First published in Q Magazine, November 2005

'He's more relevant today than ever'

 

Twenty five years after John's death I feel he's still alive, in his music and his statements, all over the world. It's something I'm experiencing this year that's much stronger than feelings about his death. He's around. He has a very strong life now, more so than some musicians who are still alive!

John has endured because his songs were honest. He believed in giving people personal things, private things. If he was going through something, he'd write about it - 'Cold Turkey', for instance. "Let it all hang out" is an expression that came after him, but he let it all hang out way before. He was the first to use song for political purposes, too. To try and improove society. In that way he's more relevant today than ever.

John was really against war. We both were. It's crazy how a situation like that repeats itself. Peace is so very important. More than ever, we shouldn't be afraid of saying we want it.

The making of Double Fantasy was so incredibly exciting and interesting for both of us. We were so happy. It was the climax of the happiness we enjoyed together and then suddenly - "boom" - it just went in a moment. I'll never forget that feeling. I still get it. That shock. I never thought it would end then.

The saddest part for me is that he is no longer here with me. I miss his warmth the most. The saddest part for the world is that we don't get to hear his music anymore.

And, of course, he wanted to cross over into musicals. He and I created a musical called The Ballad Of John And Yoko one afternoon, just for fun. It was very different to the musical that's just opened [Lennon, on Broadway]. It would have been much less commercial. Commercial projects weren't quite his thing.

Today, when I'm walking down the street, people come up to me all the time and whisper, "It would have been very good if John was here now", and they're right. He would have been so interested in the internet. Sitting at the computer, thats so typical John. He loved writing things. He would have had a great website with all his drawings up there. And he could have communicated with everyone from his study at home.

If you'd like to remember John for his anniversary, you should play Imagine, Power To The People or Working Class Hero. Or if you go to the Milk And Honey album, there's a song called Grow Old With Me. He was singing that to me at the time. But you hear it now and he's singing it to everyone. To the whole generation.

Yoko Ono Lennon
New York City, August 2005