Imagine staring at a pair of bloodstained glasses, forever frozen in time, a haunting reminder of a life brutally cut short. This is the image Yoko Ono chose for the cover of Season of Glass, released just months after John Lennon’s assassination on December 8, 1980. These weren’t just any glasses—they were Lennon’s, carefully removed from his body by concierge Jay Hastings after the tragic shooting at the Dakota building. The backdrop? A view from the very floor where Lennon lived and died.
It’s an image that divides opinions to this day. Artistic statement or tasteless exploitation? When I recently shared it with friends—millennials to boomers—few remembered it, except for music journalists who were there at the time. One simply said, “Ghastly, isn’t it?” Even the record label urged Ono to change it. Why? Because Ono herself was deeply unpopular, and this cover felt to many like another attempt to profit from her relationship with Lennon. Ono defended it, calling it a “very, very mild expression” of what she had witnessed. But the backlash was fierce, fueled by the public’s sense of ownership over Lennon’s legacy—a phenomenon that often turns grief into anger and blame.
The day of Lennon’s death was surreal, like something out of a rockstar biopic. Earlier, the couple had spent hours with Annie Leibovitz, shooting the iconic Rolling Stone cover where Lennon clung to Ono like a tree frog, while she remained fully clothed. They recorded their final radio interview, which Steven Soderbergh is now transforming into an experimental film using groundbreaking AI technology. Then, they headed to the studio before returning home—a home that would soon become a crime scene.
It’s hard to imagine Ono using clichés like “glass half full” or “glass half empty,” but the water in the image might suggest a similar duality. Was it a nod to Lennon’s ambiguous state at the time? A noted cynic, he was, by all accounts, in a happy place, embracing his forties with contentment. Yet, the image remains a stark symbol of loss and controversy. Ironically, Season of Glass became Ono’s best-selling album to date.
But here’s where it gets controversial: Was Ono’s choice a bold artistic statement or a misstep in grief? Did she honor Lennon’s memory, or did she cross a line? And this is the part most people miss—the image isn’t just about Lennon’s death; it’s about the fragility of life and the permanence of loss.
What do you think? Was Ono’s cover a powerful tribute or a step too far? Let’s discuss in the comments—I’m curious to hear your take.
