Interview: John Lennon and Yoko Ono for Record Mirror – 3 August 1971

August 3, 2026

Tuesday 3 August 1971 | Tittenhurst Park, Ascot, Berkshire

On 3 August 1971, John Lennon and Yoko Ono were interviewed by Mike Hennessey of Record Mirror at their home, Tittenhurst Park in Ascot, Berkshire. The interview took place on the couple's bed. During the exchange, Lennon went through a list of Beatles songs and discussed who wrote each one. The couple were also photographed by Tony Hanley in and around Tittenhurst Park for the feature.

The Interview

The summer of 1971 was one of the most creatively intense periods of John Lennon's solo career. He was in the midst of recording and filming the Imagine album and its accompanying film at Tittenhurst Park, and was giving a series of interviews to the music press. The Record Mirror interview with Mike Hennessey was one of several conducted at the estate during this period.

The detail that the interview took place on the couple's bed was characteristic of Lennon and Ono's approach to media engagement during this era — deliberately informal, boundary-dissolving, and consistent with the spirit of their earlier Bed-Ins for Peace in 1969.

Lennon's discussion of Beatles songwriting credits was a recurring theme in his interviews of this period. The question of who wrote what — and the Lennon–McCartney credit that obscured individual contributions — was a subject he returned to repeatedly as he sought to establish his own identity as a solo artist distinct from the Beatles.

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Key Facts

Date	Tuesday 3 August 1971
Location	Tittenhurst Park, Ascot, Berkshire
Interviewer	Mike Hennessey, Record Mirror
Photographer	Tony Hanley
Topics discussed	Beatles songwriting credits; authorship of individual songs
Setting	Conducted on the couple's bed; photographs taken in and around Tittenhurst Park

Tittenhurst Park, Ascot, Berkshire — John Lennon and Yoko Ono's home from 1969 to 1971, and the location of the Imagine recording sessions and film.

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Tittenhurst Park in the Summer of 1971

By August 1971, Tittenhurst Park was the centre of Lennon's creative world. The Imagine album had been recorded there in May and June 1971, and the accompanying film — one of the first long-form music videos — was being shot on the estate throughout July and into August. The Record Mirror interview was one of several given to the music press during this period as Lennon prepared for the album's release in September 1971.

Lennon and Ono would leave Tittenhurst Park for New York in early September 1971, never to return to England as residents. The estate was later sold to Ringo Starr.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did John Lennon discuss in the Record Mirror interview in 1971?

In the Record Mirror interview on 3 August 1971, John Lennon went through a list of Beatles songs and discussed who wrote each one, addressing the question of individual authorship within the Lennon–McCartney songwriting credit.

Where was Tittenhurst Park?

Tittenhurst Park was a Georgian mansion in Ascot, Berkshire, which John Lennon and Yoko Ono purchased in 1969. It was the location of the Imagine recording sessions and film in 1971. Lennon sold the property to Ringo Starr when he moved permanently to New York in 1971.

When did John Lennon leave England for New York?

John Lennon and Yoko Ono left England for New York in early September 1971, shortly after the Record Mirror interview. They never returned to England as permanent residents.