The Ballad of John and Yoko

"The Ballad of John and Yoko" is a song written by Lennon in 1969. The song is not a "ballad" in the modern sense (that is, a slower-paced and often powerful love song, i.e. the "power ballad"); it's in the traditional style of a narrative poem in a song. The ballad chronicles Lennon's and Ono's wedding and honeymoon, including an account of their "'Bed-In' at the Amsterdam Hilton Hotel and their demonstration of 'bagism.'" (Both the bed-in and bagism are noteworthy reads; I recommend losing yourself in the Wikipedia articles for a while.)

During the recording session, the group was missing two members: George Harrison was on holiday, and Ringo Starr was filming The Magic Christian. Wikipedia continues:

In his biography, McCartney recalls that Lennon had had a sudden inspiration for the song and had suggested that the two of them should record it immediately, without waiting for the other Beatles to return. Reflecting this somewhat unusual situation, the session recordings include the following exchange:

Lennon (on guitar): "Go a bit faster, Ringo!"

McCartney (on drums): "OK, George!"

The song wasn't well-received in some circles, however. Lennon, who had uttered the infamous "more famous than Jesus" line, again drew the ire of conservative religious groups and radio stations, who took offense at the chorus of the song:

Christ, you know it ain't easy
You know how hard it can be
The way things are going 
They're gonna crucify me

In addition, and somewhat more hilariously, "The Spanish government under Franco objected to the song due to its statement that Gibraltar was "near Spain". The status of Gibraltar was a subject of debate between Spain and the United Kingdom at that time." How random is that? :P

I like this song quite a bit. Although I have mixed feelings about the Lennon/Ono mythos, particularly its effects on The Beatles as a group, this song seems to embody the best parts of their relationship--the creativity and inspiration that they produced when they were together (which, let's be honest, was all the time). If ever there was a "good parts" version of their relationship, it's "The Ballad of John and Yoko". 

That's all for today. See you tomorrow!

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Heard It Tally: 54

Songs Completed: 209