One of the most baffling things to me is that John Lennon has been dead for longer than he was alive, yet he still holds such a massive cultural presence to this day. I wasn't born until nearly 20 years after he died but when I sit and think that Lennon was barely even a part of the 80's it really just shows how important he was and will remain for years to come.
John Lennon influenced so many of us. His legacy is enduring because he was a great songwriter, a great Rock singer, and the leader of the most successful Rock band ever. A working-class hero.
Lennon was the preeminent poet and philosopher of the 20th century. Nearly his every utterance in the presence of media became front page globally. His impact and influence upon our culture is immeasurable to this day. I remember that night, I had gone to my bass players house to work on a couple of songs, my girlfriend was with me as his was with him, we wept.
The loss of John was devastating. The loss of George was devastating. I was listening to Pink Floyd's "Time" yesterday and my 18 year old son caught me crying. He asked me why and I mentioned John and George and all of my musical heroes that have left the planet. I'm 52 and I feel my own mortality more than ever simply through the wisdom of aging and the realization we are all specks of dust on the universal timeline. For the first time in my life I catch myself looking at the sky at night alot and enjoying the simple beauty of each day, everyday. It's something I wasn't capable of when I was younger and I feel so blessed I've finally reached a point in my life where I can stop and ENJOY the simplest of moments.
Beautifully put . I’m almost 50 and I totally relate to the sentiments you so poignantly express . I’ve outlived Freddy mercury by 2 years now, JFK by 1 and it really makes you think . “ I turned to look , but it was gone . I cannot put my finger on it now ; the child has gone , the dream has gone “.
I was 27 years old when I learned that John Lennon was shot and killed. I also was watching MNF with my wife. I was a huge Beatles fan as well. I watched them on the Ed Sullivan show in 1964 when they made their debut. I was 11 then. The Beatles had a large impression on my life. I was hooked on their music, their looks and their fashion from day one until they split up. Their breakup was devastating to me. I couldn't imagine there'd be no new Beatles songs ever again. I always held out hope that they'd reunite someday. After the shock wore off about John's death, I realized that there'd never be any reunification of the greatest band to ever grace our presence. I do remember just sitting back in my chair, uninterested in the football game that I was watching, my mind just totally numb. There will never be another band like the Beatles who did what they did at a time when they did it and another musician like John Lennon. Sorry for the ramble.
When John died I was 30, newly married, living near the beach. All was good. Suddenly my favorite Beatle, my idol in many ways, was gone. The worst thing was how the Beatles in 64 had lifted so many of us out of lingering depression and sadness caused by JFK's death and now we had to deal with it again. All my sisters and brothers please take care of yourselves.
There was a moment in "Get Back" that was so poignant and powerful that made me feel for both John and George. George had just quit, and John did not show up and could not be reached, so Paul and Ringo are sitting in the studio with tears welling up and Paul says "Then there were two." The power behind those words, especially not knowing the harsh reality that it would indeed be just the two of them in the end sent chills up my spine. John was such a magnetic personality, and the love they all shared for him, and for each other, was palpable; regardless of the breakup.
I never put that together when I watched the doc. But that is very eerie now! So glad we were able to see them collaborating in 69. Just imagine if we had video like that for all their albums?
I remember seeing that scene an I started crying so hard because paul said something that would be more real 11 years later.when john died that was the end of beatles and the world didn't just lose a musician a wife and x wife lost their husbands ,2 children lost thier dad ,and paul george and ringo lost a friend and a brother and paul saying," it's a drag isnt it ?" Was paul copping with the loss of not just a friend but a third brother
My thoughts about John Lennon in the Get Back documentary was how young he was and the complexity of his personality. From his pragmatic response of George leaving, saying "if he's not back by Tuesday we'll get Eric Clapton" to his conversation with Paul about how they had treated George and his error in the situation. He had the emotional intelligence to admit his error. That's what comes through his music, not just his ability to craft great songs and lyrics but the stirring of emotion within the context of the songs he wrote. People still experience the sense of feeling in his songs that he was able to portray. Truly missed
John had sorta worked with Eric on the R&R Circus and the Toronto gig, but we pretty much know Eric being brought in was for their TV special and wouldn't have been a new Beatle. After reading Eric's book about the Toronto gig, he was treated like a second class citizen by J&Y *L*, yet a couple of months prior, Blind Faith had just paid to a huge audience at Hyde Park supporting the Stones.
@@muziktrkr I don't think Clapton felt any friendship towards the Lennons. And being a supposed friend of Harrisons I don't think he would have helped John hurt George. I can't imagine Clapton jamming the blues over the top of Johns songs.
@@Mexxx65 One of Johns professors in college said that "John does not have the "safety brakes" in his brain like most other people. Most people when they are about to blurt out something offensive or hurtful have a "braking" mechanism in their brain that allows them to 'stop' from doing so. Clearly, John Lennon's brain does not have that mechanism."
Like Rick, no death of anyone outside of my friends and family has ever affected me so deeply and so painfully. It may seem strange to grieve for someone you've never actually met but all Beatles fans felt they knew John and were in awe of him both as a musician and a person. I was depressed for months afterwards and couldn't listen to Double Fantasy as my feelings were too raw. It was only some time later, long after his death, that I began to realise that part of the grief I was feeling was for the death of my own youth. I was 32 in 1980 and all the joy in my teenage years and twenties had come from the Beatles and suddenly it was over. For me, much as I admire Paul, George and Ringo, John was always the one to watch or as Billy Preston once said, 'John was the boss Beatle!'
My sophomore year in college coming into my dorm a guy told me that John had been shot and killed. I locked myself in my room, put Pepper on and played A Day in the Life over and over for at least two hours. Many people who knew I was a big Beatles fan knocked on my door offering condolences; but I told them to leave me alone. Finally, my best friend who was also a big Beatles fan knocked on my door and said, "let's go get something to eat." I told him no I didn't feel like it. He then started saying #9 repeatedly, and chanting other less stellar works of John's. He got me laughing, I opened the door, put my arm around him, and we went out to get a meal. Yeah, I got by with a little help from my friends. I could picture John laughing and agreeing to get on with my life. That dear friend of mine died about 10 years ago. Thankfully, I told him how much I cared about him a number of times before his death. I've never truly gotten over John's...Give Peace a Chance!
I was 28 years old when John Lennon was killed. It was a time in my life when I was hurting from the end of my marriage. The Beatles were always my favorite band and a source of great pleasure. I remember that Beatles songs (especially John's) were playing everywhere on the radio and in the stereo stores and record shops. It seemed like everyone was in mourning. I'll never forget it. All the Beatles were great in their own right, but together they transcended everything. John was the undisputed leader of the band. Sometimes a little crazy but beloved none the less.
Well done Rick. I guess the one thing I'd add is that we ALL have "that date" out ahead of us. It could be tonight, tomorrow, next week, next year, 11 years. It's sometimes hard to do but we all need to live for the moment, be in the moment. As I just turned 65 and in relatively good health, I'm grateful for what I have today.
Well said friend. I would just add something, bible says, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" We ought to live each day as if it is our last. Make sure our hearts are right with our maker. John Lennon once said that The Beatles were “more popular than Jesus”. And also at one point in his life he got high on LSD and actually believe he was the Son of God. Bible says God does not share his glory. Book of Colossians says "all things were created through him and for him" And that's including every single human being. I hope JL had a chance to repent and be saved. God bless you friend and may the Lord give you many more years to come in good health.
1980 was a HUGE impact on me as a music lover. I remember I was a Freshman in High School and we were still trying to wrap our heads around the passing of Zeppelin's John Bonham when the news came down that John Lennon was assassinated. Understand, at the time, John had FINALLY come to terms w/ his fame and was in a happier place. He had just released probably his most hopeful and positive solo album, Double Fantasy. In it, he sang about his love of Yoko in one of the finest love songs ever written, "Woman". He wrote "Beautiful Boy" about Sean, his son, and he wrote "Starting Over", as positive and looking forward to life a song as he has ever written, I LOVED this album. Then all of a sudden, he was dead.... I was so sad that John never got to live this new perspective after being so 'angry' and combative, anti-establishment, most of his post Beatle life. What a loss RIP John.
I was a sophomore,..remember it clearly I worked at thrifty drug store after school,.. mom picked me up about 10:45pm after closing and when i got in the car, told me the news. I can still roll the tape back in my head & remember staring wordless, in shock at her then out the windshield of the car at the closed mall... I can see the buildings rolling past with all their signage and the parking lot lights on and handful of ppl walking out to their cars.. I wasn't a huge fanatic, but I knew I loved music of all types and already knew and loved so many of their songs bk then. and I DO remember we were still dealing with the end of Zeppelin only just recently with Bonham's passing earlier that year... damn... brutal year.
It's strange Rick. This is exactly what I was thinking watching him in the studio. Looking at his face, seeing his innocence and his youthful exuberance but also his gravity, the immensity of that world he had created for us all and that he carried on his young shoulders. And each time I was tearing when thinking about the fact that 11 years later he would be shot and killed for no reason other than the beauty of all he had created. Such a tragedy, a loss I will never fully comprehend. I'm glad this documentary gave us the opportunity to see the Beatles being a band of brothers rather than that awful ending that we have been carrying these past 50 years. John must be happy knowing that we get to see Yoko just being at his side and loving him rather than being that caricature the world has been fed to explain their breakup.
