Sean Ono Lennon Defends John’s Love for Yoko on 1973 Album ‘Mind Games’

When John Lennon first released his 1973 album Mind Games, it was met with tepid reception from critics and fans. But with Lennon’s son Sean Ono Lennon rereleasing a new box set of the album, the rockstar’s son is encouraging listeners to bring a new perspective to the music, especially in relation to the messages about his mother and Lennon’s wife, Yoko Ono.

Lennon recorded Mind Games right before his well-known and highly discussed “lost weekend” in which he separated from Yoko Ono for 18 months, relocated to Los Angeles, and started a relationship with their assistant May Pang. The timing of Lennon recording the album prompted fans and listeners to interpret it as a breakup album of sorts, but Sean Ono Lennon told People he couldn’t disagree more. Not only did he point out the imagery of the album cover, which shows Yoko Ono as “this giant mountain in the distance” and displays John Lennon as “this diminutive little man receding into nowhere,” but Sean also emphasized Yoko’s impact on her late husband’s music and life overall.

“His entire life and art was infused with his relationship with my mom,” Sean told the outlet. “The whole album is about my mom.”

Sean continued to explain that the album is filled with “mostly love songs about [Yoko Ono].”

“My dad declared to the world that ‘John and Yoko’ were one word. I think he always had his heart set on her,” he said. “He was so in love with her. They had a legendary love and I think that this album is infused with that love. You can hear it.”

Earlier this month, a Swiss Federal Court ruled that a long-lost Patek Philippe watch gifted to John by Yoko for his 40th birthday rightfully belonged to John’s widow. The following month in November 1980, Lennon released Double Fantasy, which featured their iconic kiss on the cover, and included a noted four songs dedicated to Ono. It would be his last album by the couple before his death.