Introduction
Next month, Christie’s in London will offer an intimate glimpse into John Lennon’s early romance: a 1962 love letter penned to his fiancée, Cynthia Powell, in which he cheekily grumbles about Paul McCartney’s relentless snoring.
Over the course of five late nights in April 1962—while The Beatles were making waves at Hamburg’s Star-Club—the 21-year-old Lennon poured his heart onto paper. “I love love love you and I’m missing you like mad,” he confessed, before cheekily adding a risqué suggestion that reveals the playful side of their young love.
With an auction date set for July 9, experts predict the piece could reach as much as £40,000 (around $54,000) when it crosses the block.
In the heartfelt missive, Lennon also touches on the recent loss of his close friend and former bassist Stuart Sutcliffe—who had died just days earlier—admitting he’d considered joining Sutcliffe’s fiancée Astrid but felt “so awkward” at the thought.
He gently rebuffs Cynthia’s plan to share a Liverpool home with McCartney’s then-girlfriend, Dot Rhone, joking “we would never be alone really … imagine having her there all the time when we were in bed—and imagine Paul coming all the time.”
The songwriter’s frustration peaks when he describes Paul’s nocturnal routine: “Paul’s leaping about on my head (he’s in a bunk on top of me and he’s snoring) … Shurrup M carntey!”
He closes the letter with a tender plea: “I love you, I love you; please wait for me and don’t be sad and work hard—be a clever little Cyn Powell.”
John and Cynthia had been together since 1958, tying the knot in August 1962. They welcomed their son Julian in April 1963 before ultimately divorcing in 1968, after which Lennon married Yoko Ono a year later.
The Beatles – Now And Then