35 Interesting Facts About John Lennon

“Let me take you down
Cause I’m going to Strawberry Fields
Nothing is real
And nothing to get hung about
Strawberry Fields Forever”

One of the iconic songs of Beatles, which describes each one of their journeys together with each other. The words came out from the dictionary of the legendary member of the band who was going to be remembered forever to eternity. John Winston Ono Lennon, singer, songwriter, and a peace activist. We’re going to talk about Dr. Dream himself:

Image: Flickr

1. Descendent Of The Keeper Of The Nation

Lennon was born on 9 October 1940 to Julia and Alfred Lennon. He was the grandson of Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and was also named after him.
Source: Wikipedia

2. Choose Your Dad Or Your Mom

When Lennon was a 5-year-old child, his mother and father met with divorce, leading him to choose between his father and mother. He chose his father two times, and when his mother would walk away, he would follow her. Too much for such a mild age.
Source: Wikipedia

3. Motherhood That Taught Him Music

Lennon spent his childhood in his aunt Mimi’s house. There his mother would frequently visit him, she was also the one to teach her Banzo. He met his father after 20 years, to which he once stated that it felt as if his father was dead.
Source: nydailynews.com

4. A Choir Boy

Before becoming a legend, John Lennon was a choir boy as a child in St Peters Church in Liverpool.
Source: gq-magazine.co.uk

5. The One Who Inspired Him

Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll inspired him to make his skiffle band called ‘Quarryman,’ which was named after his school.
Source: biography.com

6. Making Of The Legendary Band

Lennon met Paul McCartney at a church fete, later inviting him to join his band Quarryman. McCartney introduced George Harrison to Lennon the following year, and art college buddy Stuart Sutcliffe also joined. The Beatles were made finally with the joining of Pete Best as their drummer. Their first recording was Buddy Holly’s “That’ll Be the Day” in 1958.
Source: billboard.com

7. Onslaught Of The Beatlemania

Beatles were discovered by Brian Epstein in 1961 at Liverpool’s Cavern Club when they were performing regularly. They signed a record contract with EMI, and Ringo Starr (Richard Starkey) joined Beatles as their new drummer. They recorded their first single “Love Me Do” 1962. By 1964, Beatles had become the first British band to break out big in the United States.
Source: biography.com, Image: Wikimedia

8. Pen Down The Names

Apart from John Lennon, he sang also by the name of Dr. Winston O’ Boogie, The Rev. Thumbs Gherkin, The Rev. Fred Gherkin, Long John, Mel Torment and others.
Source: Google

9. The Writer and Poet: Lennon

Lennon has written two books of poetry and stories. They are: “In His Own Write” and “Spaniards In The Works.”
Source: ft.com

10. I Am Forgetful And Mischievous

Lennon was not so good in studies as he got poor grades in school and college and even was thrown out of his college. He was later diagnosed with dyslexia. Lots of his activities in schools three to it. He was so mischievous in college times that once he sat on a nude model’s lap during drawing class.
Source: nydailynews.com

11. Another Bothersome Disease

Lennon used to suffer from Food Fetishes or Bulimia. Unfortunately, he died before he could treat his condition.
Source: dailymail.co.uk

12. First And Only

Lennon was the first to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine and was the only member of the Beatles who wasn’t a vegetarian.
Source: nydailynews.com

13. Please Me! Please Me

Lennon was so inspired by Roy Orbison and Bing Crosby’s lyrics “Oh, please, lend your little ears to my pleas,” from the song “Please” that he wrote group’s first follow up single named as “Please Please Me.” 
Source: biography.com

14. Happily Married Once! No

Lennon married Cynthia Powell in 1962 and divorced her in 1968. He remarried to Yuko Uno in 1969, who he was in bond with until his death. He loved his wife Uno so much that after their marriage, he added her last name Uno to his name.
Source: independent.co.uk

15. The Last Person You Want To Go Driving With

Lennon was the last of the Beatles to learn driving. He learned driving when he was 24. In addition to that, he wasn’t good at driving. Once he took his wife Uno and his two children for driving. Lennon got distracted while driving and drove his car into a ditch ending up in the hospital with his family.
Source: thedrive.com

16. Stoner Lennon

Lennon first experienced LSD when his doctor added some of it in his coffee during a dinner party. It was when they had to record the song “Getting Better” in their eighth album ” Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”
Source: rollingstone.com, Image: Flickr

