---
title: 'John Lennon''s ''EASY'' Songwriting Formula'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=3-6QAa7cAvw'
video_id: '3-6QAa7cAvw'
date: 2026-07-01
duration_sec: 1038
---

# John Lennon's 'EASY' Songwriting Formula

> Source: [John Lennon's 'EASY' Songwriting Formula](https://youtube.com/watch?v=3-6QAa7cAvw)

## Summary

In a 1983 interview, David Bowie recalled John Lennon telling him that writing a great song is easy: 'Say what you mean, make it rhyme, and put a backbeat to it.' This video breaks down each element of Lennon's formula, using specific songs to reveal the deeper principles behind his deceptively simple advice.

### Key Points

- **Lennon's Formula Introduction** [0:00] — David Bowie recounted John Lennon's songwriting advice: 'It's very easy, all you have to do is say what you mean, make it rhyme, and put a backbeat to it.' The video aims to break down each element.
- **Say What You Mean: Clarity of Message** [0:46] — This means first finding what you want to say and then saying it with conviction. The key is having a clear, singular message, which is demonstrated in 'Imagine' – its global impact comes from the clarity and consistency of its message.
- **Songwriting Traps: Assumed Context and False Ambiguity** [2:57] — Songwriters struggle because they assume listeners know the backstory, or they deliberately make lyrics ambiguous to protect themselves or others. 'Saying what you mean' requires standing by your statement in a public way.
- **Political and Personal Examples** [4:20] — Lennon's political song 'Luck of the Irish' criticized British rule in Ireland, inviting backlash. His love song 'Jealous Guy' is a raw, honest confession of insecurity, showing how songwriting can be a vehicle to work through personal feelings.
- **Make It Rhyme: The Power and Nuance of Rhyme** [5:34] — Rhyme separates lyrics from everyday language and serves as a tool for flow and tension/resolution. The video covers rhyme schemes (e.g., AABB, ABAB) and rhyme types (perfect vs. imperfect).
- **Imperfect and Unrhymed Lines** [6:57] — Lennon skillfully uses imperfect rhymes (like 'insecure'/'anymore') and leaves lines unrhymed to create a conversational, surprising, and mature sound. 'Imagine' and 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds' use this technique, rhyming only a few lines to avoid predictability.
- **Put a Backbeat to It: Rhythm Over Melody** [11:43] — The backbeat (snare on beats 2 and 4 in 4/4 time) is crucial. Lennon intentionally focuses on lyrics and rhythm first, not melody or harmony. The video notes that the vast majority of his Beatles and solo catalog is in 4/4 time, which provides a driving, forward propulsion.

### Conclusion

John Lennon's 'very easy' formula—say what you mean, make it rhyme, and put a backbeat to it—is deceptively simple. Its mastery lies in clarity of message, mature use of rhyme (often imperfect or absent), and a strong rhythmic foundation, primarily in 4/4 time.

