Several of their later albums were released under the name The Plastic Ono Band, and often featured other musicians such as Eric Clapton, Klaus Voorman, and Alan White. The Plastic Ono Band's first album, Live Peace in Toronto 1969, was recorded during the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival Festival. The first half of their performance consisted of rock standards, and during the second half, Ono took the microphone and along with the band performed what may be one of the first expressions of the avant garde during a rock concert. The set ended with music that consisted mainly of feedback, while Ono screamed and sang.
Their fifth album together, Some Time in New York City, released in 1972, is fiercely motivated by political issues the couple found themselves confronted with upon moving to New York City in September, 1971. The album was highly controversial but is generally seen as the beginning of Ono's emergence as a songwriter with "Sisters O Sisters", "Born In A Prison", and "We're All Water"
With the birth of their son Sean in 1975, Lennon put his career on hold to raise the boy and rekindle his relationship with his older son Julian. In the summer of 1980, both Lennon and Ono felt ready to resume to work and began composing. They made the decision to release their impending songs together on the same album. Subtitled "A Heart Play", Double Fantasy would be a collection of songs whereby John and Yoko would be singing to each other.
Released in 1984, Milk and Honey is notable for being Lennon's first posthumous release of music, having been recorded in the last months of his life during and following the sessions for Double Fantasy. Though Lennon's death caused a temporary shelving of the project, Ono was later capable of returning to complete it.
O Sanity
John Lennon & Yoko Ono Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Psychotic builds a castle
And neurotic lives in it
I don't know what to do with my sanity
When the world's at the verge of calamity
O'sanity, O'sanity
What am I to do with you
But you're always standing behind me like a devil in hell
O'sanity, o'sanity
Why don't you let me go
Let go, let go, cut it out!
The lyrics of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's song O Sanity reflect on the theme of mental illness and the relationship between sanity and insanity. The opening lines "It's only sane to be insane" suggest that the boundary between the two is blurred and subjective. The following lines "Psychotic builds a castle and neurotic lives in it" illustrate the idea that mental illness can create a world of its own where people get trapped in their own mind. The lyrics suggest that the distinction between the sane and the insane is not always clear-cut, and that in some cases, insanity can be a coping mechanism to deal with a world that is on the verge of calamity.
The chorus of the song, "O'sanity, O'sanity, what am I to do with you" suggests a sense of struggle to reconcile with one's sanity. The lyrics propose a range of self-destructive behavior as an escape from sanity, "Drink up, shoot up, anything you please." The last few lines "But you're always standing behind me like a devil in hell, O'sanity, o'sanity, why don't you let me go", convey a sense of frustration with sanity itself, as if it's a hindrance to the person's way of life.
Overall, the lyrics of O Sanity are a reflection on the subjectivity of sanity and the different coping mechanisms people adopt when confronted with a challenging world.
Line by Line Meaning
It's only sane to be insane
Being crazy is totally normal.
Psychotic builds a castle
Those who are insane create magnificent things.
And neurotic lives in it
But being crazy also means living in that magnificence.
I don't know what to do with my sanity
I have no idea what to do now that I'm sane.
When the world's at the verge of calamity
Especially when the world is about to go through a disaster.
O'sanity, O'sanity
Oh, being sane, being sane!
What am I to do with you
What should I do now that I'm sane?
Drink up, shoot up, anything you please
Should I drown my sanity with drugs or alcohol?
But you're always standing behind me like a devil in hell
But being sane is like having a demon following you.
Why don't you let me go
Why can't I be free from sanity?
Let go, let go, cut it out!
I just want to be free from sanity!
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: YOKO ONO, JOHN LENNON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
R Schell
If you play this video in slow motion, it sounds like Yoko Ono is drunk
Mary Wealth
Doesn't that trick make ANYONE sound drunk?
By related coincidence, the piano in this song is reminiscent of the piano in Atlanta Rhythm Section's "Imaginary Lover", which has its own history of altering the speed for fun.
Mary Wealth
So many potential follow-up jokes regarding Yoko's voice and having to be drunk to listen to it.
Love them vinyl records
R Schell lol 😂
Allison Ziering Walmark
Please record the A Side
jimmy o
🤦🏿♂️