John Lennon Songs Ranked
John Winston Ono Lennon MBE was an English singer, songwriter and peace activist who gained worldwide fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist, and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. His songwriting partnership with Paul McCartney remains the most successful in musical history. In 1969, he started the Plastic Ono Band with his second wife, Yoko Ono. After the Beatles disbanded in 1970, Lennon continued as a solo artist and as Ono’s collaborator. In 1956, he formed his first band, the Quarrymen, which evolved into the Beatles in 1960. He was initially the group’s de facto leader, a role gradually ceded to McCartney. Lennon was characterized for the rebellious nature and acerbic wit in his music, writing, drawings, on film and in interviews. In the mid-1960s, he had two books published: In His Own Write and A Spaniard in the Works, both collections of nonsensical writings and line drawings. Starting with 1967’s “All You Need Is Love”, his songs were adopted as anthems by the anti-war movement and the larger counterculture. From 1968 to 1972, Lennon produced more than a dozen records with Ono, including a trilogy of avant-garde albums, his first solo LP John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, and the international top 10 singles “Give Peace a Chance”, “Instant Karma!”, “Imagine” and “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)”. In 2002, Lennon was voted eighth in a BBC poll of the 100 Greatest Britons, and in 2008, Rolling Stone ranked him the fifth-greatest singer of all time. In 1987, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Lennon was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, as a member of the Beatles in 1988 and as a solo artist in 1994. Here are all John Lennon songs ranked.
Don’t missed the music of John Lennon. Click below and experience the legendary songs of the past.
20. A Day In the Life (Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band., 1967)
“Actually, this song is a collaboration. John Lennon wrote 2/3 of this song and Paul Mccartney wrote the middle part. (wake up, fall out of bed, drag the comb across my head.”
19. Give Peace a Chance (Live Peace in Toronto 1969, 1969)
“Best song ever, I love it as much as imagine. Peace& love. Forever John Lennon lives in our hearts. This song is the best song ever. It helps me relate to many other things in life. I am surprised this song wasn’t even on the list. It at least deserves to be in the top ten.
18. Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) (Double Fantasy Stripped Down, 1980)
“Great song! This one was Paul McCartney’s favorite from John Lennon. It made him cry when listening to it. Love this song!. “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans” so true, beautiful song”
17. Mind Games (Mind Games, 1973)
“Highly underrated should have been a number one song loved it from the first time I heard the fantastic intro and mesmerizing sound Imagine is his signature best but overplayed”
See more: John Lennon Albums Ranked
16. Oh My Love (Imagine, 1971)
“Perhaps my favorite song of all time. Joyful when I’m happy, melancholic when I’m sad, it is hauntingly beautiful, simply amazing. If you’ve never heard it, give it a chance. Used this track for the moment, my Wife, to be walked into the room… a lovely track, can’t believe it’s not in the top 3. If you have never listened to it…do it now! Wow, John’s voice is gorgeous on it.”
15. #9 Dream (Walls and Bridges, 1974)
“Although Imagine is my favorite of his (I know, how typical) but this song is a close second. Could this be his best song? Yes, let’s be honest, it is. The vocals in this are superb. You can’t go wrong with a little mystical vocals. Great track, his best.”
14. Real Love (Imagine, 1971)
“John Lennon recorded this song shortly before he was assassinated, but it was a poor quality demo, so the Beatles finished it in 1995 for their Anthology 2 album. Although I prefer The Beatles’ version, Lennon’s solo effort is still beautiful. A very underrated Lennon solo song.
13. Love (John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, 1970)
“And this is one of the most beautiful and honest songs ever written. It makes me cry more than any of John’s other songs and it just embodies him so much. I miss him like crazy. I still think Imagine is the best but this should be second. It is one of the most beautiful songs ever composed and yet so simple. But in simplicity there is truth.”
12. Nobody Told Me (Milk and Honey, 1984)
“This song is the best song ever. It helps me relate to many other things in life. I am surprised this song wasn’t even on the list. It at least deserves to be in the top ten.”
11. Mother (John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, 1970)
“This is a sad funeral song. Children lose parents. Both mom and dad die in various ways. Take care of them and love your parents while they’re still alive. Lennon’s powerful voice and forceful singing makes this my favorite song by him of all time.”
10. Happy Xmas (War is Over) (These Are Special Times, 1998)
“Hard to choose as there are so many masterpieces. This, along with Across the Universe stop my heart each time I hear it! Cry every time I hear this magnificent song. This is a great Christmas song”
9. Stand by Me (Rock ‘N’ Roll, 1975)
“When the night is cold and the land is dark and the moon is the only light we see VOTE 4 ME! Doesn’t beat imagine, but still a great song and deserves to be in the top ten easily. This song is one of the best ever he really hits the notes”
8. (Just Like) Starting Over (Double Fantasy Stripped Down, 1980)
“After 5 years away from music, this song was the perfect way to start his comeback… the doo-wop sound is very unique, as he had never done it before… the lyrics are stunning, and mesmerizing”
7. Watching the Wheels (Double Fantasy Stripped Down, 1980)
“Forget Imagine and Woman this is the greatest Lennon song it’s complex in its arrangements yet perfectly describes where he was in life… This song has a great tune to it. I was tossing up between this and imagine but I voted for this. Anyone who wants to listen to a great song listens to this one. Beautiful lyrics!”
See more: Joan Baez Albums Ranked
6. God (John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, 1970)
“This song says exactly what I like to do, sit down and watch the world. This song hooks me every time I hear it. Damn, he was good. I love everything about this song, lyrics, music
It really is a thought-provoking piece of art”
5. Woman (Double Fantasy Stripped Down, 1980)
“The best sound, and sentimental attachment being a posthumous UK number one. Simply beautiful and heartwarming! Amazing song. Relates to my story and maybe everyone’s… One of the most beautiful songs ever! Top musicianship.
4. Jealous Guy (Imagine, 1971)
“This is really amazing… The lyrics are so true… It tells how we lose the real meaning of love and become jealous and insecure and then make the one who we love to cry Everyone is a fan of Imagine. Don’t get me wrong it’s a great song, but I think the jealous guy is the best song on the imagine lp.”
3. Working Class Hero (John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, 1970)
“Amazing lyrics. what a voice listen carefully and see the beautiful lyric. This perfect utopian society with no conflict. This is the most impressive song I ever heard.. Somehow this reminds me of growing up”
2. Instant Karma (John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, 1970)
“Really good songs steven king even got the title of the shining from this song “Instant Karma gonna get you, it’s gonna look you right in the face. Simply the best! An anthem for those who want the very best out of life, and won’t settle for less.”
1. Imagine (Mr. Holland’s Opus, 1971)
“I wish I could have saved him. I wish I could take a time machine and stand there, as an invisible shield, and taken those three shots. I wasn’t around at the time, but if I was, you would have seen me as his shield, protector. I bet he is up there right now, taking little dolls that represent humans, and moving them, and changing them, to make the world the way he had imagined. I know that some people thought that the fans of John Lennon weren’t close to him, but they really were. They attended to concerts, they had albums they admired as if it was the only thing that mattered, they looked up to him. I wish I could have saved him.”
