14 years relationship John Lennon And Yoko Ono still remain a mystery, despite the fact that a dozen journalists literally visited the bedroom of this extravagant couple.
British tabloids have repeatedly written that the “crazy Japanese woman” bewitched the rebellious Beatle. At the same time, the musician did not listen to anyone: for the sake of new lover He left his first wife with a five-year-old child and officially changed his name to John Ono Lennon.
"Look at the Fire"
By the age of 24, John had received everything from life: his group was “more popular than Jesus,” and a loving woman was waiting for the millionaire at home. wife Cynthia And son Julian. Having found himself at the top of Olympus so early, the musician quickly felt the emptiness and meaninglessness of his existence. In the song Help!, written by him in 1965, the words of an already desperate man are heard: “Help me feel the ground under my feet again. Please, help". At the same time, 33-year-old Yoko Ono appeared in John’s life as a “lifeline”.
They first met in a London gallery at Yoko's exhibition, which consisted of abstract sculptures that were incomprehensible to a simple Liverpudlian guy. While John shared his impressions of the avant-garde opening day with his wife, calling it “fucking dregs,” the Japanese woman wrote in her diary: “Finally, I met a man I could love.”
From that moment on, Yoko began the “hunt” for the idol of millions. Every morning the girl sent mysterious cards to the Beatle with the words: “Dance”, “Breathe”, “Look at the fire until dawn”, and soon she began calling herself to talk about art, creative pursuits, the spirit of the times, social injustice...
Cynthia, already accustomed to the antics of John’s fans, at first did not pay attention to the next “crazy woman” who stormed the gates of their house. But one day, returning from a vacation in Greece, she found Yoko in bed with her husband. “They acted as if I never existed,” Cynthia recalled of the humiliating scene.
John was used to women who obeyed him, but Yoko was completely different. No one understood what united the former plebeian and the daughter of a Japanese banker; the musician himself said: “This was a person with whom I could agree or quarrel, like with an old friend, but with her I could still make love. A person who could pat me on the head when I was tired, sick or depressed. A person who could replace my mother. It was like I had won a big prize."
The lovers quickly became inseparable. As the Beatles lead singer believed, they were not John and Yoko, but one soul in two bodies - John-and-Yoko.
Cynthia had no choice but to file for divorce after 6 years of marriage, and the inspired lead singer of The Beatles soon registered a new marriage.
The honeymoon of the extravagant newlyweds was distinguished by its originality: the couple, as a protest against the Vietnam War, spent it in a hotel, lying in bed and giving interviews. First, they wanted to illustrate John's slogan: "Make love, not war." And secondly, just to laugh at the reporters “pushing each other and stomping around our bedroom door in the vain hope of seeing the Beatle and his nigga doing “it” in the name of Peace in the honeymoon suite at the Amsterdam Hilton.”
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© Photo from commons.wikimedia.org
© Photo from commons.wikimedia.org
© Photo Global Look Press
© Photo Global Look Press
Without Paul, but with Yoko
Yoko was no stranger to bewitching talented men. She already had two marriages behind her: the first with composer Toshi Ichiyanagi, and the second with produced by Anthony Cox, who regularly pulled his extravagant wife out of depression.
Only with the Beatles new wife John was never found mutual language. The musician, blinded by love, dragged the Japanese woman with him everywhere. And the strangest thing is that he brought her to the Beatles’ recording studio, although at the beginning of their careers the musicians agreed not to invite their wives and girlfriends there. “She didn’t know a damn thing about music, but she told Paul how to sing and how I could play the drums. We were furious, but there was nothing we could do about it. John didn’t seem to hear us,” he said Ringo Starr about Yoko.
The musicians' irritation grew every day. And although the Beatles, even before Yoko, were ready to engage in creative work separately, their fans blamed only Yoko for the collapse of the Fab Four. “The black witch destroyed The Beatles,” “the devil has possessed the Liverpool four,” the press attacked the girl. But the main characters of the scandalous articles did not care what others said: Yoko and John continued to enjoy each other, organized noisy events and recorded joint tracks.
