Editing John Lennon (section)

==The Quarrymen to the Beatles: 1956–1970==
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{{Further|The Quarrymen|Lennon–McCartney|The Beatles|Beatlemania|British Invasion|More popular than Jesus}}

===Formation, fame and touring: 1956–1966===
[[File:The Beatles i Hötorgscity 1963.jpg|thumb|[[Ringo Starr]], [[George Harrison]], Lennon and [[Paul McCartney]] in 1963]]
At the age of 15, Lennon formed a [[skiffle group]], the Quarrymen. Named after Quarry Bank High School, the group was established by Lennon in September 1956.{{sfn|Harry|2000b|p=738}} By the summer of 1957, the Quarrymen played a "spirited set of songs" made up of half skiffle and half [[rock and roll]].{{sfn|Spitz|2005|p=95}} Lennon first met Paul McCartney at the Quarrymen's second performance, which was held in Woolton on 6 July at the [[St Peter's Church, Woolton, Liverpool|St Peter's Church]] garden fête. Lennon then asked McCartney to join the band.{{sfn|Spitz|2005|pp=93–99}}

McCartney said that Aunt Mimi "was very aware that John's friends were lower class", and would often patronise him when he arrived to visit Lennon.{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=44}} According to McCartney's brother [[Mike McGear|Mike]], their father similarly disapproved of Lennon, declaring that Lennon would get his son "into trouble".{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=32}} McCartney's father nevertheless allowed the fledgling band to rehearse in the family's front room at [[20 Forthlin Road|20{{nbsp}}Forthlin Road]].{{sfn|Miles|1997|pp=38–39}}{{sfn|Lennon|2005|p=47}} During this time Lennon wrote his first song, "[[Hello Little Girl]]", which became a UK top 10 hit for [[the Fourmost]] in 1963.{{sfn|Harry|2000b|pp=337–338}}

McCartney recommended that his friend [[George Harrison]] become the lead guitarist.{{sfn|Miles|1997|pp=47, 50}} Lennon thought that Harrison, then 14 years old, was too young. McCartney engineered an audition on the upper deck of a Liverpool bus, where Harrison played "[[Raunchy (instrumental)|Raunchy]]" for Lennon and was asked to join.{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=47}} [[Stuart Sutcliffe]], Lennon's friend from art school, later joined as bassist.{{sfn|Lennon|2005|p=64}} Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Sutcliffe became "The Beatles" in early 1960. In August that year, the Beatles were engaged for a 48-night [[The Beatles in Hamburg|residency in Hamburg]], in West Germany, and were desperately in need of a drummer. They asked [[Pete Best]] to join them.{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=57}} Lennon's aunt, horrified when he told her about the trip, pleaded with Lennon to continue his art studies instead.{{sfn|Lennon|2005|p=53}} After the first Hamburg residency, the band accepted another in April 1961, and a third in April 1962. As with the other band members, Lennon was introduced to [[Preludin]] while in Hamburg,{{sfn|Miles|1997|pp=66–67}} and regularly took the drug as a stimulant during their long, overnight performances.{{sfn|Lennon|2005|p=57}}
[[File:John Lennon on The Ed Sullivan Show.jpg|thumb|242x242px|Lennon in 1964]]
[[Brian Epstein]] managed the Beatles from 1962 until his death in 1967. He had no previous experience managing artists, but he had a strong influence on the group's dress code and attitude on stage.{{sfn|The Beatles|2000|p=67}} Lennon initially resisted his attempts to encourage the band to present a professional appearance, but eventually complied, saying "I'll wear a bloody balloon if somebody's going to pay me."{{sfn|Frankel|2007}} McCartney took over on bass after Sutcliffe decided to stay in Hamburg, and Best was replaced with drummer [[Ringo Starr]]; this completed the four-piece line-up that would remain until the group's break-up in 1970. The band's first single, "[[Love Me Do]]", was released in October 1962 and reached No. 17 on the British charts. They recorded their debut album, ''[[Please Please Me]]'', in under 10 hours on 11 February 1963,{{sfn|Harry|2000b|p=721}} a day when Lennon was suffering the effects of a cold,{{sfn|Lewisohn |1988|pp=24–26: "Twist and Shout, which had to be recorded last because John Lennon had a particularly bad cold"}} which is evident in the vocal on the last song to be recorded that day, "[[Twist and Shout]]".{{sfn|Spitz|2005|p=376: "He had been struggling all day to reach notes, but this was different, this hurt"}} The Lennon–McCartney songwriting partnership yielded eight of its fourteen tracks. With a few exceptions, one being the album title itself, Lennon had yet to bring his love of wordplay to bear on his song lyrics, saying: "We were just writing songs{{nbsp}}... pop songs with no more thought of them than that – to create a sound. And the words were almost irrelevant".{{sfn|Harry|2000b|p=721}} In a 1987 interview, McCartney said that the other Beatles idolised Lennon: "He was like our own little Elvis{{nbsp}}... We all looked up to John. He was older and he was very much the leader; he was the quickest wit and the smartest."{{sfn|Doggett|2010|p=33}}

