Very few songs by The Beatles escaped the unwavering eye and sharp tongue of John Lennon. As known for slating the Fab Four as he was singing with them, Lennon was never afraid to show his unequivocal disdain for a song created in his past.
In interviews and memoirs, Lennon expressed disillusionment with certain Beatles songs and periods of their musical journey. He was particularly critical of some of the band’s earlier, more commercially driven work, expressing a desire for more artistic freedom and depth in their music. As the band progressed, Lennon sought to push the boundaries of their sound and lyrical content, often clashing with the band’s established dynamics.
After the Beatles disbanded in 1970, Lennon continued to reflect on the band’s legacy and his role within it. He made public statements critiquing his own contributions, acknowledging his dissatisfaction with certain songs or albums and expressing regret over aspects of the Beatles’ journey, even going as far as to say he “really hated” one specific track.
That song in question is ‘It’s Only Love’, taken from the band’s 1965 album Help. Penned by Lennon himself, the band’s principal leader held such a disdain for the material that he also called it “abysmal”.
‘It’s Only Love’ delves into the intricate details of love and relationships, capturing the emotional fragility that comes with romantic attachments, as expressed in Lennon’s lyrics which convey both joy and uncertainty. Compared to some of The Beatles’ more upbeat and optimistic tracks, the song’s introspective lyrics reflect a more contemplative side of love, which might be a reason for Lennon’s later feelings on the work.
The track is usual fodder for the Fab Four, and it would appear that was the main reason why Lennon severely disliked the song. In interviews, he often shared his contempt for the pop songs that he and Paul McCartney churned out with such ferocious regularity, mainly because they were manufactured through a set formula and style. That’s not to say that the songs weren’t successful; because, of course, they absolutely were. But, comparatively, a set of pop-driven “toe-tappers” that the group produced before Rubber Soul just lacked weight for Lennon, especially when he looked back at their work.
“That’s the one song I really hate of mine. Terrible lyric,” he answered when questioned about ‘It’s Only Love’. Lennon has also mentioned the track alongside Rubber Soul’s ‘Run For Your Life’ as being one of his least favourite songs. Naturally, with some more years to stew on the work of The Beatles, by the time Lennon met David Sheff for his now-infamous Playboy interview in 1980, his dislike had grown to hate.
“‘It’s Only Love’ is mine,” he said. “I always thought it was a lousy song. The lyrics were abysmal. I always hated that song”. On reflection, hate is probably a little strong. The track may be rudimentary in places and may have been crafted to fill a spot rather than kill a spot, but there’s little to hate here. McCartney, who co-wrote the track with Lennon, was more open to the song’s quality.
“Sometimes we didn’t fight it if the lyric came out rather bland on some of those filler songs like ‘It’s Only Love’,” he told Barry Miles in his unofficial autobiography Many Years From Now. “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.”
It wasn’t uncommon for McCartney and Lennon to have countering opinions on songs. Ian MacDonald’s book Revolution In The Head proposed a theory for their differences and why they often worked well together. According to MacDonald, Lennon’s melodies operated more ‘horizontally’, using a repeated note as the central focus, while McCartney operated more ‘vertically’ ascending and descending scales.
It meant that often, the duo would balance each other out and create a fuller sound. But for ‘It’s Only Love’, MacDonald suggests that the song is a more vertical composition, something the songwriter was exploring at the time, and so lacks the same cohesion as usual. It’s a strong theory that could highlight when Lennon fell so quickly out of love with this track.
To put it simply, it just wasn’t his style.
Below, listen to one of John Lennon’s most hated Beatles songs—and it’s still a pretty decent ditty.