Well said. I never understood the lampooning of Yoko. Sure, her vocal stylings we’re strange, but I always figured that if John saw something in her, she must be a good soul. I dunno, maybe it’s bc I’m an Asian-American, and it reminds me of how people used to roll their eyes at my parents bc of their accents. It’s hard to know how objective my perception is, but I’ve always felt there was some racial component to the Yoko-hate. I believe Paul admitted as much during an interview. If I’m remembering correctly, he was asked “do you supposed the hate for Yoko has a racial component to it?” And Paul answering in his ever-charming, but honest way, “oh definitely. Yeah.” At any rate… racial or not, I’ve always thought she didn’t deserve the vitriol thrown at her… even today in 23 when there’s this tendency to be more nuanced about widely accepted cultural sentiments, you just see this tidal wave of hate.
To me, John was the heart and soul of the Beatles. I always tell the story of how he can turn a song from a 'granny song' (his words) to a Beatles song by adding a little something. In "Getting Better" Paul sings "I must admit it's getting better" and John throws in "it couldn't get any worse". Just that throw-away line changed the whole texture of the song. Loved him and all these years, I'm still horrified to think that anyone on earth would think of assassinating him.
I finished the last part of Get Back last night and spent most of the night watching videos on Twitter from the folk who had gone to Strawberry Fields to sing Beatles songs. As wonderful as Get Back has been I don't think you can ever escape the sadness of two of them no longer being with us. It was the one constant I felt throughout. Although The Beatles finished, it has never felt like there was a full stop behind their work. Get Back, to me gave us that full stop. A chance to see them without banal questions being thrown their way, in their element, being who we always thought they were, and delivering a live performance that with each song puts a bigger lump in your throat. They changed us for the better and I wish them nothing but love wherever they are.
I’m a history teacher and I teach about this every year. I’m also a musician and a huge Beatles fan. I unfortunately discuss many tragic events. However, this one always has me on the verge of tears. It feels like the loss of a friend. 😢
For me, with John Lennon the loss was acute. And I didn't really know the guy, except through his songs, movies and media coverage. Reflecting back on it, I believe John's murder was a bullet into the heart of my youth. John and the Beatles were a huge part of my developmental landscape, growing up as a kid in the 1950s and 60s. I guess his death marked the end of an era, in a most heatless and cruel manner.
History is one big LIE. Beatles were ACTORS and he faked his death. BAM. This whole world is not what you were told. See my Petri Dish Earth vids. Prove me wrong using scientific method. I DARE YA.
When I was 4 -5 years old my Uncle Len died. He was a coal miner barely into his forties. The family gathered at his and my Aunt Doris's home in Nottingham in the UK. The kitchen was full of adults and I had taken refuge under the kitchen table, keeping out the way . For some reason the radio was on.. and the sound of "Please Please Me" suddenly started playing. It got my attention. Big time. My ears suddenly took notice in amazement, astonishment wonder and excitement. This was the first time I had heard The Beatles. To explain the effect they had on our working class culture, identity and pride would take a book. Suddenly we heard our own accent on the radio and on TV. But it was not the accent of some low life shady criminal which is how we were usually portrayed in British Police and Detective TV shows. Or a comic relief in a period drama. It was instead very very cool. As their music changed, so did we.. suddenly we had poetry about our own streets, about our own lives, set to the most amazing music. It gaves us an authenticity, a meaning and scource of artistic expression which is almost impossible to explain.. because it was not just intellectual..but sensual, emotional. And this group of young working class men put the UK on the world map like it had never seen before. Not the force of Empire, of guns and conflict, greed. . But music, of joy of expectation and hope. When John Lennon was shot and killed..it seemed -at least to me - that part of that hope and the sense that you could navigate your way out of the hard streets and industrial towns you were born to safely, died with him also. The diversity of inluences they proclaimed openly.. Black Music, Rock and Roll, Folk Music, Traditional Music Hall, Tamla Motown...we had never seen or heard that before. At least in my neighbourhood. "I am he, as you are he, as you are me, And we are all together." Coo coo co choo. Black Chelsea Boots, "long" hair and an irresistable back beat. Love and Peace. "You say you wanna Revolution.. w-e-ll you know, we all want to change the world". Then a gunshot late one night in a New York street. As I said, part of me thinks that it wasn't just John who died that night. But the music and the legacy still lives. Maybe the dreams do also 😌😎✌️
Wow- your share really brought a lot of tears to my eyes. I have never read about anyone from his hometown recount how they were impacted by The Beatles notoriety. It’s just so beautiful. And what you wrote is really beautiful here. Thank you for sharing this. Peace ☮️ and Love 💝 to you brother.
That 41 years later, I watch this with tears welling up says so much about the profound legacy that continues to grace and echo through the world over.
It was so ironically sad to hear Paul say, when George left, "In 50 years we'll look back on this and laugh" (paraphrased). Knowing that John would meet this violent end in a little more than 11 years, it brought me to tears.
I was one of those people who stood in front of the Dakota the day after John’s death. It was an awful gut wrenching experience filled with an unbearable sadness. While all of us share a sense of unresolved grief even after all these years it is important to remember that what the Beatles accomplished will always be remembered in the most wonderfully positive way. May that always outshine what happened to John Lennon on December 8, 1980.
I had just turned 16 the week before John was murdered. I’d been turned onto The Beatles earlier that year, by my then best friend, who worshipped all things Fab, but Lennon in particular. Somewhat coincidentally, one of the first LPs I had bought a couple of years earlier, was “Wings Greatest Hits”. I remember playing it when I first brought it home, and my Mom asking if that was Paul McCartney singing. I remember being somewhat surprised she’d know any musician from “my generation”. When I said it was, she said, “I always like his voice, but it was better when he was with The Beatles”. I replied, “Oh, he was in another band?” (I know, I know…lol). But until I’d gotten into The Beatles, I honestly don’t remember knowing about John Lennon (most likely because when I was first getting into music he was in the midst of his self-imposed exile from the music scene). But after being familiarized with The Beatles’ catalogue by my buddy, I realized a lot of the songs I really liked were written by this John Lennon guy, and I became a fan. I had just gone up to bed, and was lying there reading, when my Mom came up to tell me that John had been shot (her and my Dad were watching Monday Night Football, like your buddy was). I was shocked, to say the least. I then called my buddy, to see if he’d heard the news. He hadn’t. I was the one that broke it to him. At first he thought I was just trying to pull a bad joke. Then he popped on the TV, and realized I wasn’t pulling his leg. I recall him saying over and over, “Do you know what this means?” All I could think of was that it was the end of any possibility of The Beatles reunion he and I had hoped for, and discussed many times by then. It was strange at school the next day, because so many of the kids had no idea who he even was, other than “that guy who’d been in The Beatles”. It was probably the first time I felt I had more in common with my teachers, than my classmates, as many of them were visibly upset over it. I remember my English teacher in particular discussing it with the class, and I was the only guy who really knew who he was talking about. But as you noted, as a teen, 40 seemed ancient. I no longer recall which one of us two geniuses said it, but in an attempt at consoling each other, one of us commented “Well, he WAS 40. It’s not like he didn’t live a full life”. 😖 I’m 57 now, have been married to the same amazing woman for almost 35 years (a fellow Beatles fan BTW), have three grown sons, and 40 seems like a lifetime ago for me. I think of all that has gone on in my life in the last 17 years, and think how John never got that. Many seem to lament the loss of potential great music he could have made, and there is that, but I just think about how he missed out on seeing his sons grow into men. I know it has been one of the great pleasures of my life, and John was denied that, by the whim of a madman, and to me that’s the saddest part of the whole thing. Perhaps lifestyle choices wouldn’t have allowed him to live to a ripe old age, but at least, like George, it would have been of natural causes, rather than the way he went. Our thoughts are always with him every year on December the 8th.
kato64 Wow you really gush but I feel ya. When we are young we have very little perception of time and its' passing. Only when we are a blessed with a long life do we realize how precious few precious moments are. John Lennon was by no means a perfect soul or human being but then who is ? He only had his mind to speak and speak it he did. In the end his criticized prophetic statement did come to bear. I believe fate was responsible for his demise and it affects us all since we shall never know what " could have been " . But what a great sharing you chose to undertake. I guess 40 is truly indeed the new 20 ! Unfortunately the future looks none too bright and likely we will not need shades ! Cheers.
John Lennon has had such a profound way of shaping the way I view life, happiness, love decisions, meaning, and individuality. I was one when he passed and I think about him all the time. I shocks me when I think I’m now older than he was when he was taken from us. He was and is so beautiful. I can’t imagine what a lousy world we’d be in without The Beatles and John Lennon. I love him and I love the creator that gave him to us.
Three deaths have hit me like a brick during my lifetime: JFK in '63 when I was 12, my sister in '70, & John in '80. Every year during those anniversaries I cry & oftentimes at random throughout the year when a memory of them pops into my head. All of those losses felt personal. Thank God for John's music. His genius lives on.
