Fly (Yoko Ono album)


Fly is the second album by Yoko Ono, produced by her and John Lennon, and released in 1971. It was a complete avant-garde/Fluxus package in a gatefold sleeve that came with a full-size poster and a postcard to order Ono's book Grapefruit. Notable songs include the singles "Midsummer New York" and "Mrs. Lennon", "Hirake" aka "Open Your Box" and "Don't Worry, Kyoko ", dedicated to Ono's daughter Kyoko Cox. "Airmale" is the soundtrack to Lennon's film Erection, showing a building being erected in time lapsed photography, while "Fly" is the soundtrack to Ono's film Fly.

Recording

The album was recorded around the same time as Lennon's Imagine. Ono had to re-record her vocals on "Open Your Box", on 4 March 1971 at Abbey Road Studios, after a managing director of EMI called the lyrics "distasteful"; In the verse "Open your trousers, open your skirt, open your legs and open your thighs", the words "Trousers", "skirt", "legs", and "thighs" were changed to "houses", "church", "lakes", and "eyes". Lennon and Ono didn't complain about the change of words, and only "wanted to get the record out", as a spokesman said.
"Will You Touch Me" was first recorded during the Fly sessions. It was later re-recorded for Yoko's shelved 1974 album A Story and for 1981's Season of Glass. The original demo version was included on the Rykodisc reissue of Fly in 1997.
Each edition of the US, UK and Japanese albums utilized that country's distinctive telephone ring in the track "Telephone Piece" – the Rykodisc CD edition used the US variation.

Release

Fly peaked at number 199 in the Billboard charts. On 1 February 1972, Lennon and Ono Lennon performed "Midsummer New York" backed by Elephant's Memory for an episode of The Mike Douglas Show, which aired on 15 February.

Reception

The album was a significant influence to British power electronics musician William Bennett of Whitehouse fame.

Track listing

All songs written by Yoko Ono.
Side one
  1. "Midsummer New York" – 3:50
  2. "Mind Train" – 16:52
Side two
  2. "Mind Holes" – 2:45
  3. "Don't Worry, Kyoko " – 4:55
  4. "Mrs. Lennon" – 4:10
  5. "Hirake" – 3:32
  6. "Toilet Piece/Unknown" – 0:30
  7. "O'Wind " – 5:22
Side three
  1. "Airmale" – 10:40
  2. "Don't Count the Waves" – 5:26
  3. "You" – 9:00
Side four
  2. "Fly" – 22:53
  3. "Telephone Piece" – 0:33

    Personnel

Release history