Was Yoko the real cause for the Beatles breakup?

I'm making a slew of 'controversial' threads (or polls) in Menlove to generate some discussion, and perhaps keep people distracted enough to avoid slaughtering Sean in various threads (here's looking @ you, you-know-who!)

That's giving Yoko too much credit. She's not THAT important.

Now, back to Sean and his non-voice!

Originally Posted by 4iiiis

I'm making a slew of 'controversial' threads (or polls) in Menlove to generate some discussion, and perhaps keep people distracted enough to avoid slaughtering Sean in various threads (here's looking @ you, you-know-who!)

Great idea, 4iiis

Well, I wouldn't pretend that Yoko was the "real" cause, but she was definitively ONE of the (many other) reasons for the breakup

Snoopy

I blamed Yoko for years especially after reading the books that came out in the 80s like Brown's. I did understand John being in love but I didn't like Yoko's controlling ways.

Now, I'm convinced it was more Klein. Sure, John actually broke up the band, but I think it was the entire Klein situation that prompted him. (Not sure what roll Yoko played in that so I can't blame her exactly)
I do blame Yoko for being a good chunk of breaking up John from his son Julian.

Please vote everyone! And comment on what you voted since I forgot to make votes public.

Sorry, 4iiiis, I couldn't find anything I agreed with to vote for!

Originally Posted by hibgal

Sorry, 4iiiis, I couldn't find anything I agreed with to vote for!

Spill it then. I want to know what you think.

Short answer is no. She was not the cause.

My view, since you asked, 4iiiis, is that they broke up because they had lost their motivation. For years they were the biggest act around, the most famous, the leader of the pack. There were no place to go but up yet, when you reach the top of the mountain, where do you go from there? What world was left for them to conquer? The common goal was the key ingredient cementing them together as a band and once they had reached it, the main reason to stick it out no matter what was gone. The in-fights, in-laws, business voes, egos etc. etc. were just symptoms of that larger whole.

I think John sort of used Yoko as a method of reasserting his control over the band and their direction. He kind of checked out because of a depression and tripped out and went along to get along for a couple of years prior, trying to destry his ego with acid, and let McCartney take the reins.

Then he meets Yoko and the depression lifts. Now he wants to take control of the Beatles back (to the end of his life he considered the Beatles his band, with Paul as his, um, wingman, I suppose. While Paul, I think, always felt and still feels the Beatles were their--his and John's--band.)

He may have been looking for a way out as well.

That's not the only reason. I think they were damned smart as it turned out. They ended it before they became a parody of themselves (cough--Stones--cough).

I voted for Brian Epstein's death was the beginning of the end.There were other reasons.But there is even audio recordings of John talking about this.Yoko did not break up the Beatles.The band members were also changing and drifting apart on their own to.John said he founded and started the Beatles.That he was the one that decided to disband it.

This was a very challenging poll because I believe each option was a component, in truth, to the demise of The Beatles.

I would never say Yoko was solely to blame, and I will scoff loudly and with attitude at anyone who blames her alone for the band's breakup. But she definitely was a catalyst. The Beatles were always 'John's band.' Even when Paul was assuming the leader role he was never really the leader. John always had that underlying control. And no one could really tell John what to do, let's be honest.

But when he found Yoko, as wilde so beautifully put, she opened him up to a world and a life he had inside him the whole time. She basically told him, "You can say it John. You can do it." And that was all he needed.

So John, in the end, was probably the one who I'd give the edge to in The Beatles break-up. He rocked the boat by bringing Yoko into the studio. He knew how the boys would respond to this. He knew the chaos it would ensue, even if all that chaos was sort of beneath the surface at first. John was brilliant, quick, assertive, and VERY shrewd. He made it to the 'Toppermost of the Poppermost' after all- and not on good intentions and a sweet smile.

So he may have been thinking of it in terms of everything I said above- that Yoko would drive a wedge between their special unity. And also, he may have wanted the people he loved the most to spend that last bit of time together...any way, he knew it would cause trouble and he knew the consequences.

But he did it. Because he was John Lennon. And that's how he rolled.

