Yoko Ono and John Lennon were considered to be some of the most popular and iconic couples in the world of show business. He - a talented musician. She - an avant-garde artist. How strong a feeling brought Ono and Lennon together? What led to the end of their marriage? This is the backstage of Yoko Ono and John Lennon's famous love story.
John Lennon loved music since he was a child. His mother, who bought John's first guitar, infected him with his passion. John founded his first music band, The Quarrymen, at the age of 15. Soon after, he met Paul McCartney, and then George Harrison and Ringo Starr, with whom he formed the band The Beatles. The band quickly gained popularity in Great Britain, thanks to the talented manager of the music group. Lennon and McCartney wrote their greatest songs for The Beatles, and the band's career developed rapidly. Meanwhile, Lennon's son Julian was born. John was then associated with Cynthia Powell.
As The Beatles' international career developed, John Lennon began to use more and more creative means - including drugs. The musician's attitude was also becoming more and more pacifist. One November 1966, John, looking for inspiration, went to the London Indica Gallery, where he first met Yoko Ono - a Japanese avant-garde artist. Apparently, John did not make a good impression on her, or at least that was the opinion of the then director of the gallery, who witnessed Yoko's meeting with John. Lennon, however, became fascinated by the author of the exhibition, who had a completely fresh perspective on the surrounding reality. Of course, there is a lot of speculation about the moment when the couple fell in love with each other headlessly. Fans believe the story of "love at first sight" - even though Yoko Ono has never confirmed that she immediately fell in love with John.
When Yoko met John, they were both married and had children. John had a son, Julian with Cynthia Powell, and Yoko a daughter, Kyoko with Tony Cox. The artists were in unhappy relationships. It caused Yoko to divorce her husband. John, in turn, tried his best to suppress the feeling he had unexpectedly bestowed on Yoko. Lennon had long made Cynthia feel that everything was fine. But when Yoko Ono started calling Lennon's house, he had to find an explanation quickly. So he said to Cynthia, "It's that Japanese again, begging money for her strange avant-garde." Indeed, Lennon sponsored Yoko an exhibition in London, and later - taking advantage of the absence of his wife and son at home, who had gone to Greece for holidays - invited Yoko Ono to his place. Both on the same evening recorded amazing music material. A few days later, Cynthia came home to find Yoko ... wearing her bathrobe.
Yoko Ono doubted whether she should have a relationship with John Lennon. Yoko knew that Lennon's fans and those around him could react very negatively to her. She was afraid of being mistreated by everyone. The artists, however, had too much in common. Yoko understood John like no one else. The couple could communicate without any words. She also allowed herself the freedom and ordinary being herself, which they had not experienced before from their partners. As the saying goes, "love does not choose." This is why Yoko Ono and John Lennon were married in Gibraltar on March 20, 1969. The Beatles fans weren't particularly happy about it. Just as Yoko suspected, they started pointing out everything - the famous "bed-in" performance at the Amsterdam Hilton, feminism, unconventional beauty or musical collaborations with Lennon. The biggest accusation against Yoko Ono was, however, blaming the artist for the break-up of The Beatles.
The couple continued to engage in art, music, cinema, and various happenings together. John Lennon became interested in the ideas of the hippie movement, and also took Yoko with him, who stimulated him artistically, on tours. Lennon decided to leave The Beatles in September 1969, but the official reason for the band's breakup is the date of Paul McCartney's departure (April 10, 1070). Of course, the fans accused Yoko Ono of the break-up of the band, but it was not true. Paul McCartney was silent about the matter for a long time. In fact, it wasn't until a few years ago that he admitted that Yoko did not contribute to the breakup of The Beatles.
After leaving the Beatles, John Lennon became more and more involved in the fight for peace in the world, which was helped by his beloved Yoko Ono. Lennon later began a solo musical activity that allowed him to be artistically liberated. The music that John Lennon composed with Yoko Ono was not fully understood by the fans. Nevertheless, John Lennon managed to write a beautiful song Imagine, which to this day is one of the most beautiful ballads in the world.
The couple decided to move to New York. Interestingly, the then US authorities wanted to deport a couple for pacifist views. The deportation, however, was unsuccessful because John Lennon and Yoko Ono were supported by many high-ranking Americans. The Beatles fans decided that the move was definitely a "witch" idea - Yoko Ono, as some began to talk about Lennon's beloved. In 1974, John Lennon began to use the glass more and more. One day, under the influence of alcohol, he cheated. So Yoko Ono kicked him out of the house. The artist drank with his friends for several months to drown out his sadness and grief. After eighteen months, however, contrite returned to Yoko, who took him back - however, noting that John must give up stimulants.