17. Rejecting The Queen

Band’s impression on the Queen led her to name Beatles as Members Of The Order Of British Empire. Lennon later returned the honor with a letter to the Queen writing his disownment of the honor and him being against the Vietnam War.
Source: billboard.com

18. The Remark That Almost Ended Beatles

On national television, Lennon once remarked that he was more famous than Jesus. The remark left the crowd against Beatles, music stations banning their song and even bonfire their records. Lennon formally asked for apology later.
Source: bt.com

19. The Split Of Beatles

Beatles split in the year 1970. It was Lennon who suddenly announced in public that he was going to divorce the band. Many believed that it was his wife Uno that he decided to leave the Beatles.
Source: telegraph.co.uk

20. His Comments On Beatles

Lennon once said that he would rather be a part of Monty Python than Beatles.
Source: vulture.com

21. Ono And Imagine

It was after the Ono came in Lennon’s life that the star of the Imagine was made. He made a band with her wife named Plastic Ono Band going solo. He was a misogynist, and after Ono, he started supporting peace.
Source: theguardian.com, Image: Pixabay

22. Enmity In Beatles

The enmity between former Beatles members had started when Lennon left the band. Lennon talked about McCartney in his songs often even after the split. Ono was blamed for their split up. Later McCartney talked about their split not being the fault of Ono and the band was already breaking up.
Source: independent.co.uk

23. Lennon As An Actor

Lennon’s acting career started with A Hard Day’s Night in 1964, Help in 1965, Magical Mystery Tour 1969 and Let It Be in 1970 with his bandmates. He only has one movie so far in ‘How I Won The War’ (1968) as a solo actor.
Source: rottentomatoes.com, Image: Flickr

24. The Achievements Of Star

Lennon has won 4 Grammy, a Juno, a Brit and 3 NME awards including some won with Beatles, some as solo and some posthumously.
Source: Google

25. Stressful Relationship With Ono

Ono and Lennon were going to split up after an affair with May Pang came, who was a receptionist at Klein. After a course of time, Ono and Lennon reunited, giving birth to their child Sean.
Source: Wikipedia, Image: Wikimedia

26. Ono, Made Him Househusband

After both the Lennon couple got back, they had a baby called Sean, who was born on the Lennon’s 35th birthday. Lennon agreed to be a househusband for the child for five years.
Source: telegraph.co.uk

27. Sleeping As Dead

Lennon used to sleep in Coffin. According to Alan William, the early manager of Beatles, Lennon used to sleep inside a coffin in the premises of his Coffee Bar “The Jacaranda.”
Source: vintag.es

28. His Famous Glasses

When Lennon was filming the movie “How I Won The War ” at the end of 1966, he was given a pair of “Granny Glasses” for his character in the movie. The spectacles became part of his Image.
Source: radiox.co.uk

29. Obsession With Monopoly

Lennon used to play Monopoly. He was so obsessed with it that he used to play it in hotel rooms or planes while he would be on tour.
Source: gq-magazine.co.uk

30. Anger Issues Of Lennon

Despite being a big name, Lennon had a short temper. He used to abuse his woman. He once almost killed a man. Cavern Club’s MC Bob Wooler, a close friend to Beatles once said that he had an intimate relationship with Brian Epstein. Lennon was so drunk that he beat the man to the extent of hospitalizing him with a broken rib.
Source: mirror.co.uk

31. Lennon’s Fight With the US

FBI charged Lennon for trying to influence the radical politics in the nation’s youth. He conducted anti-Vietnam war rally “Give Peace to the Nation” and several others.
Source: Wikipedia

32. The End Of Star

The world lost the legend on September 8, 1980. He was shot dead by one of his distressed fan Mark David Chapman outside his apartment building in New York City. He was shot 3 times from back at short range.
Source: history.com

33. Hall Of Fame After Death

Lennon has been inducted posthumously in Hall Of Fame, once in 1988 as a member of Beatles, and in 1998 as a solo artist.
Source: newsday.com 

34. Tribute To The Dreamer

Liverpool Airport was formally changed to Lennon Liverpool airport in 2001 in the honor of the Great Musician. Even his former bandmates wrote him a song “Here Today” in his memory.
Source: telegraph.co.uk

35. World’s Most Expensive Tooth

Lennon’s Molar tooth was auctioned and brought by a dentist for 31,000 USD, marking it the most expensive tooth of the world in Guinness Book of World Records.
Source: indiatoday.in