10 Perfect Albums With Dark Backstories

When you've built up one of the biggest rock bands the world has ever seen, there's no real right way to say that you want to quit. John Lennon had already been a bit dissatisfied with getting his musical ideas out in the Beatles, and the fallout between him and Paul McCartney brought out a lot more ugliness than the band who talked about peace and love, dishing out little petty jabs in the press. Underneath that rough exterior though, John was going through Hell and put all of that emotion into his first solo album.

Undergoing primal scream therapy shortly before the album was released, what unfolds on Plastic Ono Band are some of the most naked tracks that Lennon would ever create, trying to shed his skin of his Beatle self and pave the way for something new. While none of these tracks may have been meant for radio, the message was heard loud and clear for every single Beatles fan still holding on, with John delving back into Bob Dylan level politics on Working Class Hero and even going back to his favorite emotion on Love, where he relies on Yoko to help get him through some of his darkest times.

The most damning evidence of the album is God, where John takes off every single mask that he's had to wear for the last decade of his life, before saying that he only believes in himself, leaving the Beatles behind entirely. The dream may have been over for every single Beatles fan, but Plastic Ono Band may be the closest that we'll ever get to understanding what John Lennon was like as a person rather than the icon in wire rimmed glasses.