In 1975, their son, Sean, was born to the couple. John Lennon then decided to take a break from music. He wanted to take care of the house and the baby, and so Yoko Ono was accused again - this time of making her husband a "henpecker". Yoko was slandered unjustifiably, even though John had made up his own mind that he wanted to look after his little son. In 1977, John Lennon fell into a deep depression, and Yoko took him to rest in Hong Kong.
When things were theoretically going to be better, Lennon's mental state deteriorated significantly. The musician started taking drugs again, and most of the day he did not get out of bed. In 1980, at the urging of his wife, he took his son to Bermuda to breathe there and take up his beloved sailing. The musicians were so enchanted by Bermuda that he regained his spirit and recorded a positive, cheerful album Double Fantasy there. He had no idea then that this joyful album would be ... the last one in his life.
Shortly after the premiere of Double Fantasy on December 8, 1980, John Lennon was killed. The Beatles singer was shot four times, which unfortunately he did not manage to survive. Doctors, despite long attempts to support Lennon's life, failed to save him. Two hours after the assassination of John Lennon, fans began gathering in front of his house to pay tribute to his beloved artist. Yoko Ono did not want to organize a public funeral but asked fans to pray for her late husband.
Yoko Ono and John Lennon's love was definitely one of the most interesting and colorful in show business. The two artists, who were united by their love of art, did not step back. It's hard today for such a sincere and true love of two people with similar passions. Yoko Ono and John Lennon will long be remembered as a marriage that only death could separate.
John Lennon is a famous British musician and composer, and also a former member of The Beatles. On stage, he became famous as an amazing guitarist and singer. He composed for The Beatles the greatest songs that are still known and willingly covered all over the world. What was John Lennon's biography like? Why was John's marriage to Yoko Ono so popular? When did the famous musician die? Find out more about John Lennon and his story.
The British musician was born on October 9, 1940, in Liverpool, the son of Julia née Stanley and Alfred Lennon. John's father was an Irish sailor and his mother was a lifeguard's daughter. The parents named their son John Winston - the boy got his second name in honor of the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. John was not a planned child. Julia often flirted on the side with other men while her husband was away. Alfred considered John his son despite knowing that he might not be. The couple could not cope with both of them. They had a hard time living next to each other, so they started to encourage the boy to choose who he wanted to live with. John eventually chose a mother. The young couple still quarreled very often, this time over their son - and John was sometimes cared for by his mother's sister, Mary "Mimi" Smith. The father stopped visiting his son, and the mother did so regularly. Julia taught her son to play the banjo, infecting John with her love of music.
In 1947, young Lennon began attending Dovedale Elementary School. After passing the exam, he attended the Quarry Bank Grammar School in Liverpool (from September 1952 to 1957). Both schools described John as "a happy, carefree boy full of life." Lennon was a good student, but he liked to get into fights with other boys from time to time, and his performance was lowered. In 1956 John's mother bought him his first guitar. It was then that John Lennon began to take an interest in rock'n'roll - fascinated by the works of Elvis Presley. The musician's mother died in 1958 after being hit by a car driven by a drunk policeman.
John Lennon at the age of 15 founded the musical group The Quarrymen. On July 6, 1957, one of the members of Lennon's band brought his younger friend to the concert - it was Paul McCartney. It was on this day that the boys saw each other for the first time. John saw the potential in Paul and they joined forces soon after - Paul was playing as a bass player. McCartney asked Lennon if his friend George Harrison could become the lead guitarist for the band. John Lennon believed that 14-year-old Harrison was too young to make music. However, it soon turned out that Harrison is an excellent instrumentalist. Ringo Starr later joined the boys as a drummer. Four talented musicians joined forces to name the band The Beatles.
In late 1961, the band signed their first contract with Brian Epstein, who managed the group until his death in 1967 (drug overdose). Brian didn't have much experience in managing artists, but he had a huge impact on the band's clothing and their attitude on the stage. The band's first single ("Love Me Do") was released in October 1962 and reached 17th place on the British charts. Their debut album (Please Please Me) The Beatles was recorded in less than 10 hours. John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote the greatest songs for the band together. Meanwhile, John married Cynthia Powell (23 August 1962). Lennon was on the road when his first son Julian was born in April.
The Beatles were a huge success in Great Britain in early 1963. During his performance at the British Royal Variety Show, which was attended by the entire royal family, Lennon made a lot of jokes about the audience. Nevertheless, The Beatles received recognition from the British establishment. In 1965, Queen Elizabeth II presented the team with an Order of the British Empire, which Lennon returned in 1969 as an objection. He did not like the conflict between Great Britain and Africa, and the support of the Americans by the British government in the war with Vietnam.
