John Lennon said the classic rock band The B-52’s was inspired by Yoko Ono. He was right. In addition, Yoko indirectly influenced a more modern rock band.
John Lennon felt he and his wife inspired songs by bands who came after them
In a 1980 interview from the book All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono, John discussed one of his lesser-known albums. “There’s the one [Live Jam LP] that we did in London in a ballroom — the U.N. concert,” he said. “It was great. It was one of these that went on. We did ‘Cold Turkey’ and ‘Don’t Worry, Kyoko,’ and half of the audience just walked out ’cause it got really far out.
“And the rest were there staying with us,” he said. “I wonder if any of the people who were there became any of The Pretenders or any of the other young punk groups that have the early Lennon–Ono influence,” he said. “The B-52’s girl must have studied Yoko’s work like a thesis. You know, that also encouraged us to come out and do our thing again, because we heard what we did did not go unheard.” John did not name the member of The B-52’s in question.
Elsewhere in the interview, John revealed what he thought of the band. “I enjoy The B-52’s because I hear them doing Yoko,” he said. “It’s great. If Yoko ever goes back to her old sound, they’ll be saying, ‘Yeah, she’s copying The B-52’s.’”
John Lennon was right that Yoko Ono’s songs influenced The B-52’s
There’s a lot of truth to what John said. During a 2015 interview with Observer, The B-52’s’ Kate Pierson said she was a huge fan of Yoko, particularly Yoko’s biggest solo hit, “Walking on Thin Ice.” Pierson said her bandmate Fred Schneider got her interested in Yoko’s songs.
In addition, Pierson said Yoko’s music inspired The B-52’s to put fish sounds in their song “Rock Lobster.” Notably, “Rock Lobster” became the band’s first charting single, reaching No. 56 on the Billboard Hot 100 and staying on the chart for eight weeks. The track certainly paved the way for the band to have greater success with their later singles.
Panic! and the Disco indirectly drew from Yoko Ono’s oeuvre as well
In addition, Panic! at the Disco sampled the famous riff from “Rock Lobster” in the tune “Don’t Threaten Me with a Good Time.” Notably, “Don’t Threaten Me with a Good Time” was produced by J. R. Rotem, who is known for incorporating classic samples in his work. “Don’t Threaten Me with a Good Time” wouldn’t exist without Yoko’s avant-garde style.
Yoko’s music exists outside of the mainstream but she still managed to influence a beloved band like The B-52’s.
