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
On Again
Sean Lennon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just as we will forget these precious moments
When another day is through
And just as the moon knows
It cannot always glow through every evening
Some days you will find me sleeping
'Cause I'm on again and off again
'Cause I'm on again and off again
If I can't hold you, somebody will
Love is like the ocean
Forever in motion, forever changing
Never twice the same
You may miss me one day
You may wish you hadn?t stayed
You may forget me
You may never let me go
'Cause I'm on again and off again
I never told you, I never will
'Cause I'm on again and off again
If I can't hold you, somebody will
On again and off again
I never told you, I never will
'Cause I'm on again and off again
If I can?t hold you, somebody will
The lyrics of Sean Lennon's "On Again Off Again" convey the idea that love is not always a constant, and that just like the sun and moon appear and disappear, so too do relationships experience highs and lows, moments of closeness and separation. The song hints at the transient nature of human connection and the inevitability of change. Lennon suggests that sometimes one can feel a desire to stay connected to someone but be unable to hold them. He lyrics imply that those missed connections and lost opportunities might lead to regret, but ultimately are part of the natural ebb and flow of love.
He acknowledges that people may forget each other, but the passion that begins a relationship never disappears entirely. The ocean metaphor that he employs in the song serves to convey the idea that love, like the tides, can be tumultuous and unpredictable, but can also bring a sense of peace and joy. Lennon's lyrics hold up a mirror to the complexity of human emotions and relationships, acknowledging that they are never simple or static.
In conclusion, "On again Off again" is a poignant meditation on the nature of love and distills a sense of melancholy that many people can relate to in their own lives. The song suggests that love can be both beautiful and painful, but that life goes on no matter what happens.
Line by Line Meaning
And just as the sun sets
Just like how the sun sets every day, these special moments we're experiencing will come to an end too.
Just as we will forget these precious moments
We will forget these treasured moments just as we forget the setting sun once it's gone.
When another day is through
As time passes and each new day ends, we'll move on from these moments.
And just as the moon knows
The moon knows that it can't always shine bright every evening, just like how our emotions can be inconsistent.
It cannot always glow through every evening
The moon's light can't always be seen through every night, much like our love and feelings.
Some days you will find me sleeping
On some days, I will not be fully invested in our relationship and may seem distant and unengaged.
'Cause I'm on again and off again
The reason for my inconsistency is that I go back and forth with my feelings.
I never told you, I never will
I won't admit to you that I'm emotionally inconsistent.
If I can't hold you, somebody will
If I can't keep you, someone else will come along and do so.
Love is like the ocean
Love is a changing and fluid thing, much like the ocean.
Forever in motion, forever changing
Like the ocean, love is constantly changing and moving.
Never twice the same
Love is never the same twice, much like the waves in the ocean.
You may miss me one day
Someday you may regret breaking away from me.
You may wish you hadn't stayed
On the other hand, you may wish you had gone with someone else instead of staying with me.
You may forget me
There may come a day when you forget me and our past together.
You may never let me go
You may always hold onto the memories of us and our love.
On again and off again
Our love has been inconsistent and erratic.
If I can't hold you, somebody will
If I can't keep my grip on you, somebody else will come and take my place.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: SEAN ONO LENNON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind