The Beatles - The Ballad Of John And Yoko (cover by Luis Gomes)

And now I'd like to perform to you a great song, which is not one of my favourite, but I'm certain it is for many of you.

"The Ballad Of John And Yoko" was written by John Lennon like a old time ballad, which tells the story about his marriage with Yoko Ono. It describes the events of the couple's wedding, in March 1969, and highly publicised honeymoon activities in Paris, including their "Bed-In" at the Amsterdam Hilton Hotel and their demonstration of "bagism". Lennon took the song to Paul McCartney at the latter's home in St John's Wood, London, on 14 April, eager to record it that evening. Recalling the controversy engendered by Lennon's "more popular than Jesus" remarks in 1966, McCartney was alarmed at the references to Christ in the new song but agreed to assist Lennon.

At the time Ringo Starr was filming The Magic Christian, and George Harrison was on holiday. In their places, Lennon and McCartney played all the instruments on the song. They recorded 11 takes of the basic rhythm track, with Lennon’s acoustic guitar on track two of the eight-track tape, McCartney’s drums on track three, and Lennon’s vocals on four. They decided that take 10 was the best, and it became the basis of the final version. The first overdub was McCartney’s bass guitar on track one, followed by Lennon’s electric guitar on track five. He then added more electric guitar to track six, with McCartney simultaneously adding a piano part on the same track. Track seven was filled with McCartney’s backing vocals, and the song was completed with McCartney’s maracas and Lennon making percussive sounds – made by slapping the back of an acoustic guitar – on track eight.

The success of the session may have contributed to the positivity that surrounded the recording of Abbey Road, which began shortly afterwards. It appears to have particularly helped ease relations between Lennon and McCartney, who at the time were locked in a legal battle over the management of the group. The recording also marked the return of Geoff Emerick as recording engineer at a Beatles session, after he had quit working with the group in July 1968, during the tense White Album sessions.

Although Lennon was impatient to issue the single, its release was delayed to allow for the Beatles' April 1969 single, "Get Back". Backed with Harrison's "Old Brown Shoe", the single was issued in the United Kingdom on 30 May 1969. In the UK and Europe, "The Ballad of John and Yoko" was the first Beatles' single to be issued in stereo. It was therefore their first release not given a mono mix. It topped the UK charts for three weeks, but only managed to reach number eight in America.

Well... I hope you enjoy my tribute to this great Rock'n Roll song!!! Peace & Love everybody... God bless you all!!!