Yoko Ono Kept Trying to Change 1 Thing About John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’

TL;DR:

• John Lennon’s Imagine featured contributions from Yoko Ono.
• John and Yoko had conflicting visions for the album.
• “Imagine” wasn’t the album’s only song to chart in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Yoko Ono had a specific vision for John Lennon‘s Imagine, one of the most famous albums of the 1970s. Her son, Sean Ono Lennon, said his parents clashed while making the album. In addition, Sean revealed what he thought about his mother’s attitude toward music.

John Lennon’s son, Sean Ono Lennon, explained the way Yoko Ono taught him the art of making music

During a 2020 interview with the Associated Press, Sean Ono Lennon discussed what his mother taught him about music production. “I was in the studio when I was young, so I learned things like how compression works, how delay works, how reverb works, how to EQ vocals — all from her,” he said.

Sean said Yoko has her own style. “I actually know very much what her philosophy is,” he said. “Her main priority with all mixing is to make sure that the voice is clear.”

John Lennon wanted to deemphasize his vocals for ‘Imagine’ and Yoko Ono didn’t like that idea

John apparently wasn’t a big fan of his voice. “She said my dad famously didn’t love his vocals,” Sean recalled. “He would turn it down a lot. When she was producing Imagine, the album, he would go to the bathroom and she would turn it back up and he would come back and turn it down.”

Sean explained why this approach clashed with his mom’s style. “She really believes that baring the vocal is the worst thing you can do,” he added. “She really wants people to hear the lyrics and she thinks that the music has to serve the vocal. When it comes to mixing my dad’s stuff, that’s her priority. I think she’s right.”

2 of the songs from the album charted in the United States and the United Kingdom

Imagine became a huge hit. It topped the Billboard 200 for a week, staying on the chart for 47 weeks in total. Aside from John’s final album, Double Fantasy, Imagine was his most commercially successful album in the U.S.

Two of the singles from Imagine charted in the United States. The title track reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the chart for nine weeks. On the other hand, “Jealous Guy” peaked at No. 80 and remained on the chart for four weeks.

According to The Official Charts Company, Imagine was even more popular in the United Kingdom. There, the LP reached No. 1 for two of its 101 weeks on the chart. None of John’s other solo albums were as prominent in the U.K.

The title song hit No. 1 for four of its 47 weeks on the chart. Meanwhile, “Jealous Guy” hit No. 45 and spent seven weeks on the chart.

Imagine is a classic album even if John and Yoko had conflicting visions for it.