Lots of musicians out there have been heavily inspired by their wives. What greater muse is there than the one you love, after all? Let’s take a look at a handful of famous artists who owe much of the inspiration behind their best work to the women they married.
John Lennon
Yoko Ono was more than a muse to John Lennon. She was a frequent collaborator throughout his solo career, who has songwriting credits in some of Lennon’s most enduring works. There were rumors and controversy surrounding her, particularly when it came to The Beatles’ breakup. But one can’t deny that she inspired Lennon heavily as a solo artist once the Fab Four came to an end. Even before the band broke up, Lennon wrote (and belted out) songs like “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” and “The Ballad Of John And Yoko” about Ono. After the band was done, songs like “Oh Yoko!” and “God” were clear references to his greatest muse. Ono would, years later, get a songwriting credit on Lennon’s legendary solo song “Imagine”.
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Paul McCartney
Like his former bandmate John Lennon, Paul McCartney was quite inspired by his first wife, Linda McCartney, throughout much of his solo career and work with Wings. All the man wanted to do was make music with his wife. And that’s precisely what he did on powerhouse records like Ram and much of Wings’ work, as Linda was a member of the band. The two worked together beautifully. I’m sure that the pair would have gone on to make more incredible music if Linda had not passed away so young.
Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash’s whirlwind romance with June Carter resulted in a marriage that lasted 35 years. It culminated in both artists passing away within mere months of each other. Cash was heavily inspired by Carter and wrote songs like “To June This Morning” and a number of poems about her. Carter famously wrote one of Cash’s most famous songs, “Ring Of Fire”. They also co-wrote a number of songs and performed duets together often. Cash is definitely worthy of a spot on our list of musicians inspired by their wives. But this particular music partnership showed that both musicians were very much inspired by each other until the very end.
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