Yoko Ono’s favourite Beatles album: “Don’t get me wrong, I love Pepper too”
Before meeting John Lennon, Yoko Ono was already an established artist, which is what brought the couple together. Although she wasn’t a fan of the band, The Beatles were such an almighty cultural force that they had entered her orbit before embarking on a relationship with Lennon. However, Ono quickly became a central part of their story.
To this day, Ono remains an unfai target for many Beatles fans who incorrectly blame her for the band’s demise. The prolific pace they worked at was impossible to maintain forever, and after a decade, the Fab Four had left no stone unturned in the music industry. They had broken every record on offer, redefined popular music, and become the most successful group in history.
Another reason their decision to part ways made sense was their growth as individuals. Thanks to the experiences they had enjoyed, they had changed drastically as people and as artists, which left them desiring different musical things. Therefore, it seemed more logical to launch solo ventures rather than continue to compromise. Whether or not Yoko was in the picture, this was an inevitable conclusion.
When she met John Lennon in 1966, Ono was still technically married to American jazz musician Anthony Cox. He had fathered her daughter, Kyoko Chan Cox, in 1963. However, they had been long separated, with Ono focusing on her artwork while he became their child’s sole custodian, who he’d prevent her from seeing until the 1990s.
Ono was making waves in the art world, which led her to London for the installation of her exhibition, ‘Unfinished Paintings and Objects’. This project ultimately led her to Lennon. One evening, the Beatle arrived at the gallery with art dealer John Dunbar, who told Lennon about Ono’s impressive art. Initially, Lennon was bemused by her work, but they hit it off, sparking their long-distance love affair. From then on, Ono played an influential role as Lennon’s muse and eventual collaborator, remaining life partners until his tragic end.
As a result of their relationship, Ono’s art career suffered because she was inextricably linked to one of the world’s most famous musicians. Despite her abundant talent, it’s often relegated in significance because of her association with Lennon. With this in mind, she’s usually hesitant to speak about The Beatles, instead wanting to be recognised in her own light.
However, in 2016, while speaking to US Weekly for the publication’s ’25 Things You Don’t Know About Me’ column, Yoko finally lifted the lid on her favourite album by the Fab Four. “I don’t know if people will hate me for saying this, but I always preferred The White Album to Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” Ono revealed. “Don’t get me wrong, I love Pepper’s too,” she added.
Ono is not the only one who shares this opinion; Lennon also believed their 1968 effort was the zenith of their career. Speaking with Rolling Stone, he explained: “I always preferred it to all the other albums, including Pepper, because I thought the music was better. The Pepper myth is bigger, but the music on the White Album is far superior, I think.” In another interview, Lennon suggested that Paul McCartney never liked The White Album because the band members had free rein to work on their own material rather than working in tandem as a group. “[Paul] wanted it to be more a group thing, which really means more Paul. So he never liked that album,” he scathingly said.
From a personal standpoint, The White Album was the first album by the group that Yoko had been around for during the recording process, which is likely why it holds a special place in her heart. In addition to a masterpiece, it also represents a reminder of those special halcyon days of their relationship. Ono also contributed backing vocals to ‘The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill’ and ‘Birthday’, marking the first time The Beatles had used female vocals. She lived through The White Album, and as a result, without her influence, it would have been an incredibly different record.
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