John Lennon on “the only” American girl he liked
The Beatles represent the pinnacle of quintessentially British music and songwriting. Their intense fame and success helped to wrestle back the rock and roll mantle from the United States and ushered in a new age of British pop, which soon resonated worldwide. By 1964, the Fab Four could hardly walk outside their houses without being set upon by a swarm of obsessed fans, but, as it turned out, things were just as excessive across the Atlantic, too. On their first tour of America, young fans would throw themselves at the band at virtually every opportunity, much to the apparent annoyance of John Lennon.
As primary songwriters for the band, the vast majority of Beatlemania focused on Lennon and Paul McCartney. The pair went from childhood friends playing skiffle music together in Liverpool to being globally recognised artists amassing armies of obsessive fans. In many ways, Beatlemania predicted the later success of boy bands, in which fans – particularly young women and girls – would form an all-encompassing attachment to the musicians. This scene was intense enough on the shores of England, but the band’s trip to the States took Beatlemania to entirely new heights.
From the moment the Liverpudlians disembarked on American soil, they did not see a moment’s peace. Hounded by the press, screamed at by gaggles of teenage girls, and criticised by American leaders fearful of this rebellious new youth culture, The Beatles’ 1964 trip to America was tumultuous, to say the least. Understandably, the band soon found themselves exhausted by this constant attention, leading to a certain amount of anti-American sentiment among the band members.
Following their first tour of America, the band returned to Blighty in September of 1964, where they were quickly asked to reflect on the experience of touring the States. Speaking to Playboy in 1964, The Beatles reflected on their fame, with George Harrison saying he could visit most public places, with the caveat that, “Usually it’s only Americans that’ll bother you”. The subsequent conversation focused a lot on the attention the band had amassed in America and the intense fatigue of having to fend off fans at every turn.
To his credit, McCartney eventually chimed in with, “Some of those American girls have been great,” with Lennon quickly adding, “Like Joan Baez”. An icon of the counterculture movement, Baez was among the exciting new generation of American singer-songwriters during the 1960s. She had encountered The Beatles during their tour of America and seemed to make a good impression on the band. “Joan Baez is good, yeah, very good,” Paul agreed, with Lennon announcing, “She’s the only one I like”.
Lennon was most probably facetious in his claims that Baez was the only American girl he liked. After all, the band took undeniable influence from the world of American soul and Motown music, which was dominated by female vocalists.
Many took Lennon’s quotes in Playboy as a sign that he and Baez had forged a romantic relationship during the band’s time in the USA, but, luckily, Baez was on hand to set the record straight. Speaking to Rolling Stone in 1983, the folk star revealed, “I travelled with the Beatles for four days on one tour and, uh, ended up with John at one point, but we certainly did not have anything.”
Nevertheless, Baez clearly had an impact on Lennon, and the pair remained friendly for multiple years. In fact, the folk singer covered the work of John Lennon and The Beatles on numerous occasions throughout her illustrious music career.
