A newly updated official music video for John Lennon‘s angst-ridden, confessional 1970 song “Mother” has premiered in conjunction with what would have been his mother Julia‘s 107th birthday this past Friday, and the U.K. holiday Mothering Sunday that was observed over the weekend.
The clip features the new “Ultimate Mix” of “Mother” that was released recently in advance of the massive reissue of John’s debut solo studio album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, which is due out on April 16.
The video, which has been visually upgraded to the high-res 4K format, features a montage of black-and-white photos from Lennon’s personal archives, mostly of John as a boy, but also including pics of Julia and other parental figures from throughout his life, among them his father, Alfred; his Aunt Mimi; his Uncle George; and Beatles manager Brian Epstein.
As the video progresses, we see photos from later in Lennon’s life, including pics with his sons Julian and Sean, and his wife Yoko Ono. The end of the clip boasts a series of photos of fans mourning John after his 1980 murder.
Lennon wrote “Mother,” which is the first track on John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, about his feelings of abandonment by both of his parents. The song, specifically its ending, was influenced by the primal scream psychotherapy that he and Yoko had been practicing at the time.
As previously reported, the John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band — The Ultimate Collection reissue, which you can pre-order now, features 159 tracks spread across six CDs and two Blu-ray audio discs, including 87 previously unreleased recordings. Among the tracks are a bevy of demos, rehearsal takes, outtakes, jams, studio chatter and much more.
Visit JohnLennon.com for full details about the reissue.
By Matt Friedlander
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
