The Ballad of John and Yoko

I was five years old when that came out, but I've known that song for a long, long time.

You know, the first, a little reminiscing first, very quickly, the first, I was a big Beatles fan, still am, but the first Beatles song I really maybe listened to, certainly got hooked on, was The Ballad of John and Yoko.

I was 10 years old, and it was in a bowling alley in West Hartford, Connecticut, in my hometown, and it was on a jukebox, and I kept playing it over and over again, and then I proceeded to buy all the albums, and... cassettes and eight track cartridges of all the Beatles albums.

Okay.

This is what he wrote.

When the Ballad of John and Yoko was recorded on Monday, the 14th of April, due to the continuing Magic Christian shooting schedule he was locked into, Ringo did not attend the session.

Two days later, he was still unavailable due to filming, so, once again, Paul played in his place.

The basic backing was made with drums recorded on track one of the eight-track tape, George's first vocal on two with his guitar on three, John playing a Challen jangle piano was on four.

You won't be the same now I'm telling you.

Finally, on the 16th of April, the Beatles set about recording a proper studio version of Old Brown Shoe in Studio 3 at EMI.

it would be released as the B-side of the Ballad of John and Yoko single recorded by only John and Paul two days earlier.

John was eager to get his song released as soon as possible as a report of his recent wedding and honeymoon bed-in at the Amsterdam Hilton.

Is that the way that John and Yoko made it to get married? Yes.

As it says in the ballad of John and Yoko's.

And got to neither.

Indeed, yes.

When it ended on March 31st, they immediately flew to Vienna, where they promoted Ona's film Rape.

So there were setups shown at the QE2 dock in Southampton, so that is definitely what they're filming.

You know, I've just thought, is the Ballad of John and Yoko, the Beatles' road song, a bit like Route 66? Because we've got a journey there.

Yeah, I think so.

Well, we're going to crack on with the music in this show because sometimes it's a bit too much waffle.

Here's the Beatles with their last number one of the 60s, The Ballad of John and Yoko.

Only John and Paul on that recording, The Ballad of John and Yoko.

George was off somewhere on holiday, I think, and Ringo was filming a movie somewhere.

So just John Lennon and Paul McCartney with The Ballad of John and Yoko.

That got to number one in 1969, so...

One number one deserves another number one.

...

but Lennon's a bit more like he can almost be too to the point where like, you know, like The Ballad of John and Yoko, which just like-

Mm

... tells them the story of him trying to get married, 'cause no one would [laughs] have, you know?