John Lennon’s Son Said an Album Reacting to the Former Beatle’s Death Taught Him the Meaning of Art
John Lennon‘s son, Sean Ono Lennon, discussed his relationship with art. He revealed an album that dealt with his father’s death helped him understand what art is. In addition, Sean said the album took terrible experiences and turned them into something beautiful.
John Lennon’s son said he learned a lot about songwriting from a 1980s album
During a 2017 interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Sean said he didn’t recall when he learned his mother, Yoko Ono, was an avant-garde artist and his father was a Beatle. He started to realize how much his father’s songs mattered when he heard fans sing “Give Peace a Chance” to mourn John. Sean also said Yoko’s music impacted him.
“My mother’s music was the music I really grew up with,” he said. “I wasn’t thinking about whether it was mainstream or not. When she made Season of Glass, it impressed upon me the idea of what art and songwriting is.” For context, Season of Glass was the first album Yoko released after John’s death. It features an image of John’s glasses on its cover.
“We’d gone through the loss of my father together, so I witnessed her struggle, and then I saw her turn that struggle into art literally within a few months,” Sean said, “I realized that art was a way of processing and understanding your experience.”
Sean Ono Lennon said ‘Season of Glass’ exemplifies why John Lennon loved Yoko Ono
In a 1998 interview with Rolling Stone, Sean also discussed Season of Glass. “I remember … being in the studio when my mom was making records — Season of Glass, It’s Alright, and Starpeace,” he revealed. “I remember Season of Glass, the music moving me so much.”
Sean said Season of Glass exemplified why John loved Yoko. “It’s an amazing accomplishment that she went into the studio after my dad died,” he opined. “She takes the most painful, most intense experiences and turns them into beautiful art. And I think that’s what my dad loved so much about her.”
The way listeners in the United States and the United Kingdom reacted to Yoko Ono’s ‘Season of Glass’ and its singles
Season of Glass was relatively successful for one of Yoko’s albums. It peaked at No. 49 on the Billboard 200, staying on the chart for nine weeks. Yoko released two singles from the album: “No, No, No” and “Goodbye Sadness.” Neither of the singles hit the Billboard Hot 100.
According to The Official Charts Company, Season of Glass was Yoko’s only solo album to chart in the United Kingdom. It reached No. 47 there. It stayed on the chart for two weeks. None of its singles charted.
While Season of Glass wasn’t as big as many of John’s albums, it had an impact on Sean.
