Who was the mistress that sang backing vocals on John Lennon’s 1974 song ‘#9 Dream’?
John Lennon’s 1974 song ‘#9 Dream’ features backing vocals by May Pang, his partner during the separation from Yoko Ono known as his “Lost Weekend”. The song matters here because its dreamlike lyrics grew from Lennon’s feelings for both women, and Pang’s account clarifies who sang on the track.
Pang said Lennon dreamed most of the song, including the nonsensical chorus phrase “bowakawa pousse pousse”; he believed two women calling his name were Pang and Ono. She recalled that he asked her to sing, dimming the studio lights because she felt shy, and that he shaped the orchestral arrangement to lull listeners into the dream. The separation began in 1973 and lasted about 18 months.
- May Pang sang backing vocals on ‘#9 Dream’.
- Lennon said the song came largely from a dream.
- He connected the two voices in it with Pang and Yoko Ono.
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John Lennon was a musician who became famous as a member of the Beatles before pursuing a solo career. Yoko Ono, an artist and musician, married him in 1969; they separated for a period in the 1970s.
During that separation, Lennon was in a relationship with May Pang, who worked with him and Ono. The period, which lasted about 18 months, became known as his “Lost Weekend”, though it lasted longer than the name suggests.
“#9 Dream” is a solo song from Lennon’s 1974 album Walls and Bridges. Pang’s connection to the song helps explain the people behind its vocals and its dreamlike references.