‘Now and Then’: John Lennon’s greatest opening line
Who would have thought that picking the greatest opening line from one of the greatest songwriters in the world would be difficult? The moment The Beatles skyrocketed to fame, John Lennon and Paul McCartney were tasked with writing a range of different songs for the band that touched upon various emotions.
There is no secret about what kind of music John Lennon liked to write the most. One of the things that he struggled with the most in The Beatles was his ability to be honest. The band had to cut their hair to be accepted by the mainstream American media, and their songs had to have a catchy melody at the forefront before a harrowing subject matter. As such, Lennon always felt as though he was biting his tongue slightly when writing with the band.
After The Beatles split, he admitted that his favourite songs by the band were tracks such as ‘Help’ because they were the ones where he felt he was the most honest. The lyrics remain timeless in that sense, as they were an honest reflection of how he felt at the time, and therefore, they can never age. His feelings might change, but that moment persists.
It’s hardly a surprise that when the band split, he decided to use his newfound freedom and write songs that were a more honest reflection of himself. He spoke about politics, his upbringing, and his personal life a lot more, words that stood the test of time as they were an honest representation of the pocket he was in when he wrote them.
This came through in songs such as ‘Mother’, tracks that Lennon wrote, knowing it would upset people but not being bothered because his desire to write the most honest music he could was the most important aspect of his penmanship. He admitted that while people might have been upset, he was happy about writing the track.
“Many, many people will not like ‘Mother’; it hurts them,” he said, “The first thing that happens to you when you get the album is you can’t take it. Everybody reacted exactly the same. They think, ‘fuck!’ That’s how everybody is. And the second time, they start saying, ‘Oh, well, there’s a little…’ So I can’t lay ‘Mother’ on them. It confirms the suspicions that something nasty’s going on with that John Lennon and his broad again.”
But out of all of these songs, which one contains John Lennon’s greatest opening line? When you look at the complicated history that happened throughout Lennon’s life, whether that was with the Beatles or throughout his solo career, there are a number of different ways you can interpret what he did, and therefore, his top line should be equally open to interpretation. This is because John Lennon wasn’t able to explain it, and it has gone on to become something much more than just a lyric. Of course, this is the opening lyric to The Beatles’ final release, ‘Now and Then’.
While some considered the means by which this song came about controversial, there is no escaping the fact that the track is important. Using old recordings of John Lennon, these segments were extrapolated and re-recorded to make a brand new track that acted as an official full-stop in The Beatles’ legacy. The opening line was one Lennon had recorded while he was still alive, and what he meant by the words is open to speculation.
“I know it’s true, it’s all because of you,” he says. The muse is unknown, and whether this is meant in a positive light or not is difficult. Whether he is talking about his fame and the highs or the band’s break up and subsequent lows, it’s difficult to know what he was talking about, but that complication feels incredibly indicative of his turbulent career. Equally, the fact that it sets up The Beatles’ final song with a line that remains as ambiguous as their impact is truly beautiful. Picking his best line is tricky, but one like this seems to epitomise him wonderfully, to the point that it can’t not be chosen.