## Transcript

in 1983 David Bowie whilst touring
Australia was interviewed by Molly
Meldrum and talked about how much he
admired John lenon for the way his
lyrics and songwriting really cut
through and in one beautiful moment
during that interview David B recalled
something that John Leonard had once
said to him it's very easy all you have
to do is say what you mean make it rhyme
and put a BackBeat to it and sure when
you say it like that it does sound easy
and almost unhelpful to us mere mortals
but if we examine that statement a
little more and zoom in on each of those
three elements perhaps we can discover
some of the secrets to John Lennon's
incredible songwriting so in this video
I'm going to break down those three
elements go through some specific songs
in John's catalog to really bring these
Concepts to life and find out if it is
after all very easy number one say what
you
mean we can interpret this a number of
different ways but for practical reasons
let's start with this idea that if
you're going to write a song about
something a good place to start is to
write about a feeling that you have on a
particular subject because one of the
traps we can fall into as songwriters is
moving too quickly through the process
trying to focus on lyrics and chords and
Melodies and rhythms all at the same
time before we're really clear on what
this song is all about what it is we
have to say what we can do with this say
what you mean statement is divide it
further into two parts the first part is
find out what you want to say and then
the second part is say it like you mean
it in other words once you discover what
the central message is of this song
don't hold back say it courageously and
with with conviction let your song be
the vehicle to take this idea out into
the world if we look at the lyrics to
imagine one of John's most iconic songs
you can see this point in action and in
these lyrics it's clear what John's
point is it's clear what he's upset with
it's clear the change he is seeking so
we hear John making this plea to
humanity to join together and put aside
their differences and importantly we
hear and feel this message throughout
the entire song and both the clarity and
the consistency of this message cannot
be underestimated or overlooked it is
one of the biggest challenges we as
songwriters face and we face it for two
reasons firstly when we're writing a
song we have the backstory we have the
context it's all in our heads we forget
that others don't we forget that no one
else knows what we're thinking we hope
or delude ourselves into believing that
when someone hears this song for the
first time they'll somehow understand
the cryptic references and the in jokes
they'll have empathy for our main
character and understand why they're
saying the things they're saying but the
reality is none of that is true because
telling a story to a room full of people
and writing a song that goes out into
the world are two very different things
when we're telling a story we're able to
pause we're able to clarify we're able
to take questions go back over a certain
detail when we write a song and send it
out to the world we send it out on its
own we can't be there standing over the
shoulder of everyone who's listening
explaining that cryptic metaphor in
verse two or that slightly ambiguous
twist at the end of the chorus so when a
song like imagine lands with such impact
and ripples through generations it is in
part because of the clarity of of that
message because The Lyricist has found a
way to say what they mean and say it
with such conviction the rest of the
world stops and takes notice the second
reason songwriters can get themselves
into trouble with this issue is when
they deliberately make the lyrics
ambiguous we actually catch ourselves in
the act of deliberately making things
unclear either because they're too
personal or because we want to protect
the feelings and identities of people
that are close to us or perhaps because
we haven't really investigated how we
truly feel about the subject we're
writing about whatever theas Reon saying
what you mean carries with it a personal
responsibility to stand by what it is
you say and mean and sometimes this
occurs in a very public setting in his
song Luck of the Irish Lenin criticizes
the history of British rule in Ireland
using some fairly strong language to
make his feelings known a land full of
beauty and wonder was raped by the
British brigands so this is clearly a
political song and lenon wrote lots of
political songs in this one he's taking
the side of Ireland a country he
declares himself very fond of and in
fact he even planned to retire there
however Beetle biographer Chris Ingam
describes the song as sentimental
condescending poetry and much like
political propaganda so saying what you
mean is easy to say but doing it is a
whole other thing because it often
invites criticism and judgment and
backlash and justifications of All Sorts
that a lot of songwriters would just
rather avoid and these situations are
certainly more likely to arise in
political songs but what if we shift our
Focus to something a little more
intimate perhaps a love song song
Jealous Guy recorded in 1971 is a
perfect example of this I didn't mean to
hurt you I'm sorry that I made you cry
oh I didn't want to hurt you I'm just a
jealous guy these lyrics feel raw they
feel honest they're self-deprecating and
it's almost as if we eavesdropping on
Jon talking to his lover talking to
journalist David Chef in 1980 John
revealed the lyrics explain themselves
clearly I was a very jealous possessive
guy toward everything a very insecure
male on BB se's women's hour radio show
John continued to reflect on his
changing view of relationships when
you're actually in love with somebody
you tend to be jealous and want to own
them and possess them 100% which I do I
love Yoko I want to possess her
completely that's the danger that you
want to possess them to death so in
Jealous Guy JN is really expressing some
very honest feelings and whether we
