McCartney Times

John Lennon’s 1971 track “How Do You Sleep” levied a torrent of musical criticisms against Paul McCartney, but the former Beatles star didn’t reserve judgment on his own work either. In fact, as the following list of 20 Beatles Songs That John Lennon Hated shows, he was an equal-opportunity critic.Lennon tore into deep cuts, treasured favorites and no less than four songs that hit No. 1 on the American or U.K. charts. No sacred cow went un-slaughtered. Sometimes, he didn’t like the arrangement or the take the group decided to use, other times he couldn’t get past the lyrics. “I feel I could remake every fucking one of them better,” he bluntly told David Sheff in a 1980 interview for Playboy. All of it underscores just how brutally honest Lennon could be – even with the band that hurtled him to superstardom. Keep scrolling to see our list of 20 Beatles Songs That John Lennon Hated, presented in chronological order according to sessions dates.

“A TASTE OF HONEY”
From: Please Please Me (1963)

The History: A pop standard composed for a play of the same name, “A Taste of Honey” was adapted from Lenny Welch’s 1962 vocal update during the afternoon portion of a marathon session on Feb. 11, 1963, in which the Beatles recorded most of their first album. The screenplay for A Taste of Honey was also said to have inspired Paul McCartney to write 1967’s “Your Mother Should Know.”
On the Charts: Part of their Hamburg set lists in 1962-63, and was performed seven times for BBC radio, but never released as a single.
Lennon’s Line: Lennon actually took jabs at the song while on stage with the Beatles, singing “A Waste of Money” behind McCartney’s lead vocal.Yes It Is (Remastered)

“YES IT IS”
From: Past Masters (1965)
The History: “Yes It Is” was recorded in February 1965, on the same day the Beatles completed George Harrison‘s “I Need You.” Both notably featured volume-pedal work from George, though “Yes It Is” is more famous for its gorgeous three-part harmonies.
On the Charts: First appeared as the B-side to the Beatles’ No. 1 smash “Ticket to Ride.”
Lennon’s Line: “That’s me trying a rewrite of [1963’s] ‘This Boy,'” Lennon said in the 1980 interview with Playboy, “but it didn’t work.”

“IT’S ONLY LOVE”
From: Help! (1965)

The History: The Beatles completed this song, which appeared on the second side of Help!, over six takes in June 1965. By the way, McCartney later took up for “It’s Only Love” in Barry Miles’ Many Years From Now, saying: “It’s only a rock ‘n’ roll song; I mean, this is not literature.”
On the Charts: Never released as a single, “It’s Only Love” ended up on the heavily edited U.S. version of Rubber Soul.
Lennon’s Line: “That’s the one song I really hate of mine. Terrible lyric,” Lennon told Hit Parader magazine. In David Sheff’s All We Are Saying, Lennon added: “I always thought it was a lousy song. The lyrics were abysmal. I always hated that song.”

“RUN FOR YOUR LIFE”
From: Rubber Soul (1965)

The History: Lennon got this song underway by swiping a line from “Baby, Let’s Play House,” made famous by Elvis Presley in 1955 – then gave it a far more jealous edge.
On the Charts: The Beatles actually began the October 1965 sessions for Rubber Soul with “Run for Your Life,” though it ended up as the album’s final track. Never released as a single.
Lennon’s Line: John returned to this more than once over the years, saying he “always hated” it, that “Run for Your Life,” was his “least favorite Beatles song,” and calling it “just a sort of throwaway song of mine that I never thought much of.”

Source: 20 Beatles Songs That John Lennon Hated