John Lennon Couldn’t Write Music and Short Stories at the Same Time
John Lennon is part of the songwriting duo behind āHey Jude,ā āLet It Be,ā āStrawberry Fields Forever,ā and other Beatles hits. Heās also a published author, creating the ānonsenseā novels In His Own Write and A Spaniard in the Works. Hereās what this artist said about writing music and short stories.Ā
The Beatlesā John Lennon released the novel āIn His Own Writeā
In addition to being a chart-topping songwriter, Lennon was a published author. About two years after the Beatles released their hit song āLove Me Do,ā the musician published his first novel ā 1964ās In His Own Write.
This was mostly a collection of nonsense short stories, some only a few lines long. Of course, Beatles fans quickly purchased the book, prompting Lennon to write a second novel. He even wrote a column for a local newspaper, sparked by a ācrazyā article about the Beatlesā origin story.
The Beatlesā John Lennon discussed writing and creating music ā and āA Spaniard In The Worksā
During a 1965 interview on BBCās Tonight, Lennon discussed his written (and published) works. With so much time dedicated to the band, this artist juggled writing music and his novels.Ā
āWell, I donāt get much time,ā Lennon said (via Beatles Interviews). āIf I had more time Iād probably write more. The publisher rang up and said, āHave you written anything yet?ā and I said, āNo, Iāve been writing songs,ā because I canāt do both at once.āĀ
āYou know, Iāve got to concentrate on the book or the songs,ā he added. āSo I havenāt written anything since then.ā
At the time of this interview, Lennon had released his second novel ā A Spaniard In The Works. The collection features nonsensical stories and drawings, similar to the artistās 1964 original, In His Own Write.
Has John Lennon ever written an autobiography?
Lennonās Skywriting by Word of Mouth, and Other Writings was published posthumously in 1986. It featured a blurb from Yoko Ono, with the artist mentioning her husbandās affinity for writing small notes. The Beatles member mentioned writing an autobiography, although none was ever published.Ā
āWriting an autobiography has passed through my mind, but Iāve got a memory like a sieve,ā Lennon said during a separate interview, via Beatles Interviews. āAnyway, I certainly hope to be writing another book, if I can find the time.ā
John Lennonās ex-wife, Cynthia Lennon did, however, publish her own memoir in 2005. John shared highlights of their romantic relationship, also detailing the rise of the Beatles and her reaction to Lennonās murder in 1980.
Even outside of his work with the Beatles, Lennon was writing and releasing music, including his solo song āImagine.ā He partnered with Ono for āGive Peace a Chanceā and āHappy Xmas (War Is Over). Now, music is available on most major streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music.Ā