Sean Ono Lennon thinks mother Yoko ‘never moved on’ from relationship with John
By Hannah Roberts, PA Entertainment Reporter
Sean Ono Lennon has spoken about the lasting influence his father John Lennon had on his mother Yoko Ono, saying: “I think she never has moved on from that relationship.”
The US musician, 49, recently received a Grammy nomination for his work on a new edition of John’s fourth solo studio album Mind Games, originally released in 1973.
Reflecting on what it was like to work on his father’s back catalogue, he told Chris Hawkins on BBC Radio 6 Music: “It’s the closest, in a way, I have to spending time with him (John).”
Discussing what he learned about John and Yoko, 91, from putting the box set together, he added: “Well one thing I noticed was that my mum was on some of the tapes – you could tell she was in the control room.
“So a lot of people said oh like, ‘Yoko wasn’t around for this record, why are they featuring her in the booklet?’, or something.
“And I think there’s a lot of history, there’s a lot of assumptions made about that time period because they were sort of on their way towards that famous separation that people called The Lost Weekend, right? In LA with May Pang.
“But the truth is, I mean even when they were apart they were always talking, so I don’t think they ever really broke up, all his stuff was still in the apartment with my mum, it’s not like they had a real separation.
“And on top of it, all my dad was thinking about was her. You look at the album cover, it’s a collage of my mum literally the size of a mountain, and he’s this little tiny thing sort of fading into the background.
“And I think it’s clear what his view of my mum was in his life. She was monumental, obviously.
“And the whole album is about her. And she’s there in the studio.
“So I think that was, not something that changed my mind so much, but it sort of affirmed how deeply in love he was with my mum.”
He added: “I grew up with my mum speaking about my dad every day. She famously cut her hair when my dad died.
“I think she never has moved on from that relationship.”
John, who found fame with The Beatles, was shot dead aged 40 in 1980 in New York, but continues to have an enduring influence on popular culture.