"Open Your Box" is a The Plastic Ono Band song by

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up i ...

, released on 12 March 1971 as the B-side of

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

's single " Power to the People". Lennon played guitar and produced the song. In 1971, Ono's risqué lyrics were received in controversy ("box" is slang for

vagina In mammals, the vagina is the elastic, muscular part of the female genital tract. In humans, it extends from the vestibule to the cervix. The outer vaginal opening is normally partly covered by a thin layer of mucosal tissue called the hymen ...

). Ono sings, "Open your box, open your trousers, open your sex, open your legs, open open open open open". The record was banned from radio in Britain, and was played on-air only when echo was added to blur the lyrics. Capitol Records, which distributed music by

Apple Records Apple Records is a record label founded by the Beatles in 1968 as a division of Apple Corps Ltd. It was initially intended as a creative outlet for the Beatles, both as a group and individually, plus a selection of other artists including Ma ...

in the United States, initially refused to issue the recording, and it was replaced as the B-side by another Ono track, " Touch Me". "Open Your Box" was remixed and re-released by Orange Factory in 2001.

Availability on albums

"Open Your Box" eventually appeared in 1971 on Ono's '' Fly'' album, under the title "Hirake" ("ひらけ" means "opening" in Japanese.) It also appears as a

bonus track An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...

on a compact disc reissue of ''

Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band ''Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band'' is the debut studio album by Japanese artist and musician Yoko Ono, released on Apple Records in December 1970. It was released simultaneously with her husband's album ''John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band''. Backed by the P ...

'', however in a different version. The Orange Factory remixed version was an underground hit and brought about renewed interest in Ono's career, inspiring her to create her album ''

Blueprint for a Sunrise ''Blueprint for a Sunrise'' is a 2001 concept album of experimental feminist rock by Yoko Ono. It features live tracks, samples and remixes of previous recordings, and a sequel. The recurring theme throughout is the suffering of women. In the li ...

'' and further the remix project to much success. A compilation of these remixes entitled '' Open Your Box'' was released in April 2007.

Reception

''Ultimate Classic Rock'' critic Michael Gallucci rated it as Ono's 6th best song, saying that it "is about sex...but the noisy chaos surrounding it is pure primal rage."

Track listing

iTunes EP # "Open Your Box" (The Club) # "Open Your Box" (The Dub The Voice) # "Open Your Box" (Radio Edit)

Official versions

#Single version (censored) – 3:31 (as B-side of "Power to the People") #Album version (a.k.a. "Hirake") – 3:31 #Alternate version – 7:35 (from ''Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band'' CD reissue) #Orange Factory Radio Edit (2001) – 4:37 #Orange Factory Club Mix (2001) – 9:59 #Orange Factory Dub (2001) – 9:59 #Orange Factory Club Mix Edit – 6:20 (from ''Open Your Box'' compilation)

Credits and personnel

– vocals, songwriting, production *

– production, guitar *

Klaus Voormann Klaus Otto Wilhelm Voormann (born 29 April 1938) is a German artist, musician, and record producer. Voormann was the bassist for Manfred Mann from 1966 to 1969, and performed as a session musician on a host of recordings, including " You're So ...

– bass guitar * Jim Gordon – drums

Charts

References

{{Authority control Apple Records singles Yoko Ono songs 1971 songs 2001 singles Obscenity controversies in music Song recordings produced by John Lennon Song recordings produced by Yoko Ono Songs written by Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band songs