An author has shared insights into Yoko Ono’s true feelings towards Sir Paul McCartney after a period of “resentment and backbiting”. In his 2025 biography ‘Yoko’, David Sheff delves into the intricate dynamic between Paul, his Beatles bandmate John Lennon, and John’s wife, Yoko.
During the recording of The White Album, John had insisted that Yoko be present in the studio, but Paul disclosed on the McCartney: A Life in Lyrics podcast that he didn’t think any of the band members were particularly fond of the idea.
According to Forbes, Paul also described Yoko as “an interference in the workplace.” The publication suggested that John and Yoko’s relationship had an impact on the band, with some attributing their breakup to her presence.
However, it appears that Paul and Yoko’s initially strained relationship has mellowed over time, with Paul even referring to her as “bada**.” As David writes: “Yoko and Paul had indeed come far in a relationship that had been contentious at the start, with Paul glaring at Yoko as he sang, ‘Get back to where you once belonged’.
“The resentment and backbiting had percolated since the beginning of Yoko and John’s romance. When Paul admitted he didn’t like Yoko ‘at first’, John said it was too late. But things shifted. Over the years, there had been many friendly visits.”
He mentioned that by the time Yoko was in her 80s, she and Paul were “closer than they’d ever been”, with a “genuine” bond for the Beatle, which was not just a facade for the media.
Amidst their renowned songwriting collaborations, Paul and John faced tensions, and following John’s untimely death in 1980, the controversy over the iconic Lennon-McCartney song credits escalated.
Paul McCartney’s attempt to reverse the naming order to McCartney-Lennon was met with stern opposition from Yoko Ono, who even considered legal action to maintain the original agreement.
Her lawyer informed the Los Angeles Times: “This was done against [Ono’s] wishes. Paul is hurting his own legacy with this.
“He and John made an agreement 40 years ago that they would share credit in this way. To change it now, well, John’s not here to argue.”
Eventually, the dispute came to rest with Paul expressing satisfaction with the established credit sequence, citing pride in being part of the famous Lennon-McCartney brand.
More recently, the ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’ vocalist has openly paid homage to Yoko, dispelling the myth that she dismantled The Beatles.
In 2012, McCartney publicly cleared Yoko’s image, affirming she did not cause the band’s breakup, and later in an interview with Rolling Stone in 2013, he praised her as being “bada**.”