Milk and Honey (album)
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| Studio album by John Lennon , Yoko Ono | ||||
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| Label (s) | Polydor , Capitol Records | |||
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12 |
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running time |
36 min 49 s |
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Milk and Honey ( English 'milk and honey') is the eighth solo studio album by John Lennon after the breakup of the Beatles and it is the third posthumously released album after Lennon's death in 1980. At the same time it is including the three avant-garde albums with his wife Yoko Ono , the live album of the Plastic Ono Band , the interview album and the compilation albums, John Lennon's 15th album and the eighth album with Yoko Ono. It is also the fifteenth album by Yoko Ono. It was released in the UK and USA on January 23, 1984 .
History of origin
Milk and Honey is the follow-up project to Double Fantasy that was planned while John Lennon was still alive , with which John Lennon returned to the music business after a five-year hiatus. The similarities to the album Double Fantasy were intentional, so the overall concept of the record is similar for the cover, the arrangement of the songs and the change between Lennon's and Ono's compositions.
The recordings for Double Fantasy began on August 6, 1980 in the New York "Hit Factory" studios. In the next almost two weeks the following 22 songs were recorded, of which 14 were selected for Double Fantasy . On August 19, 1980 the essential recordings were finished. In September one began with the recording of overdubs and with the mixing , which was completed on October 13, 1980. The remaining songs remained in their raw version for the time being, only Walking on Thin Ice was completed on December 8, 1980.
Songs by John Lennon:
- (Just Like) Starting Over - (Double Fantasy)
- Cleanup Time - (Double Fantasy)
- I'm Losing You - (Double Fantasy)
- Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) - (Double Fantasy)
- Watching the Wheels - (Double Fantasy)
- Woman - (Double Fantasy)
- Dear Yoko - (Double Fantasy)
- I don't wanna face it
- I'm stepping out
- Borrowed Time
- (Forgive Me) My Little Flower Princess
- Nobody told me
Songs by Yoko Ono:
- Kiss Kiss Kiss - (Double Fantasy)
- Give Me Something - (Double Fantasy)
- I'm Moving On - (Double Fantasy)
- Yes I'm Your Angel - (Double Fantasy)
- Beautiful Boys - (Double Fantasy)
- Every Man Has a Woman Who Loves Him - (Double Fantasy)
- Hard Times Are Over - (Double Fantasy)
- Walking on Thin Ice - (separate single)
- Don't be scared
- O'Sanity
On August 8, 1980, a test recording of the Yoko Ono song Nobody Sees Me Like You Do was recorded, but so far it is only available on bootlegs . A re-recording of the song appeared on the Yoko Ono album Season of Glass , which was released on June 8, 1981 in the UK and June 12, 1981 in the United States, six months after the death of John Lennon.
The album Season of Glass was produced by Yoko Ono and Phil Spector in the Hit Factory Studios with the session musicians from Double Fantasy and released on the Geffen label , as well as Double Fantasy . It is not clear whether the album contains potential or planned songs from the follow-up album Milk and Honey . The songs Goodbye Sadness and I Don't Know Why refer to the death of John Lennon. On the cover , next to a glass of water, you could see the blood-smeared glasses of John Lennon, which he wore on the day of his death. In Great Britain, the album also included the 7 ″ single Walking on Thin Ice / It Happened .
The follow-up album to Yoko Ono It's Alright (I See Rainbows) was released in November 1982 in the USA and in Great Britain on December 16, 1982, it was recorded again in the "Hit Factory" studios, this time however, Yoko Ono was the sole producer .
In 1983, Yoko Ono resumed work on the album Milk and Honey . At this point there were still five songs by John Lennon, I'm Stepping Out , I Don't Wanna Face It , Nobody Told Me , Borrowed Time and (Forgive Me) My Little Flower Princess and two by her, namely O'Sanity and Don't Be Scared , what was left of the original recordings of the Double Fantasy album , Yoko Ono added two more home demos to the album, Grow Old With Me by John Lennon, on which he had worked until November 1980, and the Yoko-Ono -Song Let Me Count the Ways . According to Yoko Ono, both demos were originally intended for the album Double Fantasy , but since they were not recorded in the studio, the two songs should be completed for the next album Milk and Honey . The inspiration for Let Me Count the Ways and Grow Old With Me came from the living in the 19th century British poet and playwright Robert Browning and his wife Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
Yoko Ono recorded three more tracks for the album Milk and Honey : Sleepless Night , Your Hands and You're the One . The song You're the One was composed after the death of John Lennon. Sleepless Night and Your Hands should have been known to John Lennon, according to Yoko Ono. Mixing and further processing took place in the A and R Studios and Sterling Sound Studios in New York and in The Automatt Studios in San Francisco .
