The Last Time John Lennon Sang a Beatles Song Live
Near the end of John Lennon‘s life, all signs pointed to him never playing a Beatles song live again. He wasn’t frequently on the road as a general rule. The likelihood that he would revisit his old material amid one of his rare appearances was close to zero. Luckily for Beatles fans, Lennon did manage to sneak in one final live performance of a Beatles classic before he was murdered. Find out which Beatles song bookended Lennon’s career below.
One of Lennon’s last performances saw him play alongside Elton John at Madison Square Garden. It seems that only the consequences of a bet (more on that later) could bring Lennon back on stage after so many reclusive years.
Amid the set, Lennon and John decided to play a rendition of “I Saw Her Standing There.” This early Beatles cut is among their most beloved songs. It is indicative of the writing style of Lennon and Paul McCartney. It was one of the first songs they penned together.
“I wrote it with John in the front parlour of my house in 20 Forthlin Road, Allerton,” McCartney once said. “We sagged off school and wrote it on guitars and a little bit on the piano that I had there.”
“We were learning our skill,” he continued. “John would like some of my lines and not others. He liked most of what I did, but there would sometimes be a cringe line, such as, ‘She was just seventeen, she’d never been a beauty queen.’ John thought, ‘Beauty queen? Ugh.’ We were thinking of Butlin’s so we asked ourselves, what should it be? We came up with, ‘You know what I mean.’ Which was good, because you don’t know what I mean.”
In many ways, it seems fitting that “I Saw Her Standing There” would be the last Beatles song Lennon ever performed–poetic almost.
Final Performance with Elton John
Before their MSG performance, Lennon and John wrote a collaborative track, “Whatever Gets You Thru The Night.” The pair already had a strong personal friendship, but this song also connected their careers.
After writing the song, John made a wager with the former Beatle, begging him to join him in New York for a surprise appearance if the song went no. 1. Much to Lennon’s surprise, the song did reach the top of the charts. He went through with his end of the bet, leading to the iconic and bittersweet performance below.
Source: americansongwriter.com/Alex Hopper
