Home About us Products Services Contact us Bookmark
:: wikimiki.org ::
Kiss Kiss Kiss

Kiss Kiss Kiss

"Kiss Kiss Kiss" is a song by Yoko Ono. It was originally released on Double Fantasy, her joint album with John Lennon, and famously on the B-side of his "(Just Like) Starting Over" single. This is one of her most well-known songs, largely because it's the first one most people heard while listening to Double Fantasy for John's material. The "new wave"ish song features Ono gasping heavily and appearing to reach orgasm. orgasm In 2002, following the success of "Open Your Box", the track was remixed by Superchumbo and released as a single. It reached #20 on the US dance charts.

Yoko Ono

:For the Die Ärzte song, see Yoko Ono (song) Yoko Ono (song) Yoko Ono Lennon (born February 18, 1933 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese musician and artist who has lived most of her life in the United States. She was already a minor celebrity in the art world when she achieved worldwide fame or notoriety through her relationship and eventual marriage with then-Beatle John Lennon. She currently resides in New York City. In Japanese kanji, her name is written 小野 洋子 (Ono Yōko).

Early Life

Born into a privileged background, she was the oldest child of Isoko Isuda, a member of one of Japan's wealthiest banking families, and Eisuke Ono, who sacrificed a career as a classically-trained pianist to work as a banker. She attended the exclusive Gakushuin academy in Tokyo from primary school to the college division. Ono has mentioned in interviews that her parents left the upbringing of her and her younger brother to nannies; her parents were often distant, emotionally and physically. During World War II, the Ono family survived the bombing of Tokyo in an underground shelter. Ono and her siblings fled to the countryside, and were forced to beg for food while pulling their belongings in a wheelbarrow. It was during this period in her life she developed what some would refer to as her "aggressive" attitude; local children taunted the once well-to-do Yoko and her brother, now reduced to poverty. Determined to protect herself and her brother, she learned to maintain a tough exterior to hide her fear. Her father remained in the city and, unbeknownst to them, was incarcerated in a prisoner of war camp in China. After the war, Ono's family moved to Scarsdale, New York. She soon enrolled in Sarah Lawrence College. While her parents approved her choice of college, they were dismayed at her lifestyle, and often chastised Ono for befriending people they considered to be "beneath" her. In spite of this, Ono loved meeting artists, poets, and people who represented the "bohemian" freedom she longed for herself. Visiting galleries and art "happenings" in the city whetted her desire to publicly display her own artistic endeavors. In 1956, she married composer Toshi Ichiyanagi. They divorced in 1962. Ono married American Anthony Cox on November 28, 1962. Cox was a jazz musician, film producer, and art promoter. Their marriage was annulled on March 1, 1963; they re-married on June 6, and finally divorced on February 2, 1969. Their daughter, Kyoko Chan Cox, was born on August 8, 1963. After a bitter legal battle, Ono was awarded permanent custody of Kyoko. However in 1971, Cox, who had become a Christian fundamentalist after his divorce from Ono, abducted Kyoko and vanished. Ono and her daughter were finally reunited in 1998.

Art Work

abducted Ono was an early member of Fluxus, a loose association of avant-garde artists that developed in the early 1960s. Ono was among the first artists to explore conceptual art and performance art. An example of her performance art is "Cut Piece", during which she sat on stage and invited the audience to use scissors to cut off her clothing until she was naked. An example of her conceptual art includes her book of instructions called Grapefruit. This book, first produced in 1964, includes surreal, Zen-like instructions that are to be completed in the mind of the reader, for example: "Hide and Go Seek Piece: Hide until everyone forgets about you. Hide until everyone dies." The book was published several times, most widely distributed by Simon and Schuster in 1971, and reprinted by them again in 2000. Ono was also an experimental filmmaker. She made sixteen films between 1964 and 1972, and gained particular renown for a 1966 film called simply No. 4, but often referred to as "Bottoms". The film consists of a series of close-ups of human buttocks as the subject walks on a treadmill. The screen is divided into four almost equal sections by the elements of the gluteal cleft and the horizontal gluteal crease. The soundtrack consists of interviews with those who are being filmed as well as those considering joining the project. In 1996, the watch manufacturing company Swatch produced a limited edition watch that commemorates this film. Ono's work may best be appreciated by an open mind. She has been described as "the world's most famous unknown artist: everybody knows her name, but nobody knows what she does." Ono has sometimes been maligned and vilified by critics who condemn her art. For example, Brian Sewell, art critic for the London Evening Standard and television personality, said: "She's shaped nothing, she's contributed nothing, she's simply been a reflection of the times...I think she's an amateur, a very rich woman who was married to someone who did have some talent and was the driving force behind the Beatles. If she had not been the widow of John Lennon, she would be totally forgotten by now...Yoko Ono was simply a hanger-on. Have you seen her sculpture or paintings? They're all awful." paintings However, the more common critical opinion is that Ono's work has been misunderstood and that it deserves attention and respect. Many scholars, art critics and members of the media have begun to reassess her art and to examine it seriously. In the past few years, Ono's work has regularly received recognition and acclaim. For example, Matthew Teitelbaum, director of the Art Gallery of Ontario, believes that "Yoko Ono is one of the world's most original and inspirational visual artists." Michael Kimmelman, the chief Art critic of the New York Times, wrote: "Yoko Ono's art is a mirror—like her work 'a Box of Smile,' we see ourselves in our reaction to it—a tiny prod toward personal enlightenment, very Zen." In 2001, YES YOKO ONO, a forty-year retrospective of Ono's work received the prestigious International Association of Art Critics USA Award for Best Museum Show Originating in New York City. (This award is considered one of the highest accolades in the museum profession.) In 2002 Ono was awarded the Skowhegan Medal for work in assorted media. And in 2005 she received a lifetime achievement award from the Japan Society of New York. Ono received an honorary Doctorate of Laws from Liverpool University in 2001; in 2002 she was presented with the honorary degree of Doctor of Fine Arts from Bard College. Scott MacDonald, visiting professor of film at Bard, said: "She is to be congratulated for the body of work she has made, and celebrated for what she has come to represent, within media history and throughout the world: courage, resilience, persistence, independence, and, above all, imagination, and a belief that peace and love remain the way toward a brighter, ever-more-diverse human future."

