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''Double Fantasy'' is the fifth collaborative studio album by
John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...
and
Yoko Ono Yoko Ono (, usually spelled in katakana as ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up in Tokyo and moved to New York ...
, and the final one before Lennon's death. Released in November 1980 on
Geffen Records Geffen Records (formerly The David Geffen Company from 1980 to 1992 and Geffen Records Inc. from 1993 to 2004) is an American record label, founded in late 1980 by David Geffen. Originally a music subsidiary of the company known as Geffen Pi ...
, the album marked Lennon's return to recording music full-time, following his five-year hiatus to raise his son
Sean Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Hiberno-English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name '' Yohanan'' (), Seán ( anglicized as '' Shaun/ Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; a ...
. Recording sessions took place at the Hit Factory in New York City between August and October 1980. The final album features songs from both Lennon and Ono, largely alternating between the two in its track listing. Other tracks recorded by Lennon from the sessions were compiled by Ono for release on '' Milk and Honey'' in 1984. Upon its release, the album stalled on music charts and received largely negative reviews from music critics, with many focusing on the album's idealisation of Lennon and Ono's marriage. However, following Lennon's murder three weeks after its release, it became a worldwide commercial success and went on to win the 1981
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
for Album of the Year. In subsequent decades, the album has been viewed favourably, with Lennon's songs in particular garnering praise as some of his finest. In 2010, Ono and Douglas released a remix of the album, titled ''Double Fantasy Stripped Down'', which featured less lavish production than the original.


Background

Following the birth of his son,
Sean Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Hiberno-English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name '' Yohanan'' (), Seán ( anglicized as '' Shaun/ Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; a ...
, in 1975, Lennon put his musical career on hold to raise him. After five years of little musical activity, aside from recording the occasional demo in his apartment in New York, Lennon resumed his career. In June 1980, Lennon embarked on a sailing trip from
Newport, Rhode Island Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, United States. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and nort ...
to
Bermuda Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. Bermuda is an ...
. During the journey, the 43-foot
schooner A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...
named ''Megan Jaye'' encountered a severe storm. One by one, the crew of five were overcome with fatigue and seasickness save for Lennon, who was eventually forced to take the helm alone for six hours. It had the effect of both renewing his confidence and making him contemplate the fragility of life. As a result, he began to write new songs and reworked earlier demos. He commented later, "I was so centred after the experience at sea that I was tuned in to the cosmos – and all these songs came!" Ono also wrote many songs, inspired with new confidence after Lennon had stated that he believed that contemporary popular music, such as " Rock Lobster" by the B-52's, bore similarities to Ono's earlier work. The couple decided to release their work on the same album, the first time they had done so since 1972's politically charged '' Some Time in New York City''. In stark contrast to that album, ''Double Fantasy'' (subtitled ''A Heart Play'') was a collection of songs wherein husband and wife would conduct a musical dialogue. The album took its title from a species of freesia, seen in the Bermuda Botanical Gardens, whose name Lennon regarded as a perfect description of his marriage to Ono. Lennon was also inspired to return to music by his former songwriting partner within
the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
. Upon hearing former bandmate
Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...
's 1980 single " Coming Up", Lennon deemed the song "a good piece of work." According to McCartney, the track prompted Lennon to return to recording later that year.


Recording

Ono approached producer Jack Douglas, with whom the couple had previously worked, and gave him Lennon's demos to listen to. "My immediate impressions were that I was going to have a hard time making it better than the demos because there was such intimacy in the demos," Douglas told '' Uncuts Chris Hunt in 2005. Sessions for the album began at the Hit Factory in New York City on 7 August 1980 and continued until 19 October 1980. Lennon and Ono were rarely in the studio at the same time, primarily because Ono did not want Lennon imposing himself in her work. They produced dozens of songs, enough to fill ''Double Fantasy'' and a large part of a projected second album, '' Milk and Honey''. Lennon wanted to work with different musicians than he had previously, and had Douglas assemble and rehearse the band without telling them who they would be recording with.Starting Over: The Making of Double Fantasy, Ken Sharp, Gallery Books, While the sessions were underway, Douglas brought Rick Nielsen and Bun E. Carlos of the band
Cheap Trick Cheap Trick is an American rock band formed in Rockford, Illinois in 1970 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. Their work bridged elements of '60s pop rock, guitar pop, '70s har ...
(whom he was also producing) to play on Lennon's "I'm Losing You" and Ono's "I'm Moving On", but these were eventually re-recorded with the studio musicians. The Cheap Trick version of "I'm Losing You" was included on the '' John Lennon Anthology'' collection released in 1998. The sessions remained top secret. According to Douglas, this was because Lennon was not confident in his work, feeling that he was out of touch with the contemporary music scene and could no longer write or sing up to the standard he set in his heyday, and wanted to be able to discreetly abort the sessions if he felt they were not turning out well; at one point he spoke of giving most of the songs he wrote for the album to his ex-bandmate
Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the group, us ...
. Lennon and Ono still were not signed to a record label and paid for the initial sessions themselves. After they were satisfied with the album, their publicist Bruce Replogle leaked the news that the couple were back in the studio again. Immediately, Lennon was inundated with offers from all the major labels. The recording industry was shocked when the couple signed with the newly formed
Geffen Records Geffen Records (formerly The David Geffen Company from 1980 to 1992 and Geffen Records Inc. from 1993 to 2004) is an American record label, founded in late 1980 by David Geffen. Originally a music subsidiary of the company known as Geffen Pi ...
on 22 September 1980 because David Geffen shrewdly insisted on speaking with Ono first and regarded her contributions as equal to Lennon's. He signed them before hearing any of the tracks.


