Yoko Ono denies she broke 'The Beatles' up

In an interview to the Daily Mail, Yoko Ono, wife of John Lennon, insisted that she was not responsible for the break-up of The Beatles in 1970.

For years, the media and fans have speculated about how Yoko was one of the major reasons that the band broke up. But in the interview she claimed that she did not have enough influence during the time to have caused the break up.

The Beatles were a group made up of four very complex men, and my small hand could not have broken these men up. They broke up because they had reached an end, but in doing so they all also created new wonderful beginnings, she said.

The band officially broke up when Paul McCartney filed a lawsuit in 1970 to dissolve the partnership. The legalities were long drawn and were solved only in 1975.

Nearly 40 years after the event, hind-sight and a better understanding seemed to come into play. Ono now credits Paul McCartney for patching things up between her and Lennon in 1973 when they briefly separated. She even contended that she and McCartney are on good terms.

“Paul has a very sweet side and he and I have made our peace, she told the Daily Mail.

We are both business partners in Apple, and we speak and things are good between us, she said, adding that things are never black and white.

There are several websites, books, films, documentaries, articles and recorded interviews which detail the split.

In a recorded conversation with the Rolling Stone magazine journalist Jann Wenner after the split, Lennon said that he was forced to chose between his wife and the band and he chose Yoko. Lennon said in the interview, It seemed that I either had to be married to them or Yoko. I chose Yoko and I was right.

Lennon revealed his resentment of Paul’s taking over of the band after the death of their manager Brain Epstein in 1967. He said in the interview, “Paul took over and supposedly led us. But what is leading us when we went round in circles?

Paul had the impression we should be thankful for what he did, for keeping The Beatles going. But he kept it going for his own sake. Not for my sake did Paul struggle.

The business and interpersonal problems saw a long run of 20 years before the issues were sorted out. Today, the group's company, Apple Corps, is jointly owned by McCartney, Starr and the estates of Lennon and Harrison, and handles all past and future Beatles business.