Life with Lennon

Bard College, 1969 Ottawa, Ontario]] Ono is best known for marrying The Beatles' John Lennon. They first met when Lennon visited a preview of an exhibition of Ono's in London in 1966. He was taken with the attitude and interactivity of her work, such as a ladder leading up to the word "Yes" written on the ceiling, that she wanted him to have to pay 200 pounds to hammer a nail into a panel of wood (as the show was only beginning the day after), and a decomposing apple. They began an affair two years later, eventually resulting in Lennon divorcing his first wife, Cynthia. They married on March 20, 1969 on the Rock of Gibraltar. Their son, Sean, was born on Lennon's 35th birthday, on October 9, 1975. Lennon referred to Ono in many of his songs. While still a Beatle he wrote "The Ballad of John and Yoko," and also implicitly mentions her in "Julia," a song dedicated to his mother, with the lyrics: "Ocean child calls me, so I sing a song of love" (The kanji 洋子 ("Yoko") mean "ocean child.") Other Lennon songs about Ono include: "Oh Yoko!," and "Dear Yoko." Ono and Lennon collaborated on many albums, beginning in 1968 when Lennon was still a Beatle, with Unfinished Music No.1: Two Virgins, an album of experimental and difficult electronic music. That same year, the couple contributed an experimental piece to The White Album called "Revolution 9," which is to this day a love/hate phenomenon among fans. Many of the couple's later albums were released under the name the Plastic Ono Band. In 1969, the Plastic Ono Band's first album, Live Peace In Toronto, was recorded during the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival Festival. In addition to Lennon and Ono, this first incarnation of the group consisted of guitarist Eric Clapton, bass player Klaus Voorman, and drummer Alan White. The first half of their performance consisted of rock standards, but during the second half, Ono took the microphone and along with the band performed what may be one of the first expressions of the avant garde during a rock concert. The set ended with music that consisted mainly of feedback, while Ono screamed and sang. Ono released her first solo album, Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band in 1970, as a companion piece to Lennon's better-known John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. The two albums have almost identical covers, and both explore primal scream vocalizations. However, while Lennon's utilized mostly conventional songwriting, Ono's was an all-out screaming assault on the ears - an album including raw and quite harsh vocals that were possibly influenced by Japanese opera. Perhaps, the most (in)famous song on Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band is "Why", which features Ono screaming the word "Why" for five minutes. Some critics were receptive of the work, however, declaring her voice "the most interesting instrument since the Moog". It peaked at #183 on the US charts, but this may be because people mistook it for Lennon's release. 1971 saw the follow-up release, Fly - a double album, which included a poster and a postcard to order Ono's book, Grapefruit. On this release Ono explored slightly more conventional punk rock with tracks like "Midsummer New York" and "Mind Train." She also received minor airplay with the ballad "Mrs. Lennon". Perhaps the most famous track from the album is "Don't Worry, Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking For Her Hand In The Snow)", an ode to Ono's kidnapped daughter. Ono later released two feminist rock albums in 1973, Approximately Infinite Universe and Feeling the Space, which received little attention. Today, they are recognized with much critical respect, particularly for tracks such as "Move on Fast," "Yang Yang" and "Death of Samantha." Ono is often accused by Beatles fans of breaking up the band (although many other Beatles fans argue that she did not); to this day, women who have (intentionally or not) come between high-profile musicians and their bandmates are compared to Ono, Nancy Spungen and Courtney Love being just two examples. In a 2003 interview with Jay Leno, Ono described the disappointment she felt by the breakup of the Beatles and how it affected the lifestyle that she was used to. There are Lennon fans who, in addition, blame Ono for the experimental phase (considered difficult and bizarre) that Lennon explored in his work immediately before the Beatles' breakup. On the other hand, many fans consider—as Lennon consistently attested—that Ono had a profound and beneficial influence on his body of work. Ono is also sometimes blamed for Lennon's heroin addiction in the early 1970s, as she is widely believed to have introduced him to the drug. Both suffered from addiction on and off for a few years. Jay Leno From the early 1970s until Lennon's public seclusion upon Sean's birth in 1975, Lennon and Ono produced less music as they became increasingly engaged in political activism (which possibly was a cause of Lennon's troubles with U.S. Immigration). The stress of Lennon's almost-certain expulsion from the U.S., coupled with Ono's unhappy and unsuccessful search for her daughter brought out the worst in the couple. Lennon began drinking heavily, and Ono immersed herself further into her work, becoming emotionally numb to each other. When Lennon and Ono separated in 1973, Ono "selected" their secretary May Pang to be Lennon's lover while they were apart. (Accounts on this vary; Ono herself claimed that Pang was merely sent to be an assistant to Lennon while he was scheduled to work on several projects in Los Angeles.) Lennon carried on several affairs at this time, and after each incident, would call Ono, alternately taunting her with his infidelity and begging her to allow him to return. Ono, who was also re-entering the dating scene, remained adamant that he keep his distance. Lennon returned time and again to Pang, his only source of security then. Lennon and Pang were together until 1975, when he and Ono reconciled. In 2003 Ono courted controversy by editing herself into the video of the classic song "#9 Dream" for the "Lennon Legend: The Very Best of John Lennon" DVD set. There you will find her mouthing the backup vocals that were sung by May Pang. Pang claimed, "She is trying to erase everyone who had anything to do with John with her alone. I am definitely upset at her misleading everyone into thinking she is on '#9 Dream.' She had nothing to do with this particular album and it was John's only No.1 album and No. 1 single during his lifetime. Boy, do I understand how Paul [McCartney] feels." However, some fans argue that Ono's inclusion there is called for. The backup vocals are sung immediately after Lennon sings "two spirits dancing, so strange", and at the time Lennon was both in love with Ono and living with May Pang, the two women in his life, hence "two spirits".

Musical Career

May Pang Ono achieved success as a musician in her own right. In 1961, years before meeting Lennon, she had her first major public performance in an all-Ono concert at the 258-seat Carnegie Recital Hall (not the larger "Main Hall"). This concert featured radical experimental music and performances. Ono's music changed after her marriage; while many of her early songs retain the surreal quality of her art and films, her later songs are usually more conventional — for example, the seven pop songs that she contributed to the album, Double Fantasy. Double Fantasy Double Fantasy Ono's first album, titled Plastic Ono Band was confusingly released at the same time as an album by Lennon also titled Plastic Ono Band. The two had nearly identical cover art -- Ono's had richer colors, Lennon's featured his name. To some, it appeared as if the two had conspired to deceive Lennon's fans into accidentally purchasing Ono's album. In the spring of 1980, Lennon heard Lene Lovich and the B-52's' "Rock Lobster" in a nightclub, and it reminded him of Ono's musical sound. He ran to a public phone, called Yoko and said "They're finally ready for us, love!" Indeed, many musicians, particularly those of the new wave movement, have paid tribute to Ono (both as an artist in her own right, and as a muse and iconic figure). For example, Elvis Costello recorded a version of Ono's song "Walking On Thin Ice", the B-52's covered "Don't Worry, Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking For Her Hand In The Snow)" (shortening the title to "Don't Worry"), and Sonic Youth included a performance of Ono's early conceptual "Voice Piece for Soprano" in their fin de siecle album SYR4: Goodbye 20th Century. One of Barenaked Ladies's best-known songs is "Be My Yoko Ono," and Dar Williams recorded a song called "I Won't Be Your Yoko Ono." The punk rock singer Patti Smith invited Ono to participate in "Meltdown," a two-week music festival that Smith organized in London during June 2005; Ono performed at Queen Elizabeth Hall. On the night of December 8, 1980, Lennon and Ono were in the studio working on Ono's song "Walking On Thin Ice." When they returned to The Dakota, their home in New York City, Lennon was murdered at age 40 by a deranged fan, Mark David Chapman. "Walking on Thin Ice (For John)" was released as a single less than a month later, and became Ono's first chart success, peaking at No. 58 and gaining major underground airplay. In 1981, she released the album Season of Glass with the striking cover photo of Lennon's shattered, bloody spectacles next to a half-filled glass of water, with a window overlooking Central Park in the background. This led some critics to accuse her of being tasteless and exploitative. However, Ono said that she chose such a provocative image because she wanted to remind people that Lennon hadn't just died, but had been murdered. (This photograph sold at an auction in London in April 2002 for about $13,000.) In the liner notes to Season of Glass, Ono explained that the album is not dedicated to Lennon because "he would have been offended - he was one of us."

Life after Lennon

1982 saw the release of It's Alright (I See Rainbows), a more positive album as Ono began the healing process following the loss of her husband. The cover featured Ono in her famous wrap-around sunglasses, looking boldly towards the sun, while on the back the ghost of Lennon looks over Ono and Sean. The album has been described as Ono's pop sensibilites and avant-garde influences meeting each other halfway. It scored minor chart success and airplay with the singles "My Man" and "Never Say Goodbye." In 1984, a tribute album entitled Every Man Has A Woman was released, featuring Ono classics performed by artists such as Elvis Costello, Roberta Flack, Eddie Money, Roseanne Cash and Harry Nilsson. It was one of Lennon's projects that he never got to finish. Later that year, Ono and Lennon's final album Milk And Honey was released in unfinished demo state. Milk And Honey Ono's final album of the 1980s was Starpeace, a concept album glowing with positivity that was intended as an antidote to Ronald Reagan's "Star Wars" missile defense system. On the cover, a warm, smiling Ono holds the Earth in the palm of her hand. Despite almost unanimous critical praise for the album, Starpeace received little commercial attention. The single "Hell in Paradise" was a hit, however, reaching No. 16 on the US dance charts. In 1986 Ono set out on a goodwill world tour for Starpeace, mostly visiting Eastern European countries that she felt were in need of her message of peace. The media were largely unfair in their coverage of the tour, accusing Ono of "ego-tripping" and ridiculing her for underselling venues. In one case, a photo of Ono rehearsing to an empty hall before the show was printed as if nobody had come to the actual concert. A German DJ was also encouraging people to turn up and throw glass bottles at her. Despite the bad press, however, the fans loved the shows, critics unanimously praised her for her performances, and she filled a venue of 15,000 in Budapest. Ono went on hiatus until signing with Rykodisc in 1992 to release the comprehensive 6-disc box set Onobox. It included remastered highlights from all of Ono's solo albums, as well as unreleased material from the 1974 "lost weekend" sessions. There was also a one-disc "greatest hits" release of highlights from Onobox, simply titled Walking on Thin Ice. In 1994, Yoko produced her own musical entitled New York Rock, featuring Broadway renditions of her songs. 1995 saw Ono's comeback with the release of Rising, a collaboration with her son Sean Lennon and his band Ima. It received wide critical praise and is often considered one of her best albums. Rising spawned a world tour that traveled through Europe, Japan and the United States. The following year, she collaborated with various alternative rock musicians for an EP entitled Rising Mixes. Guest remixers of Rising material included Cibo Matto, Ween, Tricky, and Thurston Moore. In 1997, as public interest was growing in Ono's work, Rykodisc reissued all her solo albums on CD, from Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band through Starpeace. Ono and her engineer John Stevens personally remastered the audio, and various bonus tracks were added including outtakes, demos and live cuts. Rykodisc 2001 saw the release of the critically successful feminist concept album Blueprint For A Sunrise. Starting in 2002, cutting-edge DJs began remixing other Ono songs for dance clubs. For the remix project, she dropped her first name and became known as simply "ONO", as a response to the "Oh, no!" jokes that dogged her throughout her career. ONO had great success with new versions of "Walking on Thin Ice", remixed by top DJs and dance artists including Pet Shop Boys, Orange Factory, Peter Rauhofer, and Danny Tenaglia. In April 2003 ONO's Walking On Thin Ice (Remixes) was rated No. 1 on Billboard Magazine's "Dance/Club Play Chart", gaining ONO her first number one hit. On the 12" mix of the original 1981 version of "Walking on Thin Ice", Lennon can be heard remarking "I think we've just got your first No.1, Yoko." During her career, Ono has collaborated with a diverse group of artists and musicians including John Cage, David Tudor, George Maciunas, Ornette Coleman, Charlotte Moorman, George Brecht, Jackson Mac Low, Jonas Mekas, Yvonne Rainer, La Monte Young, Richard Maxfield, Zbigniew Rybczyński, Yo La Tengo, and Andy Warhol. (In 1987 Ono was one of the speakers at Warhol's funeral.)

