“Bad Vibes”: Did Bob Dylan pre-empt The Beatles’ hostility towards Yoko Ono?
The unexplained hatred of Yoko Ono is one of the most mystifying aspects of The Beatles phenomenon, one which speaks louder about infantile fears of disrupted dynamics than any other speculated reason. While there are many reasons why the band members grew frustrated with the artist’s increasing influence over John Lennon, her treatment at the very beginning could be pinned down to sheer differences of opinion.
Animosity towards Ono is often discussed in relation to Paul McCartney and his growing disdain towards John Lennon bringing her into the studio, where “no girlfriends or wives were allowed”. As a result, Ono is often wholly blamed for the disbandment of the band and causing irreparable tensions, despite them experiencing a whole host of issues that had nothing to do with her at all.
Still, this caused a rift that forced Lennon to make a choice: prioritise his relationship with Ono or attempt to nurture an already half-sunken ship of a band. The fragility of The Beatles’ dynamics would have been difficult to fix with or without Ono’s input, but this also caused many to point fingers towards her as the sole catalyst for their eventual breakup. “I had to either be married to them or Yoko, and I chose Yoko, and I was right,” Lennon once said.
McCartney’s opinion on Ono’s presence is well-documented, which often causes the real emotions felt by George Harrison and Ringo Star to become ushered to the sidelines, but it is reported that Harrison also knowingly participated in the hostile environment that was bubbling. In fact, Lennon once recalled a moment when Harrison “insulted her right to her face” after hearing about her nature from Bob Dylan, who knew her long before she was introduced to the band.
Dylan knew Ono from the music and arts scene thriving in New York, and he likely delivered information to Harrison in confidence, not knowing that it would soon influence his decision to confront her in the studio. According to Lennon, Harrison decided “to be upfront” due to what he had heard from Dylan, allegedly saying, “She’s got a lousy name in New York, and you give off bad vibes.”
Lennon told Rolling Stone in detail how the situation materialised, stating: “And George, shit, insulted her right to her face in the Apple office at the beginning; just being ‘straight forward’ you know, that game of ‘Well, I’m going to be upfront because this is what we’ve heard and Dylan and a few people said she’s got a lousy name in New York, and you gave off bad vibes.’ That’s what George said to her and we both sat through it, and I didn’t hit him. I don’t know why.”
Harrison’s supposed bitterness towards Ono is alleged to stem from these conversations with Dylan, which appeared to alter his perception of her regardless of whether it was actually true or not. The seed had been planted, and Harrison likely decided to allow his hatred to grow due to what felt like an intruder suddenly pervading their sacred creative space. Tensions were already rising between the band members, however, which didn’t help the situation either.
Despite Dylan’s influence on Harrison’s attitude towards Ono, it’s interesting to look at the relationship he continued to have with Lennon after the band’s break up, which remained trustworthy and a lot less explosive than his public feud with his songwriting partner, McCartney. Moreover, it’s likely that a lot of the standoffishness directed towards Lennon and Ono was just a textbook case of projecting as the band members failed to correct their own broken strings.
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