"Garbage": 10 Beatles Songs John Lennon Wished He'd Never Written

John Lennon was many things—a musical genius, a cultural revolutionary, a provocateur—but he was also his own harshest critic. While millions of fans cherished every Beatles record, John spent much of his post-Beatles career publicly eviscerating songs he’d written, performed, and watched climb up the charts. If a lyric didn’t ring true or a melody felt too “sweet,” he was the first to tear it down. According to John, the catalog was littered with “filler,” “garbage,” and “lousy” tracks.Some of his targets were obscure album tracks, but others were beloved classics that defined an era. 🎸 What’s striking about John’s self-criticism isn’t just that he disliked certain songs—it’s how much he disliked them, and how willing he was to say so. This wasn’t false modesty or artistic posturing; it was genuine regret, wrapped in the kind of blunt honesty that made John Lennon both fascinating and occasionally infuriating. Self-Loathing – The Songs John Couldn’t Stand1. “Run For Your Life” – The Song He Called His Worst“I always hated ‘Run For Your Life.’” – John Lennon, 1980 Playboy InterviewIf there was one Beatles song John Lennon truly despised, it was “Run For Your Life” from Rubber Soul (1965). In his final major interview, with David Sheff for Playboy in 1980, John didn’t mince words: He called it his least-favorite Beatles song ever. The lyrics—borrowed from an old Elvis Presley song—threatened violence against a cheating woman, and by 1980, Lennon was deeply embarrassed by them. The song’s opening line about preferring to see a woman dead than with another man horrified the older, more reflective Lennon, who had spent years working on his own issues with jealousy and possessiveness.What makes this confession really striking is that John wrote it quickly, almost carelessly, to fill out the Rubber Soul album. It was a throwaway track that haunted him for the rest of his life. In his 1970 Rolling Stone interview with Jann Wenner, just after the Beatles’ breakup, John admitted he was just “churning it out” and had no real emotional investment in the song. By 1980, that lack of investment had curdled into genuine shame. 😱2. “It’s Only Love” – “Abysmal” According to John“I always thought it was a lousy song. The lyrics were abysmal.” – John Lennon, discussing “It’s Only Love”From the same Rubber Soul era came “It’s Only Love,” and John’s assessment was equally harsh. He told interviewers that the lyrics were “abysmal” and that he never liked the song. The track featured fairly straightforward love song clichés—exactly the kind of thing John was trying to move away from by 1965. While George Harrison’s guitar work saved it from being completely forgettable, John clearly wished he’d spent more time on the writing.The interesting thing about John’s critique of “It’s Only Love” is that it reveals his evolving artistic standards. By the time of Rubber Soul, he was writing songs like “Girl” and “Norwegian Wood”—complex, layered compositions that explored adult relationships with nuance and wit. “It’s Only Love” represented the simpler, more innocent Beatles he was trying to leave behind, and he hated being reminded of it. 💔3. “Good Morning Good Morning” – “A Piece of Garbage”“’Good Morning Good Morning’ is a piece of garbage.” – John Lennon, 1980From Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band came “Good Morning Good Morning,” another song he called a throwaway. He called it “garbage,” inspired by a Kellogg’s Corn Flakes TV commercial. The song’s saving grace was the barnyard animal sound effects at the end—arranged so each successive animal could eat the one before it—but John felt the song itself had no real substance.What’s fascinating is that John wrote this during the Sgt. Pepper sessions, arguably the most creative period of his life. Even surrounded by masterpieces like “A Day in the Life” and “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” he could still produce something he considered worthless. It’s a reminder that even geniuses have off days—and that John Lennon was painfully aware when he’d had one. 📺4. “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!” – All Stolen“I had all the words... from this old poster.” – John Lennon, 1980While John didn’t express outright hatred for “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!” from Sgt. Pepper, he was dismissive of it because, as he explained to David Sheff, he’d simply copied the lyrics nearly word-for-word from an old Victorian circus poster. He bought the poster at an antique shop and merely rearranged the text into song form. John felt there was no real creative achievement in the song—it was just transcription with a tune.This confession reveals something important about John’s artistic standards: he valued originality and emotional authenticity above all else. A song could...