Remixing music ‘therapy’ for Ono Lennon
Son aims to preserve late icon’s message, help those songs reach younger audience
Sean Ono Lennon’s first experience reworking his father’s catalogwas terrifying and intimidating, but he had two main goals in mind to keep him on track: Preserve his father’s message in the songs and help the late icon’s music reach a younger audience.
On whatwould have been John Lennon’s 80th birthday, “GIMMESOME TRUTH. THEULTIMATE MIXES” was released Friday and includes 36 tracks hand-picked by Yoko Ono and Sean Ono Lennon, who serve as executive producer and producer on the project. The duo worked closely with engineer and mixer Paul Hicks to maintain the essence of the songs, whichwere completely remixed.
Ono Lennon, 45, came out stronger at the end of the at-times heavy process.
“I knew that itwas going to be kind of introspective for me, obviously. Iwas scared going into it to be honest. I had a fear of messing everything up or not being helpful or it being too emotionally difficult to just listen tomy dad’s voice over and over again,” Ono Lennon said. “Especially ‘Double Fantasy,’ it triggers awhole period ofmy childhood thatwas tough because that’s when he died. ...
“For me, the real motivation is this music can’t be forgotten. ... I think a lot of people who are cynical assume that, ‘Oh everyone knows those songs.’ No, they don’t. There are a lot of kids who don’t knowthe difference between Ringo and Paul. There’s a lot of kids who don’t knowthe difference between Mick Jagger andmy dad.”
This interview with Ono Lennon has edited for clarity and length.
Q: Whatwas it like to work on this project?
A: Itwas really deep and heavy and beautiful. I’d never listened to the original, multitrack tapes before. Just getting to hearmy dad’s voice or even mute the vocals, just hearing what the instruments are doingwas amazing for me. Itwas really fun. Itwas a little daunting, I guess. I’m still nervous because when you’re messing with music that’s so loved and so classic and immortal, there’s kind of a pressure there.
Q: Whatwas it like working with your mother on this project?
A: Iwas inthe studio when Iwas young, so I learned things like how compressionworks, how delayworks, howreverb works, howto EQ vocals— all from her. I actually knowvery much what her philosophy is. Her main priority with all mixing is to make sure that the voice is clear.
She saidmy dad famously didn’t love his vocals. Hewould turn it down a lot. When shewas producing “Imagine,” the album, hewould go to the bathroom, and shewould turn it back up, and he would come back and turn it down. She really believes that baring the vocal is the worst thing you can do. She reallywants people to hear the lyrics, and she thinks that the music has to serve the vocal.
When it comes to mixing my dad’s stuff, that’s her priority. I think she’s right.
Q: Your dadwrote “Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)” about you— what was it like reworking that song?
A: Honestly, itwasmy least favorite experience. It’s just kind of awkward. That song makes me feel like I’m infantilized or
something. People always play that song and look at me with a smile like, “Isn’t that sweet?” I’m like, “Oh God, I’m an old man. I’m not some smiling baby in a baby food commercial.” To be honest, that song is touching tome, but as a musician and a songwriter and a producer, it’s sort of my least favorite song musically,
because it’s so saccharine. It’s great. I love it. Maybe it’s impossible for me to be objective about it.
“Beautiful Boy” is a very sort of family-friendly sound. It’s notmy aesthetic. Having said that, itwas a privilege to helpwork on a mix of a song thatwas aboutme and is very touching. And yes, Iwas very
touched by hearingmy dad saymy name. He’s like “goodnight Sean” at the end. That always reminded me of him putting me to bed. He had a sort of ritual, theway he put me to bed. Hewould flick the lights sort of in rhythm with his voice, so it felt like his voice was controlling the lights. Then they’d go out. I have memories, so itwas nice.
Q: Hasworking on your dad’s songs inspired your own music?
A: It’s interesting because, first of all, the easiest songs to cover for me are my dad’s, vocally especially. Whenever I try to sing one of his songs, I feel like I can sing them great. I do share a lot of the same chords. My voice isn’t as tough as his, but it’s easier to sing his songs than anyone else’s. It does teach me something about howto sing great.
I think I’ve had a lifelong struggle with findingmy
own voice. I’ve had a lifelong struggle with finding my own voice because every time Iwould try to sing great, Iwould sound more and more likemy dad. Actually, I hatemy first few records because Iwas always trying to not sing likemy dad, and it actually took a lot of effort. Iwound up singing in this very kind of whispery, whinyway that I don’t like. Thatwas actually kind of unnatural to me. Listening to this record, all of his records, the compilationwe put together, has helped me realize that I just need to stop trying to avoid singing in away that I just sound better. I think it’s going to help me with the vocals for the album that I’mworking on now. To just not hold back. To just sort of sing. I have this fear that when I pushmy voice, I sound too much like him, but what’s the point of singing if I’m not going to sound good?