In the following years of touring, John Lennon used LSD more and more often - drugs reportedly inspired the musician to write better and better songs. The Beatles in 1967 released the breakthrough song "Strawberry Fields Forever". In mid-year, they also performed the song "All You Need Is Love," which formalized Lennon's new pacifist stance. John then started dating Yoko Ono - a Japanese avant-garde artist. The couple began to get to know each other better, spending more and more time with each other, incl. during a joint trip to India where they learned the secrets of meditation and Buddhism. After returning home, Yoko Ono became Lennon's muse. He divorced his wife Cynthia in 1968. Yoko became his second wife in 1969.
The British composer began to become more and more fascinated with the ideas of the hippie movement and the religion of the East, which can be clearly heard in the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Magical Mystery Tour. This is how The Beatles contributed to the popularization of the idea of "Children of Flowers". John took Yoko Ono with him everywhere because she stimulated him artistically. Lennon's drug use and his growing interest solely in Yoko caused the band to disintegrate. In August 1969, Lennon informed McCartney that he wanted to leave The Beatles. Guitarist Paul McCartney left the band on April 10, 1970. Fans accused Yoko Ono of breaking up the band, and Lennon became more and more involved in the fight for world peace under her influence.
In the same year, John Lennon released the solo album John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band. The disc was appreciated by music critics, but the personal lyrics and little-known sound reduced the album's reach. Avant-garde solo activity and new songs recorded with my wife were not understandable for everyone. In 1971, John Lennon released the album Imagine - the most popular in the entire solo career of Lennon. The singer professed his love for Yoko Ono on the album, and the song "Imagine" is very popular all over the world to this day.
Lennon and Ono moved to New York shortly thereafter. The administration of Richard Nixon (the then US president) wanted to deport a pacifist couple at all costs. Lennon was then caught up in a legal battle with immigration authorities. The musician was under surveillance by the FBI, and the artist and his wife from the United States were deported for his pacifist activities. Lennon, however, was supported by many respected American citizens, and the deportation was therefore unsuccessful.
In early 1974, Lennon drank heavily and his alcoholic antics hit the headlines - all because of the betrayal of his beloved Yoko Ono in 1974. The musician was kicked out of the house, so he drank with other artists and partied for 18 months. He later called this sad period "the lost weekend." However, he missed Yoko Ono and asked his wife for forgiveness. Yoko accepted him again but forced John to quit the stimulants. Soon after, Yoko Ono became pregnant and gave birth to a son, Sean Lennon (October 9, 1975). John Lennon then began his five-year break from making music, taking care of his son, and becoming the master of the house.
In 1977, John became depressed, so Yoko Ono took her husband to Hong Kong. The next year it was even worse - the musician returned to drugs and lay a lot in bed. In 1980, he and his son went to Bermuda to catch a breath and rest. As his health improved, Lennon recorded the album Double Fantasy - an upbeat and positive album that was warmly welcomed by fans. The album reflected John Lennon's fulfillment in his stable family life.
On December 8, 1980, i.e. shortly after the premiere of Double Fantasy, John Lennon was killed. The musician was shot by Mark David Chapman at the gate of his home in Dakota. Four gunshot wounds were found in the body (two in the back and two in the arm). There was no waiting for an ambulance because John's condition was tragic. Unfortunately, the doctors failed to save Lennon, who lost about 70% of his blood due to heavy gunshot wounds. The news shocked fans who flocked around his house to pay tribute to the idol shortly after the announcement of Lennon's death.
The musician's body was cremated two days later. Yoko Ono decided not to organize her husband's public funeral - she only asked the fans to pray for John Lennon. After all, fans still flocked to the streets and sang John Lennon songs to show that they were united by the artist. Chapman was charged with second-degree manslaughter, to which he pleaded guilty without protest. He is currently serving a life sentence at Attica State Prison (near Buffalo, New York). John Lennon's murderer has applied for parole on several occasions. However, all his requests were turned down.
Bibliography:
- Philip Norman: John Lennon. Życie, Axis Mundi Publishing House, Warsaw 2010
- Richard Buskin: John Lennon. Życie i legend, Astrum Publishing House, Warsaw 2015
- Lennon John, Davies Hunter: John Lennon. Letters, Prószyński Media Publishing House, Warsaw 2012
- James Woodall: John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Wydawnictwo Literackie, Warsaw 1998
- Jonathan Cott: Yoko and John. Days I Will Never Forget, Znak Publishing House, Warsaw 2013
- Laura Laurenzi: The most famous love stories of the 20th century, Twój Styl Publishing House, Warsaw 2003
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