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TL;DR:

  • John Lennon said one song turned the Plastic Ono Band into The Beatles.
  • He said people undervalued Yoko Ono’s role in the Plastic Ono Band.
  • He discussed how people reacted to the group after one of their songs became a huge hit.
The Plastic Ono Band's John Lennon and Yoko Ono with long hair
The Plastic Ono Band’s John Lennon and Yoko Ono | Bettmann / Contributor

John Lennon said people dismissed the Plastic Ono Band when they released their first song, “Give Peace a Chance.” Subsequently, he said another song transformed the Plastic Ono Band into The Beatles. The track in question was an international hit.

John Lennon compared Wings to the Plastic Ono Band

The book Lennon on Lennon: Conversations with John Lennon includes an interview from 1975. In it, John compared Wings to the Plastic Ono Band. “Wings is almost as conceptual a group as Plastic Ono Band,” he said. 

“Plastic Ono was a conceptual group, meaning whoever was playing was the band,” he added. “And Wings keeps changing all the time. It’s conceptual. I mean, they’re backup men for Paul.”

John Lennon said ‘Instant Karma’ becoming a hit song changed everything for the Plastic Ono Band

During a 1972 interview, he discussed the reception of the Plastic Ono Band. “They suddenly decided that Plastic Ono Band are The Beatles,” he said. “In the early days, when we were making Two Virgins and even ‘Give Peace a Chance,’ they said, ‘Well, it’s one of John’s crazy things, sod him — they can have a different relationship, a different deal,’ and they let us have a different deal. 

“Suddenly, when we got a hit with ‘Instant Karma!‘ suddenly the Plastic Ono Band is really The Beatles, so we don’t want to pay Yoko, and we don’t want her to do this, and this has got to be like that, and this is a Beatle record, and we’ll pay your Beatle royalty, after they’d already given us a Plastic Ono Band royalty,” he added.

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How the song performed on the pop charts in the United States and the United Kingdom

“Instant Karma!” reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 13 weeks. The tune appeared on the compilation album Shaved Fish. The album reached No. 12 on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the chart for 32 weeks.

According to The Official Charts Company, “Instant Karma!” also performed well in the United Kingdom. There, the tune peaked at No. 5 and remained on the chart for nine weeks. Meanwhile, Shaved Fish hit No. 8 in the U.K. and lasted on the chart for a total of 29 weeks. It was the only compilation covering John’s solo career released during his lifetime.

“Instant Karma!” was a hit and John felt it changed the perception of the Plastic Ono Band.

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