Short Lessons from the Music of John Lennon

By Jakob Sherrard

“Music is a moral law. It gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, a charm to sadness, and life to everything. It is the essence of order, and leads to all that is good, just and beautiful, of which it is the invisible, but nevertheless dazzling, passionate, and eternal form” - Plato

Music is undoubtedly one of the most important and effective artistic tools for conveying thought and self expression. When examining human history, music can be used to typify a culture and truly grasp the essence of what drove people. Music is also one of the artforms where an individual's influence is easy to detect and determine how these people influenced not only music, but the ethos and pathos of people who listen to it. One of these musicians in the modern era has been John Lennon. John Lennon’s influence on music is undeniable and his music was some of the first that was deeply personal. Now, it is my belief that John Lennon’s music can be used to teach good lessons, but has also supplied young people with some of the worst advice receivable. Without further ado, a few lessons from the music of John Lennon.

“In My Life”

The first insight that I would like to offer from the writing of Lennon is double edged. In “In My Life,” Lennon is cognizant and appreciative of the people who have come in his life. He looks upon the people that he’s loved, the people that have shaped him with a deep respect and appreciation. He recognizes that while these people may not exist in your life for the entirety of it, the impact that people can have on one’s life are deep and important. I think in this aspect of the song, Lennon supplies a good message to listeners. Since so many of his listeners were young people I view this as a good way for him to challenge the headstrong attitudes that so many young people have. 

Looking deeper into the song however, you see that Lennon was implying that these people had lost importance to him because of the introduction of a new love interest. This is where his error is because it teaches his young listeners that love is selfish, blinding, and all encompassing. The moral issues with this are evident and it’s very important to be able to discern from the positivity and the complex character issues that can exist within such personal music.

“A Day in the Life”

This song co-written by Lennon and Paul McCartney provides a lens on many many issues that frustrated Lennon about the world he lived in. From the monotony of everyday life and Lennon struggling to adjust to that, to the apathy of people that he lived around, to sensationalist media, Lennon touched a breadth of topics in the contents of this song. I think that Lennon’s commentary on these issues is important because people are apathetic, and one of the struggles of adapting to adulthood is adapting to monotony. Lennon did good here because he acknowledged the issues that people struggle with as they age and provided that relatable artistic outlet, which is important. He uses the way people have been desensitized to death, war, and to violence as evidence that apathy is a real problem. He also addresses the error that people view their lives as too busy to care, which I view as a logical fallacy of the 21st century more than ever.

“God” and “Dear Prudence”

These songs are where Lennon really falls short on providing moral lessons to his young listeners. Lennon for much of these songs addresses his issues with his critics, institutions (such as religion), and even directly addresses individuals (such as former bandmates and critics). Now, to me these songs are atypical for Lennon. Much of Lennon’s music professes messages of love, but I also think that these songs just go to show how the love he writes about is in many ways just a shallow love. He writes about the joys and pitfalls of romantic love, and the ways he is affected by these, but he fails to love when it comes to those who oppose him. His love lacks justice. 

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Now while, I myself am a big fan of Lennon’s music, my appreciation for his music should go to show that art is something that is supposed to be thought about and critiqued. You can appreciate an art while also understanding the problematic moral and philosophical issues that it can have, and that’s important when consuming any art. Just to further emphasize what I mean, I will end with Lennon’s own words, “Living is easy with eyes closed. Misunderstanding all you see.”

Jakob Sherrard is a McConnell Scholar in the Class of 2023. He is studying political science at the University of Louisville.