The torrid courtship of John Lennon and Yoko Ono was—and still is—one of the most frequently discussed and publicly visible relationships in the history of popular music. Fifty-three years ago today on March 20th, 1969, the two were married in characteristically bold and vocal fashion.
The immeasurably famous member of The Beatles and the avant-garde artist and activist began their relationship while Lennon was still married to his now-ex-wife, Cynthia Lennon. After meeting and maintaining correspondence from afar, Lennon invited Ono to come and visit while Cynthia was away in Greece in May 1968. During that visit, the pair spent the night recording what would become their Two Virgins album and, according to the LP’s liner notes, “made love at dawn” to cap the intense all-night session.
John Lennon was thoroughly smitten with Ono after the evening. As Cynthia explained in her 1980 memoir, A Twist of Lennon, when she returned home from her trip, she found Yoko and John in bathrobes drinking tea. Lennon, relaxed, simply said, “Oh, hi.” He had already made the decision to take his life down a new road.
A year prior to the Beatles disbanding in April 1970, John Lennon and Yoko Ono began public protests against the Vietnam War, which had become a heated topic of discussion in America by the decade’s end. Following their marriage on March 20th, 1969 at the Gibraltar registry office, the two subsequently invited the world’s media to join them in their bedroom during their honeymoon in Amsterdam. Perhaps expecting the type of “perverse” exhibitionism with which the couple was often associated, the media instead bore witness to a weeklong peace rally, the first of two “Bed-Ins”. The second, eventually held in Montreal, was where the pair recorded the now-classic anthem “Give Peace A Chance”.
Relive the performance of “Give Peace A Chance” below, which also features a notable sit-in from 1960s icon and psychedelics pioneer/researcher Dr. Timothy Leary.
John Lennon/The Plastic Ono Band – “Give Peace A Chance” [Pro-Shot]
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[Video: Yoko Ono]
That entire hectic love affair was described in detail in The Beatles’ song “The Ballad of John and Yoko”. It was released in May 1969 as a single with lyrics directly addressing the circus surrounding their romance and nuptials.
The song also makes various allusions to Jesus and his crucifixion, doubling down on the scandal Lennon sparked in 1966 when he proclaimed the Beatles to be “More popular than Jesus.” The song went on to become the Beatles’ 17th and final No. 1 single in the U.K. before they disbanded.
Watch the official video for “The Ballad of John and Yoko” and read the autobiographical lyrics below.
The Beatles – “The Ballad of John and Yoko” [Pro-Shot]
[Video: TheBeatlesVEVO]
[Originally published 3/20/18]