Why Did Yoko Ono Scream Like That in Her Music?

Yoko Ono is typically regarded in one of two ways: either as a complete hack who hitched her trailer to John Lennon's fame, or as a pioneering artist who challenged modern artistic constructs. Many fans of the Beatles would probably depict her as the former.

The same polarizing responses can be found in an answer to a recurring question regarding her musical stylings: Why did Yoko Ono scream like that?

If you're unfamiliar with the Yoko Ono scream, screech, yelp, wail, etc., there are plenty of examples, and reactions to her catching folks off guard with it online. Most famously is when Chuck Berry performed with John Lennon.

While the two were strumming away and singing together on a shared microphone, a high-pitched, staccato yodeling could be heard off-screen. As the camera cuts away, we see Yoko Ono making a noise into a microphone. Before the visual shift, however, Berry's eyes can be seen widening in the frame.

It's a piece of music trivia many share to criticize Yoko Ono's musicianship and how legendary artists react to it during a live performance. Many commenters in the above-linked clip wrote that it sounds as if Ono's microphone was cut during the song.

Gold Radio confirms this in its write-up of the incident, highlighting how, in the clip, Yoko appears to persist in yelling into the microphone, despite the fact that its sound has clearly been muted. The website also points out that Lennon appeared to have been caught off guard by her screaming, albeit not with the same bulging-eyed response Berry's face exhibited during the set.

The outlet also highlighted just how distasteful her scream could be viewed under the circumstances. The Beatles were all admittedly massive fans of Chuck Berry and even covered multiple songs by the artist throughout their careers.

In fact, there were some legal issues regarding Berry's work and The Beatles' track "Come Together," which was eventually settled out of court. Others have gone so far as to say that the Fab Four directly "ripped off" Berry. But seeing Lennon and Berry performing together and clearly having a good time doing so, minus Yoko's screaming, points to the creative relationship they enjoyed.

Berry's royalties and credit for "Come Together," along with Lennon's work with an artist he clearly had respect for, play a role in the outrage geared towards Ono's screaming in their performance. This was a chance for Lennon to perform with an idol of his, one that Yoko decided to butt into with incongruous wailing.

Madeline Bocaro quoted Yoko Ono as embracing her screaming. "If you listen to some of my past records, you will experience songs that touch your delicate nerves as well. But the harsh ones were really my signature sounds," she said.

In the same post, a social media post from Ono reads: "I wanted to break the sound barrier with those sounds. The world needs to listen to our scream."

For Ono, her grating screaming was performed as a means of feminist protest, she states.

"I think it's extremely expressive of our emotional life. We sort of censor that, especially women. People don't want to hear women screaming. They want to hear women sing a pretty song. That's the idea in the male society. But we're the ones who have the babies, we're the ones who created the human race. So naturally women have big power, but we're supposed to hide the power," she stated.

Some may argue, however, that plenty of female singers managed to be successful and be champions for feminism before Yoko's time, during her time, and long after. What do you think? Is there any validity for Yoko's approach to creating music? Or is her screeching a protest against the fact that she's simply not talented?