Political Activism

Since the 1960s, Ono has been a consistent and outspoken supporter of peace and human rights. After their wedding, Lennon and Ono held a "Bed-In for Peace" in their honeymoon suite at the Amsterdam Hilton Hotel in March 1969. The press fought to get in, presuming that the two would be having sex for their cameras, but they instead found a pair of newlyweds wearing pajamas and eager to talk about and promote world peace. Another Bed-In in May 1969 in Montreal, Canada, resulted in the recording of their first single, "Give Peace A Chance," a Top 20 hit for the newly-christened Plastic Ono Band. Other demonstrations with John included Bagism. Introduced in Vienna, Bagism encouraged a disregard for physical appearance in judging others. In 2002, Ono inaugurated her own peace award by giving $50,000 (£31,900) prize money to artists living "in regions of conflict." Israeli and Palestinian artists were the first recipients. In 2003, Ono turned 70, a milestone of sorts. In 2004 Ono remade her song "Every Man Has a Woman Who Loves Him" to support same-sex marriage, releasing remixes that included "Every Man Has a Man Who Loves Him" and "Every Woman Has a Woman Who Loves Her."

Reconciliation with McCartney

Ono has had a turbulent relationship with Beatle Paul McCartney. The dispute has centered on, among other issues, the writing credits for many Beatles songs. While the Beatles were still together, every song written by Lennon or McCartney was credited to Lennon-McCartney regardless of whether the song was a collaboration or a solo project. After Lennon's death, McCartney attempted to change the order to "McCartney-Lennon" for songs, such as "Yesterday," that were solely or predominantly written by him, but Ono would not allow it. She felt this broke an agreement that the two had made while Lennon was still alive. However, McCartney has stated that no such agreement ever existed. The two other Beatles agreed that the credits should remain as they always had been and McCartney withdrew his request. Despite their differences, in 1995 McCartney and his family collaborated with Ono and Sean Lennon to create the song "Hiroshima Sky is Always Blue," which commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the dropping of an atomic bomb on the Japanese city. Of Ono, McCartney stated: "I thought she was a cold woman. I think that's wrong ... she's just the opposite ... I think she's just more determined than most people to be herself." Recently, accepting an award at the 2005 Q Awards, Ono made a controversial comment that the media have interpreted as an insult to Paul McCartney's songwriting. She mentioned that Lennon had once felt insecure about his songwriting, and asked her why other musicians "always cover Paul's songs, and never mine". Ono then responded "You're a good songwriter; it's not June with spoon that you write. You're a good singer, and most musicians are probably a little bit nervous about covering your songs". [http://www.calendarlive.com/printedition/calendar/qtakes/cl-et-quick12.3oct12,0,5214390.story] Whether she honestly meant this as an insult is debatable. Heather McCartney, when asked about her husband's thoughts on the subject, said "He doesn't even know yet. Look at how successful Yoko's music is compared to Paul's. Speaks for itself". Heather McCartney

Still Provocative

Ono again proved herself to be a provocative and controversial artist with her contribution to the fourth Liverpool Biennial in 2004. With banners, bags, stickers, postcards, flyers, posters and badges, she flooded the city with two images: one of a woman’s naked breast, the other of her pudendum. The piece, titled "My Mummy Was Beautiful," was dedicated to Lennon's mother, Julia, who had died when Lennon was a teenager. According to Ono the work was meant to be innocent, not shocking. She was attempting to replicate the experience of a baby looking up at his or her mother’s body: the mother’s vagina and breasts are a child’s introduction to humanity. Some in Liverpool, including Lennon's half-sister, Julia Baird, found the citywide installation offensive. Indeed, the BBC program North West Tonight invited viewers to phone in their opinion of the piece, and of the 6,000 viewers who responded 92% wanted the images removed. However, others appreciated the conceptuality of the work. Chris Brown, of Liverpool's Daily Post, wrote: "Many have loved the work… and Yoko Ono has again managed to get the eyes of the world looking in our direction." An editorial in The Times of London wrote: "Her unmissable contribution to the fourth Liverpool Biennial dominates the event and seems also to symbolise the new international Liverpool… Ono manages successfully to get right up the noses of the locals, as she always has. Brilliant… As always with Ono's art, a simple act has become a radical one." Some local councillors welcomed the removal of Ono's image from the deconsecrated Church of St. Luke. "I'm delighted that it has been removed," said Joe Anderson, leader of the Labour Party group. "I find it appalling that the picture was put in a place which offended people. St. Luke's is a war memorial and many people felt it was being desecrated with this picture." (Ono's art was placed there at the invitation of St Luke's Peace Centre in recognition of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's steadfast promotion of peace.) The biennial's chief executive, Lewis Biggs, denied the claim that it was moved due to public pressure: "The banner was taken down to replace the one torn down at the Bluecoat Centre over the weekend. The only banner of the same size was at St. Luke's. If the biennial had the money to replace the one at the church, we would have." He further stated, "There are a great many people who enjoy and support this project." Paul Domela, deputy chief executive of Liverpool Biennial, said: "We were aware that some would object to it. But, at the same time, we realised that a great many would love it as well… We have got bags, stickers and badges that are so popular we cannot give out enough of them because they are going so quickly." He continued, "In the campaign for the election in the European Union, there was an image of a woman breast feeding. The campaign was aired across Europe, including some very Catholic countries. Over here, the difference was that the nipple was removed. This baby had its mouth open into nothingness. What does that say about the relationship we have in this country to motherhood? To begin to think about that and talk about it is very important." In response to the controversy Ono stated, "I wasn't trying to insult Liverpool. In fact, when I thought of the idea and I visualized this beautiful mom's breasts and vagina all around the city I thought, 'Ah, it would be so beautiful', and it's like giving them love, because we are all born from [our] mother's body, and that's the first thing that we were nurtured by—mothers' breasts. Somehow people try to inhibit that memory. Women are put in a position of feeling embarrassed about their bodies. It's so ridiculous, but also astounding—we have to always be apologetic about having created the human race." Of her artistic inspiration she said, "I'm always inside myself and listening to what's coming into my head. I'm like a conduit of some message coming through me. I'm interested in everything, equally, every day. I'm in love with life, the world, every moment."

Discography

(with US chart positions)

Albums

Solo


- Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band (1970) (#182)
- Fly (1971) (#199)
- Approximately Infinite Universe (1972) (#193)
- Feeling The Space (1973) (did not chart)
- Welcome: The Many Sides Of Yoko Ono (1973) (Japanese promo album)
- A Story (1974) (Unreleased until 1997)
- Season of Glass (1981) (#49)
- It's Alright (I See Rainbows) (1982) (#98)
- Every Man Has A Woman (1984) (Tribute album with various artists)
- Starpeace (1985) (did not chart)
- Onobox (1992)
- Walking On Thin Ice (1992)
- New York Rock (1994) (original cast recording - did not chart)
- Rising (1995) (did not chart)
- Rising Mixes (1996) (did not chart)
- Blueprint For A Sunrise (2001) (did not chart)

with John Lennon


- Unfinished Music No.1: Two Virgins (1968) (#124)
- Unfinished Music No.2: Life With The Lions (1969) (#174)
- Wedding Album (1969) (#178)
- Live Peace In Toronto 1969 (1969) (#10)
- Sometime In New York City (1972) (#48)
- Double Fantasy (1980) (#1)
- Milk and Honey (1984) (#11)

