Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Remembering John Lennon

John signing his death warrent, 8 December 1980, as his murderer looks on

It was this day in 1980, when sitting in a remote area in the cold December night and listening to the BBC on my radio, that I heard the news of murder of John Lennon – one of my favourite singers and a Beatle. The news was really heartbreaking as John was all music all along his life – and with his death the music that the world loved died.

Born on October the 9th 1940, John had just forty years to live. And lived he did – something that made him remembered even after thirty years of his death today by hundreds and thousands of music lovers. The young boy from Liverpool paired with Paul McCartney to lay the foundation of the world famous pop group, The Beatles. Later joined in by Ringo Starr and George Harrison, the band played some of the best scores of all times. John and Paul were the main force behind the Beatles as they wrote the lyrics and composed music of almost all of their songs. Some of their best were let it be, the long and winding road, Hey Jude, She loves you, a hard day’s night and many more.

I remember the TV footage of the Beatles first arrival in the USA. Thousands of their fans thronged the airport and all venues wherever they played. Some even claim that the group overshadowed the American music icon Elvis Presley.

When the band broke in the 70s, John sang on solos. He married Yoko Ono and both contributed to music as much as they could. From 1975-80, John focused more on his family than music. His last album “Double Fantasy” came just three weeks before he was murdered. In fact he signed his death warrant as the man he gave his last autograph to, murdered him seconds after John gave his autograph. No plausible reason was given by the man who murdered John for his act except that he wanted to have John’s last autograph.

John is still very popular after three decades since his death. His sol album’s sales in USA alone have exceeded 14 million copies. John was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1987 and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. But no amount of awards can undo the harm his death did to music. He will be remembered as one of the greatest singers of all times.

Related reading: John Lennon (Wikipedia)

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