Today would have been John Lennon’s 74th birthday, and to celebrate that mark, let’s take a look at some of the best deep cuts from his solo work. Everyone is familiar with “Imagine,” and “(Just Like) Starting Over,” but these five classics have slipped through the cracks over the years. Hopefully, this will help remedy that.
5. “Old Dirt Road” – Walls And Bridges (1974)
Walls And Bridges was Lennon’s last album of original material before he went into a retirement that would last until 1980’s Double Fantasy. Around then, Lennon spent a lot of time with Harry Nilsson, collaborating on his 1974 album Pussy Cats. One of the fruits of their time together was this lovely, understated piano ballad. You can understand why it wasn’t a single, since it lacked the commercial appeal of, say, “Whatever Gets You Thru The Night,” but it was a great album track, and one of the reasons why Walls And Bridges was probably Lennon’s most consistently strong album from start to finish.
4. “Ain’t That A Shame” – Rock & Roll (1975)
The biggest hit of Lennon’s album of 50s rock ‘n roll covers was his take on “Stand By Me,” but while that version was great, this excellent take on Fats Domino’s “Ain’t That A Shame” can hardly be slept on. Lennon’s voice is in prime form here, as he delivers every line with a searing conviction. Surprisingly, it wasn’t released as a single, despite being one of the best tracks on the album, and possibly the definitive version of the song.
3. “Crippled Inside” – Imagine (1971)
Imagine was one of Lennon’s more conflicted albums. It featured political material both idealistic (the title track), and furious (“Gimme Some Truth”), while also expressing some extreme animosity at Paul after the breakup of The Beatles (“How Do You Sleep”). That’s what makes “Crippled Inside” so unique. The title might make you think it’s a cathartic, personal track, but really, it’s just a fun little rock ‘n roll number. It provides some much needed relief on a deeply personal album, and reminds us that Lennon certainly had a sense of humor.
2. “Oh Yoko!” – Imagine (1971)
It’s easy to dismiss this song offhand simply due its subject matter (which is unfair in its own right), but no matter how you feel about Yoko, this is just a perfectly lovely folk ballad. You’d have to think if Yoko wasn’t so polarizing among Beatles fans, it would have been a bigger hit upon its release. These days, all of those politics are gone, and we can simply enjoy a beautiful song about the woman John Lennon was madly in love with.
1. “Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)” – Double Fantasy (1980)
The b-side of the hit single “Watching The Wheels,” this might be the prettiest song Lennon’s song ever recorded. Written as a tribute to his young song Sean, the song’s gentle, hazy melody helps paint a perfect picture of an idyllic family setting. One of the song’s biggest fans was Paul McCartney, who chose it as his Desert Island disc on the show of the same name. In 1980, Lennon had put all his past anger behind him, and was enjoying a blissful family life. This encapsulates that feeling better than any other.