“In addition to the fact that Yoko gave me the courage to break out of the bourgeois shackles, she gave me inner strength take a close look at another marriage of mine with The Beatles, which in the end suffocated me more than family life", John said. He quarreled with his closest friend Paul McCartney and began solo work. And although the ex-Beatle’s new songs were actively broadcast on radio stations and television, many critics believed that the musician’s creativity had become weaker. Over time, even John began to wonder whether it meant much without the rest of The Beatles, and began to lose faith in himself. Depression and drugs returned to his life.
Pop history
Already in 1973, John and Yoko's marriage was in jeopardy. But when at one of the parties the musician openly cheated on his wife, the wise Yoko did not hesitate. To begin with, she invited John to live separately and even found him a suitable mistress (her secretary May Pang).
“You are the most understanding woman in the world,” said happy John to his caring wife, but he soon became homesick. Of course, the cunning Yoko was in no hurry to forgive her repentant husband until she was convinced that he had suffered enough.
The reconciliation of the odd couple ended with the birth long-awaited son whom they named Sean. And bye happy father took a long creative break to devote himself to his family, his wife was engaged in self-development and... business (according to McCartney, Yoko made money from the song Yesterday more money than he, its author).
John's next album was released only in 1980. In one of his interviews, the musician said that he had rested and was ready to take on creativity with renewed vigor, but the Double Fantasy album remained his last. A few weeks after the release, the musician was shot by a crazy fan: “Because John betrayed himself.”
Finally, general public looked with sympathy at the widowed “strong woman.” But Yoko hardly needed pity: just a week after the death of her husband, she put his letters and albums up for auction. And six months later she married a young Hungarian antique dealer Samuel Hawadtoi(the marriage was kept secret until the couple decided to separate).
Today Yoko turns 85 years old. She still organizes avant-garde exhibitions, writes books about her deceased illustrious husband and shrugs off accusations that all her actions are associated with the name of John Lennon. “We just loved each other. “Everything else is pop history,” the extravagant artist answers questions about her marriage.
John Lennon was born on October 9, 1940 in Liverpool. From 1960 to 1970 he was the lead singer of the Beatles.
Yoko (Yoko) Ono was born on February 18, 1933 in Tokyo. Yoko received a good education in Japan and the USA. In 1956, Yoko married Toshi Ichiyanagi, a talented but poor composer. Unsuccessful attempts to assert herself in America led the aspiring avant-garde artist to depression, suicide attempts, and ended with her parents taking their daughter back to Japan and placing her in prison. psychiatric clinic. From there, Yoko Ono was rescued by a fan of her work, Anthony Cox, who took her to the USA and became her second husband. In 1963, the couple had a daughter, Kyoko.
In the same 1963, a son, Julian, was born to the married couple John Lennon - Cynthia Lennon, who married in 1962.
Here's how John Lennon talked about his first meeting with Yoko:
“It was in 1966 in England. I was told that a Japanese avant-garde artist, who had come from America, was organizing a happening. I walked around the exhibition and saw a ladder, climbed up it to the ceiling, found a suspended pipe there, looked into it - feeling like an idiot - and read one word "Yes". And in those years it was considered avant-garde when a person smashed a piano or a sculpture into smithereens, in general, everything was anti-, anti-, anti-. Boring denial. And then I read this is “yes” and I decided to stay at this exhibition among nails and apples.
There was one inscription that piqued my curiosity: “Drive a nail.” I asked: “Can I drive a nail?” Yoko replied: “No, because the opening is scheduled for tomorrow.” But then the owner of the gallery approached her and whispered in her ear: “Let him knock it in. You know, he’s a millionaire. Maybe he’ll buy this exhibit later.” They began to whisper and confer. Finally she says, “Okay, you can hammer this nail in, but first you have to pay 5 shillings for it.” And so I say: "Okay. I'll give you an imaginary 5 shillings and drive an imaginary nail." That’s how our meeting happened, she felt something, I felt something, and the rest is, as they say, history.”
