John Lennon Guitar Cover Songs
Here on this John Lennon guitar cover songs page you'll find a collection of demo covers and full lesson tutorials available for purchase along with several free chord sheets in pdf. format.
I'm also using John Lennon album covers in my images below so you know where each song originated.
John Winston Lennon - 9 October 1940 --- Died 8 December 1980 (aged 40) New York City, US
Jump links to quickly access to John Lennon songs sections.
Imagine | Jealous Guy | Mind Games
Oh My Love | Out The Blue
Real Love | Stand By Me
Watching The Wheels | Woman
John Lennon Guitar Cover Songs
Chords, Lyrics, Pdf's, Tutorials
1. Crippled Inside
In 1971 John Lennon released his Imagine album.
This song was a track on that album but was never released as a single.
- Drop D Tuning: Yes
- Capo: 5th fret
- Rhythm: root down root up down and repeat
- Picking: Yes
- Chords: C, D, G, A7, D7, E7
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2. Happy Christmas
John Lennon released this song in 1972 as a protest song against the Vietnam War, the song climbed the charts in the UK and peaked at #4.
After Lennon's death in 1980, it re-surfaced on the UK charts and reached #2. It can be found as a track on his Shaved Fish compilation album released back in 1975.
- Drop D Tuning: No
- Capo: No
- Rhythm: down down up down up and repeat
- Picking: just a riff as play the rhythm
- Chords: G, Am, D, C, Dm, F, D7
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3. Imagine
This song hails from the 1971 album of the same name was is also on the 1975 compilation album Shaved Fish. This was the best selling single for Lennon which he said was inspired by his wife Yoko Ono.
In the US the song reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was released in the UK in 1975 to promote the Shaved Fish album reached #6. After Lennon's death in 1080, the song hit #1.
- Drop D Tuning: No
- Capo: No
- Rhythm: down root down root stroke for the verses and in the ch you can use a down down up down down up and repeat
- Picking: Yes
- Chords: G, C, G6, Am, Am/G, D, Bm
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4. Jealous Guy
This song was written in 1968 and into 1969 while the Fab Four visited India, on a retreat of sorts. But the group never recorded the song.
So in 1971 Lennon cut the track for his Imagine album. The song was not released as a single at the time but after his death, a group called Roxy Music did a version that was an international success. A year later the Lennon version was released. It charted, but not in the top 40.
- Drop D Tuning: No
- Capo: No
- Rhythm: down down up down up and repeat or use a down down down down up
- Picking: Yes
- Chords: G, Em, D, D7, Em/D, A7, C, F, A#, D/Gb
Chords & Lyrics Soon
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5. Mind Games
In 1973 the album "Mind Games" was released and this song was the lead single from that album. Lennon scored a #18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and a #26 in the UK.
Lennon had read a book titled Mind Games which inspired the title as he'd called this song by several different names on demos.
- Drop D Tuning: No
- Capo: 3rd fret
- Rhythm: down down down down up and repeat
- Picking: No
- Chords: C, B, Am, Am/G, F, D, G/F, G/E, G, G/D
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6. Oh My Love
This was the last song recorded for the Imagine album of 1971 and had been used in a few films such as "Little Darlings" and Heartbreakers".
The song has been covered numerous times by artists such as Jackson Browne, The Bells and Fredo Viola to name a few.
- Drop D Tuning: No
- Capo: 2nd fret
- Rhythm: a bit of arpeggio as you move thru the chords
- Picking: a little
- Chords: Am7, Bm, G, Dbm, D7sus, D7, Em, B7, C
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7. Out The Blue
This track can be found on the 1973 album "Mind Games" and was one of several songs dedicated to Yoko Ono.
They were separated at the time and is about finding love in unexpected places. The initial recording was cut down somewhat from the final release.
- Drop D Tuning: No
- Capo: No
- Rhythm:
- Picking:
- Chords: G, A7, D, A#, Bm, Gb, C, Bm/A, Gdim, F, B7, Em, Em/D, Ab, A#
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8. Real Love
The song originated as a song for a stage play John Lennon was writing and began to build the song in 1977 under the title Real Life. The name was eventually changed to Real Love. But in spite of 6 recordings by Lennon, the song was never quite finished.
Paul, George and Ringo completed the song for the Beatles Anthology 2 album of 1995 but the original was put on the "Imagine, John Lennon" soundtrack album from 1988.
As a single release the song reached #4 in the UK and #11 in the US.
- Drop D Tuning: No
- Capo: No
- Rhythm: root up down up - up down up and repeat
- Picking: Yes
- Chords: D, Dmaj7, C9, A7sus, A7, Dm, Faug, Em, Gm
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9. Stand By Me
This song was written by Leiber and Stoller who had written many hits for Elvis. Ben E King released it in 1961. Over 400 covers/recordings have been done with this song and John Lennon put his stamp on the song for his "Rock N Roll" album of 1975.
The song was a #13 in Canada, #20 in the US and a #30 in the UK.
- Drop D Tuning: No
- Capo: No
- Rhythm: down down up down up down up and repeat
- Picking: Yes
- Chords: Bm, Bm/A, G, A7, D, Dsus, A7
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10. Watching The Wheels
This single was released after Lennon's death from the "Double Fantasy" album. The album was out approx 3 weeks before john Lennon's death. At the time, the album was largely criticized. But after his death, the album became a worldwide success and won a Grammy in 1081 and 1982.
The song reached #10 on Billboard, #7 on the Cashbox chart and #30 in the UK.
- Drop D Tuning: No
- Capo: No
- Rhythm:
- Picking:
- Chords: C, F, Dm, G, Gsus, Am, F/G, Am/G, D/Gb, Fm, A, Ab, Gb, C7
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11. Woman
As a song dedication to all women around the world, this song was the first single from the 1980 "Double Fantasy" album.
This song was a UK #1 replacing his previous #1 Imagine.
- Drop D Tuning: No
- Capo: No
- Rhythm: root up down up down up and repeat
- Picking: just a few riffs
- Chords: Dsus, D, G6, Em, Gbm, Bm, A7sus, A7, Dmaj7, A
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