The Ballad of John and Yoko
original song written and composed by Lennon–McCartney
"The Ballad of John and Yoko" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. It was released as a non-album single in May 1969. Written by John Lennon and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership, the song chronicled the events surrounding the wedding of Lennon and Yoko Ono in March 1969. The song was the Beatles' 17th UK number-one single and their last for 54 years until "Now and Then" in 2023. In the United States it was banned by some radio stations because of references in the lyrics to Christ and crucifixion. The single peaked at number 8 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song has subsequently appeared on compilation albums such as Hey Jude, 1967–1970, Past Masters, and 1.
Writing
Lennon wrote the song while he and Ono were on their honeymoon in Paris. It described the events of the couple's wedding and their highly publicised honeymoon activities, including their "bed-in" at the Amsterdam Hilton Hotel and their demonstration of "bagism". In an interview with Alan Smith of the NME published in May 1969, Lennon described it as "Johnny B. Paperback Writer"; in a 1980 interview, he said it was "a piece of journalism".
“The Ballad of John and Yoko” enters the record as original song written and composed by Lennon–McCartney. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Ballad, John and Yoko can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“The Ballad of John and Yoko” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Ballad, John and Yoko provides the most credible route into that argument.
Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 2, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1418935. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1969, 2023, 1967 and 1970.
Later fame can flatten the distinction between original context, subsequent adaptation and institutional collecting history. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
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The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “The Ballad of John and Yoko” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.