John Lennon’s Son Said 1 of Yoko Ono’s Songs Is About the Former Beatle Cheating on Her
TL;DR:
- John Lennon’s son, Sean Ono Lennon, named two of Yoko Ono’s songs that he liked.
- He said one of the songs was about John committing adultery.
- Sean revealed what he thought about this incident and other anecdotes about his father.
John Lennon‘s son, Sean Ono Lennon, named a Yoko Ono song he’d introduce to prospective fans. Sean revealed the song was about John cheating on Yoko. Subsequently, Sean said this anecdote was one of multiple events that made his father a “huge a**hole.”
John Lennon’s son felt Yoko Ono made punk rock songs before punk rock existed
During a 2006 interview with Rolling Stone, Sean was asked what song he would show someone to introduce them to his mother’s music. “‘Death of Samantha,’ from Approximately Infinite Universe,” he said. “And ‘Greenfield Morning,’ from Plastic Ono Band. I think the only thing stopping people from realizing my mom is a brilliant songwriter is that she married John Lennon.”
He discussed misconceptions about Yoko. “Most of her records are pop albums,” he opined. “The avant-garde vocalizing for which she’s received so much flak — besides being punk rock before punk rock — isn’t even her most prevalent talent. Listen to Season of Glass. It’s hands-down brilliant.”
John Lennon’s son said his father could be an ‘a**hole’ but the former Beatle was able to admit that to himself
During a 1998 interview with Rolling Stone, Sean discussed how becoming a monogamist was difficult for his dad. “Like that song, ‘Cool chick baby’ [a line from ‘Death of Samantha’],” he said. “That’s all about him having sex with some girl at a party where my mom was.”
Sean was not a fan of this anecdote. “When I think back on those events, and hear about them, I think of my dad as being a huge a**hole,” he revealed. “And the only thing that made it OK was that he could admit it. That was his saving grace. He tried to overcome it.”
How Yoko Ono’s ‘Death of Samantha’ and its parent album performed in the United States and the United Kingdom
“Death of Samantha” was released as a single but it did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100. Notably, none of Yoko’s solo singles hit the chart, with the exception of “Walking on Thin Ice.” The song’s parent album, Approximately Infinite Universe, became a little more popular. It reached No. 193 on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the chart for four weeks.
According to The Official Charts Company, “Death of Samantha” did not chart in the United Kingdom either. Neither did Approximately Infinite Universe, or any of Yoko’s solo albums except Season of Glass.
Yoko wasn’t a pop juggernaut like The Beatles, but Sean felt she had a lot to offer.
