Almanac: John and Yoko's "Bed-In for Peace"
And now a page from our "Sunday Morning" Almanac: March 25th, 1969, 49 years ago today … the start of a now-legendary bedtime story.
For that was the day Beatle John Lennon and his new bride, Yoko Ono, began their self-styled "Bed-In For Peace" in Amsterdam.
Married just five days before in Gibraltar, and frequently attacked for both their beliefs AND their appearance, the honeymooning couple bedded down in the Amsterdam Hilton as a public protest against the Vietnam War -- and invited the whole world to watch:
"We're going to stay in bed for seven days, instead of having a private honeymoon," Lennon said. "It's a private protest ..."
"For the violence that's going in the world," said Ono. "Instead of making war, let's stay in bed."
"And grow your hair!" added Lennon. "Let it grow until peace comes!"
Needless to say, their Bed-In didn't end the war.
And as for the personal criticism, John later answered it with a song called "The Ballad of John and Yoko":
One year after the Bed-In, The Beatles split up.
John and Yoko eventually moved from Britain to New York, where he was shot and killed in December of 1980 at the ago of 40.
Yoko Ono, now 85, still lives in New York.
And in long-overdue recognition, just last year she received official co-writer credit with John for their 1971 song, "Imagine."
See also:
- Remembering 1968: The revolutionary "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band" ("Sunday Morning," 02/25/18)
- Lyrics from our favorite John Lennon songs (CBS News, 12/08/15)
- Yoko Ono on keeping John Lennon's memory alive (CBS News, 12/08/10)
For more info:
- johnlennon.com
- imaginepeace.com (Yoko Ono)
Story produced by Juliana Kracov.
