John Lennon, a legendary singer and songwriter, created many iconic songs that have left a lasting impact on music history.
However, despite his immense talent, Lennon had his own set of favorites and some songs he didn’t think highly of, even among his creations.
Interestingly, while he acknowledged that certain works weren’t his best, there is one particular song that Lennon regretted writing.
Regarding Lennon’s music, it’s hard to imagine anyone disliking his songs. However, we’re not talking about public opinion here, but rather Lennon’s perspective on his work. It’s undeniable that Lennon ranks among the greatest songwriters of all time.
Yet, in a 1980 interview with David Sheff for Playboy, Lennon candidly shared his thoughts on some of his songs, labeling a few as terrible.
Lennon mentioned a few songs he wasn’t particularly fond of among the Beatles’ catalog. He cited “When I’m Sixty-Four” and “Let It Be” as examples. He later expressed that he found the song “Birthday” to be especially poor.
Surprisingly, he also included “I Am The Walrus,” a song that many fans hold dear, on his list of songs he didn’t think highly of. While these were songs Lennon considered terrible, there was one song that stood out as the only one he ever truly regretted writing.
When discussing the song he liked the least, Lennon revealed that he had a deep dislike for “Run For Your Life” from the Beatles’ 1965 album Rubber Soul.
Although it has been over five decades since Lennon penned that song, it never became one of his more celebrated works. However, some fans still consider it a great track.
Lennon openly admitted his disdain for the song, stating in a 1970 interview with Rolling Stone, “‘Run for Your Life, I always hated, you know.” He further added that he never really liked the song at all.
The inspiration for “Run for Your Life” came from Elvis Presley’s song “Baby Let’s Play House.”
Lennon explained, “It was inspired from—this is a very vague connection—from ‘Baby Let’s Play House’. There was a line on it; I used to like specific lines from songs, ‘I’d rather see you dead, little girl, than to be with another man’—so I wrote it around that, but I didn’t think it was that important.”
In a 1973 interview, Lennon reiterated that “Run For Your Life” was his least favorite song that he had ever written.
However, he also mentioned that George Harrison, the Beatles’ lead guitarist, really liked the song. Harrison even regarded it as his favorite track on the Rubber Soul album.
Lennon also expressed that he wasn’t interested in writing about other people. He preferred to write songs that reflected his own experiences because he knew himself better than anyone else.
This is why he cited “Strawberry Fields Forever” as one of his favorite Beatles tracks. He also favored “Help!” because it was genuine and expressed his real need for assistance.
