4 of John Lennon’s Favorite Non-Beatles Songs

John Lennon was a bit of an enigma. He was a creative genius, and his songwriting partnership with Paul McCartney yielded some of the greatest songs of the 20th century. But as a man, he didn’t speak about himself often. That makes the fact that he once revealed a few of his favorite songs all the more special. Without further ado, let’s look at just a few of John Lennon’s favorite songs. Unsurprisingly, his taste was immaculate.

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1. “What’s So Good About Goodbye” by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

John Lennon famously said that his song “All I’ve Got To Do” from 1963 was him “trying to be Smokey Robinson again.” Clearly, he loved the soul crooner quite a bit. And one of his favorite jukebox tunes was “What’s So Good About Goodbye” by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles. He also enjoyed “Who’s Lovin’ You” and “The Tracks Of My Tears”.

2. “Bring It On Home To Me” by The Animals

The Animals and The Beatles came up around the same time, and they were both big figures in the British Invasion movement. However, The Animals leaned more toward the blues than the Fab Four did. Lennon was particularly fond of their version of Sam Cooke’s song “Bring It On Home To Me” from 1962. The Animals’ version came out in 1965.

3. “Brown Eyed Handsome Man” by Buddy Holly

This track was a lot of musicians’ favorite song back in the day. “Brown Eyed Handsome Man” was covered beautifully by the late great Buddy Holly, though it was originally a Chuck Berry tune. Sadly, this song was a posthumous hit for Holly, who died in 1959.

4. “New Orleans” by Gary U.S. Bonds

All four of The Beatles, in some form, loved American music. One of John Lennon’s favorite songs came from American R&B crooner Gary U.S. Bonds. Specifically, Lennon was known to play the singer’s hit tune “New Orleans” on rotation on his jukebox. This song was released in 1960 and appeared on his 1961 album Dance ‘Til Quarter To Three With U.S. Bonds. Lennon was also a fan of “Quarter To Three”.

Fun fact: Bonds actually headlined a European tour with The Beatles back in 1963.

Photo by Cyrus Andrews/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

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