While he was in the band, despite the fact that he was celebrated as one of the greatest songwriters ever and had the world at his fingertips, there was a part of John Lennon that felt as though he wasn’t allowed to be his authentic self.
However, he was rarely allowed to explore these themes when working with the band, Farout reports.
“Many, many people will not like ‘Mother’; it hurts them,” said Lennon, “The first thing that happens to you when you get the album is you can’t take it. Everybody reacted exactly the same. They think, ‘fuck!’ That’s how everybody is. And the second time, they start saying, ‘Oh, well, there’s a little…’ So I can’t lay ‘Mother’ on them. It confirms the suspicions that something nasty’s going on with that John Lennon and his broad again.”
David Bowie had a lot of positive things to say about Lennon.
“He was one of the major influences on my musical life. I just thought he was the very best of what could be done with Rock and Roll, and also ideas.
I mean I felt such kin to him inasmuch as he would rifle the avant-garde and look for ideas that were so on the outside, on the periphery of what was the mainstream and then apply them in a functional manner to something that was considered populist and make it work.
He would take the most odd idea and make it work for the masses. I thought that was just so admirable, I mean, that was like making artwork for the people and not having it as an elitist thing. There was just so much about him that I admired. He was tremendous, you know.”
David Bowie’s “The Prettiest Star” Returns
More than half a century after it was first released, “The Prettiest Star” reappears on the Official Physical Singles chart in the U.K. The cut lands at No. 87 on the ranking that’s reserved for the bestselling songs on CD, vinyl, and other tangible formats in that country.
Somewhat surprisingly, this is just the fifth frame in which “The Prettiest Star” has appeared on the Official Physical Singles chart. It didn’t debut until June 2021, more than half a century after its initial release. At that time, the tune managed four showings on the roster before vanishing. Now, nearly three years later, it’s back.
While its return is certainly worthy of noting, and it must be exciting to fans who love the cut, “The Prettiest Star” lands lower than ever before. The song hits No. 87 this time around, a far cry from its peak position. When it debuted, the song launched straight to No. 1, and it spent three of its four earlier frames inside the top 40.