After this meeting, Yoko wrote in her diary that she had found the person she could love. Lennon began receiving postcards from her with short inscriptions: “Dance”, “Breathe”, “Look at the lights until dawn”... Yoko called him and delivered long monologues: about social injustice, the spirit of the times and herself, experiencing great creative difficulties in the avant-garde to the artist. Lennon listened to her extremely carefully. He was used to women who obeyed him. Yoko was completely different. He felt that he had to obey this Japanese woman who was 7 years older than him.
Lennon said this about his beloved:
"She is a teacher and I am a student. I famous person, about whom they think that he knows everything, but she is my teacher, she taught me everything I know. She already knew everything when I didn’t know a damn thing, when I was a man from nowhere. She is my Don Juan [Castaneda's spiritual teacher]."
"Next to Yoko, I became free. Her proximity made me a whole person. Without her, I was only half."
Yoko said about her role in Lennon's life:
“Before he met me, he had his own life experiences that I didn’t have, so I learned a lot from him too. It’s a mutual process: maybe it’s all about the fact that I strong man, I have a lot of feminine strength. Women develop this strength in themselves - in their relationships with men. Women have an inner wisdom, while men have a different kind of wisdom: to deal with society because they created it. Men never developed inner wisdom: they simply did not have time. Therefore, most men rely on women's inner wisdom, whether they want to admit it or not."
Yoko Ono and John Lennon separated from their spouses and began living together in 1968. The following year, the Beatles broke up. Many blamed Yoko Ono for the group's breakup. Lennon began bringing his beloved to the band's rehearsals (although at the beginning of their career the Beatles agreed not to invite wives and girlfriends to the studio). Paul McCartney, seeing how Lennon's musical tastes were changing under the influence of Yoko Ono, began to take leadership of the group, which caused Lennon's displeasure.
Lennon's musical experiments began in the first year life together with Yoko Ono, before the Beatles broke up. In 1968, Ono and Lennon released the album Two Virgins. There was no music on it: the record contained a chaotic collection of noises, moans and screams. According to Lennon, the album was recorded in one night. Even more striking than the content was the album's design, which featured photographs of John Lennon and Yoko Ono in Adam and Eve costumes.
Lennon spoke about Yoko Ono's influence on him at that point in his life:
“She made me become an avant-garde artist and take off my clothes, and at that time all I wanted to be was Tom Jones.
"Two Virgins" happened by accident. I realized that there is a crazy person like me in the world - a woman who can make such bizarre sounds, who can enjoy non-danceable and unpopular music, what is called avant-garde.
This is the only word that will work here, but I think that labels like avant-garde are self-refuting. Everyone is accustomed to avant-garde exhibitions. The very fact that the avant-garde can be exhibited contradicts the purpose of the avant-garde, since it becomes formal, turns into part of a ritual. I always perceived it only as variations on this global concept, like music".
Yoko Ono, Andy Warhol and John Lennon
The following year, 1969, Lennon and Ono again surprised the public. After their wedding, they went to Amsterdam and announced that they would conduct a “bedside interview.” Journalists who decided that star couple will publicly have sex, gathered in a hotel, where it turned out that Lennon and Ono, wearing white pajamas, decorating the hotel room with flowers, were sitting on the bed and talking about peace (at that time the war was going on in Vietnam). The doors of the room were wide open around the clock. Any person from the street could enter them.
In 1971, John Lennon's album "Imagine" was released. The title track from the album became Lennon's most famous solo song. In 1971, the single "Imagine" reached number three on the US singles chart. In the UK, the single "Imagine" was released only in 1975 and reached number 6 in the charts. However, after Lennon's death in 1980, the single "Imagine" was released again in the UK and stayed at number one for 4 weeks until it was knocked off the top spot by another John Lennon song, "Woman". In 2002, a UK poll found "Imagine" to be the second greatest single of all time, behind Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody".
In the song “Imagine,” Lennon sets out his vision of an ideal world where people live for today, without hope of Heaven and without fear of Hell. There is no division into states and religions, no wars, no property, no concepts of “greed” and “hunger.” All people are brothers.