Overall, the album Milk and Honey was musically rougher compared to Double Fantasy , which is also due to the fact that the songs were not fully completed during John Lennon's lifetime. Whether John Lennon and Yoko Ono planned to release the album Milk and Honey in this form in 1980 or whether it was intended to use other songs or re-record existing songs remains speculative. Further recordings with the musicians of Double Fantasy were planned for mid-December 1980 .
Although music producer Jack Douglas was involved in the production of these seven tracks, he is not mentioned as a co-producer. One reason could have been that Yoko Ono and Jack Douglas had a lawsuit in July 1981 over the amount of production royalties for the album Double Fantasy .
The CD re-release from 2001 includes the Yoko Ono composition Every Man Has a Woman Who Loves Him sung by John Lennon; this song is from the tribute LP Every Man Has a Woman for Yoko Ono, which was released in September 1984. The title was completed in July 1984 using John Lennon's harmony vocals as the lead vocals.
After differences of opinion with David Geffen , Yoko Ono switched to Polydor on October 3, 1982 , so Milk and Honey , like the Yoko Ono album It's Alright (I See Rainbows) , was released on this label. After the expiration of the record deal with Polydor, the publishing rights for the recordings of John Lennon went back to EMI .
In the song I'm Stepping Out , John Lennon tells how he escapes everyday life and its upsets. I'm Stepping Out was the first song recorded during the Double Fantasy / Milk and Honey sessions. It was recorded on August 6, 1980.
I Don't Wanna Face It expresses Lennon's discomfort about taking on a public role.
The text for Nobody Told Me is a socio-political and personal analysis by John Lennon.
The lyrics of the song Borrowed Time took on a different meaning with the murder of John Lennon. John Lennon sings about the benefits of getting older, but also that he lives with borrowed time and does not waste any thought on "tomorrow".
The lyrics to (Forgive Me) My Little Flower Princess are an admission of guilt to Yoko Ono, the song was recorded in reggae style.
John Lennon's wish was that his song Grow Old With Me would be played at wedding receptions in the future. In November 1998, the song was released with an additional orchestration by George Martin on the box set John Lennon Anthology .
A limited Picture Disc LP was also released in Great Britain on March 26, 1984.
Additional variations of songs from the recording sessions were included on the John Lennon Anthology boxset in November 1998 ; and on the bonus CD Hometapes the Signature Box released in October of 2010.
Cover design
The cover art was created during the same recording session as Double Fantasy . However, the cover of Milk and Honey appeared in color. The cover pictures were photographed by Kishin Shinoyama. The design comes from Bill Levy and Bob Heimall.
Track list
page 1
- I'm Stepping Out (Lennon) - 4:06
- Sleepless Night (Ono) - 2:34
- I Don't Wanna Face It (Lennon) - 3:22
- Don't Be Scared (Ono) - 2:45
- Nobody Told Me (Lennon) - 3:34
- O'Sanity (Ono) - 1:04
Page 2
- Borrowed Time (Lennon) - 4:29
- Your Hands (Ono) - 3:04
- (Forgive Me) My Little Flower Princess (Lennon) - 2:28
- Let Me Count the Ways (Ono) - 2:17
- Grow Old With Me (Lennon) - 3:07
- You're the One (Ono) - 3:56
Bonus title
- Every Man Has a Woman Who Loves Him (John Lennon version) (Ono) - 3:19 (appeared on the 2001 re-release)
- I'm Stepping Out (Home Version) (Lennon) - 2:57 (appeared on the 2001 re-release)
- I'm Moving On (Home Version) (Ono) - 1:20 (appeared on the 2001 re-release)
- Interview with John and Yoko - December 8th 1980 - 21:55 (appeared on the 2001 re-release)
Re-releases
- It was first published in CD format in January 1984 on the Polydor label; in October 1990 there was a release by Capitol Records . The CD is accompanied by an eight-page illustrated booklet containing the lyrics and information about the album.
- In September 2001, the album was re-released in a remastered but not remixed version, with three bonus tracks and an interview that was recorded five hours before John Lennon's death. The remastering took place at Sterling Sound Studios in New York under the supervision of Yoko Ono. George Marino was responsible for the remastering. The CD comes with a 24-page illustrated booklet that contains information about the album and the lyrics to the song.
