I was always ashamed of that,” Lennon admitted. “The lyrics are abominable—you know, they’re probably all right. George [Harrison] talked about it last night. He said, remember we always used to cringe when the guitar bit came on, that blam blam blam-blam-blam. We liked it, but there was something wrong.”
Originally titled “That’s a Nice Hat,” the song appeared on the second side of Help! and failed to become a fan favorite. Reflecting on it years later in an interview for All We Are Saying, Lennon’s opinion remained unchanged: “‘It’s Only Love’ is mine. I always thought it was a lousy song. The lyrics were abysmal. I always hated that song.”
McCartney’s Take on the Song
Paul McCartney didn’t disagree with Lennon’s assessment. Speaking to Barry Miles for Many Years From Now, McCartney acknowledged the song’s lyrical shortcomings: “Sometimes we didn’t fight it if the lyric came out rather bland on some of those filler songs like ‘It’s Only Love.’ 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. I mean, this is not literature.”
A Pop Song with Limited Appeal
While “It’s Only Love” has a certain charm as a lighthearted pop tune, it’s far from the most celebrated entry in The Beatles’ catalog. Its simplistic lyrics and underwhelming arrangement didn’t win over the band’s members—or many fans. As Lennon’s and McCartney’s comments reveal, even The Beatles weren’t immune to the occasional misstep.
In hindsight, “It’s Only Love” serves as a reminder of The Beatles’ relentless creative output—flaws and all. But for Lennon, it remained a blemish in an otherwise extraordinary legacy.