Later in the interview, Lennon said that the songs "Imagine" and "Love" could be put on par with any song that was made when he was a Beatle.
In 1973, Yoko Ono decided to break up with Lennon for a while in order to once again give both of them the opportunity to feel free and understand their feelings for each other. Yoko chose Lennon's Chinese assistant May Pang (born October 24, 1950), whom Lennon considered sexy, as his mistress, and sent them to Los Angeles, where they spent a year and a half. Lennon drank a lot at this time.
John Lennon and May Pang
Lennon describes his forced separation from Yoko Ono:
"When Don Juan said... when Don Ono said, 'Get away! You don’t understand anything!” - it was like being exiled to the desert. And she didn’t let me go back, because I wasn’t ready for this yet. I had to figure it out with myself. And when I was ready, she allowed me to come back.
In the early 70s we separated. She kicked me out. I suddenly found myself alone on a raft in the middle of the ocean. At first I thought: "Hurray! How great this is!!! I'll live again single life. Hip-hip hurray!” But one day I woke up and the thought struck me: “What’s wrong with me? I want to go home!" But she didn’t want to take me back. That’s why we lived apart for a year and a half, not six months. We often talked on the phone, and I used to say: “I don’t like this life. I always run into trouble. I want to go home. Please take me back!" But she answered: "You are not ready to return yet."
Judging by Lennon's subsequent statements, he loved May Pang, albeit with a different love than Yoko Ono.
Lennon spoke about life with May Pang:"I have never been so happy. I loved this woman."
The contradictory nature of Lennon's statements confirms that Yoko Ono was right and that temporary separation was indeed necessary for them. Lennon had to decide what was more important to him - inner freedom or life as following your guru - Yoko Ono. When Lennon made his choice in favor of the second option, Yoko allowed him to return. This happened in 1975. On October 9, 1975, Lennon's thirty-fifth birthday, his son, Sean, was born. John Lennon decided to devote himself entirely to his family for several years and sacrifice his creativity. John Lennon's next album, Double Fantasy, was released only in 1980. This disc was destined to become the last in the work of John Lennon, whose life was cut short a few weeks after the release of the disc.
John Lennon was shot and killed on December 8, 1980. After his death, the single "Woman" was released from the album "Double Fantasy". The single "Woman" reached number one in the UK singles chart, ahead of Lennon's other hit "Imagine". In the US, the single "Woman" reached number two on the charts.
Yoko Ono is still alive and continues her creative career.
Friends called this couple “Romeo and Juliet of the 70s,” and ill-wishers considered her a demon in female form, and him an uncomplaining victim. However, in the story of Yoko Ono and John Lennon, not everything is as simple as it seems at first glance.
She..
Japanese avant-garde artist Yoko Ono, despite her high position In society she was always known as an eccentric. She is the daughter of a wealthy banker, who lived in the USA since childhood and dreamed of becoming opera diva, sought to overcome the barriers between rich and poor, but neither one nor the other understood her. The destiny of the charming, but weird Yoko there was loneliness, because her peers despised her for her wealth, and her parents were unpleasantly surprised at her attempts to make friends with the poor. “Child of the Ocean” (this is how Yoko’s name sounds when translated into Russian) was inclined towards conceptual art, and if then critics tore to smithereens the works of the failed opera singer, now It is considered the mother of the modern avant-garde.
Little Yoko with her parents:
Yoko:
Before meeting John Lennon, the attractive artist had two marriages. At the age of 23, she married the Japanese composer Toshi Ichiyanagi, but the relationship did not last long, and soon after the breakup the girl ended up in a psychiatric hospital.
Toshi Ichiyanagi: 
Later, she was “rescued” from there by jazz musician Anthony Cox, who was an ardent admirer of Yoko’s and her own works. It was in vain that the press called this woman ugly, because men did not think so; on the contrary, many regarded her as a more than attractive woman. As for the affair with Anthony Cox, it was so stormy that the spouses threatened to kill each other in the event of betrayal or separation, which did follow some time later. From this union Yoko has a daughter, Kyoko, and thank God Anthony’s threats turned out to be just empty words. Despite two unsuccessful marriage Yoko did not lose her magnetism and continued to tempt men.
