You are going to hear about a Beatles song called The Ballad of John and Yoko. A ballad is a song with a story.

Do you know who John and Yoko are?

What are their surnames?

What do you know about them?

Listen to the story behind the song

here

Now try and answer the questions below:

You can check your answers at the end.

1. When did Paul and Linda get married?

a) March 1968 b) May 1968 c) March 1969 d) May 1969

2. Where were John and Yoko driving to?

a) John's Aunt Mimi's house b) Abbey Road c) Liverpool d) Southampton

3. Where did John first want to get married?

a) in Paris
b) in Gibralter
c) at sea
d) at the dock in Southampton

4. They could not get married in France because:

a) Yoko did not have a visa
b) John didn't have a visa
c) Neither had visas
d) Neither had passports

4. True or false:

They could get married in Gilbraltar.

6. True or false:

General Franco banned John and Yoko from Spain.

This is the cover for the single Ballad of John and Yoko. It shows John Lennon in a very unusual pose. He's wearing strange white shoes and sitting amongst some statues. The long hair and beard contrast with his suit and tie.

Yoko also looks a little strange. She's dressed like a cross between a gangster and a cowboy.

The other three band members stand behind them. Nobody looks happy.

The Song

The Ballad of John and Yoko is the only directly autobiographical Beatles song. It tells the story behind the wedding John and Yoko in 1969.

The lyric also comments on the problems Lennon and Ono were having with the media (and with other band members).

There are direct references to real people: John and Yoko and The Beatles publicity offer, Peter Brown.

Where ships arrive?

1. c) March 1969 2. a) John's Aunt Mimi's house 3. c) at sea 4. d) Neither had passports 5. True (because it was a British territory and so they did not need passports). 6. False: he banned the song.


Tapescript: On March 12, 1969 Paul McCartney marries Linda Eastman. Two days later John and Yoko are in a car on their way to visit Aunt Mimi. Suddenly John says to his driver, 'I want us to get married at sea.'

They drive to the nearest big port, Southampton. This is where the The Ballad of John and Yoko begins:

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.

In fact, the reason they must go back is that they don't have their passports. Lennon calls The Beatles' publicity officer, Peter Brown with a new plan for a quiet wedding Paris. That's impossible, too but:

Peter Brown called to say,
"You can make it O.K.,
You can get married in Gibraltar, near Spain".

Gibraltar is British territory on the Spanish mainland (not 'near Spain'). Spain at the time was under dictatorship of General Franco. He banned the song.