Yoko Ono has written an open letter to Elbow, thanking the band for a namecheck in their new single 'New York Morning'. Ono, the former wife of the late John Lennon, is mentioned in the song lyrics: "Oh, my giddy aunt, New York can talk. It's the modern Rome and folk are nice to Yoko." And apparently Yoko was quite touched by the mention.
Writing on her official website, Ono said: "Dear Guy, Craig, Mark, Pete and Richard, Yes. New York has been kind to me as your song says. Thank you. For John (Lennon), he always wanted to come and live in this city, ever since he saw Bob Dylan on the famous album cover [The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan]. And I played the catalyst to make his dream come true.
"But in sleepless nights, I am still living in the memory of my sweet husband, who was virtually kicked out of his own country that he loved so dearly and learned to live in this bleak port city just so his woman and he could live in peace. Two sides of the coin. Life is. Have a great time in New York. We loved it. Love, Yoko."
So, a gracious open letter written online? Sinead O'Connor could take some lessons from this.
The song features on Elbow's new album The Take Off and Landing of Everything, which will be released in the next few days. Look for a review on site very soon!
