A Tribute to John Lennon (who would have been 80 years old today)

Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You, you may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you will join us
And the world will be as one…..

These infamous lyrics were written in 1971 when I was just a toddler, but they’re still as relevant today as they were then, especially in light of how divided the country has become. For those of you from another planet, these are the lyrics to the iconic John Lennon song, “Imagine.” The reason I am writing about this today is in honor of the man behind those lyrics whose life sadly ended all too soon (at 40 years old) when he was murdered December 8, 1980.

Though I was only 10 and not very knowledgeable about music, I remember hearing about it on the news and understanding that this was someone very important judging from the public response. It was only as I matured into my teens that I started to have some clue just how special he and the Fab Four were and how much of a part they would play in my life.

My exposure to the music of the Beatles is thanks to my dad for always tuning in to 105.7, the oldies station that played classic rock of the 50s all the way up to Motown and hits of the 70s. I probably remember hearing “Yesterday” more than any other song by the Beatles, but it’s difficult to remember since my childhood was so long ago.

Fast forward to my twenties when I fell in love with and married a Brit and moved across the pond with him. On one of our many adventures, in 2002 we were lucky enough to see Paul McCartney in concert as part of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee celebration. I remember dancing under the stars to “All You Need is Love” and “Hey Jude.” I digress, as I was saying I’m a fan of John.

There’s a particularly poignant moment in an episode of “Quantum Leap” where Sam leaps back home and is telling his little sister, Katie, about the future and lets slip that the Beatles eventually split up, which prompts the question by Katie, “What’s John gonna do? He’s my favorite.” Sam hesitates telling her, and is persuaded by Al not to, and instead ends up playing “Imagine” for her while strumming a guitar. Of course she cries and I think everyone else did too (I think you even see Al tearing up a little). Okay, so I’m a sucker for sentiment. 

 

I've even seen John's report card, several times actually as it's on display at the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. That's probably the best memento of John that they have.

In 2008 I had a dream come true when I got to go on an actual Magical Mystery Tour when we visited Liverpool. We saw all the relevant Beatles landmarks (sans Abbey Road though) including the legendary Cavern Club and even saw Paul’s childhood house (from the outside). 

 

Earlier that year we had been to NYC where the tragedy occurred and saw the Dakotas where Yoko Ono still lives and the "Imagine" memorial in Central Park.

In 2009 we saw “Nowhere Boy” which is “A chronicle of John Lennon's first years, focused mainly in his adolescence and his relationship with his stern aunt Mimi, who raised him, and his absentee mother Julia, who re-entered his life at a crucial moment in his young life.” (IMDB https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1266029/?ref_=ttmi_tt).

Tonight we’re going to tune in to a PBS special highlighting the John Lennon – Plastic Ono band which is all about John’s first post-Beatles album. Speaking of post-Beatles, I heard a BBC interview with John where he said there was no point in the Beatles ever getting back together because they all had different plans of what they wanted to do, and many had already put out their own solo albums. So I guess you can’t really blame Yoko Ono for the Beatles splitting up as many tend to do.

I would be remiss if I didn’t recommend an excellent movie about the Beatles’ music and its place in pop culture. It’s called “Yesterday” and came out in 2019. There’s even a brief appearance by a mystery guest that’s worth sitting through the movie until the end.

In conclusion, rest in peace John. Thank you for giving me so much joy and pleasure from your music.