The Beatles achieved mainstream success in the UK early in 1963. Lennon was on tour when his first son, [[Julian Lennon|Julian]], was born in April. During their [[Royal Variety Show]] performance, which was attended by the Queen Mother and other British royalty, Lennon poked fun at the audience: "For our next song, I'd like to ask for your help. For the people in the cheaper seats, clap your hands{{nbsp}}... and the rest of you, if you'll just rattle your jewellery."{{sfn|Shennan|2007}} After a year of [[Beatlemania in the United Kingdom|Beatlemania in the UK]], the group's historic February 1964 US debut appearance on ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]'' marked their breakthrough to international stardom. A two-year period of constant touring, filmmaking, and songwriting followed, during which Lennon wrote two books, ''[[In His Own Write]]'' and ''[[A Spaniard in the Works]]''.{{sfn|Coleman|1984a|pp=239–240}} The Beatles received recognition from the British establishment when they were appointed [[Order of the British Empire|Members of the Order of the British Empire]] (MBE) in the [[1965 Birthday Honours|1965 Queen's Birthday Honours]].{{sfn|London Gazette|1965|pp=5487–5489}}

[[File:Paul, George & John.png|thumb|McCartney, Harrison and Lennon, 1964]]Lennon grew concerned that fans who attended Beatles concerts were unable to hear the music above the screaming of fans, and that the band's musicianship was beginning to suffer as a result.{{sfn|Coleman|1984a|p=288}} Lennon's "[[Help! (song)|Help!]]" expressed his own feelings in 1965: "I ''meant'' it{{nbsp}}... It was me singing 'help{{'"}}.{{sfn|Gould|2008|p=268}} He had put on weight (he would later refer to this as his "Fat Elvis" period),{{sfn|Lawrence|2005|p=62}} and felt he was subconsciously seeking change.{{sfn|The Beatles|2000|p=171}} In March that year he and Harrison were unknowingly introduced to [[LSD]] when a dentist, hosting a dinner party attended by the two musicians and their partners, spiked the guests' coffee with the drug.{{sfn|Rodriguez|2012|pp=51–52}} When they wanted to leave, their host revealed what they had taken, and strongly advised them not to leave the house because of the likely effects. Later, in a lift at a nightclub, they all believed it was on fire; Lennon recalled: "We were all screaming{{nbsp}}... hot and hysterical."{{sfn|Harry|2000b|p=570}}
{{Anchor|BiggerThanJesus}} In March 1966, during an interview with ''Evening Standard'' reporter [[Maureen Cleave]], Lennon remarked, "Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink{{nbsp}}... We're more popular than Jesus now – I don't know which will go first, rock and roll or Christianity."{{sfn|Cleave|2007}} The comment went virtually unnoticed in England but caused [[More popular than Jesus|great offence in the US]] when quoted by a magazine there five months later. The furore that followed, which included the burning of Beatles records, [[Ku Klux Klan]] activity and threats against Lennon, contributed to the band's decision to stop touring.{{sfn|Gould|2008|pp=5–6, 249, 281, 347}}

===Studio years, break-up and solo work: 1966–1970===
[[File:John Lennon passport photo (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|Lennon's [[British passport|passport]] photo taken in 1967|left]]
After the band's final concert on 29 August 1966, Lennon filmed the anti-war black comedy ''[[How I Won the War]]'' – his only appearance in a non-Beatles feature film – before rejoining his bandmates for an extended period of recording, beginning in November.{{sfn|Hoppa|2010}} Lennon had increased his use of LSD{{sfn|Gould|2008|p=319}} and, according to author [[Ian MacDonald]], his continuous use of the drug in 1967 brought him "close to [[Egolessness|erasing his identity]]".{{sfn|MacDonald|2005|p=281}} The year 1967 saw the release of "[[Strawberry Fields Forever]]", hailed by ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine for its "astonishing inventiveness",{{sfn|Time|1967}} and the group's landmark album ''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]'', which revealed lyrics by Lennon that contrasted strongly with the simple love songs of the group's early years.{{sfn|Gould|2008|pp=399–400}}

