Yoko Ono refuses to ‘let it be’ with putdown of McCartney’s song-writing

YOKO Ono reopened old wounds between John Lennon and Sir Paul McCartney at an awards bash yesterday.

Ono was at the ceremony to pick up a Q Special Award for Lennon, a day after what would have been his 65th birthday.

But she appeared to put down McCartney's song-writing abilities as she got on to the central London stage to pick up the gong.

Her comments were made to the cream of music talent, who had gathered for the annual ceremony.

She said she was honoured to be at the event and congratulated Oasis who have been inspired by The Beatles for receiving their award.

"John, I wish he was here today. He would have loved it," she said.

"John was very human and sometimes, in the middle of the night, he would say, 'Are you awake?' and I would say, 'Yes, yes' and he said, 'You know, they always cover Paul's songs and never mine and I don't know why'. I said, 'You're a good songwriter, it's not June with Spoon that you write. You're a good singer and most musicians are probably a little bit nervous about covering your songs'."

Her comments were made as Oasis made their comeback with two awards for Best Album and The People's Choice at the ceremony.

Damon Albarn, Oasis's old foe during the Britpop period, also scooped two awards Best Video and Best Producer with his new outfit Gorillaz.

Albarn matched his old rivals exactly 10 years since Oasis and Blur went head-to-head, with both launching singles on the same day. Blur's Country House went to No 1 but it was ultimately Oasis who benefited from the chart race.

Ill-feeling between Lennon and McCartney spilled over when the Fab Four broke up, and is not thought to have been fully resolved when Lennon was murdered in 1980.

Too Many People, a 1971 song by McCartney from his early solo career, is blamed for carrying the fight to Lennon. It was thought to deride Lennon's famous 'bed-peace' campaign and his relationship with Ono.

Lennon, in turn, wrote How Do You Sleep? which contains attacks on some aspects of his fellow Beatles' life or music.

Ono, 72, has been accused of breaking up the Beatles by distancing Lennon from his bandmates McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.

The dispute with Ono first occurred when The Beatles' Anthology was being assembled in the 1990s.

Then, Ono objected when McCartney asked her if he could put his name first on Yesterday, a song he largely wrote alone.

Ono refused, and subsequently, all 20 Beatles songs appearing on McCartney's live album, Back in the US, were reversed to McCartney-Lennon.