@@TheMellowYellowDrummer Because even as children, one could tell JFKs murder was a coup d'etat and it meant everything we held dear about American democracy, freedom, ideals, opportunity and exceptionalism was a lie.
Coincidentally CIA vet Jose Perdomo was the doorman at the Dakota and all of Oswald's contacts in Dallas (according to the Warren Commission testimonies in books 8 and 9) were upper class staunch anti communist White Russian Solidarists and defense contractors. I don't know if Lennon's killing was a conspiracy but JFKs sure as hell was. Like Oswald was supposed to be, I was a low level Marine poor boy who got out and became a far left activist, there is not a snow balls chance Oswald would he hanging out with the contacts he had if he was not a "sheep dipped" "red skin" (someone still working for an agency, although officially not, who establishes a "legend", a create background as a Communist, a fake communist)
I was 22 years old when John was killed. I remember it all too clearly. My mother (53 years old) surprised me by actually crying hard when she heard. I knew she kind of like the Beatles peripherally but that was a real surprise. That Friday or maybe Saturday or Sunday following (I don't recall which day exactly) Yoko put full page notices in many of the worlds largest newspapers asking for three minutes of silence at noon of one of those days in remembrance of John. That day I was Christmas shopping in The Galleria Mall in White Plains, NY (It's a huge mall) with my cousin. We planned to find a quiet corner in the mall somewhere when the time came to have our three minutes of silence. In the huge open area in the center of the mall there were some bleachers set up for children's Christmas shows none of which were going on at that time. We went to the top of the empty bleachers when the time was approaching and we waited. The mall was jam packed with shoppers. It was extremely crowded and Christmas music was playing. Looking down from the bleachers we saw a mass of humanity moving around below us along with the din of people talking and laughing. It was just a huge, loud and dynamic buzz of people. When the time came it took about 10 or 20 seconds for all those thousands of people below us to stop moving and become silent. It was so silent (the music had stopped) it was almost surreal. It was like everyone was frozen. Soon we heard some subdued and very faint and muffled crying but that was it. We heard nothing else for those three minutes. The world had come to a complete and utter stop. Nobody was moving. It made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I felt like I was in one of those old "Twilight Zone" TV shows. For those three minutes everyone was feeling the exact same thing and it was otherworldly and though it brought me to tears and I was massively bummed out, it was also beautiful at the same time. When the time was up, everyone started to move again very slowly and it seemed to take another 4 or 5 minutes for everyone to get back to the way they were before. And it was all about the world deeply saddened and missing John! That scene is engraved in my memory.
I had bought Double Fantasy the afternoon John was shot, and so I was immersed in the album and then listening nostalgically to old Beatles albums; so the shock of the news was even more devastating because I'd spent the evening listening, appreciating, and missing them. Will never forget it. Such an incredible waste.
John Henry Bonham had been found dead four months earlier. I was still reeling from that and to hear of Lennon being murdered almost put me over the edge. We were all crying. Even the people on ABC, NBC and CBS telling us what had happened, were crying. As a musician myself, it was a crushing loss. It still stings a little. Rest in Peace John Lennon. Thank you Rick for touching base on this.
@@thomasbehrend7562 artists are frequently self-destructive. We've lost so many. A drummer I worked with for over a decade thru the eighties and into the nineties, killed himself from substance abuse. Incredibly sad.
I was 19 (born in 1961) then Lennon was killed. I was listening to the radio (WDVE) when they made the announcement, they then proceeded to play a Beatles marathon for the next 24 hours. I stayed up the entire night listening to the Beatles, sick to my stomach stunned and in shock. I was heart broken for years and could not listen to Lennon's solo work for over a decade because it was just too sad. I couldn't enjoy the music because it just reopened the wound.
I’m just 14, but John’s music has connected with me in a way that I’ve never been connected with before. My great grandfather loved the Beatles, my grandfather does too, so does my dad, so do I and my children might even too. All my friends know the Beatles and love them (despite liking mumble rap, hip hop or modern pop as well). That speaks as a testament to how their music has surpassed generations and related to everyone at some point. John is my favourite Beatle, and I hope he’s enjoying the afterlife, as he deserves to very much. Peace.
Peace to you. This is the best legacy John Lennon could give us, his body of work and his longing for a better world to every human. I am glad that as a young boy, you are related to his music, and life. In fact, that is wonderful. While we remember him, Lennon will live on. Forever.
@@urmom5252: Depends on the afterlife. If there were any justice in the afterlife, he would not be in hell or similar. What kind of afterlife do you imagine that John Lennon would be tortured for all eternity? It doesn't come from any religion I would want to be a part of. But we're talking about fiction here, or at least something we couldn't possibly know anything about, so the point is moot.
I was freshly 21, healing from a serious accident in the Coast Guard that required facial reconstruction and gave me bad headaches. To hear of Lennons murder sent me down a hole. Like others it made me physically ill. I cried. It still hurts and haunts me. Yes he made such an impact on us. Damn.
Watching the Get Back doc this week made me appreciate Johns songwriting ability even more, especially the likes of the guitar and musical arrangement on Dig A Pony for example. The song is a creative play on words which Lennon was amazing at, but what struck me was that considering John never rated himself as a guitarist, he pulls together quite a complex and interesting guitar arrangement which he plays as well as delivering a punishing vocal performance with Paul harmonising perfectly during the rehearsal. They were just so fucking good!
I learned guitar by playing John's songs. Even though he had dropped out of sight for the previous 5 years, I was overjoyed when he resurfaced around the release of his new album. He was being interviewed everywhere and was so energized and pumped up about all that would come next... his embracing of fatherhood, his eagerness to rejoin the world of musicians. He had a lot to say about his time over the previous 10 years, the near meltdown of his relationship with Yoko, and how ultimately that relationship was what saved him. I always remember him describing New Wave music as just another wave in the ocean of music, and it excited him to see the evolution of popular music. The thing about his solo albums is they were so personal, and struck me right in the solar plexus when I'd listen to them after he died. The night John died, I heard it like millions of others, from Howard Cosell on Monday Night Football. I literally dropped to my knees in disbelief, and grief. I was living in Austin, Texas at the time, and I grabbed my wife's arm and said, we've got to get out of here. Within an hour there were thousands of people gathering around the Christmas tree in Zilker Park (a large tree made of lights around a tall tower.) We gathered with the crowd, most of them crying visibly. A van had pulled up with a large sound system and began playing Lennon songs, and especially when Imagine played, everyone sang. People embraced each other and we all knew... we all knew how much it hurt. I think it's not just because of the music, which was part of the tapestry of our lives, an integral piece of our frames of reference. It wasn't just because John and the Beatles were icons who put a hard timestamp on our lives. It wasn't just because we all knew we could never experience again the joy of that music without this awful nail to the heart from that day forward... it was because we truly loved the man, especially the man he had become. All that promise the future offered... squashed like a bug. Just BAM...! And to think it was simply because of the act of one depraved man, who consciously robbed not only John of his life and future joy, but he robbed all of us... he robbed humanity of the musical history that would never come to be... and it hurt. It still does. Thank you for talking about this. And may John, wherever he is, be smiling knowing he left us a treasure, even if it wasn't quite enough...
Your comment highlights something which seems overlooked elsewhere here: the fact that, after a five-year hiatus, he had just released a new record (three weeks before!) and everybody was really excited about it! I remember listening to it in the days after his death and thinking, "Man, this is like a breath of fresh air for us Beatles fans! Imagine what he would have created next!" Unfortunately, it wasn't to be. A generation of (mostly) GenXers like me was left wondering. Forty-one years later, we don't seem to have fully recovered from that tragic day.
When John died back in 1980, my band were asked by people connected to the Beatles to play at a Tribute concert for John in Liverpool. Quite an honor for us. And so as we prepared to play, I noticed the crowd getting larger and larger and then getting out of control. People right in front of the stage started to suffocate and despite pleas from the organizers to move back nothing seemed to change. And so next thing the Fire Marshall shows up on stage and stops the show. And tells us to get out of the way as he was about to let the crowd come up through the stage area to alleviate the pressure and that was the end of it all. Paul had also sent us (via his brother Mike who was there also) a pre-recorded message to play for the crowd which we never did. I often wondered what Paul said on that cassette? Sad days to look back on forty years later. Roger Scott Craig, The Merseybeats/Liverpool Express/Fortune/Harlan Cage/101 South
Born in 1952, I came of age with the Beatles. I was broken hearted when they split up. Like everyone else, I awaited the reunion, if not for good, at least for one more album. When he died, that settled that. It officially closed the book on that part of my life..
I feel so horrible for all who had to go through this. I was born in 1982. But when I was young, I saw John Lennon performing and I loved it. I wanted to know more about him. My Dad told me that he tragically had died and I was devastated. Today I'm 40, the same age John died. It's way too soon. I remember an interview where he said "Life begins at 40". That made me break down basically.