Anthony Cox and Yoko Ono:
He...
John Lennon, owner of world fame, an army of fans and a lot of Money, by the time he met Yoko Ono, he was tired not only of the hype associated with The Beatles, but also of his personal life. John's life before Yoko resembled an endless Groundhog Day, even despite the daily changing picture. He drank, cheated and dreamed of better life, although it all started not so sadly.
Little John:
John:
John met his first wife, Cynthia, while studying at art college, when she was an exemplary student and he was a bully. However, despite such a significant difference, Cynthia was able to please Lennon, but the romance was not so serious until the girl became pregnant. Honest and noble John decided to marry Cynthia and they had a son, Julian. As the years passed, John turned into a world-class star, and Cynthia transformed from an exemplary student into a mother and wife exhausted by family troubles. Everything would have gone as usual if Beatle John had not met Yoko.
“I always dreamed of meeting a creative woman like me. And I was sure that such a thing did not exist"
Cynthia and John:
They...
John and Yoko met on November 9, 1966, when he went to her art exhibition. Lennon, in general, was not eager to look at Ono’s work, but since his friends so insistently advised him, he went and got there just on the day when the exhibition had not yet opened. The star was let in and he was stunned by what he saw, seeing a kindred spirit in the creative artist. Just at that moment he needed an understanding person, because... John is mired in problems.
“I was unhappy with myself, I ate and drank like a pig. The cocky rock 'n' roll hero suddenly turned out to be a scared guy. And I started screaming for help"
John and Yoko:
The affair with Yoko, which began immediately after their meeting on that very day, led to John's divorce from Cynthia and the new union of John and Yoko, which they officially entered into on March 20, 1969. Their romance was like a fairy tale, a meeting of two halves, but the members of The Beatles saw how Yoko influenced her husband and took him away from the group... Paul McCartney, who did not want to give up the success and popularity of millions of people, was especially indignant. But John chose Yoko and stopped being a Beatle.
On your wedding day:
“There were two discoveries in my life - Paul and Yoko. I think I made the right choice"
Yoko and John later separated for a time due to irreconcilable differences, but got back together in February 1975. On October 9 of the same year, Yoko gave birth to a son, Sean.
“He is my greatest pride. Yes, I gave up music and got stuck in diapers, but I like it! It’s so good that Yoko and I didn’t manage to separate!”
John, Yoko and Sean:
Our days. Yoko and Sean:
But this story does not have a happy ending, because... On December 8, 1980, John was killed. He seemed to have a presentiment of his death, in his youth he said, “I’ll probably be shot by a mentally ill person,” and two weeks before the incident, he fired his bodyguards, fearing for their lives. It turned out that the crazy fan did not like the Lennon who lived happily next to Yoko and his son. A cruel reckoning for happiness befell Yoko and John, but this Strong woman She still carefully preserves the memory of her husband who left early, often recalling his words:
“There is no death. It’s like changing from one car to another.”
Used: VeV
The time of the blood-stirring group "The Beatles" is over. And half of the legendary group has already gone to the next world. But they left behind a small part of themselves in the form of their children. We invite you to see what the offspring of the famous Fab Four look like and what they are doing now.
John Lennon
John Lennon - born October 9, 1940 in Liverpool, British rock musician, singer, poet, composer, artist, writer. One of the founders and member of The Beatles, a popular musician of the 20th century. After the breakup of The Beatles solo career, but was killed in 1980.
Sean Lennon - born in New York on October 9, 1975 (age 38), American singer, composer, musician and actor. The son of musicians and peace activists John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Kyoko Chan Cox is his half-sister and Julian Lennon is his half-brother. Sean's godfather is Elton John.
The similarity is colossal
Julian Lennon - born April 8, 1963 in Liverpool (50 years old), British rock musician, singer, first son of The Beatles founder John Lennon
George Harrison
George Harrison - born February 25, 1943 in Liverpool, is an English rock musician, singer, composer, writer, producer, sitarist and guitarist, best known as the lead guitarist of The Beatles.
