Single:
The Ballad of John and Yoko entered the Australian singles chart* on 21 June 1969 and was a #1 hit. The song was #14 on the Top 100 of 1969.
Album:
Originally released as a non-album single, The Ballad of John and Yoko was later included on Hey Jude, which entered the Australian albums chart* on 4 May 1970 and was #1 for 2 weeks.
Songwriter:
John Lennon (credited as Lennon-McCartney)
Producer:
George Martin
Record label of Australian release:
Apple
*Kent Music Report / Australian Chart Book. See About.
BONUS VIDEO BELOW – Paul McCartney spoke about Yoko Ono after John Lennon’s death
Songfacts:
John Lennon wrote the song about his marriage to Yoko and their run-ins with various international authorities. They married on March 20, 1969 in Gibraltar and honeymooned in Amsterdam. John and Yoko’s decision to get married came very suddenly on 14 March 1969, just two days after Paul McCartney married Linda Eastman.
After the wedding, John and Yoko flew to Amsterdam and invited the press to join them in their room. Some reporters thought they were being called in to witness the couple consummate their marriage (John and Yoko appeared nude on the cover of their 1968 Two Virgins album), but what they got instead was a “Bed-In,” where John and Yoko protested the Vietnam war from their bed… fully clothed.
Read more: www.songfacts.com/facts/the-beatles/the-ballad-of-john-and-yoko
Lyrics:
Standing in the dock at Southampton
Trying to get to Holland or France.
The man in the mac said you’ve got to go back,
You know they didn’t even give us a chance.
Click for full lyrics
This song is also on our Spotify playlist Bang a Gong – the 60s
Find more songs to enjoy: Bang a Gong song finder
BONUS
Paul and Linda McCartney talking about Yoko Ono after John died
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