John Lennon Compared Himself and Yoko Ono to Sonny & Cher

While discussing his marriage, John Lennon once compared himself and Yoko Ono to Sonny & Cher. He also tried to distance himself from Sonny & Cher. Perhaps his mixed attitude about the “I Got You Babe” singers was justified! John and Yoko arguably put out more music as a pair than Sonny & Cher.

John Lennon said he and Yoko Ono were as attached to each other as Sonny & Cher

During an interview recorded in PBS’ Blank on Blank, John discussed how he spent lots and lots of time with Yoko. “I lived alone,” he recalled. “I always tripped out on my own or in books or something like that, you know. But she had sisters and brothers, but she was in a different age group from them, so she was pretty lonely.” 

“So we don’t have to be apart to get away from each other,” he said. “And we really like being together all the time. And what about Sonny & Cher and Liz [Taylor] and Richard [Burton]? I don’t think they’re ever apart, you know.”

The ‘Power to the People’ contrasted himself with 2 other groups

The book All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono features an interview from 1980. In it, the “Imagine” singer distanced himself from Sonny & Cher when he recalled his early feelings about Yoko.

“I was still selfish enough and unaware enough to sort of take her contribution without acknowledging it,” he said. “I was still full of wanting my own space after being in a room with the guys all the time, having to share everything. So when Yoko would even wear the same color as me, I used to get madly upset: We are not The Beatles! We are not f***** Sonny & Cher!

John Lennon and Yoko Ono released 6 albums as a duo while Sonny & Cher made 5

John and Yoko and Sonny & Cher have more in common than some onlookers might realize. The Lennons aren’t generally viewed as a musical duo, largely because Yoko’s contributions to music are widely ignored or minimized. However, the couple released released six albums were they are credited as a pair: Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins, Unfinished Music No. 2: Life with the Lions, Wedding Album, Some Time in New York City, Double Fantasy, and Milk and Honey. In addition, they each had an influence on each other’s solo careers. For example, Yoko co-wrote John’s most famous solo single, “Imagine,” and John produced Yoko’s most famous single, “Walking on Thin Ice.” 

Sonny & Cher, however, merely released five albums were they are credited as a duo: Look at Us, The Wondrous World of Sonny & Chér, In Case You’re in Love, All I Ever Need Is You, and Mama Was a Rock and Roll Singer, Papa Used to Write All Her Songs. Sonny also produced Cher’s first five albums as a solo artist, famously writing her solo hit “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down).” 

The main differnce between John and Yoko and Sonny & Cher is style. John and Yoko sometimes made pretty pop songs, but they often dabbled in the avant-garde. Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins is a half-hour-long sound collage. In contrast, Sonny & Cher always made music for the pop charts.

The Lennons and the Bonos were very different airs, but they are two of the most famous couples of all time.