John Lennon was one of the most incredible songwriters of the 20th century, both in The Beatles and as a solo artist. Taking on his songs is no easy feat, as many of the songs he wrote have gone on to be immortal classics still loved deeply today. However, a few bands and musicians through the years have taken a stab at his work with respectable results. Let’s look at just a few of my favorite John Lennon covers! You might just love these versions, too.
“Come Together” by Arctic Monkeys
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-68UjvpPmmA&ab_channel=Olympics
Remember when Arctic Monkeys performed at the 2012 Olympics? Their performance was quite spectacular, but one moment in which the band represented Great Britain was really memorable. The band performed “Come Together”, written by John Lennon and recorded with The Beatles, and the result was really something gorgeous.
This song has been covered by probably thousands of people, so standing out isn’t exactly easy. However, Arctic Monkeys definitely stood out with this absolute vision of a cover.
“Nowhere Man” by Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan and The Beatles had an interesting historical relationship with one another. Many believe that Dylan meeting with the British group influenced how they approached making music. Others believe that a conversation between Lennon and Dylan inspired the latter to make the switch to electric instruments.
The truth is buried under decades of lore. But one thing is more or less certain: John Lennon and Bob Dylan had a lot of respect for one another. And Dylan showed just how much he respected Lennon with this lovely cover of “Nowhere Man”.
“Across The Universe” by David Bowie
I guess I’m a bad Beatles fan, because I had no idea that David Bowie had formally covered one of their biggest songs and one of John Lennon’s greatest songwriting efforts. This example of John Lennon covers that go above and beyond is about as whimsical and gorgeous as one would expect from Bowie. Lennon and Bowie were friends, so it makes sense that Bowie would take a stab at one of Lennon’s finest songs from The Beatles’ heyday.
Bowie was given permission to include this cover in Young Americans, and Lennon himself also provided backing vocals and a guitar track to the song.
Photo by Harry Benson/Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
