In the new episode of the series of NME’s ‘Does Rock And Roll Kill Braincells?’ B-52 frontman Fred Schneider answered some questions to see how much he can remember about his career. During the interview, the frontman recalled John Lennon’s return to the music industry five years after his inactivity.
When asked about his favorite collaboration, he recalled singing Mind Train’ with Yoko Ono at her birthday party, which led to the Lennon conversation. The B-52 hit ‘Rock Lobster’ became the turning point for Lennon. Schneider explained how:
“The weirdness of ‘Rock Lobster”s lyrics and Cindy [Wilson, B-52s member] doing the fish noises were obviously a tribute to Yoko in a way. And John and Yoko went back into the studio after hearing it and came back with a marvellous album ‘Double Fantasy’ that we loved.”
How Lennon Reacted After Hearing The Song
In the mid-to-late ’70s, John Lennon took a hiatus from playing and thinking about music. His focus shifted towards being a devoted father to his son Sean. He had lost interest in promoting the collaborative work with his wife Yoko Ono, and his most recent release dated back to 1974.
Despite frequently referring to Ono as his muse, the duo had never released a fully collaborative album. This dynamic shifted when Lennon, during a vacation without Ono, first encountered ‘Rock Lobster.’
About five years later, Lennon made a sudden return to the music scene. When it comes to how it inspired him, specifically, it was Cindy Wilson’s scream that tempted him to get back to music. Wilson’s scream resembled Ono’s approach.
The Beatle said in his last ever interview:
“I was at a dance club one night in Bermuda. Upstairs, they were playing disco, and downstairs I suddenly heard ‘Rock Lobster’ by the B-52’s for the first time. Do you know it? It sounds just like Yoko’s music. “I said to meself, ‘It’s time to get out the old ax and wake the wife up!'”
Yoko Ono Was An Inspiration For B-52
Shortly after the encounter with the hit song, Lennon and Ono began their collaborative efforts. He would compose a song and share it with her over the phone, while in New York, she would respond with a song of her own. This exchange resulted in the birth of ‘Double Fantasy,’ marking the final full album that Lennon worked on before his death in December 1980.
It seems that during the earlier days of the band, the B-52’s drummer, Keith Strickland, was significantly influenced by the couple. In an early interview, he disclosed his admiration for the Beatles and expressed being a fan. Additionally, the drummer emphasized that the band drew a lot of inspiration from Yoko Ono:
“I just wanted to hear it with my own ears. That was really something. I’ve always been a huge Beatles fan. Yoko was such an inspiration for us in the early days. That’s definitely an homage to Yoko when Cindy does that scream at the end of ‘Rock Lobster.'”
Strickland also dismissed the ‘she broke up the Beatles’ argument as ‘bullsh*t’ and emphasized that there was a whole generation of kids who admired Yoko Ono. He expressed how the band was able to show their feelings to her:
“Look, we love what you did.”
According to Strickland, this acknowledgment resonated with Ono and, in turn, inspired John Lennon to continue writing.
You can hear ‘Rock Lobster’ featuring Yoko Ono below.
