John Lennon and Yoko Ono publish open letter in The New York Times – 27 May 1979
Sunday 27 May 1979 | John Lennon
New York City
On 27 May 1979, John Lennon and Yoko Ono published an open letter in The New York Times. The piece, titled 'A Love Letter From John And Yoko To People Who Ask Us What, When, And Why', appeared on the back page of the In Review section. It was one of the few public statements Lennon made during his years of seclusion at the Dakota in New York City, and offered a rare window into his state of mind in the years between Double Fantasy and his retirement from public life.
The Letter
The past 10 years we noticed everything we wished came true in its own time, good or bad, one way or the other. We kept telling each other that one of these days we would have to get organized and wish for only good things. Then our baby arrived! We were overjoyed and at the same time felt very responsible. Now our wishes would also affect him. We felt it was time for us to stop discussing and do something about our wishing process: The Spring Cleaning of our minds. It was a lot of work. We kept finding things in those old closets in our minds that we hadn’t realized were still there, things we wished we hadn’t found. As we did our cleaning, we also started to notice many wrong things in our house: there was a shelf which should never have been there in the first place, a painting we grew to dislike, and there were the two dingy rooms, which became light and breezy when we broke the walls between them. We started to love the plants, which one of us originally thought were robbing the air from us. We began to enjoy the drum beat of the city which used to annoy us. We made a lot of mistakes and still do. In the past we spent a lot of energy in trying to get something we thought we wanted, wondered why we didn’t get it, only to find out that one or both of us didn’t really want it.
One day, we received a sudden rain of chocolates from people around the world. “Hey, what’s this! We’re not eating sugar stuff, are we?”
“Who’s wishing it?” We both laughed.
We discovered that when two of us wished in unison, it happened faster. As the Good Book says – Where two are gathered together – It’s true. Two is plenty. A Newclear Seed.
More and more we are starting to wish and pray. The things we have tried to achieve in the past by flashing a V sign, we try now through wishing. We are not doing this because it is simpler. Wishing is more effective than waving flags. It works. It’s like magic. Magic is simple. Magic is real. The secret of it is to know that it is simple, and not kill it with an elaborate ritual which is a sign of insecurity. When somebody is angry with us, we draw a halo around his or her head in our minds. Does this person stop being angry then? Well, we don’t know. We know, though, that when we draw a halo around a person, suddenly the person starts to look like an angel to us. This helps us to feel warm towards the person, reminds us that everyone has goodness inside, and that all people who come to us are angels in disguise, carrying messages and gifts to us from the Universe. Magic is logical. Try it sometime.
We still have a long way to go. It seems the more we get into cleaning, the faster the wishing and receiving process gets. The house is getting very comfortable now. Sean is beautiful. The plants are growing. The cats are purring. The town is shining, sun, rain or snow. We live in a beautiful universe. We are thankful every day for the plentifulness of our life. This is not a euphemism. We understand that we, the city, the country, the earth are facing a very hard time, and there is panic in the air. Still the sun is shining and we are here together, and there is love between us, our city, the country, the earth. If two people like us can do what we are doing with our lives, any miracle is possible! It’s true we can do with a few big miracles right now. The thing is to recognize them when they come to you and to be thankful. First they come in a small way, in every day life, then they come in rivers, and in oceans. It’s a goin’ to be alright. The future of the earth is up to all of us.
Many people are sending us vibes every day in letters, telegrams, taps on the gate, or just flowers and nice thoughts. We thank them all and appreciate them for respecting our quiet space, which we need. Thank you for all the love you send us. We feel it every day. We love you, too. We know you are concerned about us. That is nice. That’s why you want to know what we are doing. That’s why everybody is asking us What, When and Why. We understand. Well, this is what we’ve been doing. We hope that you have the same quiet space in your mind to make your own wishes come true.
If you think of us next time, remember, our silence is a silence of love and not of indifference. Remember, we are writing in the sky instead of on paper – that’s our song. Lift your eyes again and look around you, and you will see that you are walking in the sky, which extends to the ground. We are all part of the sky, more so than of the ground. Remember, we love you.
John Lennon & Yoko Ono
May 27th, 1979
New York CityP.S. We noticed that three angels were looking over our shoulders when we wrote this.
Context
By May 1979, John Lennon had been living in near-total seclusion at the Dakota apartment building on Central Park West in New York City for several years. He had effectively retired from public life following the birth of his son Sean Ono Lennon on 9 October 1975 — Lennon's own 35th birthday — and had taken on the role of full-time househusband and father while Yoko Ono managed their business affairs.
The letter was one of the very few public statements Lennon made during this period. It reflected his preoccupations of the time: domesticity, spirituality, the power of positive thinking, and a quiet withdrawal from the political activism that had defined his public persona in the early 1970s. The reference to “flashing a V sign” and “waving flags” was a conscious distancing from his earlier protest-song period.
Lennon returned to recording in 1980, completing Double Fantasy with Yoko Ono. The album was released on 17 November 1980. He was shot and killed outside the Dakota on 8 December 1980, three weeks after the album's release.
Key Facts: 27 May 1979
- Publication: The New York Times
- Section: In Review (back page)
- Title: 'A Love Letter From John And Yoko To People Who Ask Us What, When, And Why'
- Date signed: May 27th, 1979, New York City
- Context: Written during Lennon's years of seclusion at the Dakota
Frequently Asked Questions
What was John Lennon doing in 1979?
Living in seclusion at the Dakota in New York City, having effectively retired from public life after the birth of his son Sean in October 1975. He was a full-time househusband and father, while Yoko Ono managed their business affairs.
What is the New York Times open letter about?
The letter reflects on Lennon and Ono's domestic life, their spiritual practices, the power of wishing and positive thinking, and their gratitude for their quiet life. It was a response to public curiosity about what they had been doing during their years of seclusion.
When did John Lennon return to recording?
In 1980, completing Double Fantasy with Yoko Ono. The album was released on 17 November 1980. Lennon was killed on 8 December 1980.
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1 comment
Once a major JL fan. This “letter”? Just awful. Dishonest. Condescending.
Why? After all these years (2026), still can’t make any sense of it.