His first appearance on record was on Ono's album Season of Glass (1981), reciting a story that his father used to tell him. At the age of 9, he performed the song "It's Alright" on the Yoko Ono tribute album Every Man Has A Woman (1984). In 1988 Sean was featured in the cast of Michael Jackson's Moonwalker. He has recalled working with Jackson as a positive experience. Later in life, his initial efforts as a serious musician came as collaborations: he appeared on Lenny Kravitz's album Mama Said (1991) and formed backing-band IMA for his mother's album Rising (1995).
In 1997 Lennon (along with fellow IMA member Timo Ellis) joined New York-based Japanese duo Cibo Matto (Miho Hatori & Yuka Honda) for their second EP, Super Relax. Through his association with Cibo Matto, he was approached by the Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch, who expressed an interest in his music. Lennon's debut solo album, Into the Sun, was released in 1998 on the Beastie Boys' record label, Grand Royal Records. Regarding Grand Royal, Sean has said, "I think I found the only label on the planet who doesn't care who my parents are and what my name is. It's a good feeling to know that I wouldn't have gotten the offer if they wouldn't have liked my songs. That's pretty rare in the music business!". Into the Sun was produced by fellow Cibo Matto member and then girlfriend, Yuka Honda, who Sean claimed was his inspiration for the album. A music video for "Home", a single from the album, was directed by Spike Jonze and enjoyed extended airplay on MTV. Cibo Matto played as Sean's backing band on Into The Sun and joined him during the closing scene in the "Home" music video.
In 1999, Sean's EP Half Horse, Half Musician was released featuring new tracks such as "Heart & Lung" and "Happiness" as well as remixes of songs from Into The Sun. Later in the year, Cibo Matto released their second album Stereo Type A. To the dismay of many Cibo Matto fans Stereo Type A was to be their final album and the group has since disbanded. The Millennium saw Sean briefly stepping into the world of Hip Hop, contributing vocals to Del tha Funkee Homosapien and Handsome Boy Modeling School (in which he performed a duet on "Sunshine" with musician Josh Haden). In 2001, Sean performed "This Boy" and "Across The Universe" live with Rufus Wainwright and Moby for Come Together: A Night for John Lennon's Words and Music. In the following years Sean stayed out of the spotlight (aside from gaining minor media attention when he dated Elizabeth Jagger). However he collaborated with various bands and artists either as a session musician or as a producer.
After Grand Royal Records' demise in 2001, Sean signed with Capitol Records, yet no solo material surfaced until early February 2006, when "Dead Meat" was released as the first single from his new album, Friendly Fire. A promotional trailer for the CD/DVD package of Friendly Fire was leaked online in early 2006. The trailer featured scenes from the film version of the album, a DVD of music videos comprised into a film. In actuality, the videos were screen tests for Coin Locker Babies, another project on which Lennon is working, and rather than waste film, he decided to create a cinematic counterpart to his new album. Friendly Fire went on to be released in October, 2006. Though mixed reviews (however mostly positive) came from the music press, the album was highly praised by fans and many [attribution needed] consider it to be Sean's strongest work to date. The night the album was released, Lennon made his first major television appearance since 2001, performing "Dead Meat" live on the Late Show with David Letterman. Lennon has since appeared on The Sharon Osbourne Show (UK) and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Aside from his solo music, 2006 also saw Lennon collaborating with Jordan Galland and his band Dopo Yume for their album The Secret Show as well as The Strokes guitar player Albert Hammond, Jr. on his debut solo album Yours to Keep. Since 2006, Sean has been touring extensively in promotion of Friendly Fire and while in France remixed his song "Parachute" in collaboration with French artist -M-. The remix is entitled "L'éclipse".
Albums
(1998) Into the Sun
(2006) Friendly Fire
EPs
(1999) Half Horse, Half Musician
Singles
(1998) "Home"
(1999) "Queue (Radio Mix)"
(2006) "Dead Meat"
Producer
(1999) Sean Lennon, Half Horse Half Musician
(2001) Valentine Original Soundtrack
(2005) Esthero, Wikked Lil' Grrrls
(2006) Sean Lennon, Friendly Fire
(2007) Irina Lazareanu, Some Place Along the Way
Actor
(1988) Moonwalker
(2006) Friendly Fire
(2008) (in production) Coin Locker Babies
Writer
(2005) Smile For The Camera
(2006) Friendly Fire
(2008) (in production) Coin Locker Babies
Friendly Fire
Sean Lennon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Another word from you now
I'd rather be wrong
Life is mostly what
You don't see anyway
So just look away
But our shadows
Never leave us alone
They will follow us
Faithfully home
[Chorus]
You launched the assault
With the first cannonball
My soldiers were sleeping
I know that you thought
It would never come down,
Down to the wire
It's friendly fire
In your room filled with the things
That you've never done
Does anyone really care
Your shadow
Just won't leave you alone
Cause he knows well
He knows what you've done
[Chorus]
Waves don't wonder
When you're drowning
Under the sea
So don't look for me
Find her keep her lose her
Deserts you in the end
You were my friend
Like your shadow
No one knows you as well
As I do
You launched the assault
With the first cannonball
My soldiers were sleeping
I know that you thought
It would never come down,
Down to the ground
Cause I was so tired
Then I'll get down
Down to the wire
It's friendly fire
Sean Lennon's song "Friendly Fire" is a breakup song filled with melancholic lyrics, self-reflection, and regret. The song speaks about bitterness and disillusionment of one's self and others. Lennon opens with the lyrics "I don't want to hear another word from you now; I'd rather be wrong," indicating that he is tired of hearing his partner's justifications and apologies. He also acknowledges that life is mostly invisible, and we tend to overlook the things that matter. He posits that we should look away and suggests that our shadows never leave us alone, reminding us of our failures and shortcomings.