In late June, the Beatles performed Lennon's "[[All You Need Is Love]]" as Britain's contribution to the ''[[Our World (1967 TV program)|Our World]]'' satellite broadcast, before an international audience estimated at up to 400&nbsp;million.{{sfn|Lewisohn|1988|p=116}} Intentionally simplistic in its message,{{sfn|Schaffner|1978|p=86}} the song formalised his [[Pacifism|pacifist]] stance and provided an anthem for the [[Summer of Love]].{{sfn|Wiener|1990|pp=39–40}} After the Beatles were introduced to the [[Maharishi Mahesh Yogi]], the group attended an August weekend of personal instruction at his [[Transcendental Meditation]] seminar [[The Beatles in Bangor|in Bangor]], Wales.{{sfn|BBC News|2007b}} During the seminar, they were informed of Epstein's death. "I knew we were in trouble then", Lennon said later. "I didn't have any misconceptions about our ability to do anything other than play music. I was scared – I thought, 'We've fucking had it now.{{'"}}{{sfn|Brown|1983|p=276}} McCartney organised the group's first post-Epstein project,{{sfn|Miles|1997|pp=349–373}} the self-written, -produced and -directed television film ''[[Magical Mystery Tour (film)|Magical Mystery Tour]]'', which was released in December that year. While the film itself proved to be their first critical flop, its [[Magical Mystery Tour|soundtrack release]], featuring Lennon's [[Lewis Carroll]]–inspired "[[I Am the Walrus]]", was a success.{{sfn|Logan|1967}}{{sfn|Lewisohn|1988|p=131}}

Led by Harrison and Lennon's interest, the Beatles travelled to the Maharishi's [[ashram]] in India in February 1968 for further guidance.{{sfn|Doggett|2010|pp=33, 34}} While there, they composed most of the songs for their double album ''[[The Beatles (album)|The Beatles]]'',{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=397}} but the band members' mixed experience with Transcendental Meditation signalled a sharp divergence in the group's camaraderie.{{sfn|Schaffner|1978|p=89}} On their return to London, they became increasingly involved in business activities with the formation of [[Apple Corps]], a multimedia corporation composed of [[Apple Records]] and several other subsidiary companies. Lennon described the venture as an attempt to achieve "artistic freedom within a business structure".{{sfn|Harry|2000b|p=31}} Released amid the [[Protests of 1968]], the band's debut single for the Apple label included Lennon's B-side "[[Revolution (Beatles song)|Revolution]]", in which he called for a "plan" rather than committing to [[Maoist]] revolution. The song's pacifist message led to ridicule from political radicals in the [[New Left]] press.{{sfn|Wiener|1990|p=60}} Adding to the tensions at the Beatles' recording sessions that year, Lennon insisted on having his new girlfriend, the Japanese artist [[Yoko Ono]], beside him, thereby contravening the band's policy regarding wives and girlfriends in the studio. He was especially pleased with his songwriting contributions to the double album and identified it as a superior work to ''Sgt. Pepper''.<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Ian |last=Fortnam |title=You Say You Want a Revolution ... |magazine=[[Classic Rock (magazine)|Classic Rock]] |date=October 2014 |page=46}}</ref> At the end of 1968, Lennon participated in ''[[The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus]]'', a television special that was not broadcast. Lennon performed with [[the Dirty Mac]], a [[Supergroup (music)|supergroup]] composed of Lennon, [[Eric Clapton]], [[Keith Richards]] and [[Mitch Mitchell]]. The group also backed a vocal performance by Ono. A film version was released in 1996.{{sfn|Harry|2000b|pp=774–775}}

[[File:John Lennon en echtgenote Yoko Ono vertrekken van Schiphol naar Wenen in de vert, Bestanddeelnr 922-2496 (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Yoko Ono]] and Lennon in March 1969]]
By late 1968, Lennon's increased drug use and growing preoccupation with Ono, combined with the Beatles' inability to agree on how the company should be run, left Apple in need of professional management. Lennon asked [[Lord Beeching]] to take on the role but he declined, advising Lennon to go back to making records. Lennon was approached by [[Allen Klein]], who had managed [[the Rolling Stones]] and other bands during the [[British Invasion]]. In early 1969, Klein was appointed as Apple's chief executive by Lennon, Harrison and Starr,{{sfn|TelegraphKlein|2010}} but McCartney never signed the management contract.{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=549: "Paul never did sign the management contract"}}