Release, reception and aftermath

The album was preceded by the single " (Just Like) Starting Over", which was backed with Ono's " Kiss Kiss Kiss". It was released on 20 October 1980 in the United States, and four days later in the United Kingdom. Originally peaking at number 8 in the UK chart, after Lennon's murder the single reached number one. In the US, the single was inching upward in the top 10 before reaching number one following Lennon's death. The album was released on 17 November 1980 in both the UK and US. Geffen had planned an elaborate cover for Lennon's comeback, but Ono could not decide on a photo. Not wanting to miss the Christmas release deadline, Geffen used the single sleeve as the front cover, while choosing an outtake from the same photo session for the back. The tracks were sequenced as a dialogue between Lennon and Ono; one of his songs followed by one of hers. On the initial pressings, the track listing was out of sequence on the album cover. Initial sales were sluggish. In the UK album charts, it had peaked at number 14 then slipped to number 46, while in the US, it had risen to number 11. Upon Lennon's murder, the album jumped to number 1 in the US ''Billboard'' chart, where it stayed for eight weeks, and in the UK, it jumped to number 2, where it remained for seven weeks before finally spending two weeks at number 1. "
Woman A woman is an adult female human. Before adulthood, a female child or Adolescence, adolescent is referred to as a girl. Typically, women are of the female sex and inherit a pair of X chromosomes, one from each parent, and women with functi ...
", chosen by Lennon, was released as a posthumous single, backed with Ono's "Beautiful Boys". It was released on 12 January 1981 in the US and 16 January in the UK, reaching number 1 in the UK and in the US on the ''
Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...
'' singles chart, while peaking at number 2 for three weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. Released as the final single from the album, " Watching the Wheels", backed with Ono's "Yes, I'm Your Angel", peaked at number 10 and 30 in the US and UK charts respectively. The single was released in the US on 13 March 1981, and on 27 March 1981 in the UK. Lennon's Bermuda trip and ''Double Fantasy'' inspired the 2013 tribute CD and book '' Lennon Bermuda''.


Critical reception

Initial critical reaction to the album was largely negative. The negative reviews focused on the album's idealisation of Lennon and Ono's marriage. Kit Rachlis of the '' Boston Phoenix'' admitted to being "annoyed" by Lennon and Ono's assumption "that lots of people care deeply" about them.
Charles Shaar Murray Charles Shaar Murray (born Charles Maximillian Murray; 27 June 1951) is an English Music journalism, music journalist and broadcaster. He has worked on the ''NME, New Musical Express'' (''NME'') and many other magazines and newspapers, and has ...
, of ''
New Musical Express ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a " rock inkie", the ''NME'' would become a maga ...
'', wrote that the couple's domestic bliss "sounds like a great life but unfortunately it makes a lousy record," adding that he wished Lennon had "kept his big happy trap shut until he has something to say that was even vaguely relevant to those of us not married to Yoko Ono." Three weeks after the album's release, Lennon was murdered and several negative reviews by prominent critics were withheld from publication, including those by
Stephen Holden Stephen Holden (born July 18, 1941) is an American writer, poet, and music and film critic. Biography Holden earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Yale University in 1963. He worked as a photo editor, staff writer, and eventually be ...
of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', Tom Carson of ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'', and Geoffrey Stokes of ''
The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...
'' (Stokes had found the concept and theme to be "basically misogynist"). ''Double Fantasy'' finished 37th in ''The Village Voice''s 1980 Pazz & Jop, an annual poll of prominent music critics.
Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...
, the poll's creator, ranked it 7th on his own list of the year's best albums. Although he was put off by its simplistic lyrics and music upon first listen, Christgau said the music works a "minor miracle" with "rich, precise" song form and a "command of readymades" to put "the anonymous usages of studio rock to striking artistic purpose". He felt that the use of alternating Ono's improved vocals with Lennon's "makes the union come alive" better than his outspoken, straightforward lyrics and concluded that the album is not great but "memorable and gratifying" as rare, "connubial rock and roll". In his retrospective review for AllMusic,
Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...
comments: "these are really nice tunes and what's special about them is their niceness – it's a sweet acceptance of middle age, which, of course, makes ennon'sassassination all the sadder." In 1982, Douglas, Lennon and Ono won the 1981
Grammy Award for Album of the Year The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is an award presented by the The Recording Academy, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the r ...
for ''Double Fantasy'' at the 24th Annual Grammy Awards. In 1989, the album was ranked number 29 on ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' magazine's list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1980s. In 2020, ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' included ''Double Fantasy'' in their "80 Greatest albums of 1980" list, praising Lennon and Ono for their collaboration as "each song acts as a dialogue between the couple."