agree with those feelings or not it's
fascinating to hear him use the vehicle
of songwriting as a way to work through
his beliefs on relation ships and love
and his own insecurities the second part
make it rhyme John has another famous
quote on this topic tell the truth and
make it rhyme and for songwriters there
is no avoiding it rhyme is a big deal it
is what separates lyrics and poetry from
everyday language and is really one of
the most powerful tools in the
Songwriter's toolbox but saying make it
rhyme is like saying paint it blue which
shade of blue there are so many shades
of blue and each of them has a different
mood and creates a different effect
so how do we choose the shade of blue or
the type of rhyme that is appropriate
for our song as a very quick overview
let's just talk about rhyme schemes and
the notation that goes with them mostly
when we talk about rhyme we're really
focusing on endline Rhymes the words
that land at the very end of each line
and we learn rhyme schemes very early on
we learn them as children funnily enough
in nursery rhymes so in nursery rhymes
we often find four-line STS with very
stable rhyme schemes for example twinkle
twinkle little star how I wonder what
you are up above the world so high like
a diamond in the sky that is a classic
AABB rhyme scheme very stable four lines
two rhyming couplets one after the other
the other thing to consider is rhyme
type and rhyme type really slides along
a scale between perfect and imperfect
Rhyme now in musical theater perfect
rhyme is really the only rhyme that
counts in a lot of rap hip-hop and
contemporary songwriting however
imperfect rhyme is used frequently and
very effectively so looking at Twinkle
Twinkle Little Star High and sky are
perfect Rhymes if we were to choose an
imperfect rhyme for high we might go
with KN it still has the I sound in the
middle and that's what allows the two
words to be paired together but the hard
T sound on night makes it imperfect and
it also introduces a lot of tension so
rhyme really does serve some very
important functions it helps the
language to flow it creates a Sonic road
map for the ear as we're guided through
the lyrics and it gives the songwriter
the ability to create tension and then
resolve that tension and John was clear
aware of all of these functions but the
best songwriters also know how to make
little variations with these techniques
twist them ever so slightly to create
something new and interesting so if we
go back to Jealous Guy and look at the
rhyme scheme past and fast perfect
rhyming couplet I began to lose control
I began to lose control that's not a
rhyming line that's just a repeated line
I didn't mean to hurt you I'm sorry that
I made you cry I didn't want to hurt you
I'm just a jealous guy here we have the
rhyming couplet split in to CD CD and
this is also a very stable type of rhyme
scheme at the start of the second verse
we hear a beautiful little variation I
was feeling insecure you might not love
me
anymore now insecure and anymore don't
sound like they rhyme a perfect rhyme
that would go well with insecure is pure
but John's not necessarily looking for a
perfect rhyme he's looking for the word
that expresses what he has to say so
when you listen to the recording you can
hear him deliver this rhyming couplet as
insecure
anymore he he lengthens the anymore and
instead of going oh he makes it more
like a uh because every songwriter and
singer has this ability to shape the
vowels and shape the Sounds in their
mouth and take what would normally be
very jarring and imperfect Rhymes and
actually blend them together so they
sound quite close this is such an
important thing for us as songwriters to
remember if you ever find yourself in
the songwriting process hunting for
lines that rhyme together but don't
necessarily express the idea that you
want to express this is a good time to
stop and go back and discover what it is
you really want to say and then find the
appropriate words to serve that message
imagine gives us another insight into
how John thinks about Rhymes schem
imagine there's no Heaven it's easy if
you try no hell below us above us only
sky so line one and three don't rhyme
with each other or anything else but
line two and four rhyme and this is a
classic rhyme scheme but then we get
this little tag imagine all the people
living for today and people and today
are un rymed and because they're un
rymed they're less stable so the whole
structure of this song is actually quite
unstable because a majority of the lines
aren't rhyming with anything else and
this reveals a rhyme pattern that John
used a lot in his lyric writing Lucy in
the Sky is another great example of this
pattern picture yourself in a boat on a
river with Tangerine trees and marmalade
skar eyes somebody calls you you answer
quite slowly a girl with kaleidoscope
eyes so there we have skies and eyes
again line two and four rhyming but
lines one and three are again un rymed
with themselves or anything else then we
get cellophane flowers of yellow and
green towering over your head look for
the girl with the sun in her eyes and
she's gone green head gone they're not
rhyming with each other or any of the
lines in the previous section so here's
a song where we're looking at seven
lines of lyrics and only two of them
rhyme and the question you might be
asking is why is John lennin only
rhyming a few lines and leaving the rest
un rymed and to answer that we want to
go back to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
because for a lot of us the rhyme
schemes we learn as children are the
rhyme schemes we keep using as we get
older so if left unchecked we can find
that a lot of our songs have this AABB
or ABAB or even x a XA rhyme scheme
repeatedly used and the problem with
that is it's very predictable and it's
sounds like the writing of a much
younger person so John knows that in
shaping his language to make it sound
mature to make it so that it's not
predictable to create the element of