Singles

Solo


- "Mrs. Lennon"/"Midsummer New York" (1971) (did not chart)
- "Now or Never"/"Move on Fast" (1972) (did not chart)
- "Mind Train"/"Listen, the Snow is Falling" (1972) (did not chart)
- "Death of Samantha"/"Yang Yang" (1973) (did not chart)
- "Josejoi Banzai" (1973) (Japan-only release, did not chart)
- "Woman Power"/"Men, Men, Men" (1973) (did not chart)
- "Run, Run, Run"/"Men, Men, Men" (1973) (did not chart)
- "Walking On Thin Ice" (1981) (#58)
- "Goodbye Sadness"/"I Don't Know Why" (promo) (1981)
- "No, No, No" (1981) (did not chart)
- "My Man" (1982) (did not chart)
- "Never Say Goodbye" (1983) (did not chart)
- "Hell in Paradise" (1985) (#16)
- "Cape Clear"/"Walking On Thin Ice (Re-Edit)" (promo) (1985)
- "Open Your Box" originally released 1971; (remix) (2001) (did not chart)
- "Kiss Kiss Kiss" (remix) (2002) (#20)
- "Yang Yang" (remix) (2002) (#17)
- "Walking On Thin Ice" (remix) (2003) (#1)
- "Will I"/"Fly" (remix) (2003) (#19)
- "Hell in Paradise" (remix) (2004) (#4)
- "Everyman... Everywoman" (maxi-single promoting gay marriage) (2004) (#1)

With John Lennon


- "Give Peace a Chance"/"Remember Love" (1969) (#14)
- "Cold Turkey" (Lennon)/"Don't Worry, Kyoko" (Ono) (1969) (#30)
- "Instant Karma" (Lennon)/"Who Has Seen the Wind?" (Ono) (1970) (#3)
- "Mother" (Lennon)/"Why" (Ono) (1971) (#43)
- "Power to the People" (Lennon)/"Open Your Box" (Ono) (1971) (#11)
- "Happy Xmas (War is Over)"/"Listen, the Snow is Falling" (1971) (#3)
- "(Just Like) Starting Over" (Lennon)/"Kiss Kiss Kiss" (Ono)(1980) (#1)
- "Woman" (Lennon)/"Beautiful Boys" (Ono)(1981) (#2)
- "Watching the Wheels" (Lennon)/"Yes, I'm Your Angel" (Ono) (1981) (#10)
- "Nobody Told Me" (Lennon)/"O'Sanity" (Ono)(1984) (#5)
- "I'm Stepping Out" (Lennon)/"Sleepless Night" (Ono)(1984) (#55)
- "Borrowed Time" (Lennon)/"Your Hands" (Ono)(1984)

See also


- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart

References


- "Ono apologises for comment". (Nov. 6, 2005). New Sunday Times, p. 29.

External Links


- [http://www.instantkarma.com/ Instant Karma], magazine dedicated to John and Yoko. Since 1981.
- [http://www.artnotart.com/fluxus/yono--.html Yoko Ono fluxus debris!] @ art / not art
- [http://www.jeclique.com/onoweb ::: ONOWEB]: an international network of info and original projects about Yoko from our contributors
- [http://www.a-i-u.net/ AIU: A Yoko Ono Box] An extensive unofficial Yoko Ono Site
- [http://www.lennono.com/ LennOno Online News], an extensive unofficial Lennon/Ono Site in German language
- [http://www.domeus.co.uk/forum/onovox ~ ONOVOX]: spam-free discussion listserv with commented daily Yoko news.
-
- [http://launch.yahoo.com/read/story/12027174 "Yoko Ono Makes Old Song Gay Friendly"], Associated Press article, July 8, 2004.
- [http://www.newmusicbox.org/page.nmbx?id=48vw06 Yoko Ono's Snow] review by Tom Johnson Originally published on February 7, 1977
- [http://home.nyc.rr.com/alweisel/usyokoono.htm 1995 Interview with Yoko Ono]
- [http://nippop.com/artist/artist_id-81/artist_name-yoko_ono/ Nippop Profile | Yoko Ono]
- [http://artorpornography.com/old_mos/apr_02_grafx/apr_02_pages/4_19_02.html Photograph of John Lennon's Bloodied Spectacles ]
- [http://www.gaycitynews.com/GCN16/yokoono.html The Dakota to The Roxy and Back], interview article from Gay City News Volume 1, Issue 16, 13-19 September, 2002. Ono, Yoko Ono, Yoko Ono, Yoko Ono, Yoko Ono, Yoko Ono, Yoko Ono, Yoko Ono Yoko Ono, Yoko Ono, Yoko Ono, Yoko Ono, Yoko Ono, Yoko Ono, Yoko ja:オノ・ヨーコ simple:Yoko Ono

John Lennon

] John Winston Ono Lennon (October 9 1940 – December 8 1980) was best known as a singer, songwriter, poet and guitarist for the British rock band The Beatles. His creative career also included the roles of solo musician, political activist, artist, actor and author. As half of the legendary Lennon-McCartney songwriting team, he heavily influenced the development of rock music, leading it towards more serious and political messages. He is recognized as one of the greatest musical icons of the 20th century and many of his songs, such as "Imagine" and "Strawberry Fields Forever", are often ranked among the best songs in popular music history. In 2002, the BBC conducted a vote to discover the 100 Greatest Britons of all time, and the British public voted Lennon into 8th place.

Youth

Lennon was born in Liverpool on the evening of 9 October 1940 during a period of much turmoil as the UK was heavily engaged in World War II. Both of his parents had musical backgrounds and experience, though neither pursued them seriously. Lennon lived with his parents in Liverpool until his father Alfred (nicknamed Alf, and later "Freddy"), a merchant seaman, walked out on the family when John was five years old. His mother Julia then decided that she was unable to care for her son, and so gave him to her sister Mimi. Lennon lived with Aunt Mimi and her husband George at Mendips, 251 Menlove Avenue, Liverpool throughout the rest of his childhood and adolescence. Like much of the population of Liverpool, Lennon had some Irish heritage. His grandfather, James Lennon, was born in Dublin in 1858, and his grandmother Mary (née Maguire), was Irish-born as well. John Lennon's mother Julia (née Stanley) was of Welsh descent. Although he had little exposure to his Irish heritage growing up, he came to identify with it later in life. Lennon developed severe myopia as he grew up, and was obliged to wear glasses in order to see clearly. During his early Beatle career, Lennon wore contacts or prescription sunglasses (or simply "toughed it out" without them). In 1966, on the set of How I Won The War, Lennon was issued a pair of National Health spectacles. He continued to wear these round, wire-rimmed glasses which became part of his iconic public image. Although John lived apart from his mother, he still kept in contact with her through regular visits, and during his younger years Julia cultivated his lifelong interest in music by teaching him how to play the banjo. On 15 July 1958, when John Lennon was 17, his mother was killed after she was struck by a car driven by a drunken off-duty police officer. John had to go to the morgue to identify her body. Julia's death was one of the factors that cemented his friendship with Paul McCartney, who had lost his own mother to breast cancer in 1956, when Paul was 14. Years later, Lennon wrote the songs "Julia", "Mother" and "My Mummy's Dead" regarding his mother, as well as naming his firstborn son, Julian, after her. Though failing in grammar school, Lennon was accepted into the Liverpool College of Art with help from his school's headmaster and his Aunt Mimi. It was there that he met his future wife, Cynthia Powell. Lennon would steadily grow to hate the conformity of art school, which proved to be little different from his earlier school experience, and ultimately dropped out. He instead devoted himself to music, inspired by American Rock 'n' Roll and singers like Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly. He had started a skiffle band in grammar school called the Quarry Men (after his alma mater, Quarry Bank). With the addition of Paul McCartney and George Harrison, the band changed to playing rock 'n' roll, taking the name "Johnny and the Moondogs", followed by "The Silver Beetles" (a tribute to Buddy Holly's Crickets), which was later shortened to The Beatles. He married Powell in 1962, after she became pregnant with Julian.

Role in the Beatles

Lennon had a profound influence on rock and roll and in expanding the genre's boundaries during the 1960s. He is widely considered, along with songwriting partner Paul McCartney, as one of the most influential singer-songwriter-musicians of the 20th century. Many of the songs written exclusively or primarily by Lennon, however, are more introspective — often in the first person — and more personal than McCartney's. His most surreal pieces of songwriting, "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "I Am the Walrus", are fine examples of his unique style. Lennon's partnership in songwriting with McCartney many times involved him in complementing and counterbalancing McCartney's upbeat positive outlook with the other side of the coin, as one of their songs, "Getting Better" demonstrates: : McCartney: I have to admit it's getting better, a little better all the time. : Lennon: It can't get no worse!

