John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 1940 – 8 Decem… Read Full Bio ↴John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 1940 – 8 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame as the founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. His work included music, writing, drawings and film. His songwriting partnership with Paul McCartney remains the most successful in history.

Born in Liverpool, Lennon became involved in the skiffle craze as a teenager. In 1956, he formed The Quarrymen, which evolved into the Beatles in 1960. Sometimes called "the smart Beatle", Lennon initially was the group's de facto leader, a role he gradually ceded to McCartney. Through his songwriting in the Beatles, he embraced myriad musical influences, initially writing and co-writing rock and pop-oriented hit songs in the band's early years, then later incorporating experimental elements into his compositions in the latter half of the Beatles' career as his songs became known for their increasing innovation. Lennon soon expanded his work into other media by participating in numerous films, including How I Won the War, and authoring In His Own Write and A Spaniard in the Works, both collections of nonsense writings and line drawings. Starting with "All You Need Is Love", his songs were adopted as anthems by the anti-war movement and the larger counterculture of the 1960s. In 1969, he started the Plastic Ono Band with his second wife, multimedia artist Yoko Ono, held the two-week-long anti-war demonstration Bed-ins for Peace and left the Beatles to embark on a solo career.

Between 1968 and 1972, Lennon and Ono collaborated on many works, including a trilogy of avant-garde albums, several more films, his solo debut John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and the international top-10 singles "Give Peace a Chance", "Instant Karma!", "Imagine", and "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)". Moving to New York City in 1971, his criticism of the Vietnam War resulted in a three-year deportation attempt by the Nixon administration. Lennon and Ono separated from 1973 to 1975, during which time he produced Harry Nilsson's album Pussy Cats. He also had chart-topping collaborations with Elton John ("Whatever Gets You thru the Night") and David Bowie ("Fame"). Following a five-year hiatus, Lennon returned to music in 1980 with the Ono collaboration Double Fantasy. He was murdered by a Beatles fan, Mark David Chapman, three weeks after the album's release.

As a performer, writer or co-writer, Lennon had 25 number-one singles in the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Double Fantasy, his best-selling album, won the 1981 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. That year, he won the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. In 2002, Lennon was voted eighth in a BBC history poll of the 100 Greatest Britons. Rolling Stone ranked him the fifth-greatest singer and 38th greatest artist of all time. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame (in 1997) and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (twice, as a member of the Beatles in 1988 and as a solo artist in 1994).

Studio albums
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970)
Imagine (1971)
Some Time in New York City (with Yoko Ono, 1972)
Mind Games (1973)
Walls and Bridges (1974)
Rock 'n' Roll (1975)
Double Fantasy (with Yoko Ono, 1980)
Milk and Honey (Posthumous with Yoko Ono, 1984)

Experimental studio albums with Yoko Ono
Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins (1968)
Unfinished Music No. 2: Life with the Lions (1969)
Wedding Album (1969)

Ain
John Lennon Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ain't she sweet? See her walking down that street
Yes I ask you very confidentially, ain't she sweet?
Ain't she nice? Look her over once or twice
Yes I ask you very confidentially, ain't she nice?
Just cast an eye in her direction, oh me oh my, ain't that perfection?
Oh I repeat, well, don't you think that's kinda neat?
Yes I ask you very confidentially, ain't she sweet?

Oh I repeat, well, don't you think that's kinda neat?
Yes I ask you very confidentially, ain't she sweet?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to John Lennon's song Ain't She Sweet are a playful and flirtatious description of a woman walking down the street. The singer repeatedly asks the listener in a confidential tone whether they think she is sweet and nice, while also highlighting her perfection. The repetition of the phrase "ain't she sweet?" emphasizes the singer's infatuation with the woman, while the repetition of "oh I repeat" shows his excitement and enthusiasm.

The song is a cover of a 1927 hit song by Milton Ager and Jack Yellen, which was popularized by the all-female jazz band The Bluebird Syncopters. Lennon recorded it in 1961 with his band The Beatles, before they achieved worldwide fame. The song was part of their early repertoire when they performed in clubs in Hamburg, Germany.

The lyrics have been interpreted as a reflection of Lennon's appreciation of women and his desire to express it in a positive and respectful way. The song also showcases his early influences in the music of the 1920s and 30s, which he would later draw from in his solo work.

Line by Line Meaning

Ain't she sweet? See her walking down that street
Isn't she lovely? Look at her walking down the street.

Yes I ask you very confidentially, ain't she sweet?
Can you keep a secret? I think she's beautiful, don't you?

Ain't she nice? Look her over once or twice
Isn't she charming? Take a good look at her.

Just cast an eye in her direction, oh me oh my, ain't that perfection?
Just glance her way, oh my, isn't she perfection?

Oh I repeat, well, don't you think that's kinda neat?
Oh, I'm just saying again, don't you find her impressive?

Yes I ask you very confidentially, ain't she sweet?
Can you keep a secret? I still think she's lovely, don't you?

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jack Yellen, Milton Ager

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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