The idea that the Beatles‘ vital discography could be lost to a generation seems unfathomable, but as time passes, new technology arises, and society inevitably changes, John Lennon‘s son, Sean Ono Lennon, says it’s possible that the band could someday be forgotten.
When speaking to CBS Sunday Morning, Sean, 50, said he has “technically” taken over the role of custodian of his father’s legacy, which his mother, Yoko Ono, has protected and shaped throughout the decades.
“But obviously the world is also the custodian of his legacy, I would say,” said Sean. “I’m just doing my best to help make sure that the younger generation doesn’t forget about The Beatles and John and Yoko. That’s how I look at it.”
When asked if he thought it was possible for the new generation to not remember, Sean replied, “To forget about it? I do, actually,” adding, “And I never did before.”
John (who featured on the front page of Rolling Stone‘s very first issue in 1967), Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and the late George Harrison delivered one of the most enduring and revolutionary catalogs in the history of rock & roll — from their 1963 debut album, Please Please Me, to their final studio album, 1970’s Let It Be.
After John launched his solo career in 1970, after marrying Ono the year before, the couple released the transcendent record, Double Fantasy, in 1980, the final album before Lennon’s tragic murder.
“My parents gave me so much that I think it’s the least I can do to try and support their legacy in my lifetime,” Sean told CBS. “I feel like I just owe it to them. It’s a personal thing.”
In 2023, Sean and filmmaker Dave Mullins released the short film War Is Over!, winning an Academy Award for the project. The movie takes the anti-war anthem “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” — written and recorded by his parents in 1971 — and introduces it to a new generation in an animated film about enemy soldiers in World War I playing chess via a carrier pigeon.
Sean described his parents’ legacy as “peace and love,” before clarifying: “But it’s not just peace and love. It’s an attitude towards activism that is done with humor and love.”