"More popular than Jesus" controversy

Lennon often spoke his mind freely and the press was used to querying him on a wide range of subjects. On 4 March 1966 in an interview for the London Evening Standard with Maureen Cleave, who was a friend of his, Lennon made an off the cuff remark regarding religion. "Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. … I don't know what will go first—Rock and Roll or Christianity. We're more popular than Jesus now. Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It's them twisting it that ruins it for me." The article was printed and nothing came of it, until five months later when a teen magazine called Datebook reprinted part of the quote on the front cover.[http://www.newsoftheodd.com/article1012.html] A firestorm of protest swelled from the southern US Bible Belt area, as conservative groups publicly burned Beatles records and memorabilia. Radio stations banned Beatles music and concert venues cancelled performances. Even The Vatican got involved with a public denouncement of Lennon's comments. On 11 August 1966, the Beatles held a press conference in Chicago, Illinois, in order to address the growing furore. :Lennon: "I suppose if I had said television was more popular than Jesus, I would have gotten away with it, but I just happened to be talking to a friend and I used the words "Beatles" as a remote thing, not as what I think - as Beatles, as those other Beatles like other people see us. I just said "they" are having more influence on kids and things than anything else, including Jesus. But I said it in that way which is the wrong way." :Reporter: "Some teenagers have repeated your statements - "I like the Beatles more than Jesus Christ." What do you think about that?" :Lennon: "Well, originally I pointed out that fact in reference to England. That we meant more to kids than Jesus did, or religion at that time. I wasn't knocking it or putting it down. I was just saying it as a fact and it's true more for England than here. I'm not saying that we're better or greater, or comparing us with Jesus Christ as a person or God as a thing or whatever it is. I just said what I said and it was wrong. Or it was taken wrong. And now it's all this." :Reporter: "But are you prepared to apologize?" :Lennon: "I wasn't saying whatever they're saying I was saying. I'm sorry I said it really. I never meant it to be a lousy anti-religious thing. I apologize if that will make you happy. I still don't know quite what I've done. I've tried to tell you what I did do but if you want me to apologize, if that will make you happy, then OK, I'm sorry." The governing members of the Vatican accepted his apology and the furore eventually died down, but constant Beatlemania, mobs, crazed teenagers, and now a press ready to tear them to pieces over any quote was too much to handle. The Beatles soon decided to stop touring, and indeed, never performed a scheduled concert again. From this point onward the Beatles were a studio band (perhaps the first ever). Freed from the problem of having to compose music they could recreate live on stage, they could explore the technological limits of music and create unique and original sounds. On 9 November 1966, after their final tour ended and right after he had wrapped up filming a minor role in the film How I Won the War, Lennon visited an art exhibit of Yoko Ono's at the Indica art gallery in London. Lennon began his love affair with Ono in 1968 after returning from India and leaving his estranged wife Cynthia, who filed for divorce later that year. Lennon and Ono were from then on inseparable in public and private, as well as during Beatles recording sessions. The press was extremely unkind to Ono, posting a series of unflattering articles about her, one even going so far as to call her "ugly." This infuriated Lennon, who rallied around his new partner and said publicly that there was no John and Yoko, but that they were one person, JohnAndYoko. Lennon adopted a vegetarian lifestyle in 1966 and would do so on and off until his death. These developments led to friction with the other members of the group, and heightened the tension during the 1968 White Album sessions. At the end of 1968, Lennon and Ono performed as Dirty Mac on The Rolling Stones' Rock and Roll Circus. During his last two years as a member of The Beatles, Lennon spent much of his time with Ono on public displays protesting the Vietnam War. He sent back the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) he received from Queen Elizabeth II during the height of Beatlemania "in protest against Britain's involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra thing and support of America in Vietnam," adding as a joke, "as well as "Cold Turkey" slipping down the charts." On 20 March 1969, Lennon and Ono were married in Gibraltar, and spent their honeymoon in Amsterdam in a "Bed-In" for peace. They followed up their honeymoon with another "Bed-In" for peace this time held in Montreal at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel. During the second "Bed-In" the couple recorded "Give Peace a Chance" which would go on to become an international anthem for the peace movement. They were mainly patronized as a couple of eccentrics by the media, yet they did a great deal for the peace movement, as well as for other pet causes, such as feminism and racial harmony. As with the "Bed-In" campaign, Lennon and Ono usually advocated their causes with whimsical demonstrations, such as Bagism, first introduced during a Vienna press conference. Shortly after, Lennon changed his middle name from Winston to Ono to show his "oneness" with his new wife. Lennon wrote "The Ballad of John and Yoko" about his marriage and the subsequent press it generated. The failed Get Back/Let It Be recording/filming sessions did nothing to improve relations within the band. After both Lennon and Ono were injured in the summer of 1969 in a car accident in Scotland, Lennon arranged for Ono to be constantly with him in the studio (including having a full-sized bed rolled in) as he worked on The Beatles' last album, Abbey Road. While the group managed to hang together to produce one last superior musical work, soon thereafter business issues related to Apple Corps came between them. Lennon decided to quit the Beatles but was talked out of saying anything publicly. Phil Spector's involvement in trying to revive the Let It Be material then drove a further wedge between Lennon (who supported Spector) and McCartney (who opposed him). Though the split would only become legal some time later, Lennon and McCartney's partnership had come to a bitter end. McCartney soon made a press announcement, declaring he had quit the Beatles, and promoting his new solo record.

Solo career

Let It Be Of the four former Beatles, Lennon had perhaps the most varied recording career. While he was still a Beatle, Lennon and Ono recorded three albums of experimental and difficult electronic music, Unfinished Music No.1: Two Virgins, Unfinished Music No.2: Life with the Lions, and Wedding Album. His first 'solo' album of popular music was Live Peace in Toronto 1969, recorded in 1969 (prior to the breakup of the Beatles) at the Rock 'n' Roll Festival in Toronto with The Plastic Ono Band, which included Eric Clapton and Klaus Voormann. He also recorded three singles in his initial solo phase, the anti-war anthem "Give Peace a Chance", "Cold Turkey" (about his struggles with heroin addiction) and "Instant Karma!" Following the Beatles' split in 1970, he released the John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band album, a raw, brutally personal record, heavily influenced by Arthur Janov's Primal therapy, which Lennon had undergone previously. The influence of the therapy, which consists literally of screaming out one's emotional pain, is most obvious on the songs "Mother" ("Mama don't go!/Daddy come home!") and "Well Well Well." The centrepiece is "God," in which he lists all the things he does not believe in, ending with "Beatles". Many consider "Plastic Ono Band" to be a major influence on later hard rock and punk music. Lennon continued this effort to demythologize his old band with a long, confrontational interview published in Rolling Stone magazine. This was followed in 1971 by Imagine, his most successful solo album, which alternates in tone between dreaminess and anger. The title track has become an anthem for anti-war movements, and was matched in image by Lennon's "white period" (white clothes, white piano, white room …) title track Perhaps in reaction, his next album, Some Time in New York City, was loud, raucous, and explicitly political, with songs about prison riots, racial and sexual relations, the British role in the sectarian troubles in Northern Ireland, and his own problems in obtaining a United States Green Card. This record is generally seen as the nadir of Lennon's career, full of heavy-handed and simplistic messaging unredeemed by much artistic value. Lennon had been interested in left-wing politics since the late 1960s, and was alleged to have given donations to the Trotskyist Workers Revolutionary Party [http://www.wsws.org/articles/2000/mar2000/lenn-m02.shtml]. It was during the period of the recording of this album that his links to this group were perhaps at their strongest. On 30 August 1972 Lennon and his backing band Elephant's Memory staged two benefit concerts at Madison Square Garden in New York; it was to be his last full-length concert appearance. Lennon and Ono also did a week-long guest co-host stint on the Mike Douglas Show, in an appearance that showed Lennon's wit and humour still intact. In 1972, Lennon released an anti-sexism song, "Woman Is the Nigger of the World", implying that as black people were discriminated against in some countries so were women globally. Radio refused to broadcast the song, and it was banned nearly everywhere, although he managed to play it to television viewers during his second appearance in the The Dick Cavett Show. Lennon rebounded in 1973 with Mind Games, which featured a strong title tune and some vague mumblings about a "conceptual country" called "Nutopia", which satirized his ongoing immigration case. His most striking song of that year was the wry "I'm the Greatest," which he wrote for Ringo Starr's very successful Ringo album. In 1973, Lennon's personal life fell into disrepair when Yoko kicked John out of the house. Yoko approached May Pang, their personal assistant at the time, with a unique proposal. Yoko, who thought May Pang to be an "ideal companion" for John, asked her to "be with John and to help him out and see to it that he gets whatever he wanted." John and May soon moved to Los Angeles which had been dubbed the "lost weekend" though it lasted until the beginning of 1975. During their time together, May encouraged John to spend time with his son, Julian Lennon, and became friends with Cynthia Lennon. Though John's public drunkenness had been the subject of gossip during 1974, Pang wrote that John was usually sober in his private life and created a large body of work. Despite alleged episodes of drunkenness, Lennon put together the well-received album, Walls and Bridges, which featured a collaboration with Elton John on the up-tempo number one hit "Whatever Gets You Thru the Night". Another top ten hit from the album was the Beatlesque reverie "#9 Dream". Lennon capped the year by making a surprise guest appearance at an Elton John concert in Madison Square Garden where they performed "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", "Whatever Gets You Thru the Night" and "I Saw Her Standing There" together. It was to be his last-ever concert appearance. In 1975, Lennon released the Rock 'n' Roll album of cover versions of old rock and roll songs of his youth. This project was complicated by Phil Spector's involvement as producer and by several legal battles; the result received generally negative reviews, though it yielded a powerful, lauded cover of "Stand by Me". At this point Yoko was pregnant with what would be their first child, and Lennon — saddened by the fact that due to Beatlemania he had never gotten to experience fatherhood with his first son Julian — retired from music and dedicated himself to family life. This was made easier in 1976 when his US immigration status was finally resolved favourably, after a years-long battle with the Nixon administration that included an FBI investigation involving surveillance, wiretaps, and agents literally following Lennon around as he travelled. Lennon claimed the investigation was politically motivated. Also in 1975, David Bowie achieved his first US number one hit with "Fame", co-written by Bowie, Lennon (who also contributed backing vocals) and Carlos Alomar. Carlos Alomar]] Lennon's retirement, which he began following the birth of his second son, Sean in 1975, lasted until 1980 when Lennon, for the first time in five years, picked up his guitar again. At first only curious to see if he could still write music, he felt refreshed and full of ideas, completely reinvigorated by the experiences of fatherhood and the long break from the business. He wrote an impressive amount of material during a Caribbean vacation and began thinking about a new album. For this comeback, he and Ono produced Double Fantasy, a concept album dealing with their relationship. The name came from a flower Lennon saw at an exposition; he liked the name, and thought it was a perfect description of his marriage to Yoko. "(Just Like) Starting Over" began climbing the singles charts, and Lennon started thinking about a brand new world tour. Lennon also commenced work on Milk and Honey which he would, unfortunately, leave unfinished. It was some time before Ono could bring herself to complete it. Towards the end of his life, Lennon expressed his displeasure with the scant credit he was given as an influence on George Harrison in the latter's autobiography I Me Mine. According to Yoko, he was also unhappy that Paul McCartney's Beatles songs, such as "Yesterday", "Hey Jude" and "Let It Be" were more popular than his own contributions.