I, unlike SOOOOOOOOOO many people in this world who call themselves Beatles fans, actually feel that the Beatles ending (though extremely acrimonious) was possibly the greatest of any band in history. They went out with a bang, not a whimper, and a stunning Swan Song in Abbey Road.

Like the Kings, the Bosses, that they were.

as scruffie says..just one of the reasons...but i think brian's death started a decline.



gk.

Wow, my vote is actually ahead right now. I'm going with the "Brian's death" line for now... because I think that if it weren't for that sad event, then the lawyers and money issues wouldn't have taken over, which was probably the actual final nail in the coffin (as it were ).

Really, I'd go back before Brian's death to say that the end of touring set the stage for the break-up, which then became pretty much inevitable once Brian died and there was no one to really fill the void. Even though Paul tried to make up for the loss, it didn't really work, did it? I think they needed a trusted non-Beatle to play the role. Let's not forget that Brian took a lot of abuse from the boys, which the other three then started heaping on Paul... but he wouldn't take it from them as Brian did.

AND I also feel that John was really the one to spiritually push the others to the end... though, of course, some would argue George kind of was, too... but he did try to convince John to stay, so I get the feeling he (George) would've come around if everything was a bit more "groovy" (i.e., not such a drag) among the four of them.

I think John, in his intuitive way, saw that an end was inevitable after touring stopped... and I think he was so scared that he needed to find a way to get out of it and still be strong on his own... so he put all his energy into Yoko. It was kind of like when someone knows a relationship is doomed, but they stay in it until they find someone new.

All that being said... who knows for sure? Books have been and probably still will be written on the subject. All I know is that is was probably better for them to break up when they did... still relevant and still looked at as the proverbial "top of their game." Something tells me that John's intuition led him to that conclusion.

I chose the second answer, but I really think it was a combination of factors and wish I could select several answers instead of only one.

SF-4-EVER, I'd love to know what particular factors you feel contributed most. I'm in the same boat, as I feel I could have selected any or all of the options as being part of/a catalyst for the band's breakup.

Originally Posted by Apple Scruff

I would never say Yoko was solely to blame, and I will scoff loudly and with attitude at anyone who blames her alone for the band's breakup. But she definitely was a catalyst. The Beatles were always 'John's band.' Even when Paul was assuming the leader role he was never really the leader. John always had that underlying control. And no one could really tell John what to do, let's be honest.

But when he found Yoko, as wilde so beautifully put, she opened him up to a world and a life he had inside him the whole time. She basically told him, "You can say it John. You can do it." And that was all he needed.

So John, in the end, was probably the one who I'd give the edge to in The Beatles break-up. He rocked the boat by bringing Yoko into the studio. He knew how the boys would respond to this. He knew the chaos it would ensue, even if all that chaos was sort of beneath the surface at first. John was brilliant, quick, assertive, and VERY shrewd. He made it to the 'Toppermost of the Poppermost' after all- and not on good intentions and a sweet smile.

So he may have been thinking of it in terms of everything I said above- that Yoko would drive a wedge between their special unity. And also, he may have wanted the people he loved the most to spend that last bit of time together...any way, he knew it would cause trouble and he knew the consequences.

Well said, Scruffie.... this reflects pretty good my own opinion

Snoopy

Originally Posted by Apple Scruff

SF-4-EVER, I'd love to know what particular factors you feel contributed most. I'm in the same boat, as I feel I could have selected any or all of the options as being part of/a catalyst for the band's breakup.

I was very close to voting for Brian's death instead of the second option. I think the reason I chose the second option was that it summed up the whole situation by the end. After Brian died and John got interested in other things, there was a power vacuum that Paul tried to fill to the others' resentment. George was coming into his own as a songwriter and needed more than two slots per album. While I'm sure they're glad they went out on top, I don't think they wanted to avoid the 70s (and they didn't anyway). Running Apple and dealing with lawyers certainly soured the Beatles' relationships with each other for a while. The causes are all tangled with each other, but I'd say Brian's death, business decisions, egos, and growing apart were the most important factors in the breakup.

P.S. To me, Yoko's presence in the studio was more a symptom of the other problems in the band than the main problem itself.

SF4-EVER, I concur. I think it was a combination of forces. It's just easier to blame Yoko for a lot of people.

I think some people don't want to admit that The Beatles got sick of being a Beatle.