Over the course of her wide-ranging career as a musician, artist, and peace activist, Yoko Ono has lived through moments of global fame, devastating loss, and deeply personal triumphs.

But in a reflective interview with BBC Four’s Desert Island Discs in 2007, she recounted a private moment tied to one particular piece of music – or a moment that moved her to the brink of tears.

The song was ‘When I Grow Too Old to Dream’ by Gracie Fields, a 1934 ballad that once connected her to her mother…