He spoke about his regrets regarding a conversation he had with his father's bandmate.
Sean Ono Lennon, the son of John Lennon, recently talked about how he now regrets talking to Paul McCartney about one of his father’s well-known songs. Because Lennon passed very suddenly when Sean was just five years old, so he could not discuss music in-depth with his father. However, as an adult, Sean explored John’s expansive discography when compiling the box set “Gimme Some Truth.”
One song that caught Sean’s attention was “How Do You Sleep?” from John’s 1971 album “Imagine.” This fiery track, aimed at Paul McCartney, sparked a long-standing feud between the former Beatles and generated public intrigue following the band’s breakup. Even Sean Ono Lennon couldn’t resist the temptation to inquire about “How Do You Sleep?” during a conversation with Paul, although he later expressed regret for doing so.
As part of his work on remastering his father’s solo material for “Gimme Some Truth,” Sean spoke highly of his father’s songs in a 2020 interview with Rolling Stone. He specifically praised “How Do You Sleep?” for its scathing critique of Paul McCartney’s musical direction, claiming that John believed Paul was producing “muzak” rather than authentic music.
With that, Sean purposely avoided mentioning “How Do You Sleep?” during his BBC interview with Paul out of fear of upsetting him. He emphasized his admiration for the song and George Harrison’s significant contribution to it before stating that he didn’t want to take the chance of damaging their connection.
In addition, Sean related a funny incident about how he and Paul once discussed “How Do You Sleep?” Sean acknowledged that as a bright kid, he jokingly asked Paul about the song while grinning mischievously at how melodic it was. He apologized for his comment, admitting that he shouldn’t have brought it up in that way.
He said, “A funny story is that one of the first times I ever got to hang out with Paul when I was young — I think I was 12 or 13 — one of the first times I ever actually spoke to him for more than just a ‘Hi’ or a handshake. I was very precocious, as some teenagers can be.”
“I really regret saying this, but I said something like, ‘What do you think of ‘How Do You Sleep?’ with this crazy, maniacal grin because I’d always loved that song musically,” Sean added. “I just regret saying that. I was like, ‘The lyrics might have been mean, or whatever, but isn’t it musically a great song?’”
While Sean didn’t provide extensive details about McCartney’s reaction, he mentioned that the Beatles member was gracious about it. He is still careful when talking about the song since he doesn’t want Paul to take his comments as insulting or offensive.
“How Do You Sleep?” did not significantly influence the Billboard Hot 100 list despite not being released as a single. However, it featured on the album “Imagine,” which peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and stayed at the top for an incredible 47 weeks, second only to “Double Fantasy” among John’s post-Beatles albums in chart longevity. While Imagine became John’s most popular non-Beatles album in the UK, the song did not do well in the charts there either.
Still, Sean thinks that “How Do You Sleep?” has an enduring influence on pop culture even though it was never a mainstream success. He attributes the song to create the foundation for following hip-hop feuds like the well-known conflict between 50 Cent and Ja Rule. Despite its commercial performance, “How Do You Sleep?” holds a special place in Sean’s heart as a testament to its musical brilliance.