John's output from 65-68 is still today one of the most genius songwriting eras in Western music....Nowhere Man...Norwegian Wood...In My Life...Tomorrow Never Knows...She Said She Said.. Lucy In The Sky with Diamonds.. Strawberry Fields...Day In The Life.. Dear Prudence.. Happiness Is A Warm Gun...just a sampling. Only Paul had similar output but totally different styles IMHO. John created a style that is still heard today, by forging Dylan's wordplay with his own humor and brilliant sense of melody over sometimes angular chord progressions, sometimes simple like chord progressions but always unique and literally created a style of music/songwriting that is often imitated but rarely duplicated. He is greatly missed
When you read 'Skywritings' or see his cartoons and stories he made for Sean and Yoko, you will understand that he was extraordinarily creative in other ways, too. So many wordplays and brilliant inspirations and deep insights. While also whimsical and lighthearted.
@@freedplanet and what pisses me off to no end is his last album Double Fantasy he was really settling into a new phase of songwriting before tragically taken from us....may that POS who did it know no mercy
“It was a staggering moment when I first heard the news. Lennon was a most talented man and above all, a gentle soul. John and his colleagues set a high standard by which contemporary music continues to be measured.” - Frank Sinatra
John Lennon is my favourite Beatle and they are still my favourite band of all times. He has trascended his life with a huge impact in the lives of most of us. In 2000, I have the opportunity to pay my respects at the Liverpool Musseum where his white piano was ocasionally on display. I stood there crying for 2 hours. This trip had been planned for my birthday. I could have not be in a better place. R.I.P. John Lennon, you are deeply missed.
John's death was so uncalled for,,Such a sad day for music and a human being only wanting peace. it bothered me and still does make me cry today in 2023. I'm almost 72 and remember it well. I was stunned.
Rick’s story definitely resonates with me. I was in high school at the time. 41 years later I still remember the feeling of horror, learning from Howard Cosell that one of my heroes had been senselessly killed. I was (and am) a huge fan of the Beatles’ music, and John’s songs were the ones that most affected me. His loss devastated me. And, yes, in watching “Get Back,” I was definitely struck by the youth of the lads - and it certainly occurred to me how little time Lennon had left; at that point, he’d already lived almost three-quarters of what would be his life. When Macca sang the line, “You and I have memories longer than the road that stretches out ahead,” while performing “Two of Us,” it had a bittersweet poignance that we can only see in hindsight.
That song was for Linda and him-THEY were the "Two of Us" It was explained by Paul many times that he and Linda use to drive WAY out in the suburbs and try to get lost and finally find their way back. read the lyrics again.
Ah, yes, you’re right. Instead of having an emotional reaction to a song in the moment, I should wait to methodically, painstakingly ascertain exactly what the songwriter was thinking at the time of creation and then ONLY think about that particular thing, nothing else. It’ll make listening to music a chore rather than a pleasure, but it will, presumably, make you happy, which is all that matters.
On a cold December evening I was walking through the Christmas time when a stranger came up and asked me if I’d heard John Lennon died, and the two of us went to this bar and we stayed to close the place, and every song we played was for the late great Johnny ace. My youngest son has the same birthday and plays bass. It brings me comfort. Oh and like your kids my son has reaped the reward of listening to me torture guitars and plays like a wizard with a natural ear. Rip John, rip.
@@johntabacco yeah an interesting to know how Paul handled the news. I remember exactly, who doesn’t?, I was working 12 hour shifts in the middle of a marriage wreck, it was one of my lowest points.
Having the wonderful Get Back footage for me has created a new set of memories. As many have said, it's like it was filmed yesterday. Seeing them in their prime, it's a sobering thought of what was to come. Several people in the film are no longer with us & never got to see it. But it's great to see The Beatles at work in their laboratory. So much creativity going on. As they say "To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die " ❤🎶🎵🎶
Superb tribute Rick. I'll never forget where I was when I heard of Lennon's murder. I was a lad of 17 working for a lawnmowing contractor, he was driving when the news came on the radio and I turned it up and he yelled at me. I said , ' it's John Lennon, he's been shot, he's dead' . My boss said ' turn it down, I don't care' Shock is the feeling, and all that day I was in shock, and disbelief that my dickhead boss didn't like Lennon. 😮
That was a very sweet tribute to John Lennon, Rick. I first heard the Beatles in 1964 when I was 11. It wasn't long before my twin brother and I switched from trumpet and trombone (respectively) to guitar and drums. Like so many other musicians my age, once we saw the movie "Hard Day's Night" we knew what we wanted to do for the rest of our lives. Like you, John's music spoke to me in a special way. The sound of his voice had that edge that was so compelling. A few years ago while in NYC, I visited his "Imagine" memorial in Central Park and then walked to the Dakota and stood at the entrance where he was shot. I always remember December 8th.
I was practicing with my band in my parents basement in Canada when my Mom yelled for us to come up stairs. When we saw the news we were all shocked in disbelief. Hearts broken. I was so angry at America for their love of guns. If he hadn't been living there he might still be alive today. But he loved New York and the city loved him back. 20 years later I moved there. Standing at the Dakota where he was gunned down brought all those feelings back. Such a huge loss to the world and my Innocence.
Dear Rick, Your tribute to John Lennon sums up succinctly how I feel about John Lennon’s untimely death. I was almost twelve when he was murdered and, like you, this was the first time that someone’s death, other than a family member, really effected me. I can’t help but think how much more music he had yet to create and of course one can’t help but think would the Fab Four have collaborated once again, even if for a brief moment. Every December 8th I find myself reflecting on that terrible evening in 1980 and I continue to ask myself “Why?” Thank you for sharing your love of music.
The death of John Lennon hit me even harder, than when friends and members of my own family died. I was 15 years old, when John died. The Beatles had been my introduction to music, when I was 2 years old, and my uncle had bought the Sargent Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album, which had just come out. I sat at my nan's dining room table listening to the music, while looking at the album cover with all it's strange looking people on it. Then, instantly had crushes on all 4 Beatles, when I saw the photos of the band. Those crushes have never gone away 54 years later. In 1980, I was watching TV with my mom, when the news broke about John being killed. I remember not only crying, but screaming into my pillow that night. The next day, I was a bit like a zombie. I got dressed for school, walked out the door, and was amazed that life was going on as normal, when to me the whole world had changed. It was raining and I was standing at the bus stop, but never even thought to open the umbrella I was holding, because I was so zoned out. I've always felt lucky, that my introduction to music was from the best band of all-time, in my opinion. It broke my heart, when George Harrison died too. But, the cruel way John died made it just so much worse. 💔
Even though I never met him, I loved John. I cried when he died and it still makes me cry. He was not just a great musician. He was a strong advocate for peace and love everywhere.
Touching recollection. John was my favorite Beatle and I picked up the guitar at age 11 because of them back in 1979/80. One of the great things about John Lennon as a famous artist/musician or personality. Is that from watching him in interviews. He was really himself. He always came across as a genuine, honest, and sincere human being. Funny, intelligent, and very charasmatic. Good old Johnny boy! RIP
Lennon was the guy that taught us all to "toughen up and get harmless", that showed us we were all magicians from " Strawberry Fields", that scalped us with "Instant Karma", that erred and then--that a man can recover from error, in "Imagine"... He was a poet...whose life was the "poem he would have writ, had he but time to both live, and utter, it".... And NOBODY knew time wasn't on his side...but EVERYBODY knew that we were on his.... Life...BIG LIFE...changed for everyone with John's death...the banality of it-- that a simpleton could capriciously steal from us a HERO...was too much....we ALL were changed....
I was 22 when that news broke and I just cried. I’m currently reading Paul’s book, The Lyrics which explains even deeper the relationship between John and Paul. They came from two completely different backgrounds and it shows in their writing and while I love Paul’s lightheartedness, John’s seriousness and depth are what have always roused me, for lack of a better term. Songs like, imagine and happy Xmas to this day bring out emotions in me of hope and sadness. Watching, Get Back was a real class in their creativity and while there was frustration, the one thing that really stood out to me is all four of them really listened to each other. True collaboration at its finest. They changed the world for the better in my opinion. We haven’t seen anything close to The Beatles and I doubt we ever will. RIP John and George.
I love that John was a goof ball and had a GREAT sense of humor. I relate to him in that respect, and George in the respect that he seemed to feel a bit on the outside of things. Paul, I cannot relate to at all...genius....and Ringo, well who can't relate to Ringo :)
I remember hearing "Imagine" being played over and over again on the radio after his death. I sat down at the piano and figured it out by ear around Christmastime. I remember thinking how simple it was and yet so powerful. Was it the strings, the dark piano sound, the lyrics, the double tracked voice on the chorus that drew me to the song? I've been writing songs ever since.
In hindsight you have ABBA, a no of British pop and rock bands, the shadows, the eagles, the ventures, that have written great songs and instrumentals. But for song writing the Beatles were the greatest in quality, scope, variety of topic. John wrote the greater number. The bands harmonies, musicianship made them still the greatest band of all time to this day. I favor the eagles a close second. The loss of John for all music lovers and musicians (I am one) was and is ,an unparraled travesty.
Yup. That was whatever comes after "annoying AF". The communist manifesto set to music by a wife and child beating, adulterous, deadbeat dad millionaire, alcoholic heroin addict, hypocrite POS telling everyone to give up everything they have while he lives in an all white castle. So annoying.
