John Lennon Once Shut Down Critics Who Claimed Yoko Ono “Controlled” Him: “I'm Uncontrollable”

While giving an interview to Playboy in 1980, John Lennon shut down criticisms that Yoko Ono was “controlling” him. It had been a long-standing rumor from critics who felt that Ono’s influence had broken up The Beatles, and Lennon and Ono were often frustrated with the negativity and insult.

Lennon began by sharing his disdain for how they were portrayed in the media. They had stopped giving interviews for a period of time, but he found that they were still constantly reported on.

“The gossip items never stopped,” he said. “We never stopped being in the press, but there seemed to be more written about us when we weren’t talking to the press than when we were.”

Some of that publicity centered on Ono’s influence over Lennon. However, the two rejected the gossip, finding it insulting, hurtful, and just plain ridiculous. When asked about the negative press, John Lennon shared some vulnerable truths.

“We are both sensitive people and we were hurt a lot by it,” he admitted. “I mean, we couldn’t understand it. When you’re in love, when somebody says something like, ‘How can you be with that woman?’ you say, ‘What do you mean? I am with this goddess of love, the fulfillment of my whole life. Why are you saying this? Why do you want to throw a rock at her or punish me for being in love with her?’”
John Lennon on Negative Press and the Insult of People Assuming Yoko Ono Had Controlled Him

John Lennon and Yoko Ono had their share of rough patches, but ultimately, their relationship was strong. It most likely would have lasted, if Lennon hadn’t been killed. Still, in the 1980 interview, Lennon revealed the cost of the negativity surrounding his marriage, and how he and Ono stayed strong through the gossip.

“Our love helped us survive it, but some of it was pretty violent,” said Lennon. “There were a few times when we nearly went under, but we managed to survive and here we are.” As noted in the interview, Lennon glanced upwards and said, “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” as if praising an unseen deity or force that helped them keep it together.

Source: americansongwriter.com/Lauren Boisvert

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