John Lennon: Rock ‘n’ Roll Legend’s Unwavering Devotion to Classic Sounds

John Lennon was heavily influenced by American rock 'n' roll stars when he was in the Quarrymen, the band that would eventually become The Beatles. One song that had the greatest impression on the music icon was Jerry Lee Lewis's 'Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On,' about which the British singer-songwriter famously remarked that no group, even The Beatles, could improve upon.

Jerry Lee Lewis rose to rock 'n' roll stardom in the 50s, at the same time as other would-be legends like Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley. While he had already scored numerous hits like ‘Breathless' and ‘Great Balls of Fire', 'Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On,' released in 1957, solidified his status as a classic rock icon.

During a 1971 interview with Jann Wenner of Rolling Stone magazine, Lennon reflected on the influence of the song, saying, "That's the music that inspired me to play music.” The influence of Lewis on Lennon is perhaps best captured by Lennon's performance of The Beatles' song ‘I'm Down' when the band played at Shea Stadium.

Reflecting on the performance, the star talked about embodying Lewis. “I was putting my foot on (the organ), and George couldn't play for laughing,” the singer explained. “I was doing it for a laugh. The kids didn't know what I was doing. Because I did the organ on ‘I'm Down', I decided to play it on stage for the first time. I didn't really know what to do because I felt naked without a guitar, so I was doing all Jerry Lee – I was jumping about, and I only played about two bars of it," he added.

Interestingly, Jerry Lee Lewis isn't the only classic rocker whose influence appears on this Beatles' number. In his biography, Many Years From Now, by Barry Miles, Paul McCartney, who jointly owns writing credits for the song with Lennon, mentioned how they wrote "I'm Down." “A lot of people were fans of Little Richard, so I used to sing his stuff, but there came a point when I wanted one of my own, so I wrote ‘I'm Down',” he said.