@@baronfyrewhine The wife beating claim is trendy for those attacking Lennon today but I haven't heard child beating added to this narrative yet. Has the internet added a new lie in the Lennon character assassination attempt? Despite what you have heard on the internet Lennon had 2 wives and never beat either of them and certainly didn't beat his kids. The myth of Lennons wife beating comes from his own exaggerated comments trying to frame past lyrics as autobiographical..
I was in the hospital December 9th, 1980, having my 1st child when I heard John had been shot. It was definitely a “when one door closes, another door opens” moment. I was stunned and shocked to the core! I kind of felt the same way about Jeff Porcaro when I heard of his death. When Toto happened in ‘78, and only 14 short years of becoming one of my most favorite drummers, Jeff seemed at the height of his career, it was another shock to my soul. We were the same age. I couldn’t reconcile it. So many untimely deaths in the rock industry. It’s like a little piece of you dies with them….💔
John Lennon was some kind of special. He was a legend and his story will never die. I don't think we will ever have another band like the Beatles nor a star like Lennon. I still love songs like "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away," "Working Class Hero," "Power to the People," "Whatever Gets You Through the Night," "Watching the Wheels," and "Just Like Starting Over".
The closest thing we ever got to another John Lennon was obviously Kurt Cobain, and well, his death was by gun too. How it was afflicted is another debate, but I too, think he was murdered.
@@jerrymammoser9857 Why are you even taking the time to point that out? And don't act like you don't know who Kurt Cobain is, that's so arrogant and rude, especially at a time like this. And secondly, I never compared the two as one being better than the other, I said closest thing in the last 30 years, and he is. Who else has made such an impact on music?? Kurt Cobain was great, and So was John Lennon. And the reason for bringing him up, was he too was a voice of a generation, revolutionized popular music, was a humongous Lennon fan, and also died in such a terrible and comparable way, albeit younger. To me, what you said came out of a place of hatred, and right now, we need none of that. To exclude either one is just dumb, and if you happen to not think Kurt Cobain was great, that's your opinion, but I happen to know millions of people who think otherwise, it's too bad you don't share the same sentiment. He to, was an amazing human being, and just like Lennon, will never be recreated. Sorry you feel that way.
I was 15 years old on December 8, 1980 and had only discovered The Beatles in mid 1977. They immediately became my favourite group and for Christmas in 1977, one of my gifts was the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album. I played that record to death over the next 2 years and really began to identify in some small way with John Lennon's songwriting. Love McCartney's songs as well but John Lennon's lyrics and style of songwriting hit me right in the gut. When John was murdered, I was in a state of shock for literally several months. Like you, I watched Get Back with a sense of both great joy and deep sadness. Joy because these 4 guys gave so much to the world and here they were having fun and joking around. Sadness because John had 11 years left. Also, George, Billy Preston, Linda, Maureen, George Martin, Mal Evans were so present and happy in the Get Back series and are now all gone. At this time of year, I always think about what might have been. Hold your loved ones close. By the way, I still have the Sgt. Pepper's album I got for Christmas all those years ago. The vinyl is trashed but I'll never part with that album.
In the movie "Yesterday" it showed an amazing scene of John in his 60s or 70s and that pulled me. The actor was a dead ringer for what he would look like and the role portrayed him masterfully. I am 75 and the Beatles were an enormous blessing in my life. More than just a band.
Thank you for this. I remember that day as well. John was my favorite Beatle too. His death was senseless and tragic, but his life was extraordinary and he touched so many of us with his music, his spirit, and his power to summon each of us to make the world a little more just, a little more decent, and a little more loving. If we look at his life in terms of what he meant to ours, it should make all of us smile.
After watching Get Back, the most impressionable moments for me of all that footage was when John and Yoko danced to I ME MINE, and when Beatles hit the rooftop to perform some of those songs. What i think people missed during the part when John criticized "I Me Mine" when George performed it for him was that he loved it. So did Paul. But John has a strange way of showing his love being a conflicted person. He may have felt threatened by Georges creativity as he was finding his own voice and writing beautiful music at that time. That descending pattern of the 2nd part sounds like 'Michelle' and the lyric "freer thank wine" is reminiscent of "Tasting much sweeter than wine" from A taste honey. As usual, Paul always had a movie star glow pretty much throughout his life. In the movie, this was no different. But when the fellas hit the roof stage, John just came to life as the consumate rocker and performer. He outshines the others and resembled more of a hard rocker that would define the 70s. I got emotional at this part, seeing him in his element and becoming the star that he was on stage, a special kind of glow and energy not visibly exuded and captured in the studio or behind the scenes. Never really appreciated that "Let it be" live stunt or the songs as much as their other hits, but in this newer production I couldnt help get emotional by John Lennons performance. He lifted my spirits and the sad reality brought them down. He is my favorite Beatle. What a roller coaster ride.
I love this comment. Yes I noticed it too. Paul was in charge or trying to be, in the studio. But when they got on the roof, everyone got in line, including Paul. John stepped up and it's the Beatles in their perfect configuration. "On behalf of the band I hope we passed the audition"
The Beatles are what started my fantasy of becoming a musician at a very young age. I remember like it was yesterday (pun intended), putting on my parents album of "Meet the Beatles" and air guitaring to "I Saw her standing there" and "I want to hold your hand", etc. I was captivated by them and their music and I was barely 5 years old. Fast forward to 1980 I was in 7th grade (13 years old) and I had just purchased a boombox that I had worked hard for doing a paper route and saving every penny to finally buy. Christmas was right around the corner and I remember telling my parents that I wanted the "Double Fantasy" cassette tape by John Lennon. I really liked "Starting Over" and "Watching the Wheels". Before Christmas came, hearing of John Lennon's death, I remember being in total disbelief. Even more difficult was getting that album at Christmas. I remember listening to it thinking to myself "I'll never get another album this good, or that moves me the way his music did, ever again. John Lennon was gone and so too was any music that would have been written by him. Such a sad and empty feeling I remember having. Death is so profoundly unchangeable. I lost one of my daughters and lived through that feeling on a far more personal level. But all of those same feelings reemerged. That permanent and irreversible feeling that no matter what, they are gone from this earth forever. On a more positive note, and why being a musician is so important. Just like artists, poets, etc. John's music will live of for an eternity. Even when planet earth is no more, those sound waves from his creations will float through space forever. John Lennon was and still is such an important musical legend. Not long ago, those same feelings of loss at such an enormous magnitude were felt when we lost Bowie, Eddie VH, Glen Frey, Tom Petty, Prince, and others who made such monumental contributions to music. We will always remember them. And their music, will see to it, that we do.
I'm sorry for your loss. And you're right, I don't know if you're referring to this or regular radio waves from regular radio broadcasts, but NASA beamed "Across The Universe" through space using the Deep Space Network. The transmission was aimed at the North Star, Polaris, which is located 431 light years away from Earth. The song is travelling across the universe (pun intended) at a speed of 186,000 miles per second.
I was born late November 1998, so I’m not trying to step into the light. However, John Lennon’s life and death affects me in a way where it immobilizes me. His music he wrote as a solo artist and later in his Beatles career helped me through a lot. I can connect with him through his first solo album with God and Mother most significantly. Every now and then I try to think of a world in which he’s still here. He may not have been married to the most talented or beautiful woman, but he was happy and that taught me how to be happy. He was a bad man throughout his life, but he changed and that taught me how to change. For that, I’m grateful that he was able to live for even a short time. RIP, John.
My dad, WW2 generation, came running into my bedroom I was studying and told me John Lennon had been shot/killed. My dad couldn't stand the Beatles, or anything past 1950 musically, but he was shook so bad he came running to me. About as impactful as JFK's death. Beautiful tribute Rick, you had me crying, again.
Very similar. My dad was 40 and did like Rock and Roll but I was only 10 but a big Beatles fan. He pulled me and my older brother aside before school and told us. My brother was sort of relieved because my dad, before telling us the news, made it seem like something terrible in the family had happened. However, that shows the impact of the Beatles. John was my favorite Beatle. Unfortunately, my immature 12 year old brother at the time, who was more a McCartney guy, said at least it wasn't Paul.
I wasn’t born yet when John Lennon was killed, so to me, learning about the Beatles, it was always veiled in a little bit of tragedy, knowing how it ended and how he died. Watching Get Back was the first time I really felt like, wow, he’s so young here, and so full of life, and just a guy-funny and sarcastic and so so creative; instead of the deified, tragic Beatle. It was so moving to see and hear him-all of the band, really. I saw the anniversary of his death pop up on my feed and thought back to the doc and was similarly struck by how young they all are and how soon things would be over for him. I felt like I finally really understood what a loss he was for the world. Not because he was done heroic figure, but because he just felt so human and so alive.
Thank you for this comment, I love it, love hearing your perspective. I was ten when I heard on the radio that Lennon was killed, and I was a huge Beatles fan. Theirs was the only music that mattered to me at that time. I didn't understand the purpose of listening to anyone else. An irrational thought, certainly, just sharing where I was at the time. Watching Get Back, I just enjoyed getting to see what to me felt like the real Lennon, or at least as real as he could be with cameras around. I was very familiar with all the historical interview footage, but Get Back was a real gift. As it was for you, it seems, though we experienced it in different ways. We're lucky to get see all of this, it's kind of a miracle that we can.