surprise by giving us what we think will
be a rhyming couplet but in fact what we
hear is two un rymed lines all of this
adds up to language that is not only
more conversational replicating the
patterns of everyday speech it's also
unique when compared to a lot of other
songwriters so when John says make it
rhyme what he really means is just make
some of it rhyme don't feel you have to
have a series of rhyming couplets one
after the other giving that closure and
resolution in a very predictable way
instead pick your lines carefully know
that a little bit of rhyme goes a long
way and leave the rest as conversational
UNR language the third part put a back
beat to it now fair question to ask is
what is the difference between a beat
and a back beat by definition the back
beat is a steady pronounced Rhythm
stressing the second and fourth beats of
a four beat measure so if we're thinking
in terms of drums the kick comes comes
on the one and the three the snare comes
on the two and the four and the BackBeat
really started in jazz and then moved to
blues and R&B and eventually into rock
and when you hear gospel music and
people clapping in time they're clapping
on the two and the four they're
replicating that snare so I think it's
fair to say that the BackBeat Groove is
probably the most common and popular
form we have in contemporary music but
is this what John meant when he said put
a BackBeat to it was he specifically
thinking about the two and the four or
was he saying it in a more general term
was he really just meaning put a good
Groove to it either way I think the more
interesting point is to consider how
crucial John believes Rhythm to be he's
included it as one of his three elements
in this formula he's not talking about
Melody he's not talking about Harmony of
course they are crucial and John is
responsible for some of the most
beautiful Melody and core progressions
we've ever heard but he's made this
point about songwriting being easy when
you first Focus On lyrics and then focus
on Rhythm but I want to keep talking
about the importance of the term
BackBeat for a minute because
interestingly the only way you can have
an emphasis on the two and the four is
if you have a four beat measure which
means we have to be thinking in 44 so
does this mean that when John's thinking
about Rhythm he's really just thinking
in 44 well if we look at John's catalog
of songs first focusing on those he
wrote with the Beatles in this list you
see some of the biggest hits of all time
from me to you she loves you I Want to
Hold Your Hand a hard day night Ticket
to Ride help Day Tripper we can work it
out the ballot of JN and Yoko Love Me Do
come together something please please me
You've Got to Hide Your Love Away
Norwegian Wood Nowhere Man Lucy the Sky
with Diamonds I Am The Walrus Happiness
is a Warm Gun All You Need Is Love
Across the Universe Strawberry Fields
Forever don't let me down and out of
that incredible collection of songs only
two of them are not using 4 four You've
Got to Hide Your Love Away and Norwegian
Wood are both using the 68 swung feeli
losing the Sky with Diamonds all also
has a swung 68 feel in the verse but the
chorus is very much a driving 44 pattern
and some of these songs like all you
need is love often drop beats to create
a 74 feel but again in the chorus of
that song we hear that driving pulse of
44 loud and clear turning our attention
to the songs he wrote as a solo artist
we have imagine woman give peace a
chance just like starting over watching
the wheels workingclass hero Whatever
Gets You Through the Night Jealous Guy
happy Christmas War is Over Instant
Karma mind gamed give me some truth
beautiful boy mother nobody told me oh
my love crippled inside and number nine
dream and out of that list we have only
three songs that are not in 44 just like
starting over workingclass hero and
happy Christmas war is over those also
have a swung feel in 68 or 128 depending
on how you're counting it so yes it
seems that John does have a preference
for writing in 44 which makes perfect
sense because the Beatles really were a
perfect blend of R&B pop and rock and
all three of those genres have 44 as the
Beating Heart of that music and it's
important for us to understand the
Nuance of different time Fields one of
the reasons dance music and rock loves
44 is because it has that driving energy
it has that forward propulsion in
contrast if we look at a time feel like
68 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 you can see
it has that side to side motion it
doesn't have the drive the forward push
and a lot of songwriters have a LoveHate
relationship ship with 44 because they
know it's the most popular time
signature and yes if you only write
songs in 44 and write them around the
same BPM you will find that your songs
all start to sound a little bit same
same so exploring other time signatures
is a really important part of the
Songwriter's Journey but we forget how
versatile 44 can be we forget how much
variation we can create with those four
beats within that bar
[Music]
all of those were in 44 and even though
some of them were very similar tempos
there are so many other variables going
on with the song that we don't think
they sound similar at all even though I
was just playing the chords you could
still hear that each of them had their
own unique sound and feel one of the
things we're always trying to work out
is how does some songwriters through
history make it look so easy how do they
consistently produce these works of
Genius over generations and without
knowing for sure perhaps for John it was
his Clarity of mind and his ability to
either consciously or subconsciously
distill the world of songwriting down to
this simple formula I one will'll be
trying this formula out and seeing what
the results are and if any of you try it
out as well please let us know what
works what doesn't work and if there's
any specific areas you'd like us to go
deeper on in future videos please put
those in the comments too happy
songwriting bye