Sean Ono Lennon recently took to X to reveal the story behind the lyrics of John Lennon in the Beatles’ latest song, ‘Now and Then.’
On the platform, there has been a debate about ‘Now and Then,’ about whether Lennon wrote the lyrics for Yoko Ono or Paul McCartney. A user referred to a theory about the track presented by director Peter Jackson, writing:
“Also of note, Jackson theorizes ‘N&T’ started as a song for Yoko (and presents evidence from ‘The Lost Weekend’) and later morphed to be about the Beatles. He asked Paul point blank if the song was about him, and he said he thought it was about Yoko.”
Sean’s Insight Into The Song
Having seen this comment, Sean stepped in and explained:
“If you listen to my dad speak about lyrics, it’s clear he never felt any song was necessarily about one thing. Songs are not essays. Poetry is not journalism. Art is like life—-multilayered and elusive.”
Lennon’s Turn To Personal Songwriting
During a 1971 interview with Rolling Stone, Lennon discussed his then-new album, ‘John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band.’ The late rocker said this album was his best because it was very honest. He explained that he didn’t used to write songs about himself, but he started doing so during the era of this album.
John enjoyed writing about his own experiences because it was more genuine. He also looked back at some of his earlier songs, identifying the ones he felt were honest. The musician disclosed:
“I don’t know about anything else, really, and the few true songs I ever wrote were like ‘Help’ and ‘Strawberry Fields.’ I can’t think of them all offhand. They were the ones I always considered my best songs. They were the ones I really wrote from experience and not projecting myself into a situation and writing a nice story about it. I always found that phony, but I’d find occasion to do it because I’d be so hung up, I couldn’t even think about myself.”
John On Writing Lyrics
Lennon also revealed in a 1968 conversation that he often didn’t fully understand the meanings of his lyrics while writing them. He realized their significance only afterward. The singer compared this writing style to abstract art, suggesting that spontaneous expression, rather than overthinking and laboring over words, leads to a more natural creative process.
Below, you can see the tweets and listen to ‘Now and Then.’
Also of note, Jackson theorizes N&T started as a song for Yoko (and presents evidence from The Lost Weekend) and later morphed to be about The Beatles. He asked Paul point blank if the song was about him, and he said he thought it was about Yoko.
— District 97 (@District97) November 19, 2023
If you listen to my dad speak about lyrics, it’s clear he never felt any song was necessarily about one thing. Songs are not essays. Poetry is not journalism. Art is like life—-multilayered and elusive.
— Seán Ono Lennon (@seanonolennon) November 19, 2023
