Yoko Ono is finally being credited as the co-author of John Lennon's 'Imagine'
Yoko Ono is going to be credited as a co-writer on her husband John Lennon's hit ballad 'Imagine' 46 years after it was written, reports Variety.
The National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) made the announcement on Wednesday at NMPA's annual meeting in New York City, where Ono and her son Sean Lennon were present.
NMPA CEO David Israelite said the omission of Ono's name from the iconic song's credits was an historical oversight which Lennon admitted in 1980 was the result of "selfish" behavior on his part.
"['Imagine'] should be credited as a Lennon-Ono song because a lot of it – the lyric and the concept – came from Yoko," Lennon said in the interview that was aired at the meeting. "But those days I was a bit more selfish, a bit more macho, and I sort of omitted to mention her contribution. But it was right out of Grapefruit, her book. There’s a whole pile of pieces about ‘Imagine this’ and ‘Imagine that.’ ... But if it had been Bowie, I would have put ‘Lennon-Bowie,’ you see. If it had been a male, you know. ... Harry Nilsson—‘Old Dirt Road,’ it’s ‘Lennon-Nilsson.’ But when we did [‘Imagine’], I just put ‘Lennon’ because, you know, she’s just the wife and you don't put her name on, right?"
Lennon went on to admit that his omission was illustrative of a sexist double-standard. "If it had been Bowie, I would have put 'Lennon-Bowie,'" he said.
"It is my distinct honour to correct the record 48 years later and recognize Yoko Ono as a co-writer of the NMPA Centennial Song 'Imagine' and to present her with this well-deserved credit," Israelite said.
"While things may have been different in 1971 [when 'Imagine' was written]," Israelite said, "today I am glad to say things have changed."
In an 1980 interview, John Lennon acknowledged that his failure to credit Ono was illustrative of a sexist double-standard. "If it had been Bowie, I would have put 'Lennon-Bowie,'" he said.
The process of adding Ono's credit is ongoing but not yet confirmed.
Ono spoke briefly as she accepted the Centennial Award from the NMPA. "This is the best time of my life," she said.
Sean Lennon was elated about his mother getting credit for the pop masterpiece:
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