Yes Rick, I was hit with the tragedy of his then impending death while watching Get Back, and him not knowing what was coming. Combined with the joy of watching it, made for a bittersweet experience of the film.
So senseless and tragic. The Get Back doc really brought home to me what gentle, vulnerable and lovely people they all were/ are. For all John's edge and candidness, it's easy to forget what a warm and compassionate person he was. So great to see him and Paul creating together - being best of friends. So inspirational. Thankyou for all you do Rick. ❤
He had his demons and wasn't always a pleasant guy. In other words, he was just a guy. The moment a society idealize its icons, the moment these terrible things happens
I too, being younger than some here, John passed away when I was in kindergarten 😢, but it was nice to see a close up of the makeup of the bond that they all shared, something that I found out about that was deeper than I thought
I’m 69 and the The Beatles were THE band throughout my school years. They broke up in my last year. I tear up whenever the anniversary of his death comes round. Just you talking about it makes my eyes moist. Miss him so much. Thank you for this compassionate video. 💜
I was born on Dec 7th. I will never forget Sunday and Monday 1980! I was just a little boy but old enough to remember my family and friends crying! Rick thank you for always being so honest and insperaational!!
I am grateful that I got to meet both John & Yoko several times while living in Times Square half a block away from the Record Plant Studios. I was in my mid teens when I first met him face to face. No cell phones, never carried a camera on me (although in retrospect I wish I did) never asked for his autograph (although living in the theatre district I would meet many high profile celebs it was just never my thing to ask for autographs.) I recall when I worked at the Lowe's Astor Plaza movie theatre on 44th. st. and broadway (it was a state of the art 70 mm screen with a dolby surround system where Star Wars first premiered in NYC). John & Yoko would come out for the late night screenings and they would recognize me from my various encounters with them at Central Park, The Dakota, Record Plant Studios and other NY Spots. They were both very kind towards my younger brother & I and we would laugh a bit. One of my most memorable concerts I attended was the 1974 (i was 14 at the time) Thanksgiving Elton John concert at MSG, NYC. I was sitting 2 rows away from Elton John's piano and when Elton introduced Lennon the crowd went WILD!!! It was one of my most cherished magical musical nights in NYC (& I've had many over the years). Little did we all know that it would be his final large audience appearance. I was working a late night shift at "King Karol Record store" in Times Square when we heard that John was shot. When my shift ended at 1 am , several of my friends and I stood outside of the Dakota with hundreds of others praying for John...It was one of the saddest days of my life. A week later Yoko held a vigil at Central Park that I also attended, it was truly moving to say the least. Although I have my "suspicions" over the actual murder of Lennon (perhaps mk ultra involvement???) especially after watching the documentary "The U.S vs John Lennon". Watching the "Get Back" documentary made me love his spirit and his music even more. Thank you Rick for sharing your thoughts.
@Dixene Lee Well, maybe even John Lennon didn't get it right in every domain, did he? Besides, I'm sure John would have shown respect to anybody's belief, no matter how different from his.
@Dixene Lee I sanctify no man, and certainly not those guys from the sixties and seventies who had sex with everybody they could and smoked or ate or injected themselves everything that was told to be cool... rather feel sorry for them. I just meant that he was open-minded, like they all were in those days, and maybe would have been respected you saying you'd pray for him. Which we should do anyway, permission granted or not ;-) Be blessed!
I was only 4 when he was killed but one of my earliest memories is of my parents crying after hearing he died. I grew up with the Beatles music and became a huge Lennon fan as a teenager. The Beatles are still my all-time favorite band. Timeless.
What a beautiful memory you have. I was 16. My mother was the one that introduced me to The Beatles with the EPs she owned. My mum was the first person I turned to when I heard the news. She understood. She was a doctor and cancelled all of her patients for the rest of that day.
100%, I said that exact thing to my wife while we watched - John has 11 years after this. It’s incomprehensible to me. I was 16, in high school, and I also had an exam that morning. I and many of my friends wore black, spontaneously that day. Man, that Christmas was just hard. I listened to the radio non-stop, and it was non-stop John and the Beatles. I listened to Double Fantasy a lot that break too, and I don’t think I’ve listened to it since. Too sad. I’m still in mourning really. Then losing George after that was too much.
Rick - I saw The Beatles when they came to Portland, OR in 1964...I was only 11 but that experience shaped my life. Got my first guitar, started playing in bands, and after graduating college, started a talent agency and 45 years later it is still thriving. After watching the Get Back documentary, it was amazing how young these guys were. Their cultural impact cannot be overstated. I still listen to them everyday. I remember the night John was killed...it was my mother's birthday and we were all out to dinner. Afterwards when I got back to my car and turned on the radio, every station was playing The Beatles. I was in shock. Such a tragedy. I want to thank you for your thoughtful words and a beautiful tribute to a cultural and music icon - John Lennon.
I remember watching that football game. My ex-wife was sewing, I was attending NTSU for a Jazz Education degree. We walked into our campus and literally stood around singing and listening till the sun came up... This was my first real loss of a musician yes I grew up with. The next one was hearing about Jaco. These two people will always be engrained in my mind for their wonderful talent.
On the night of December 8, 1980, during a Monday Night Football game between the Miami Dolphins and the New England Patriots, Cosell shocked the television audience by interrupting his regular commentary duties to deliver a news bulletin on the murder of John Lennon in the midst of a live broadcast. Word had been passed to Cosell and Frank Gifford by Roone Arledge, who was president of ABC's news and sports divisions at the time, near the end of the game. Cosell was initially apprehensive about announcing Lennon's death. Off the air, Cosell conferred with Gifford and others saying "Fellas, I just don't know, I'd like your opinion. I can't see this game situation allowing for that news flash, can you?" Gifford replied, "Absolutely. I can see it." Gifford later told Cosell, "Don't hang on it. It's a tragic moment and this is going to shake up the whole world." On air, Gifford prefaced the announcement saying, "And I don't care what's on the line, Howard, you have got to say what we know in the booth." Cosell then replied:[22] Yes, we have to say it. Remember this is just a football game, no matter who wins or loses. An unspeakable tragedy confirmed to us by ABC News in New York City: John Lennon, outside of his apartment building on the West Side of New York City-the most famous, perhaps, of all of The Beatles-shot twice in the back, rushed to Roosevelt Hospital, dead on arrival. Hard to go back to the game after that newsflash, which, in duty bound, we have to take.
When the Get Back documentary ended I started to feel this really heavy sadness - it took awhile for my wife and I to finish watching all 3 episodes because of the sheer excitement and we did a lot of pausing and rewinding to catch special moments and relive them once again. But for the 4 days or so that we would come together after a days work and just sit in awe of the genius of those 4 beautiful souls from Liverpool - it was like literally being in that moment, in the room and in that era. And when it all ended it was like realizing once again that John isn’t in the world anymore. The passion in his voice when he sang Don’t Let Me Down when it was just him and George jamming in the first moments of the documentary sent chills down my arms. We couldn’t help but to just cry at the end - I love John Lennon.
Lennon’s death has been the only entertainers death, that made me cry I was a huge fan from the moment I saw the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. I am a bigger fan now
I was 7 years old in 1980 and I remember my parents being very upset. I remember asking if we would still be able to hear his music, not quite understanding what a recording was! When my parents said we could still listen, it took off a little of the sting but I do remember being very sad.
I wish I could have a nobly-expressed thoughtful feeling about John's death like so many have eloquently written in the comments. I was 25 years old on that date, trying to make something of myself musically. The news of Lennon's death... we learned it was someone named Mark David Chapman who shot Lennon... I just felt awful, I felt this person, Chapman, had _stolen something from me personally._ I would never get to watch John grow old, just 15 years my senior, as I myself grew older. He was so intelligent and uncompromising, I can just imagine how well he would've used those years he was denied; not just musically, but being interviewed, hearing his take on all the things that would subsequently happen socially and politically. We were denied that because one messed up dude used a gun on him. I'm still *so angry.* Sorry, I'll leave to others to capture this thoughtfully, better than I can.
I wasn't around when he died, but hearing the all the recordings of news broadcasts of that night has a spine-tingling effect. If there's one consolation about this year's anniversary. The Get Back doc has given us fans a chance to see more of John and George again.
@@mckayman24 Are we dead before we are born? Every kernel of what you know have experienced and will ever hope for accomplish and remember happens between birth and death. John Lennon was given 40 years of life and I would say now, that he made a damn good run of it. I have been blessed with 60 years so far and I am still trying to live up to the example he set. "Sounds of laughter shades of life are ringing Through my open ears inciting and inviting me Limitless undying love which shines around me like a million suns It calls me on and on across the universe"
I’m the same age as you, Rick, and at the time when John died had been active in music since age 11. I wasn’t particularly a big fan of the Beatles, but I admired their body of work and certain songs. I also admired John’s activism. When John was shot, I was at a rehearsal, and didn’t learn of his death until the next morning. Shock, sadness, and anger at the senselessness of how he died all struck me. However, the death that really got me, my counterpart to the impact Lennon’s death had on you, was Stevie Ray Vaughn’s death in a helicopter crash in 1990. Stevie had been such a hero and icon to so many of us guitar players, and was pretty much single handedly responsible for reviving the Blues in the 1980s. For him to perish suddenly at the pinnacle of his musical and personal life was a crushing blow. A friend called me and said, “Stevie is dead”, struck me like a gut punch; I literally had to sit down. For him to die after getting back on his feet and at the peak of his career still seems intensely tragic, much like Lennon’s death. Think of all the great music we have missed out on from those two in the ensuing years.
