John Lennon’s 1975 Letter Pitching a Hit Song to Waylon Jennings Is a Must-Read

What could have been… If anyone knew what a hit song sounded like and recognized potential, it was undoubtedly John Lennon. The Beatles co-founder, vocalist, and guitarist once pitched a tune to country music icon Waylon Jennings after they met unexpectedly at the 1975 Grammy Awards in New York City.

The story of their meeting is intriguing. In a 1996 interview, Waylon recalled how both he and Lennon had preconceived notions about each other based on media reports that proved to be inaccurate. Waylon admitted he had no idea how funny Lennon was, telling him as much during their conversation: “I met John Lennon, and we were cutting up and everything at one of the Grammy things. And I said, ‘Man, you’re funny. I didn’t know you were funny.’ I said, ‘I thought you were some kind of mad guy or something like that.'”

Lennon replied, “Listen, people in England think you shoot folks.”

This misconception about Waylon stemmed from an early recording session in his career. Frustrated with the session musicians for not playing with enough passion, Waylon brought a revolver to the studio one day and told them, “The first guy that I hear use a pickup note, I’m going to shoot his fingers off!” British press members present at the time were shocked and ran with the story, crafting an exaggerated outlaw image for Waylon overseas.

Lennon, enamored with Waylon, took the initiative to write and send him a letter, possibly accompanying a song he wanted Waylon to record, although this detail remains unclear. The note, while short, reflects the effortless camaraderie established during their first meeting. Lennon also went back and hand-corrected some spelling errors, even apologizing for them:

“Dear Wayland, (*Waylon, sorry about that). Twas good to meet ya! Try these on for size… it’s a hit. I should’ve released it as a single myself, but I left it too late… but it ain’t for someone else.

All the best to you. Saw you on TV last week. Very good (nice band). John (Lennon).”

How cool is that? Imagining what the song would have sounded like had Waylon recorded it is tantalizing, although we’ll never know for sure. Waylon treasured the letter, displaying it in his living room for the remainder of his life. In 2014, Guernsey’s held a massive auction selling items from Waylon’s Arizona home, including the letter, which ultimately sold for $7,500. This letter is a priceless piece of music history linking two music giants and their mutual respect and admiration in a unique way.

The Beatles were huge fans of Buddy Holly, who significantly influenced their early career. Waylon, famously known for starting as Buddy Holly’s bass player before becoming a country music star, recorded a cover of The Beatles’ “Norwegian Wood” in 1966 for his third studio album ‘Nashville Rebel.’ The record peaked at #4 on the Billboard country albums chart, and Waylon was already a longtime fan of The Beatles.

Waylon’s cover of “Norwegian Wood” solidified his admiration for the band. The fact that Lennon sent Waylon a potential hit to record must have been a moment of great significance for the country star, who was notoriously hard to impress.

Listen to Waylon’s cover of “Norwegian Wood”:

“Norwegian Wood”

Source: Particlenews, Guernsey’s, Otis Gibbs