John Lennon Imagine: Yoko Ono reveals HER side of what REALLY went on behind closed doors
JOHN LENNON'S wife, avant-garde artist and singer-songwriter Yoko Ono, had to wait decades to receive a writing credit on his biggest solo hit, Imagine. In a newly unearthed interview, The Beatles star's widow revealed her side of the story.
John Lennon performs Imagine in New York in 1972
John Lennon and Yoko Ono met at one of her exhibitions in London in this 1960s. Despite the fact he was still married to his first wife Cynthia Lennon, with whom he shares son Julian Lennon, they soon began corresponding. In 1968, The Beatles star’s wife walked in on him with Ono, leading to the demise of their marriage and their divorce soon after.
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Lennon tied the knot with Ono in 1969 and embarked on a passionate, intense marriage and creative partnership.
When he left The Beatles shortly afterwards, he moved away from the mainstream and into more experimental sounds with Ono and her group, The Plastic Ono Band.
In 1971, Lennon released his most iconic song: Imagine.
The track was inspired by poems penned by Ono featured in her 1964 book Grapefruit.
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But, despite providing much of the inspiration, both for the words and the concept, Ono didn’t receive any credit.
Imagine, co-produced by Lennon and Phil Spector, went on to become the best-selling single of the former Beatle’s solo career.
Its legacy as a political message, a call for peace, sees the song maintaining its status as a worldwide anthem to this day.
But what really happened with Ono and her input?
John Lennon: Son Julian discusses Yoko Ono in 1999
In an interview with the BBC in 1980, shortly before he died, Lennon said Ono should have received a writing credit on Imagine.
“But those days I was a bit more selfish, a bit more macho,” he admitted. “And I sort of omitted to mention her contribution.”
In 2017, nearly 50 years after its release, Ono finally received a co-writing credit on Imagine.
Speaking to NME the following year, she was asked about the context of her eventual recognition and whether it coincided with the music industry starting to give greater prominence to women.
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Rather, Ono revealed her take on what really went on behind closed doors regarding the credit for Imagine, saying it was all about making money from the song.
“[The] music industry goes with the public to make money,” Ono said simply. “If tulips become very popular, they would probably create thousands of tulip songs.”
After finally being credited for her input, Ono released her own cover of Imagine as part of her 14th album, Warzone.
On the subject of whether she was daunted to take on one of the most famous songs in history, she told the publication: “By the time I sung it, it was alright, but it suddenly occurred to me that many people [were] going to be listening to it. That was frightening.”
Elsewhere, in an interview with The Guardian, Ono gave further insight into what really went on behind-the-scenes on the decision-making which led to Lennon getting sole credit for Imagine for so many years.
“We felt that it was better with the Lennon name,” she explained.
“Songs sometimes have their own power and meaning, so Imagine was definitely better with John’s name, at the time.”
Lennon and Ono remained married up until his tragic death in 1980.