I've been a huge Beatles fan since I was a kid. I was always a little more of a Paul guy than a John guy, but I love the music of both. The Beatles were really the soundtrack of my youth, though I continue to listen to them to this day and marvel at the quality of the music and what they accomplished in such a short span of time. I vividly remember when Lennon was shot. I was 24. Monday night football was on in the background and I was cleaning things up in the living room when a housemate rushed in and broke the tragic news to me. I was absolutely devastated and totally shocked. I couldn't even think of sleeping that night, so I later went into my workplace at a data processing service bureau where we did accounting stuff for other businesses. I tried to occupy myself with work while I listened to the radio literally all night long as they talked about the tragedy and played Beatles music. The world was never quite the same after that.
I was around the same age as you, but in high school, a senior. I also lived about ten blocks from the Dakota, so we who lived in the neighborhood thought of John as one of our neighbors. People who lived there then always speak about spotting him and Yoko and how warm and lovely they were when they were stopped by fans. And fans for the most part kept their distance and were respectful of them. I too thought to myself that he has eleven more years to live while watching the documentary. It's hard not to be filled with rage and sadness at the uselessness of his death. But we can also thank Peter Jackson for giving us this tremendous gift..MORE footage of John Lennon than we ever thought possible! It's wonderful to go back in time as a silent spectator and watch these four unique human beings create music the likes of which will never happen again. We can count our blessings that we had John in our lives and just try to hang on to the goodness in him.
Beautifully Said SuperTrouper! Im 52 I remember the day. My Grandmother worked at The Dakota before my time. But I hang onto it to bring some sort of bond with John
@@fishboy2011 Thank you kindly! What a lovely treasure that your grandmother worked there and you can feel that bond with her and with John! Sure wish I had a John/Yoko sighting in my time living in the neighborhood!
I know a woman whose parents were big into the Avant Garde art scene in NYC in the late 1970s. She has a picture of John Lennon playing with her when she was about 10. To her and her parents though, he wasn't a big deal because he'd been in the Beatles. He was a big deal because he was married to Yoko Ono and she was hugely respected.
Elvis’s death had far more of an impact on me, even though he somewhat brought it on himself. The tragedy of John Lennon’s passing was he was shot while innocently going out and having just signed an autograph for his killer. Sadder still that he finally seemed to have gotten his life into a position he was comfortable with - he’d found ‘peace.’
Elvis death was more impactful to me ,he was the man who could sing like no other...John Lennon's death terribly sad ,it seemed he was at his happiest and content finally....guns, keep them out of reach they kill to easily....
This was one of the warmest, touching and real of all the tributes I have heard about John. I was and am a huge Beatles fan and they filled my life as so many other lives were filled, with joy, magic, love and peace. I was laying in bed with my girlfriend. We had made love and were listening to the radio. The announcer, in a shocked and incrdulous voice, told our small section og the world this terrible news. Thank you Rick for this. Thank you for all of your videos and shared knowledge. A year after, on the anniversary of his death, I propsed to my girlfreind becuse I wanted a memory of joy and love for us and to remember John. I also remember Cosell and his announcement. It was surreal. A man who lived the word, "peace" had been brutally and senselessly murdered. I don't think the world has ever really made sense to me after that day. Gregory Gorton
Like you, I was a freshman in college when John Lennon died. It hit me so hard because I was also a massive Beatles fan. I was also just coming to grips with my choice to go to college instead of pursuing a career as a guitarist. Music was dying a bit in my life and every memorial broadcast on television brought tears to my eyes. I even found myself welling up during your story. Thank you for sharing.
I, too, was a college freshman when John was assassinated. Still remember the hallway of the dorm where all of us gathered after the news broke. Still tearing up about it.... It was great to see him smiling and joking and creating endlessly in Get Back. The love between the bandmates is palpable....
John Lennon's songs, especially within the Beatles just got into your soul. Through his music, he had a way of communicating human emotions that was unsurpassed.
I was 15 when I heard the tragic news on Monday Night Football, one of those memories I'll sadly never forget. It took less than 6 years for John and the Beatles to change popular music, I truly believe people will be listening and praising their work in 100 + years..... We're so fortunate to have experienced their brilliance during our lives.
I too, couldn't help thinking about how John had just over a decade left to live while watching Get Back. I was 12 years old when John Lennon was murdered. I was shocked and horrified to hear it on tv as I'd grown up (in my 12 short years) LOVING The Beatles. I found out my Dad was terminally ill 3 days after John Lennon was shot. He died on Christmas Day, 1980. I spent the two weeks before my Dad died hearing so much of John Lennon's and The Beatles music, particularly Double Fantasy as it had just been released, that John Lennon's death is intrinsically linked to my Dad's death. This time of year is always one where I contemplate John Lennon's and my Dad's contributions to the world. Both musicians, both full of curiosity and talent and both fathers who were taken from their loved ones far too young. RIP John Lennon and Richard M Western, my Dad. Thank you for doing this tribute video because it is comforting to know others are grieving at this time of year in a similar way to me.
John Lennon, the composer of 3 of the most important songs ever written, obviously many more but Tomorrow Never Knows, Strawberry Fields and Walrus are my top 3 Beatle songs. 3 Great seeds which flowered right into all great Prog Rock and everything else what followed. Out of his Solo career also a incredible amount of great songs, the highlight from that period allways was "Remember". That song impressed me so much, the piano( I think an educated pianist would never come up with this) the drive, the Bass the Drums, just a live trio. And then the lyrics, the man is able to describe all your growing up hick ups in just about 5 lines. That song always hits me like a sledgehammer
My favourite scene in the film, Imagine, is the one where John speaks to the homeless hippie who was camping outside his mansion for a couple of days. This hippie was under the impression that Lennon's songs were written for him. Lennon took the time to explain to him outside his front door one morning that he was actually writing songs for himself, and if that touches somebody else, it was great. The scene ended with Lennon inviting the hippie in for breakfast. Jealous Guy served as the background music over that breakfast scene. Very moving stuff. Each time I see the film and it gets to the montage of mourners during the various vigils held following John's death, I always tear up. I wasn't even born when John was shot, but I got to know his music through my father who was an ardent fan. I have a strained relationship with my father, but this was one of the good things he did for me - to introduce me to the music of The Beatles - and I'm forever grateful to him.
Watching John in Get Back made me feel joyous for his life, like it was like a gift and a celebration seeing this precious footage for the first time. What I found really heart-breaking was listening the Dave Sholin interview he did in his home with only hours left to live, where he seemed to be in a really good place in his life and was so optimistic for the future.
One of the most baffling things to me is that John Lennon has been dead for longer than he was alive, yet he still holds such a massive cultural presence to this day. I wasn't born until nearly 20 years after he died but when I sit and think that Lennon was barely even a part of the 80's it really just shows how important he was and will remain for years to come.
george has been gone for almost as long as lennon was when he passed
@@mikal0457 he’s been gone 20 years
@@mikal0457 no
John Lennon influenced so many of us. His legacy is enduring because he was a great songwriter, a great Rock singer, and the leader of the most successful Rock band ever. A working-class hero.
Lennon was the preeminent poet and philosopher of the 20th century. Nearly his every utterance in the presence of media became front page globally. His impact and influence upon our culture is immeasurable to this day. I remember that night, I had gone to my bass players house to work on a couple of songs, my girlfriend was with me as his was with him, we wept.
The loss of John was devastating. The loss of George was devastating. I was listening to Pink Floyd's "Time" yesterday and my 18 year old son caught me crying. He asked me why and I mentioned John and George and all of my musical heroes that have left the planet. I'm 52 and I feel my own mortality more than ever simply through the wisdom of aging and the realization we are all specks of dust on the universal timeline. For the first time in my life I catch myself looking at the sky at night alot and enjoying the simple beauty of each day, everyday. It's something I wasn't capable of when I was younger and I feel so blessed I've finally reached a point in my life where I can stop and ENJOY the simplest of moments.
Beautifully put . I’m almost 50 and I totally relate to the sentiments you so poignantly express . I’ve outlived Freddy mercury by 2 years now, JFK by 1 and it really makes you think . “ I turned to look , but it was gone . I cannot put my finger on it now ; the child has gone , the dream has gone “.
I am 23 years old..still trying hard to find happiness in smaller aspects of life. Hope one day I will reach that state of mind.
Such a great thought, you wrote down here. 👏👏👏
I hear ya. 56 here
Neil Peart. Still saddens me every time I think about it.
