Importance Score: 35 / 100 🔵
Yoko Ono Recounts Life-Saving Song in Reflective Interview
Throughout her expansive career as a musician, artist, and advocate for peace, Yoko Ono has navigated periods of global renown, profound grief, and deeply personal triumphs. In a contemplative 2007 interview on BBC Four’s Desert Island Discs, Ono shared an intimate moment linked to a particular piece of music—a moment so poignant it brought her to the verge of tears. The song was “When I Grow Too Old to Dream” by Gracie Fields, a 1934 ballad that once connected her with her mother during a crucial, potentially life-saving phone call. This Desert Island Discs interview offered a glimpse into Yoko Ono’s personal history and the power of music in her life.
A Mother’s Plea Heard Across Continents
“This is called ‘When I Grow Too Old to Dream’. And it holds a very personal memory for me,” Ono disclosed during the BBC Four program. At the time, Ono resided in New York, while her mother was in Japan. One day, without any prior indication or specific cause, she felt an overwhelming urge to contact her mother.
“I just felt like I wanted to call my mother,” she explained. “And I said, ‘Hi.’ And she said, ‘Oh, Yoko.’ And just the manner in which she said it, I sensed that something was very amiss.”
Her mother mentioned a fall – a brief remark that lacked any sense of urgency. However, something in her mother’s inflection conveyed to Ono the gravity of the situation. “She was saying, ‘I just fell in the kitchen,’ or something of that nature,” Ono recalled. “And I thought, this is serious.”
A Song of Connection in a Moment of Crisis
In that instant, feeling helpless from a distance, Yoko suggested something familiar to both of them: a song. “So I said, ‘OK, Mommy, let’s sing that song. Remember that song that you used to sing?’ And I initiated, ‘When I grow too old to dream.’ And she went, ‘When I grow…’ No, no. ‘OK, let’s start again.’ ‘When I grow…’”
Initially, her mother struggled with the lyrics. But Yoko patiently persisted, gently repeating the opening line until her mother eventually joined in.
“She finally sang the entire line. And I was deeply moved,” she recounted. This exchange illuminated a vital truth – her mother needed immediate assistance. Promptly, she took action. “I instructed my assistant to contact Tokyo, reach the hospital, and dispatch an ambulance to my mother. And she was saved.”
Soundtrack of a Life: Other Key Tracks
The Gracie Fields classic was just one selection among several tracks Ono chose as part of the soundtrack to her life, shared during her Desert Island Discs appearance.
Edith Piaf and Inner Strength
She began with ‘Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien’ by Édith Piaf. This song evoked memories of her father’s early nickname for her: “My dad always told me that I was diminutive. Well, I was small even for Japanese, actually. And spirited, like a Japanese Edith Piaf.”
The song, released in 1960, became a source of internal fortitude for Ono during challenging periods. “Whenever I felt despondent, I listened to this song in my mind and simply felt improved… Yes, I regret nothing too.”
Lili Marlene and a Message of Peace
From her childhood in 1930s Tokyo, another melody resonated deeply: ‘Lili Marlene’, performed by Lale Andersen. Despite its association with World War II, the tune had earlier origins and, in her mind, was connected to a story her mother recounted: “During the First World War, the soldiers on both sides of the trenches at Christmas… emerged from the trenches and embraced, kissed… singing songs in unison.”
Her mother shared this story when she was “five, six, seven years old,” and the sentiment remained with her: “I just contemplated, why couldn’t they have simply remained friends instead of engaging in conflict?”
John Lennon and Lullabies
A lullaby linked to John Lennon’s childhood also featured on her list: ‘Liverpool Lou’, by Dominic Behan. “It’s a lullaby. And I’m unsure precisely why, but one day, John in England sang ‘Liverpool Lou’ and remarked, you know, beautiful”.
Bob Marley and Honeymoon Activism
Another timeless track, ‘One Love / People Get Ready’ by Bob Marley & The Wailers, triggered recollections of their 1969 honeymoon. Rather than a secluded getaway, they staged a bed-in for peace at a Hilton hotel in Amsterdam: “Well, we believed that we were undertaking something beneficial, you know. And we were quite self-absorbed about it.”
Beautiful Boy: A Song of Love
The most emotionally charged selection, however, might have been ‘Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)’ by John Lennon – a lullaby he composed for their son, Sean.
“I adore the majority of John’s songs. Well, I stated the majority to sound balanced. But truthfully, I adore all of his songs, genuinely.”
Contemporary Picks
The playlist also incorporated two more recent selections: ‘Magic’ by Sean Lennon himself and ‘Seoul’ by the Icelandic group Amiina.