In honor of what would be John Lennon’s 80th birthday (Oct. 9) artists including Kevin Parker of Tame Impala, Pete Yorn, Jeff Tweedy and Rufus Wainwright have covered songs from the late singer’s catalog.
Tweedy, joined by his son Spencer and Liam Kazar, shared a version of Lennon’s “God,” off the John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band album, which you can watch below.
Parker covered “Jealous Guy” off Lennon’s 1971 Imagine album.
Rufus Wainwright performed 1970’s “Mother,” a song about Lennon’s own mother Julia — and fraught relationships with parents in general.
And Yorn shared his take on “Jealous Guy.”
The outpouring of tributes began when Sean Ono Lennon did a cover of “Isolation” on A Late Show With Stephen Colbert’s #PlayAtHome series.
Sean said, “Hey guys, here’s my version of ‘ISOLATION,’ with me on drums and my nephew Jack on bass. Crazy how much the lyrics fit our current year. Please upload a cover of your favorite John Lennon song on YouTube, Instagram or TikTok – and tag my dad – @johnlennon, #LENNON80 and #GIMMESOMETRUTH – to help celebrate his 80th birthday. We need his music and his message now more than ever!”