Since the mid-90s he struggled with a serious illness; in 1997 he had a cancerous tumor of the larynx and part of his lung removed. He was later also diagnosed with brain cancer that could not be operated on. November 29, 2001, died of brain cancer in Paul McCartney's Beverly Hills apartment.
Dhani Harrison - born August 1, 1978 (age 35) in Windsor, England, is a British musician. Dhani Harrison made his debut as a professional musician after completing his father's final album, Brainwashed, following the death of George Harrison in November 2001. In 2006, Dhani Harrison founded the group thenewno2
Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney - born June 18, 1942 (71 years old), British musician, singer, composer, multi-instrumentalist and producer, one of the founders of The Beatles, sixteen-time Grammy Award winner, Knight of the Order British Empire (1965).
In 2011, he was voted one of the best bass players of all time according to a survey conducted by Rolling Stone magazine.
James McCartney - born September 12, 1977 (age 36), British musician and songwriter, lives in London. The only son composer and former Beatle Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney. He appeared on a number of his parents' solo albums, including Flaming Pie (1997) and Driving Rain (2001) by Paul McCartney and Wide Prairie (1998) by Linda McCartney. He released two records and an album.
Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr - real name Richard Starkey, born July 7, 1940 (73 years old), Liverpool, British musician, songwriter, actor. Known as the drummer of The Beatles.
On August 28, 2012, Ringo Starr was named the richest drummer in the world by Celebritynetworth.com. His fortune is estimated at $300 million
Zak Starkey - born September 13, 1965 (48 years old) in London, British rock musician, drummer. Son of The Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and his first wife Maureen Starkey Tygrett. He was a member of the British rock band The Who, with which he performed and recorded songs since 1996. He was also the third drummer of Oasis. In addition, Starkey has worked with such artists and groups as Johnny Marr, Paul Weller, The Icicle Works, The Waterboys, ASAP and The Lightning Seeds.
Incredible, on the verge of madness, love story of a band member The Beatles and avant-garde artists from Japan John Lennon and Yoko Ono
They were completely different people. was from Japan, her family was rich and noble. But Ono’s character from childhood was willful and firm. Yoko was married twice. For the first time behind a beggar Japanese composer, the second is marriage to producer Anthony Cox.
U John Lennon at that moment there was a wife - Susan. Everything was smooth and calm in their marriage, but, as his friends said, he lacked the madness and hooliganism in this relationship. Without realizing it, Lennon was looking for a woman who was both similar to his flighty mother Julia and to the domineering Aunt Mimi, who was involved in his upbringing.
The first meeting of John Lennon and Yoko Ono
They first met in 1966 at an “anti-art” exhibition. John Lennon was not impressed by either the exhibition or Yoko Ono. But the next day the girl began to attack him with letters, calls, and random meetings. Lennon dismissed her as a crazy artist. But Yoko simply did not know how to give up, she continued to achieve her goal until John’s marriage collapsed.
Yoko Ono and The Beatles
Many argue that Yoko Ono is to blame for the breakup of the group The Beatles. The band members will never forget the day when Lennon brought a woman into the recording studio. In 1970, the group broke up. Shortly before the breakup of the group, John and Yoko created their own studio, where the singer would record his famous album Imagine. Subsequently, critics recognize the album as one of the best. The attitude of the group's fans towards Yoko will not change - everyone did not like her.
Already in 1969 they were together. They spent their honeymoon in Amsterdam. The funny thing is that it is not Yoko who will take her husband’s last name, but John will take hers.
They lived in perfect harmony. From their marriage a son, Sean, was born. Since then, John has been taking care of the baby, and Yoko has been organizing exhibitions.
The idyll ended in 1980, a week after recording his last album, Double Fantasy, John was shot and killed by a fan. The whole world was shocked by this event and suddenly changed its attitude towards Yoko. Former ill-wishers will begin to sympathize and feel sorry for the woman.
Yoko Ono is currently 84, after John's death she was married once, but the marriage did not last long; Now lives in New York, sells books about her deceased husband and organizes exhibitions.
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