The Beatles Song John Lennon Knew Would Be Banned Before They Released It
Whether it was an artist’s intuition or simply the predictions of a cynic, John Lennon knew that radio stations would ban one Beatles song, in particular, as soon as they got wind of the lyrical content. In fact, Lennon’s convictions were so strong that he insisted Apple press the vinyl before they started any publicity for the track.
As it turns out, Lennon was right. Although the Beatle wrote the “Ballad of John and Yoko” as a romantic ode to his wife, Yoko Ono, the creative liberties he took with the song’s chorus led to radio stations across the U.S. and U.K. banning the track from airplay—just as he expected they would. (We should also note that this was not the first Beatles song that radio stations banned in the 1960s.)
Lennon and Ono’s Journalistic Love Song
John Lennon married his second wife, Yoko Ono, on March 20, 1969, in Gibraltar, Spain. The events leading up to the ceremony were tumultuous at best, as Lennon describes in the “Ballad of John and Yoko.” Opting to forgo metaphors and write plainly, Lennon described how he and his future bride tried to wed in various countries in Europe to no avail.
Eventually, Lennon found a solution, which he describes in the song’s second verse. Peter Brown called to say, “You can make it okay. You can get married in Gibraltar, near Spain.” Indeed, Apple employee Peter Brown advised the couple to try going to Spain instead. The impromptu visit was successful, and Lennon and Ono wed.
“It was very romantic,” Lennon told Rolling Stone two years later. “It’s all in the song. If you want to know how it happened, it’s in there. Gibraltar was like a little sunny dream. I couldn’t find a white suit. I had sort of off-white corduroy trousers and a white jacket. Yoko had all white on.”
Source: Melanie Davis/americansongwriter.com
