Did John Lennon’s Ghost Visit The Beatles During Their 1990s Reunion Sessions?

When the worlds of celebrity and mortality intersect, stories often take on a mythical quality—especially when they involve iconic musicians. One such tale claims that John Lennon’s ghost appeared in the studio during The Beatles’ mid-1990s reunion sessions. In February 1994, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr—sometimes called the “Threetles”—came together to work on an unreleased Lennon demo, later featured on the Anthology 1 album.

Rumors have circulated online suggesting Lennon’s spirit was present alongside his surviving bandmates. But is there any truth behind the spectral claims?

Strange Happenings in the Studio

In August 2025, The Mirror published a story citing an interview with Paul McCartney from OnHike.com—a source that remains unverified. According to the article, McCartney recalled a series of eerie occurrences during the recording of Lennon’s demo “Free As a Bird.”

“There were a lot of strange goings-on in the studio,” McCartney reportedly said. “Noises that shouldn’t have been there and equipment doing all manner of weird things. There was just an overall feeling that John was around. We put one of those spoof backward recordings on the end of the single for a laugh to give all those Beatles nuts something to do. I think it was the line of a George Formby song. Then we were listening to the finished single in the studio one night, and it gets to the end, and it goes, ‘zzzwrk nggggwaaahhh jooohn lennnnnon qwwwrk.’ I swear to God. We were like, ‘It’s John. He likes it!’”

McCartney also mentioned seeing a white peacock outside the studio, linking to Lennon’s promise to his son Julian that if he ever returned from the afterlife, it would be in the form of a white feather.

Separating Myth from Reality

While ghost stories about departed rock stars are fascinating, this particular narrative lacks concrete evidence and a primary source, making it difficult to verify. However, McCartney has confirmed in several interviews that the reversed audio at the end of “Free As a Bird” did sound like “John Lennon.” The Paul McCartney Project clarifies that the audio in question wasn’t a George Formby lyric but Lennon himself saying, “Turned out nice again.”

Interestingly, the surviving Beatles deliberately chose to avoid acting as though Lennon was physically present during their reunion sessions—not out of fear of the supernatural, but to ease the emotional weight of working with their late bandmate’s material. None wanted to cause discomfort to Lennon’s family or harm the legacy of the group.

Making Peace with the Past

McCartney explained their approach to the sessions in his own words:

“I said to Ringo, ‘Let’s pretend that we’ve nearly finished some recordings and John is going off to Spain on holiday.’ He’s just rung up and said, ‘There’s one more song I wouldn’t mind getting on the album. But it’s not finished. So if you’re up for it, take it in the studio, do your stuff like you would normally do. Have fun with it, and I trust you.’ With that scenario in place, Ringo then said, ‘Oh, this could even be joyous.’ And it was.”

In the end, the reunion was less about supernatural visits and more about honoring Lennon’s legacy while navigating the complexities of revisiting the past—a balancing act that allowed the “Threetles” to celebrate their shared history with respect and joy.