Lennon and Ono were married on 20 March 1969 and soon released a series of 14 [[lithograph]]s called "Bag One" depicting scenes from their honeymoon,{{sfn|Fawcett|1976|p=185}} eight of which were deemed indecent and most of which were banned and confiscated.{{sfn|Coleman|1984a|p=279}} Lennon's creative focus continued to move beyond the Beatles, and between 1968 and 1969 he and Ono recorded three albums of experimental music together: ''[[Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins]]''{{sfn|Coleman|1984a|pp=48–49}} (known more for its cover than for its music), ''[[Unfinished Music No. 2: Life with the Lions]]'' and ''[[Wedding Album]]''. In 1969, they formed the [[Plastic Ono Band]], releasing ''[[Live Peace in Toronto 1969]]''. Between 1969 and 1970, Lennon released the singles "Give Peace a Chance", which was widely adopted as an anti-[[Vietnam War]] anthem,{{sfn|Perone|2001|pp=57–58}} "[[Cold Turkey]]", which documented his withdrawal symptoms after he became addicted to [[heroin]],{{sfn|Harry|2000b|pp=160–161}} and "[[Instant Karma!]]".

{{listen|type=music|filename=Give Peace a Chance.ogg|title=Give Peace a Chance|description=Sample of "[[Give Peace a Chance]]", recorded in Montreal in 1969 during Lennon and Ono's second bed-in. As described by biographer [[Bill Harry]], Lennon wanted to "write a peace anthem that would take over from the song '[[We Shall Overcome]]' – and he succeeded{{nbsp}}... it became the main anti-[[Vietnam War|Vietnam]] protest song."{{sfn|Harry|2000b|pp=276–278}}|pos=right}}
In protest at Britain's involvement in "the Nigeria-Biafra thing"<ref>{{cite news |date=27 October 2016 |title=John Lennon MBE refusal letter valued at £60k |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-37787297 |newspaper=[[BBC News]] |location=Liverpool |access-date=27 October 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161027122505/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-37787297 |archive-date=27 October 2016}}</ref> (namely, the [[Nigerian Civil War]]),{{sfn|Miles|2001|p=360}} its support of America in the Vietnam War and (perhaps jokingly) against "Cold Turkey" slipping down the charts,<ref name=MBEreturn>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturenews/4128022/MBE-medal-that-John-Lennon-rejected-unearthed-in-royal-vault.html |title=Beatles fans call for return of MBE medal rejected by John Lennon |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=2 August 2013 |access-date=2 August 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215005411/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturenews/4128022/MBE-medal-that-John-Lennon-rejected-unearthed-in-royal-vault.html |archive-date=15 December 2013}}</ref> Lennon returned his [[Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire|MBE]] medal to the Queen. This gesture had no effect on his MBE status, which could be renounced but ultimately only the Sovereign has the power to annul the original award.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 September 2021 |title=Having honours taken away (forfeiture) |url=https://www.gov.uk/guidance/having-honours-taken-away-forfeiture |access-date=10 January 2024 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}}</ref>{{sfn|Harry|2000b|pp=615–617}} The medal, together with Lennon's letter, is held at the [[Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood]].<ref name=MBEreturn/>

Lennon left the Beatles on 20 September 1969,{{sfn|Norman|2008|pp=622–624}} but agreed not to inform the media while the group renegotiated their recording contract. He was outraged that McCartney publicised his own departure on releasing [[McCartney (album)|his debut solo album]] in April 1970. Lennon's reaction was, "Jesus Christ! He gets all the credit for it!"{{sfn|Spitz|2005|pp=853–54}} He later wrote, "I started the band. I disbanded it. It's as simple as that."{{sfn|Loker|2009|p=348}} In a December 1970 interview with [[Jann Wenner]] of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine, he revealed his bitterness towards McCartney, saying, "I was a fool not to do what Paul did, which was use it to sell a record."{{sfn|Wenner|2000|p=32}} Lennon also spoke of the hostility he perceived the other members had towards Ono, and of how he, Harrison and Starr "got fed up with being sidemen for Paul&nbsp;... After Brian Epstein died we collapsed. Paul took over and supposedly led us. But what is leading us when we went round in circles?"{{sfn|Wenner|2000|p=24}}