Lawsuit

In 1984, Douglas filed a lawsuit against Ono over unpaid royalties for his work on ''Double Fantasy'' and '' Milk and Honey''. Douglas recounted in a 1999 interview, "I waited like three years, then I finally said to Yoko, 'It's really a lot of royalties probably accruing here ... You don't have to deal with it, let's just sort it out, let our people sort it out.' And I got like a nasty letter, almost like, 'Fuck you, you're not getting anything.'" A jury ruled that Ono had wrongfully withheld royalty payments from Douglas and that he was entitled to $2.5 million from revenues for ''Double Fantasy'' and an undetermined share of revenues from ''Milk and Honey''.


Reissues

"Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)" was re-released as the B-side to a reissue of " Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" to promote '' The John Lennon Collection'' in November 1982. It was first released on CD on 13 October 1986 in the UK, and nearly a year later on 15 September 1987 in the US. The album was re-released on cassette, CD and vinyl in 1989, after EMI had obtained the rights to the album. On 9 October 2000, EMI/Capitol released a remastered version of the album, containing three bonus tracks. In 2010, Ono and Douglas supervised the release of a remix of the album called ''Double Fantasy Stripped Down''. Released as a two-disc set, it included a newly remastered copy of the original album along with an alternative version of the album featuring simpler arrangements without the original's lavish production, with cover artwork by Sean Lennon. Ono said of the remix: "This new version really allows us to focus our attention on John's amazing vocals. Technology has advanced so much that, conversely, I wanted to use new techniques to really frame these amazing songs and John’s voice as simply as possible. By stripping down some of the instrumentation, the power of the songs shines through with an enhanced clarity."
Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...
of ''
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
'' gave the remix a negative review, commenting that because ''Double Fantasy'' was envisioned from the beginning as a polished studio production, the remix feels like after-the-fact tinkering with an album that had already been presented in its best possible form. He also found the changes for the most part inconsequential, with little effect on the overall impact.


Track listing

;Bonus tracks


2010 mixes

*A ^ On initial pressings of the album, "Yes, I'm Your Angel" was simply titled "I'm Your Angel". It was re-titled when it was released as the B-side to "Watching the Wheels", and all reissues and remasters of ''Double Fantasy'' list the track as "Yes, I'm Your Angel".


Accolades


Grammy Awards

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1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...
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Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without re ...
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Personnel

Credits per the album's sleeve notes. ;Musicians *
John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...
– lead vocals, guitar, piano *
Yoko Ono Yoko Ono (, usually spelled in katakana as ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up in Tokyo and moved to New York ...
– lead vocals * Earl Slick – guitar * Hugh McCracken – guitar * Tony Levin – bass guitar * George Small – keyboards * Andy Newmark – drums * Arthur Jenkins, Jr. – percussion *Ed Walsh – Oberheim synthesiser *Randy Stein – English concertina * Robert Greenidgesteel drum on "Beautiful Boy" *Matthew Cunningham – hammer dulcimer on "Watching the Wheels" * Howard Johnson, Grant Hungerford, John Parran, Seldon Powell, George "Young" Opalisky, Roger Rosenberg, David Tofani, Ronald Tooley – horns * Cas Mijac (Michelle Simpson, Cassandra Wooten, Cheryl Mason Jacks) – background vocals * Eric Troyer – background vocals *Benny Cummings Singers – background vocals *The Kings Temple Choir – background vocals ;Technical * Jack Douglas, John Lennon, Yoko Ono – producers *Tony Davilio – horn arrangement on "I'm Your Angel", musical associate *Toshihiro Hamaya, Frederic Seaman – production assistants *Lee DeCarlo – engineer *Jon Smith, James Ball, Julie Last – assistant engineers *George Marino – mastering * Kishin Shinoyama – photography *Christopher Whorf – artwork


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications and sales


References

; Footnotes ; Citations ; Bibliography *


External links

*
''Double Fantasy''
at Graham Calkin's Beatles Pages

The Recording Of ''Double Fantasy'' by Chris Hunt, published in '' Uncut John Lennon Special'', 2005 {{Authority control John Lennon albums Yoko Ono albums 1980 albums Capitol Records albums Geffen Records albums Grammy Award for Album of the Year Juno Award for International Album of the Year albums Albums produced by Jack Douglas (record producer) Albums arranged by John Lennon Albums produced by John Lennon Albums arranged by Jack Douglas (record producer) Albums arranged by Yoko Ono Albums produced by Yoko Ono