The Lost Weekend: John Lennon’s 18 Months Of Creativity And Turmoil

To label a period of 18 months a “lost weekend” seems a stretch to many, but to John Lennon it marked a time of intense creativity, outrageous behavior, a musical reunion with Paul McCartney, and the breakup and reconciliation of his relationship with Yoko Ono. This fascinating chapter in Lennon's life is often remembered as a time of both personal strife and artistic flourishing.

Lennon took the moniker for this period of self-introspection and productivity from The Lost Weekend, a 1945 film starring Ray Milland as an alcoholic writer struggling to overcome his addiction and return to his creative process. Similar to the film's protagonist, Lennon found himself navigating the complexities of life, love, and addiction during this tumultuous time.

Lennon Began an Affair with May Pang

Beginning in the summer of 1973 and lasting through early 1975, Lennon’s "lost weekend" signifies the period of separation between himself and Ono. Four years into their marriage, the cracks were beginning to show, and Lennon moved out, embarking on an affair with the couple’s assistant, May Pang. Together, they split their time between Pang’s New York City apartment and a house they rented in Los Angeles, marking a significant shift in Lennon’s personal life.

Pang has always maintained that the relationship happened with Ono’s blessing. “The affair was not something that was hurtful to me,” Ono told The Telegraph in 2012. “I needed a rest. I needed space. Can you imagine every day of getting this vibration from people of hate? You want to get out of that.” She observed Lennon becoming restless, so she thought it would be better for both of them to take a break, believing that Pang was intelligent and efficient enough to handle the relationship.

Lennon Drank Alcohol and Did Drugs in Excess

Away from Ono, Lennon began drinking heavily and abusing drugs. In L.A., he teamed with producer Phil Spector to record an album of rock standards that had inspired him. “The guys were all drinking — and John was being one of the guys,” Pang recalled in an interview. “Everyone was as blitzed as he. One of the bass players got into a car wreck. We got kicked out of A&M studios when someone threw a bottle of liquor down the console.”

A more famous ejection happened when Lennon and his drinking buddy, singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson, were tossed out of the Troubadour rock club in West Hollywood in March 1974 for heckling the Smothers Brothers. “I got drunk and shouted,” Lennon reportedly recalled. “It was my first night on Brandy Alexanders — that’s brandy and milk, folks. I was with Harry Nilsson, who didn’t get as much press coverage as me, the bum. He encouraged me.”

He Reunited with Paul McCartney for a Jam Session

Despite the substance abuse, the period was productive in terms of music. Lennon completed three albums, Mind Games, Walls and Bridges, and Rock ‘n’ Roll, while also producing LPs for Nilsson and former bandmate Ringo Starr. The single “Whatever Gets You Through the Night,” from Walls and Bridges, marked Lennon’s first solo No. 1 hit in the U.S., featuring Elton John on piano and backing vocals.

However, it was an impromptu jam session on March 28, 1974, that ignited rumors of a possible Beatles comeback. Lennon was at Burbank Studios producing a single for Nilsson when McCartney and his wife, Linda, unexpectedly stopped by. “I jammed with Paul,” Lennon revealed in a later interview. “We did a lot of stuff in L.A., though there were 50 other people playing, all just watching me and Paul.” This session marked the only known collaboration between Lennon and McCartney between the breakup of The Beatles in 1970 and Lennon’s murder in 1980.

Lennon Eventually Reunited with Yoko Ono and Had a Son

Unfortunately, the anticipated meeting between Lennon and McCartney in New Orleans never occurred. Around that same time, Ono reached out to Lennon, requesting he visit their apartment at The Dakota in New York regarding a treatment for his nicotine addiction. Lennon, who communicated with Ono almost daily during his “lost weekend,” begged to return home and would remain with her from then on. Their son Sean was born in October 1975, symbolizing a fresh start for the couple.

Ono later explained their decision to reunite in a joint interview with Lennon in 1980, stating, “It slowly started to dawn on me that John was not the trouble at all. John was a fine person. It was society that had become too much. We laugh about it now, but we started dating again.” For Lennon, this period was about reordering priorities, focusing on family as they anticipated the arrival of their new baby.

Taking on the role of househusband, Lennon took a five-year hiatus from the music industry, but in October 1980, he released the single “(Just Like) Starting Over,” ahead of the release of his and Ono’s album Double Fantasy. Unfortunately, it received mostly negative critiques and would be Lennon's last studio album before his death the following month.

Even after their breakup, Pang remained in contact with Lennon until his death. She married record producer Tony Visconti in 1989, and the couple had two children, but they divorced in 2000. In a 2015 interview, Pang described her split with Lennon, referring to the end of the “lost weekend” as a “gray zone.” She recalled that during early 1975, they were considering buying a home in the Hamptons before Lennon returned to Ono. Pang noted she remained romantically involved with Lennon for several years after their split, with their last meeting occurring in the winter of 1978-1979.