Murder

In the late afternoon of 8 December 1980, in New York City, fan Mark David Chapman met Lennon as he left his home in the Dakota building for a recording session and got his copy of Double Fantasy autographed; the event of Lennon signing one of his last autographs was caught by a photographer who witnessed this goodwill gesture. Chapman remained in the vicinity of the Dakota building for most of the day as a fireworks demonstration in nearby Central Park distracted the doorman and passers-by. Later that evening, Lennon and Ono returned to their apartment from recording Ono's single "Walking on Thin Ice" for their next album. At 10.50pm, their limousine pulled up to the entrance of the Dakota. Ono got out of the car first, followed by Lennon. As Ono went in, Lennon glanced at Chapman, then proceeded on through the entrance to the building. As Lennon walked past him, Chapman called out "Mr Lennon!" As Lennon turned, Chapman crouched into what witnesses called a "combat" stance and fired five hollowpoint bullets. One bullet missed, but four bullets entered John's back and shoulder. One of the four bullets fatally pierced his aorta. Still, Lennon managed to stagger up six steps into the concierge booth where he collapsed, gasping "I'm shot, I'm shot." Chapman stood there, holding his .38 Charter Arms revolver, which was pulled out of his hands and kicked away by Jose Perdomo who then asked "What have you done, what have you done?", to which Chapman replied "I just shot John Lennon." Chapman then calmly took his coat off, placed it at his feet, took out a copy of J.D. Salinger's novel, The Catcher in the Rye, and started reading. Police arrived within minutes, to find Chapman still waiting quietly outside, still reading the book. The two officers transported Lennon to Roosevelt Hospital in the back of their squad car as they thought John was too badly hurt to take the risk of waiting for an ambulance. One of the officers asked Lennon if he knew who he was. Lennon's reply is reported to have been "Yeah," or simply a nod of the head before he passed out. Despite extensive resuscitative efforts in the Emergency Department, Lennon had lost over 80% of his blood volume and died of shock at the age of 40. Dr. Stephan G. Lynn, was running the emergency room at Roosevelt Hospital that night. He was the one who grasped Lennon's heart, massaging it to try to force it to pump again. It never did. "There was just nothing left to pump," said Lynn, 58, still an emergency physician at the hospital. "There was so much damage" that his blood just leaked out. Lennon's vital signs showed he was already dead when he arrived at the emergency room, and after a 20-minute battle to resuscitate him, Lynn and two other doctors officially declared him dead. (Corey Kilgannon, New York Times, 2005) A stunned world was informed of his death by Dr Stephen Lynn who shortly before had broken the devastating news privately to an anxiously waiting Yoko. However, most Americans learned of the murder via an unusual source. When Lennon was shot, ABC Television was in the midst of airing their ratings bonanza, Monday Night Football. Instead of breaking to a news bulletin and against the wishes of his producers, legendary football announcer Howard Cosell (who had interviewed Lennon on MNF years earlier) went ahead and stunned the nation by announcing news of the murder with one of the most memorable and chilling calls in TV history: : Cosell: This, we have to say it, remember this is just a football game, no matter who wins or loses. An unspeakable tragedy confirmed to us by ABC News in New York City. John Lennon, outside of his apartment building on the West Side of New York City, the most famous perhaps of all the Beatles, shot 5 times in the back, rushed to Roosevelt Hospital, dead…on…arrival. When asked once in the 1960s how he expected to die, Lennon's offhand answer was "I'll probably be popped off by some loony." In retrospect, although he might have meant it as a joke and did not expect it to happen, the comment turned out to be chillingly accurate. Another chillingly accurate comment was made in his last interview, where he mentioned that he often felt that somebody was stalking him: first it was federal agents in the 1970s trying to deport him and later the obsessed fan in 1980.

