Ballad of John and Yoko
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Ballad of John and Yoko" | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| Single by The Beatles | ||
| Released | 30 May 1969 | |
| Format | 7" | |
| Recorded | 14 April 1969 | |
| Genre | Pop | |
| Length | 3:00 | |
| Label |
EMI Apple Records |
|
| Producer(s) | George Martin | |
| Chart positions | ||
|
||
| The Beatles singles chronology | ||
| "Get
Back" (1969) |
"Ballad of John
and Yoko" (1969) |
"Something"/"Come
Together" (1969) |
"Ballad of John and Yoko" is written by John Lennon. It chronicled the events surrounding Lennon's marriage to Yoko Ono and their subsequent activities together, including their famous first Bed-In, and demonstration of bagism. It was released while the couple was in the middle of their second Bed-In.
The song is not technically a ballad, in the modern sense of the word. It is missing many of the characteristics and requirements for a piece to be a ballad. The modern sense of the word 'ballad' generally means a slow song, that is about love, and tells a story. A traditional, or old-fashioned ballad is much like this song; an upbeat, comic story being told through song.
Although sounding like a straightforward recording of the full band, "Ballad of John and Yoko" was performed by just Lennon and Paul McCartney. Lennon had a sudden inspiration for the song and called on McCartney, suggesting the two of them record it immediately without waiting for the other Beatles. (George Harrison was on holiday, and Ringo Starr was filming The Magic Christian (in which John and Yoko lookalikes make a cameo appearance) with Peter Sellers.)
Lennon was on lead vocal, and played lead guitar and acoustic guitar. McCartney sang harmony vocals and played bass, drums, piano, and maracas. The outro guitar riff was inspired by the Dorsey and Johnny Burnette song, "Lonesome Tears in My Eyes", notably covered by the Beatles in their early years and released on the album Live at the BBC.
The session recordings reveal this amusing exchange:
- Lennon (playing guitar): Go a bit faster, Ringo!
- McCartney (playing drums): OK, George!
The song is sometimes listed as "The Ballad of John and Yoko", and sometimes using the shorter title "Ballad of John and Yoko". For example, the picture disc single released in the UK on 30 May 1989 shows the latter wording on the A-side and the former wording on the B-side of the disc.[1]
The single was released with a Harrison song, Old Brown Shoe, as the B-side.
Contents
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Controversy
The song was banned in several US states, due to Lennon's use of the word "Christ" in the songs chorus:
- Christ, you know it aint easy
- You know how hard it can be
- And the way things are going
- They're gonna crucify me
It was released relatively soon after his controversial "Jesus" comment in 1966, which contributed to the fact that it reached number one in the UK but not in the US.
The reaction might have been more severe if the song had been released under its working title: "The Ballad of John and Yoko (They're Going to Crucify Me)".
References
- ^ The Beatles - Ballad of John and Yoko
Further reading
- The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions by Mark Lewisohn, ISBN 0-681-03189-1, pp. 14 and 173.
External links
- Song lyrics
- Alan W. Pollack's song notes
| The Beatles |
|---|
| Singles |
| 1962:
Love Me Do | 1963:
Please Please Me |
From Me to You |
She Loves You |
I Want to Hold Your Hand | 1964:
Can't Buy Me Love |
I Feel Fine |
Twist and Shout |
A Hard Day's Night | 1965:
Ticket to Ride |
Help! |
Day Tripper |
We Can Work It Out |
Yesterday | 1966:
Paperback Writer |
Eleanor Rigby |
Yellow Submarine | 1967:
Strawberry Fields Forever |
Penny Lane |
All You Need Is Love |
Hello, Goodbye | 1968:
Lady Madonna |
Hey Jude | 1969:
Get Back | Ballad of John
and Yoko |
Something |
Come Together | 1970:
Let It Be |
The Long and Winding Road | After 1970: The Beatles Movie Medley (1982) | Free as a Bird (1995) | Real Love (1996) |
| B-sides |
| 1962: P.S. I Love You | 1963: Ask Me Why | I'll Get You | Thank You Girl | 1964: Baby's in Black | I Don't Want to Spoil the Party | She's a Woman | This Boy | You Can't Do That | 1965: I'm Down | Yes It Is | Rain | 1966: What Goes On | 1967: Baby You're a Rich Man | I Am the Walrus | 1968: The Inner Light | Revolution | 1969: Don't Let Me Down | Old Brown Shoe | 1970: For You Blue | You Know My Name (Look up the Number) |
| Preceded by: "Dizzy" by Tommy Roe |
UK number one single June 11, 1969 |
Succeeded by: "Something In The Air" by Thunderclap Newman |
Categories: The Beatles songs | 1969 singles | Number-one singles in the United Kingdom | Number-one singles in Australia | Number-one singles in Germany | Apple Records singles | Songs produced by George Martin