- In October 2010 the album was re-released in a remastered version, this time in the original mix and without bonus tracks. The remastering took place in 2010 at Abbey Road Studios by Paul Hicks and Sean Magee. Allan Rouse was the project coordinator. The album has a cardboard cover that can be opened and which is accompanied by a 16-page illustrated booklet containing information about the album and the lyrics to the song. The design comes from the company Peacock and Karla Merrifield.
Single releases
Nobody told me
In the run-up to the album, the single Nobody Told Me / O'Sanity was released on January 9, 1984 in the UK and January 6 in the USA .
Two different promotional singles were produced in the US: a 7 "vinyl single that contains Nobody Told Me on both sides and a 12" vinyl single that contains Nobody Told Me / O'Sanity .
The British 7 ″ promotion single can be played on one side and contains the song Nobody Told Me .
Borrowed Time
On March 9, 1984, the second single Borrowed Time / Your Hands was released. The UK also released the 12 ″ vinyl maxi single: Borrowed Time / Your Hands / Never say Goodbye , the song Never say Goodbye from the Yoko Ono album It's Alright (I See Rainbows) , as well as a 7 ″ vinyl -Single that is in a folded poster.
In the US, the single was released on May 14, 1984 with a different cover. The US promotional single contains an abbreviated version of the song on the A-side, while the B-side contains the full version.
I'm stepping out
On July 16, 1984 I'm Stepping Out / Sleepless Night was released as the third single. The 12 ″ vinyl maxi single: I'm Stepping Out / Sleepless Night / Loneliness was also released in Great Britain , with the song Loneliness also being taken from the Yoko Ono album It's Alright (I See Rainbows) .
In the US, the last two singles were released in reverse order, so the single was released here on March 19, 1984 with a different cover. The US promotional single contains an abbreviated version of the song on the A-side, while the B-side contains the full version.
The German single contains the shortened version of I'm Stepping Out .
Every Man Has a Woman Who Loves Him
On November 19, 1984, the track Every Man Has a Woman Who Loves Him was released as a single, which had been recorded during the sessions for the album Double Fantasy , but did not appear on the LP. In the UK, singles were also made with a poster insert.
In the US, the single was released on October 8, 1984. The US promotional single contains the song Every Man Has a Woman Who Loves Him on both sides .
The B-side It's Alright is a Yoko Ono composition that was sung by Sean Lennon .
More singles
- On April 30, 1990, the single Nobody Told Me / I'm Stepping Out was released in the USA .
- In October 2000, the promotional 7 "vinyl single Every Man Has a Woman Who Loves Him (Lennon Version) / Every Man Has a Woman Who Loves Him (Ono Version) was produced in the USA .
Chart placements
| year | album | Chart placements | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE | AT | CH | UK | US | ||
| 1984 | Milk and Honey | 20th | 12 | 15th | 3 | 11 |
| year | Single release | Chart placements | ||||
| DE | AT | CH | UK | US | ||
| 1984 | Nobody told me | 55 | - | - | 6th | 5 |
| 1984 | Borrowed Time | - | - | - | 32 | - |
| 1984 | I'm steppin 'out | - | - | - | - | 55 |
| 1984 | Every Man Has a Woman Who Loves Him (separate single) | - | - | - | - | - |
Sales figures and awards
| Country / Region | Award | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Awards for music sales (country / region, Award, Sales) |
||
 Canada (MC)
|
 gold
|
50,000 |
 United States (RIAA)
|
gold
|
500,000 |
 United Kingdom (BPI)
|
gold
|
100,000 |
| All in all |
3 × gold |
650,000 |
literature
- Chip Madinger, Mark Easter: Eight Arms To Hold You - The Solo Compendium . 44.1 Productions, 2000, ISBN 0-615-11724-4 , pp. 130-146.
- 2010 CD booklet from Milk and Honey
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Lennon and McCartney - Together Alone: A Critical Discography of their Solo Work . Jawbone, 2007, p. 143 f.
