When John Lennon And Yoko Ono Stayed In Bed For Peace

By Kanyi M

There’s a lot of speculation about whether this was an act of defiance, activism, or art. The Bed-In for Peace that you may not know the significance of took place on March 27, 1969. John Lennon and Yoko Ono were staying in bed for two weeks when it was not socially acceptable to do so. This event created a lot of controversies and had some surprising results. Let’s take a look at what happened during this bed-in, what Lennon and Ono had hoped to achieve with this event, the lasting impact that the Bed-In had, and why it has continued to have such an impact today.

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They chose the Hilton in Amsterdam because it represented the truth about war, violence, and life itself (peace). Lennon knew he would not be able to move the Hilton’s guests and therefore chose it as a starting point (to make a statement). The idea for this event came from Lennon’s frustration with the media. Lennon recognized a well-worn pattern – a story about sudden celebrity success often ended up as headline news.

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It was as if the media were determined to end his career as an artist. In 1969, the media was extreme. It was full of sensationalism and comments about Lennon’s “latest excesses.” Photographs were often published from this time with headlines such as, “John Lennon stands naked on a park bench,” “John Lennon sunbathes nude,” John Lennon shows his bum under a blonde wig,” and ‘John Lennon is pissed off with the world.” As a result, he decided to achieve “peace” by holding a two-week peace protest –  a Bed-In for peace  – where he would spend his time in bed together.