Memorials and tributes

A crowd gathered outside the Dakota the night of Lennon's death. Ono sent word that their singing kept her awake and asked that they re-convene in Central Park the following Sunday for ten minutes of silent prayer ([http://www.johnlennon.it/english.htm see also the 1980 Central Park Vigil - Tribute to John Lennon]). Her request for a silent gathering was honoured all over the world. Howard Cosell On 9 December 1980, Bruce Springsteen, at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, noted after hearing of Lennon's death: "It's a hard night to come out and play but there's nothing else you can do." He ended the show with a spirited performance of "Twist and Shout". A special commemorative issue of Rolling Stone magazine released shortly after the murder featured as its cover a photo taken the morning of the shooting by Annie Leibovitz showing a nude Lennon in an embryonic pose kissing a fully clothed Ono. In 2005, this cover was voted as the #1 magazine cover of all time by The American Society of Magazine Editors. In 1981, George Harrison released his album Somewhere In England which included the song "All Those Years Ago", a subtle tribute to Lennon. Additionally, Elton John's Jump Up! featured a hit single, "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)," also a tribute to Lennon. The Kinks recorded another tribute that year, the Ray Davies-written "Killer's Eyes", on the album Give The People What They Want. In 1982, Paul McCartney's tribute to Lennon, the sentimental "Here Today", appeared on his acclaimed album, Tug of War. The same year, Queen's album Hot Space contained a song entitled "Life Is Real," also a tribute to Lennon. Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel remembered Lennon in their 1981 reunion concert in Central Park, performing a song titled "The Late Great Johnny Ace". (Johnny Ace had been a promising singer-songwriter, who had also died tragically, in the 1950s.) Simon and Garfunkel had tried recording in the 1970s with Lennon and Harry Nilsson; their one session together had unfortunately yielded no results. The Strawberry Fields Memorial was constructed in Central Park across the street from the Dakota, in memory of Lennon. (When George Harrison died in 2001, people congregated on the "Imagine" mosaic circle in Strawberry Fields.) In the 1980's, Lennon fans in Prague created the "Lennon Wall" across from the French Embassy. Adorned with portraits and quotes from Lennon, along with other graffiti, it was used as a venue for anti-government and pro-peace commentary from locals. During the communist era, there was a running battle of sorts between artists and the police, since public commentary of this type was illegal. In 1988, Warner Bros. produced a documentary film, Imagine: John Lennon (sanctioned in part by Yoko Ono). The movie was a biography of the former Beatle, featuring interviews, rarely seen musical material, and narration by Lennon himself (formed from interviews and tapes recorded by Lennon). It also introduced "Real Love", one of the last songs composed by Lennon, in an early demo (a later demo would form the basis for the version rehashed by The Beatles for The Beatles Anthology). The following year, at an auction of Beatles memorabilia, Lennon's jukebox was sold at Christie's for £2,500. The Mellotron that Lennon used to record, amongst other songs, "Strawberry Fields Forever", is currently owned by Trent Reznor of the band Nine Inch Nails. Specially selected radio stations aired a syndicated series called The Lost Lennon Tapes in 1990. Hosted by Lennon publicist Elliot Mintz, the show spotlighted raw sessions from throughout Lennon's career with and without The Beatles, including rare material never released to the public. In the same year, 1990, a tribute concert was held in memory of Lennon. Aptly entitled 'John Lennon: The Tribute Concert', the concert was held on the bank of the River Mersey in Liverpool. The highlight of the night was diminutive Australian star, Kylie Minogue's tribute of The Beatles' classic, "Help". Both Yoko Ono, Sean Lennon and critics praised Minogue for her efforts, and the performance was generally well received. In 1993, the early punk band Bad Religion released a song called "Don't Pray on Me", from their eighth studio album Recipe for Hate. The lyric of the song is "Mark David did it to John". The song was also not inspired or dedicated to Lennon. On 31 October 1994, Phish, a jam band, paid tribute to Lennon and the Beatles by covering The Beatles album (also known as the White Album). In 1995, the band Oasis released a song called "Don't Look Back in Anger", from their second album (What's the Story) Morning Glory?. The piano at the beginning of the song is taken from "Imagine". In 1996, the band The Cranberries released a song called "I just Shot John Lennon", from their third album To the Faithful Departed. The song chronicles the death of John Lennon. The title comes from the words Mark David Chapman spoke immediately after shooting John Lennon. In October 2000, John Lennon Museum was opened in Ono's hometown Saitama, Japan, to preserve knowledge of his works and career. During the America: A Tribute to Heroes concert on September 21, 2001, Neil Young (an avowed devotee of Lennon) sang "Imagine." In March, 2002, his native city, Liverpool, honoured his memory by renaming their airport "Liverpool John Lennon Airport," and adopting as its motto a line from his song "Imagine": "Above us only sky". In the same year, Lennon was voted 8th by the British public in the "100 Greatest Britons" poll run by the BBC. BBC History Magazine commented that his "generational influence is immense." In 2003 Ivory Wire, consisting of former members of the Chicago rock band Dovetail Joint, released the song "To the Very Marrow," from their first album "The World is Flat." The song chronicles the death of John Lennon and the effect it had on Ivory Wire frontman/songwriter Chuck Gladfelter. In 2004 Madonna paid tribute to Lennon by singing a cover of "Imagine" during her anti-war themed "Re-Invention World Tour." Also in 2004, A Perfect Circle recorded a cover of "Imagine" on their album eMOTIVe. In 2005, Cowboy Junkies covered "I Don't Want To Be A Soldier" on their anti-war album, "Early 21st Century Blues". A biographical Broadway musical titled Lennon was mounted at New York City’s Broadhurst Theater in 2005. Written and directed by Don Scardino from Lennon's own words in interviews and songs, Lennon featured nine diverse actors and actresses portraying the singer-songwriter at various stages in his life backed by an onstage 10-piece band. The play was produced with the endorsement of Yoko Ono, who gave permission for the production to use two unpublished Lennon songs, India, India and I Don't Want to Lose You, and who attended preview performances of the show at New York City's Broadhurst Theater on August 5 & 6, 2005. The Musical had been premiered in San Francisco to poor reviews and had received a very lacklustre response from theatre critics and Beatles fans alike. It was subsequently reworked, later gaining a much better reception. After 42 preview performances, Lennon opened on Broadway on 14 August 2005, and closed on 24 September 2005 after 49 performances. Country music superstar Dolly Parton included "Imagine" on her 2005 album Those Were The Days. To coincide with Human Rights Day 2005, Amnesty International released four Lennon covers - the Black Eyed Peas’ version of Power to the People, The Cure’s interpretation of Love, Snow Patrol’s recording of Isolation, and Grow Old With Me performed by The Postal Service. More tracks will follow in 2006, under the banner of 'Make Some Noise'. John Lennon Park was built in Cuba as a memorial to the musician. Julian Lennon, John's son with Cynthia, enjoys a notable recording career of his own, as does Sean Lennon, his son with Yoko. The Band O.A.R. wrote a song called "Dakota" in honour and remembrance of Lennon.

Pseudonyms

Throughout his solo career, Lennon appeared on his own albums (as well as those of other artists like Elton John) under such pseudonyms as Dr Winston O'Boogie, Mel Torment (a play on singer Mel Tormé), and The Reverend Fred Gherkin. He and Ono (as Ada Gherkin and other sobriquets) also travelled under such names, thus avoiding unwanted public attention.

Discography

For a detailed discography, see: John Lennon discography

Biographies and books

Numerous biographies of John Lennon have been published. Notable among these are The Lives of John Lennon by Albert Goldman (a book that many consider to be controversial) and Lennon: The Definitive Biography by Ray Coleman. John Lennon wrote three books himself: John Lennon: In His Own Write, A Spaniard in the Works, and Skywriting by Word of Mouth (the last published posthumously). A personal sketchbook with Lennon's familiar cartoons illustrating definitions of Japanese words, Ai: Japan Through John Lennon's Eyes, was published posthumously.
- E.Thompson and D.Gutman editors, The Lennon Companion, Twenty Five Years of Comment. ISBN 0333439655.
- Julia Baird(with Geoffrey Giuliano), John Lennon My Brother. 1989 Grafton Books. ISBN 0586205667
- Jack Jones, Let Me Take You Down: Inside the mind of Mark David Chapman, 1992, Virgin , ISBN 0863696899
- Lennon Revealed by Larry Kane - (2005, Running Press, ISBN: 0762423641)
- John by Cynthia Lennon - (2005, Crown Publishers, ISBN 030733855)

Trivia


- The new English textbook, which replaced the GCE (Advanced Level) English textbook in 1975, was controversial, because it avoided Chaucer and Shakespeare, but included Bob Dylan and John Lennon (Imagine).
- Some people believe in a conspiracy theory that describes Lennon's murder as a political assassination:
  - [http://www.john-lennon.net/ Who Authorized The Assassination Of John Lennon by Mark R. Elsis]
  - [http://www.john-lennon.com/theassassinationofjl.htm The Assassination of John Lennon]
  - [http://www.mackwhite.com/lennon.html Dead Silence in the Brain]
  - [http://www.jfkmontreal.com/john_lennon/lennon_report.htm Rethinking John Lennon's Assassination] — A new book by Salvador Astucia that looks at a different angle of the murder.
- Heavy metal musician Dimebag Darrell was murdered in 2004 on the anniversary of Lennon's death in an unrelated shooting spree.
- Though Lennon is widely remembered as a vocal campaigner for peace, in 2000 the late rock star was accused of secretly funding the IRA during the 1970s. A former MI5 agent, David Shayler (exiled in France after breaking the British Official Secrets Act), went public with the accusation, referring to MI5 documents he had seen while in service. These alleged MI5 documents were based on information from the FBI, and where Shayler claimed to have learned of a £175,000 donation to the IRA. Lennon is known to have identified with and spoken in favour of the Irish civil rights movement, especially during his Some Time In New York City-era fling with radical-militant politics. Yet both Lennon's widow Yoko Ono and biographer Jon Wiener have disputed Shayler's charges. Wiener, a history professor, had previously filed for Lennon's FBI records under the Freedom of Information Act. Many of the documents that have been released are available at Wiener's [http://www.lennonfbifiles.com website], and no proof has yet surfaced to support Shayler's accusation. Ten pages remain unreleased by the FBI, with reports indicating that the British government may have asked the US to keep Lennon's file secret. It is known that Lennon underwrote the funeral expenses for the victims of Bloody Sunday during 1972, and wanted to speak out for Irish unity (as McCartney had with "Give Ireland Back To The Irish"), with two songs on New York City. (Both men were of Irish ancestry, as was much of Liverpool's population.) The whole issue may be no more than speculation based on these actions.
  - [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/650975.stm BBC News article from 2000, detailing Shayler's claim]
  - [http://www.commondreams.org/views/022500-102.htm Jon Wiener's article debating Shayler's claim]
  - [http://www.lennonfbifiles.com/last10pages.html 2004 Associated Press article, announcing judgement against FBI, ordered to release last pages of Lennon's file.]
  - [http://www.instantkarma.com/iknews_030200_ira.html Cached news article, Irish Republican claims he and Lennon discussed the "Troubles" in early 1970s]
- Lennon's friend, musician Klaus Voorman, did the artwork for The Beatles Revolver album cover. In addition to playing bass guitar with Lennon's Plastic Ono Band, Voorman also performed with George Harrison and Manfred Mann.
- He had an apartment at the Dakota set aside for his collection of fur coats. Another was used to store his and Yoko's videotape collection.
- On Lennon's posthumous compilation album Acoustic, a demo recording of the song "God" contains the lines "I just believe in me/And that's reality". This lyric was changed to "I just believe in me/Yoko and me/And that's reality" when the song was included on the Plastic Ono Band album. It has been suggested that the change of the song's lyrics was due to Ono's persuasion of Lennon.
- One of his closest friends was actor Peter Boyle (Everybody Loves Raymond).
- On July 28, 2005 Lennon's handwritten lyrics sheet for the classic "All You Need is Love" sold for £600,000 at an auction in London.
- It was rumoured that John Lennon had either anorexia or bizarre eating habits, which explains his drastic weight loss and emaciated appearance from the late 1960s until his death. Some sources, such as Lennon In America: 1971-1980 claim that, during this period, he had a body weight of at most 135 lbs (61 kg), which is alarmingly thin for his 5'11 (1.80 m) height.
- He was called a revolutionist by Fidel Castro when Castro unveiled a statue of him on the 20th anniversary of his murder in 2000.
- Due to his untimely death, Lennon was the only member of the Beatles to have not appeared on The Simpsons or to host Saturday Night Live.
- John Lennon once said that the best Beatles cover song ever was "You Won't See Me" by Anne Murray.