In the chorus, Lennon uses a war metaphor, referencing "friendly fire," which represents the incident where a soldier is mistakenly hit by his comrades in arms, which is regrettable. Here, he likens the situation to the war incident. He sings, "You launched the assault with the first cannonball; my soldiers were sleeping," indicating that his partner betrayed him when he least expected it. He further admits that he was so tired, and that's why "it came down to the wire," meaning he could not fight anymore.
Later, Lennon talks about his friend and how he was like his shadow, representing an extension of himself. He suggests that he knew his friend well and that no one knows us better than our shadows. However, he confesses that his friend launched an attack using the first cannonball, making friendly fire inevitable. This song speaks to our inner struggles, our inability to trust others, and the pain of losing someone we thought we knew.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't want to hear
I do not want to listen to you anymore.
Another word from you now
I am tired of hearing from you at this point.
I'd rather be wrong
I would love to be incorrect about what I'm feeling right now.
Life is mostly what
Most of life is full of events that we miss and do not observe.
You don't see anyway
We do not see many things that happen around us.
So just look away
It's best to ignore what you don't want to see.
But our shadows
Even in the darkest times, our inner selves remain with us.
Never leave us alone
Our inner selves can be our friend or foe, but they will always be with us.
Down the bad roads
Even in the worst situations, our inner selves will still be there.
They will follow us
Our inner selves always follow us through the ups and downs of life.
Faithfully home
Our inner selves will always lead us home.
You launched the assault
You began the attack.
With the first cannonball
The first strike came from you.
My soldiers were sleeping
My defenses were not prepared.
I know that you thought
I realize that you assumed.
It would never come down,
You believed it would never happen.
Down to the wire
At the last possible moment.
It's friendly fire
You attacked me, one of your own side.
In your room filled with the things
You are surrounded by things you've never done in your life.
That you've never done
Things you've always wanted to do, but never did.
Does anyone really care
No one cares about your unfulfilled ambitions.
Your shadow
Your inner self, your conscience.
Just won't leave you alone
It keeps reminding you of your unfulfilled ambitions.
Cause he knows well
Your inner self knows exactly.
He knows what you've done
He knows that you didn't do what you wanted to do.
Waves don't wonder
The waves in the sea do not question when you're drowning.
When you're drowning
When you're in trouble and need support.
Under the sea
In a situation where it's hard for others to understand what's going on.
So don't look for me
Don't seek my support when you're struggling.
Find her keep her lose her
It is easy to find and keep someone but it is difficult to maintain the relationship.
Deserts you in the end
In the end, people will leave you on your own.
You were my friend
You were my companion.
Like your shadow
Just like my inner self.
No one knows you as well
No one understands you better.
As I do
Like me.
Down to the ground
Things got really intense.
Cause I was so tired
Because I was exhausted.
Then I'll get down
I'll finally break down.
To the wire
At the last possible moment.
It's friendly fire
The shot came from my side.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: SEAN ONO LENNON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
The Bohemian Luciferian Witch
This album is amazing. But even though I've seen the short film for it so many times, even just listening to it makes you uncomfortable. Not because it's bad, but because it's so intimate, so personal. And when you see the woman the album was written about in the short film, it's just.. wow. Crazy. But he's so awesome and talented.
Intania Pharamita
There was nothing wrong with his voice and music, you just can't relate
Kutest Snails
AMEN. This is gorgeous.
Lilith Vervain
I fell in love with his voice...
Annastasia Grandiose
Sean is AMAZING! I love his music SO much!
HollywoodFameAwards
This is a gem, music married to cinema. Keep up the great work.
Coop 18
I think it's an amazing CD. And when you buy it you get a bonus DVD of all the songs. You can definitely tell he's John's son
K L
one thing I know , thats I love this song !
Andy Marshall
He is one of the best artists of this century
blabadiblabla
I know you're right this was a little harsh. I watched some of Sean's live stuff he as done more recently and he really sounds awesome live. i have since apologized for my comments on other vids of his... he's totally evolving as a singer at an alarming rate. ;^)