- ↑ Album: Season of Glass
- ↑ Album: It's Alright (I See Rainbows)
- ^ CD booklet from 2010 by Milk and Honey , page 6
- ^ CD booklet from 2010 by Milk and Honey , p. 4
- ↑ Tribute LP: Every Man Has a Woman ( Memento of the original from December 17, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Text: I'm Stepping Out
- ↑ Text: I Don't Wanna Face It
- ^ Text: Nobody Told Me
- ^ Text: Borrowed Time
- ↑ Text: (Forgive Me) My Little Flower Princess
- ↑ Text: Grow Old With Me
- ^ Picture Disc LP: Milk and Honey
- ↑ US 7 ″ vinyl single: Nobody Told Me
- ↑ US promotion 7 ″ vinyl single: Nobody Told Me
- ↑ US promotion 12 ″ vinyl single: Nobody Told Me
- ↑ UK promotion 7 ″ vinyl single: Nobody Told Me
- ↑ UK 7 ″ vinyl single: Borrowed Time
- ↑ UK 12 ″ vinyl single: Borrowed Time
- ↑ UK 7 ″ poster vinyl single: Borrowed Time
- ↑ US 7 ″ vinyl single: Borrowed Time
- ↑ US promotion 7 ″ vinyl single: Borrowed Time
- ↑ UK 7 ″ vinyl single: I'm Stepping Out
- ↑ UK 12 ″ vinyl single: I'm Stepping Out
- ↑ US 7 ″ vinyl single: I'm Stepping Out
- ↑ US promotion 7 ″ vinyl single: I'm Stepping Out
- ↑ German 7 ″ vinyl single: I'm Stepping Out
- ↑ German 7 ″ vinyl single: Every Man Has a Woman Who Loves Him
- ↑ UK 7 ″ poster vinyl single: Every Man Has a Woman Who Loves Him
- ↑ US promotion 7 ″ vinyl single: Every Man Has a Woman Who Loves Him
- ↑ US 7 ″ vinyl single: Nobody Told Me / I'm Stepping Out
- ↑ Promotion-7 ″ -Vinyl-Single: Every Man Has a Woman Who Loves Him (Lennon Version) / Every Man Has a Woman Who Loves Him (Ono Version)
Experimental studio albums with Yoko Ono:
Unfinished Music No.1: Two Virgins (1968) |
Unfinished Music No. 2: Life with the Lions (1969) |
Wedding Album (1969)
Studio albums:
John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band (1970) |
Imagine (1971) |
Some Time in New York City (with Yoko Ono) (1972) |
Mind Games (1973) |
Walls and Bridges (1974) |
Rock 'n' Roll (1975) |
Double Fantasy (with Yoko Ono) (1980) |
Milk and Honey (with Yoko Ono) (1984)
Live albums:
Live Peace in Toronto 1969 (with Yoko Ono) (1969) |
Live in New York City (1986)
Albums with unreleased material:
Menlove Ave. (1986) |
John Lennon Anthology (1998) |
Wonsaponatime (1998) |
Acoustic (2004)
Compilations:
Shaved Fish (1975) |
The John Lennon Collection (1982) |
Lennon (1990) |
Lennon Legend: The Very Best of John Lennon (1997) |
Instant Karma: All-Time Greatest Hits (2001) |
Peace, Love & Truth (2004) |
Working Class Hero: The Definitive Lennon (2005) |
Remember (2006) |
John Lennon Collector's Edition (2008) |
Power to the People: The Hits (2010) |
Gimme Some Truth (2010) |
Signature Box (2010) |
ICON (2014)
Soundtracks:
imagine: john lennon (Music from the Motion Picture) (1988) |
The US vs. John Lennon (2006)
Interviews:
Heart Play - unfinished dialogue (with Yoko Ono) (1983) |
John & Yoko: The Interview (with Yoko Ono) (1990)
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Studio albums:
Yoko Ono / Plastic Ono Band (1970) |
Fly (1971) |
Approximately Infinite Universe (1973) |
Feeling the Space (1973) |
A Story (1974) |
Season of Glass (1981) |
It's Alright (I See Rainbows) (1982) |
Starpeace (1985) |
Rising (1995) |
Blueprint for a Sunrise (2001) |
Between My Head and the Sky (2009) |
YOKOKIMTHURSTON [with Kim Gordon & Thurston Moore ] (2012) |
Take Me to the Land of Hell (2013) |
Warzone (2018)
Studio albums with John Lennon :
Unfinished Music No.1: Two Virgins (1968) |
Unfinished Music No. 2: Life with the Lions (1969) |
Wedding Album (1969) |
Some Time in New York City (1972) |
Double Fantasy (1980) |
Milk and Honey (1984)
Live albums:
Live Peace in Toronto 1969 (with John Lennon) (1969)
Remix albums:
Rising Mixes (1996) |
Yes, I'm a Witch (2007) |
Open Your Box (2007) |
Onomix (2012) |
Onomix Unmixed (2012) |
Yes, I'm A Witch Too (2016)
Compilations:
Onobox (1992) |
Walking on Thin Ice - Compilation (1992)
Interviews:
Heart Play - unfinished dialogue (with John Lennon) (1983) |
John & Yoko: The Interview (with John Lennon) (1990)