See also


- List of best-selling music artists

External links


- Official [http://www.johnlennon.com John Lennon] website, courtesy of Yoko Ono and EMI/Capitol Records
- [http://www.chrisvalentines.com/imagine/one.html John Lennon music video essay]- music video tribute/news coverage of Lennon's murder
- [http://www.definitivelennon.com Official "Definitive Lennon" Website] Courtesy of Parlophone Records
- [http://www.lennono.com LennOno Online News Website] Lennon/Ono fan site (in German language)
-
- [http://www.thrasherswheat.org/jammin/lennon.htm Imagine] was covered on America: A Tribute to Heroes by Neil Young.
- [http://www.bagism.com/ John Lennon fan site]
- [http://www.lennon.net/ The Liverpool Lennons website]
- [http://www.peacemakersguide.org/peace/Peacemakers/John-Lennon.htm Bruderhof Peacemakers Guide profile on John Lennon]
- [http://www.johnlennon.it/ John Lennon Dreamsite] — Celebrates Lennon's ideals of peace, love and freedom. Offers pictures from the Imagine Your Are exhibit at Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna in Rome by Fiorella Dorotea Gentile
- [http://foia.fbi.gov/foiaindex/lennon.htm FBI file on John Lennon]
- [http://www.lennonfbifiles.com/ LENNON FBI FILES .com]
- [http://www.words4ever.net/authors/1304/john-lennon-quotations-sayings.htm Famous quotations by John Lennon]
- [http://johnlennon.lyrics.info/ John Lennon lyrics] — A complete collection of lyrics from [http://lyrics.info/ lyrics.info]
- [http://www.lyrics-explorer.com/lyrics/artists/j/john_lennon/ John Lennon Lyrics Page] Song lyrics collection.
- [http://beatles.ncf.ca/lennon_inquiry.html John Lennon's private testimony] to the Le Dain Commission of Inquiry into the Non-Medical Use of Drugs, 1969-12-22, in Montreal, Quebec.
- [http://www.thebeatles.com.hk/john/ The Beatles Studio: John Lennon] A Hong Kong based fansite with lyrics, discography and many John Lennon information.
- [http://www.thisislondon.com/showbiz/articles/20429610?source=Metro A recent "This Is London" article about FBI papers on John Lennon]
- [http://www.triumphpc.com/johnlennon The John Lennon Artificial Intelligence Program] An internet website devoted to trying to create an AI program based on Lennon
- [http://www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=161007 Judaism or Lennonism?] chabad.org
- [http://www.newlennon.com/ John Lennon: The Untold Story - Friendship and Collaboration with Clandestine Friend, Bruce Bierman] Official Bruce Bierman site with new song samples of Lennon/Bierman compositions
- [http://www.johnlennonstamp.org/ John Lennon Stamp Petition] Petition to get John Lennon's image on a US Postage Stamp
- [http://www.995themountain.com/guides/aahtml/wav/00jl806.wav Lennon Murder Bulletin] Recording of the Monday Night Football announcement of Lennon's death by Howard Cosell Lennon, John Lennon, John Lennon, John Lennon, John Lennon, John Lennon, John Lennon, John Lennon, John Lennon, John Lennon, John Lennon, John Lennon, John Lennon, John Lennon, John Lennon, John Lennon, John Lennon, John Lennon, John Lennon, John Lennon, John Lennon, John Lennon, John als:John Lennon zh-min-nan:John Lennon ko:존 레논 ja:ジョン・レノン simple:John Lennon

Double Fantasy

Double Fantasy is the "comeback" album by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, released in 1980 on the newly-formed Geffen Records (now available through E.M.I., the current distributor of all of Lennon's output). It was the last authorised release during his lifetime, coming out just three weeks before his death. In 1975, with their birth of his son Sean, Lennon put his career on hold to raise the child and rekindle his relationship with his first son Julian, while enjoying the leisure time he'd largely lost while in the music business. In the summer of 1980, both Lennon and Ono felt ready to return to their musical careers and began composing. Acquiring producer Jack Douglas (with whom Lennon had worked before), Lennon and Ono recordeded dozens of songs beginning that August, enough to fill Double Fantasy and beyond. A projected second album, Milk and Honey, was well into the rehearsal phase when work was halted following Lennon's murder that December. Lennon was, he claimed, the most content he had ever felt in all his years, even writing a song called "Life Begins at 40" to commemorate that milestone in his life. His assuredness and love for his family came through on the retro "(Just Like) Starting Over", as well as "Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)" and "Woman". Lennon and Ono made the decision to release their new songs together on the same album, the first time they had done so since 1972's controversial Some Time in New York City. Signed by David Geffen, alongside Elton John and Donna Summer, for his new label, Geffen, Double Fantasy was preceeded by Lennon's "(Just Like) Starting Over", which quickly became a US Top 5 hit. The album itself was received with much interest, coming after such an extended break. Double Fantasy was mildly criticized upon release for being slick, with little attention paid to Ono's songs. Lennon was shot and killed on December 8, 1980, as he was walking into The Dakota with Ono. Double Fantasy, as well as "(Just Like) Starting Over", quickly shot to #1 on many charts, selling several million copies, with many of Lennon's past solo and Beatles releases re-charting as well. Subsequent singles, "Woman" and "Watching the Wheels" were also commercial successes. On 24 February 1982, Double Fantasy won the Grammy award for "Album of the Year", amid emotional scenes as Yoko Ono and six-year-old Sean accepted the award. In 1989, E.M.I. acquired the rights to Double Fantasy. In 2000, Yoko Ono supervised the remastering of Double Fantasy, adding three bonus tracks to its CD reissue, including "Walking on Thin Ice," a song Ono and Lennon had been mixing the night of his murder, which originally appeared on Ono's 1981 Season of Glass.

Track listing

#"(Just Like) Starting Over" (John Lennon) – 3:56 #"Kiss Kiss Kiss" (Yoko Ono) – 2:41 #"Cleanup Time" (John Lennon) – 2:58 #"Give Me Something" (Yoko Ono) – 1:35 #"I'm Losing You" (John Lennon) – 3:57 #"I'm Moving On" (Yoko Ono) – 2:20 #"Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)" (John Lennon) – 4:02 #
- Written for his five-year-old son, Sean #"Watching the Wheels" (John Lennon) – 4:00 #"I'm Your Angel" (Yoko Ono) – 3:08 #"Woman" (John Lennon) – 3:32 #"Beautiful Boys" (Yoko Ono) – 2:55 #
- Written for both John and Sean #"Dear Yoko" (John Lennon) – 2:34 #"Every Man Has a Woman Who Loves Him" (Yoko Ono) – 4:02 #
- Originally projected as a future single release - at Lennon's insistence, it was cancelled in the wake of his death #"Hard Times Are Over" (Yoko Ono) – 3:20 Category:John Lennon albums Category: Yoko Ono albums Category:1980 albums Category:Capitol Records albums

Orgasm

An orgasm, also known as a sexual climax, is a pleasurable physical, psychological or emotional response to prolonged sexual stimulation. It is often accompanied by a notable physiological reaction, such as ejaculation, blushing or spasm and may be followed by aftershocks. Dictionaries still give the subsidiary meaning, "a similar point of intensity of emotional excitement," but as of 2005 this usage has become obscure. It can be startling to modern readers when encountered in older literature.

General

Both males and females can experience orgasm, but the exact response varies across gender. Generally speaking, orgasm is the third stage of four in the human sexual response cycle, which is the currently accepted model of the physiological process of sexual stimulation.

Shared physiology

Orgasm is the conclusion of the plateau phase of the sexual response cycle, shared by males and females alike. During orgasm, both males and females experience quick cycles of muscle contraction in the lower pelvic muscles, which surround both the anus and the primary sexual organs. Orgasms in both men and women are often associated with other involuntary actions, including vocalizations and muscular spasms in other areas of the body. Also, a generally euphoric sensation is associated with orgasm. Afterwards, orgasm generally causes perceived tiredness, and both males and females often feel a need to rest. This is often attributed to the release of endorphins during orgasm causing relaxation and drowsiness, but can also be due to the body's need for a short re