People of America, when will we see?
It’s now or never, we’ve no time to lose.
People of America, when will we see?
It’s now or never, we’ve no time to lose.
“The world is so messed up. Things are very difficult for everybody. It’s a warzone that we are living in…” says Yoko Ono.
Ono has released twenty albums over 50 years, yet her Warzone is strikingly different from any record she has made in the past. It is also strikingly different from any album that anyone is making.
Ono revisits and reimagines 13 songs from her past work, spanning 1970 – 2009, the lyrics and messages still pertinent – perhaps even more pertinent in 2018.
Here’s the title song, Warzone.
Warzone will be in stores on October 19 on Chimera Music, the label run by Sean Ono Lennon. Leading up to the release date, Ono will releasing a new song each Tuesday on line on streaming services. I’ll feature updates here.
The recordings and arrangements on Warzone are stripped down to their essence. They present a forward emphasis of Yoko’s voice and lyrics.
My favorite cut so far, Now or Never was written by her in 1972. Check out this rendition. She delivers with power and emphasis for today, for 2018.
Here in this minimalist landscape the content of her message rings clear, immediate, and unencumbered. Sometimes somber warnings, sometimes uplifting encouragement—her wisdom and fortitude are unflinchingly strong, her power intensified over time and through life experience.
She ends the ominous questions of Now Or Never (1971) with one of her most famous and inspiring lines: “A dream you dream alone is only a dream, a dream we dream together is reality.”
WOMAN POWER! + WOMAN POWER! + + TWO THOUSAND YEARS OF MALE SOCIETY + LAYING FEAR AND TYRANNY + SEEKING GRADES AND MONEY + CLINGING TO VALUES VAIN AND PHONY + + WOMAN POWER! + WOMAN POWER! + + DO YOU KNOW THAT ONE DAY YOU LOST YOUR WAY MAN + DO YOU KNOW THAT SOME DAY YOU HAVE TO PAY MAN + HAVE YOU ANYTHING TO SAY…
It’s Gonna Rain.
Warzone—available for preorder at Amazon—further builds on the legacy of an artist unparalleled in her unique and singular vision. At 85 years young, Ono is already plotting her next album.
It is not too late to change the world.
We need you, Yoko. Now, more than ever.