I was 27 years old when I learned that John Lennon was shot and killed. I also was watching MNF with my wife. I was a huge Beatles fan as well. I watched them on the Ed Sullivan show in 1964 when they made their debut. I was 11 then. The Beatles had a large impression on my life. I was hooked on their music, their looks and their fashion from day one until they split up. Their breakup was devastating to me. I couldn't imagine there'd be no new Beatles songs ever again. I always held out hope that they'd reunite someday. After the shock wore off about John's death, I realized that there'd never be any reunification of the greatest band to ever grace our presence. I do remember just sitting back in my chair, uninterested in the football game that I was watching, my mind just totally numb. There will never be another band like the Beatles who did what they did at a time when they did it and another musician like John Lennon. Sorry for the ramble.
Thank you for sharing
When John died I was 30, newly married, living near the beach. All was good. Suddenly my favorite Beatle, my idol in many ways, was gone. The worst thing was how the Beatles in 64 had lifted so many of us out of lingering depression and sadness caused by JFK's death and now we had to deal with it again.
All my sisters and brothers please take care of yourselves.
There was a moment in "Get Back" that was so poignant and powerful that made me feel for both John and George. George had just quit, and John did not show up and could not be reached, so Paul and Ringo are sitting in the studio with tears welling up and Paul says "Then there were two." The power behind those words, especially not knowing the harsh reality that it would indeed be just the two of them in the end sent chills up my spine. John was such a magnetic personality, and the love they all shared for him, and for each other, was palpable; regardless of the breakup.
I remember that too, thinking if you only really knew.
Paul the Prophet. When I see any of the Beatles being emotional it makes me emotional. It's like they're family or my brothers.
I never put that together when I watched the doc. But that is very eerie now! So glad we were able to see them collaborating in 69. Just imagine if we had video like that for all their albums?
I thought the same thing when I saw that scene, it made me teary eyed & sad
I remember seeing that scene an I started crying so hard because paul said something that would be more real 11 years later.when john died that was the end of beatles and the world didn't just lose a musician a wife and x wife lost their husbands ,2 children lost thier dad ,and paul george and ringo lost a friend and a brother and paul saying," it's a drag isnt it ?" Was paul copping with the loss of not just a friend but a third brother
My thoughts about John Lennon in the Get Back documentary was how young he was and the complexity of his personality. From his pragmatic response of George leaving, saying "if he's not back by Tuesday we'll get Eric Clapton" to his conversation with Paul about how they had treated George and his error in the situation. He had the emotional intelligence to admit his error. That's what comes through his music, not just his ability to craft great songs and lyrics but the stirring of emotion within the context of the songs he wrote. People still experience the sense of feeling in his songs that he was able to portray. Truly missed
John had sorta worked with Eric on the R&R Circus and the Toronto gig, but we pretty much know Eric being brought in was for their TV special and wouldn't have been a new Beatle. After reading Eric's book about the Toronto gig, he was treated like a second class citizen by J&Y *L*, yet a couple of months prior, Blind Faith had just paid to a huge audience at Hyde Park supporting the Stones.
paul mc pushes covid govt narrative
@@theyredistortingyourrhythm130 OH FUCK ME!
@@muziktrkr I don't think Clapton felt any friendship towards the Lennons. And being a supposed friend of Harrisons I don't think he would have helped John hurt George. I can't imagine Clapton jamming the blues over the top of Johns songs.
@@Mexxx65 One of Johns professors in college said that "John does not have the "safety brakes" in his brain like most other people. Most people when they are about to blurt out something offensive or hurtful have a "braking" mechanism in their brain that allows them to 'stop' from doing so. Clearly, John Lennon's brain does not have that mechanism."
Like Rick, no death of anyone outside of my friends and family has ever affected me so deeply and so painfully. It may seem strange to grieve for someone you've never actually met but all Beatles fans felt they knew John and were in awe of him both as a musician and a person. I was depressed for months afterwards and couldn't listen to Double Fantasy as my feelings were too raw. It was only some time later, long after his death, that I began to realise that part of the grief I was feeling was for the death of my own youth. I was 32 in 1980 and all the joy in my teenage years and twenties had come from the Beatles and suddenly it was over. For me, much as I admire Paul, George and Ringo, John was always the one to watch or as Billy Preston once said, 'John was the boss Beatle!'
My sophomore year in college coming into my dorm a guy told me that John had been shot and killed. I locked myself in my room, put Pepper on and played A Day in the Life over and over for at least two hours. Many people who knew I was a big Beatles fan knocked on my door offering condolences; but I told them to leave me alone.
Finally, my best friend who was also a big Beatles fan knocked on my door and said, "let's go get something to eat." I told him no I didn't feel like it. He then started saying #9 repeatedly, and chanting other less stellar works of John's. He got me laughing, I opened the door, put my arm around him, and we went out to get a meal. Yeah, I got by with a little help from my friends. I could picture John laughing and agreeing to get on with my life. That dear friend of mine died about 10 years ago. Thankfully, I told him how much I cared about him a number of times before his death. I've never truly gotten over John's...Give Peace a Chance!
I was 28 years old when John Lennon was killed. It was a time in my life when I was hurting from the end of my marriage. The Beatles were always my favorite band and a source of great pleasure. I remember that Beatles songs (especially John's) were playing everywhere on the radio and in the stereo stores and record shops. It seemed like everyone was in mourning. I'll never forget it. All the Beatles were great in their own right, but together they transcended everything. John was the undisputed leader of the band. Sometimes a little crazy but beloved none the less.
Well done Rick. I guess the one thing I'd add is that we ALL have "that date" out ahead of us. It could be tonight, tomorrow, next week, next year, 11 years. It's sometimes hard to do but we all need to live for the moment, be in the moment. As I just turned 65 and in relatively good health, I'm grateful for what I have today.
Well said, Mike...
Well said friend. I would just add something, bible says, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" We ought to live each day as if it is our last. Make sure our hearts are right with our maker. John Lennon once said that The Beatles were “more popular than Jesus”. And also at one point in his life he got high on LSD and actually believe he was the Son of God. Bible says God does not share his glory. Book of Colossians says "all things were created through him and for him" And that's including every single human being. I hope JL had a chance to repent and be saved.
God bless you friend and may the Lord give you many more years to come in good health.
@@phillipmackintosh8079 Amen
63 here. We're on the last six holes, Mike. Keep swinging!
Same same
1980 was a HUGE impact on me as a music lover. I remember I was a Freshman in High School and we were still trying to wrap our heads around the passing of Zeppelin's John Bonham when the news came down that John Lennon was assassinated. Understand, at the time, John had FINALLY come to terms w/ his fame and was in a happier place. He had just released probably his most hopeful and positive solo album, Double Fantasy. In it, he sang about his love of Yoko in one of the finest love songs ever written, "Woman". He wrote "Beautiful Boy" about Sean, his son, and he wrote "Starting Over", as positive and looking forward to life a song as he has ever written, I LOVED this album. Then all of a sudden, he was dead.... I was so sad that John never got to live this new perspective after being so 'angry' and combative, anti-establishment, most of his post Beatle life. What a loss RIP John.
I was a sophomore,..remember it clearly I worked at thrifty drug store after school,.. mom picked me up about 10:45pm after closing and when i got in the car, told me the news. I can still roll the tape back in my head & remember staring wordless, in shock at her then out the windshield of the car at the closed mall... I can see the buildings rolling past with all their signage and the parking lot lights on and handful of ppl walking out to their cars.. I wasn't a huge fanatic, but I knew I loved music of all types and already knew and loved so many of their songs bk then. and I DO remember we were still dealing with the end of Zeppelin only just recently with Bonham's passing earlier that year...
damn... brutal year.
Not to mention we also lost Bon Scott of AC/DC that year…
Your words are absolutely beautiful, I could not have written something half as beautiful as what you wrote, it brought tears to my eyes. Thank you.
His words still ring ever so loudly today more than ever... “ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE” ... GIVE PEACE A CHANCE “. God has surely embraced John...
I was a freshman as well and was going through so much turmoil in my personal life… you took the words right out of my mouth.
It's strange Rick. This is exactly what I was thinking watching him in the studio. Looking at his face, seeing his innocence and his youthful exuberance but also his gravity, the immensity of that world he had created for us all and that he carried on his young shoulders. And each time I was tearing when thinking about the fact that 11 years later he would be shot and killed for no reason other than the beauty of all he had created. Such a tragedy, a loss I will never fully comprehend. I'm glad this documentary gave us the opportunity to see the Beatles being a band of brothers rather than that awful ending that we have been carrying these past 50 years. John must be happy knowing that we get to see Yoko just being at his side and loving him rather than being that caricature the world has been fed to explain their breakup.
Well said, Jean.
🦅🦅 YES 🦅🦅
💙
Yes it's important that we see.
Well said. I never understood the lampooning of Yoko. Sure, her vocal stylings we’re strange, but I always figured that if John saw something in her, she must be a good soul.
I dunno, maybe it’s bc I’m an Asian-American, and it reminds me of how people used to roll their eyes at my parents bc of their accents. It’s hard to know how objective my perception is, but I’ve always felt there was some racial component to the Yoko-hate. I believe Paul admitted as much during an interview.
If I’m remembering correctly, he was asked “do you supposed the hate for Yoko has a racial component to it?” And Paul answering in his ever-charming, but honest way, “oh definitely. Yeah.”
At any rate… racial or not, I’ve always thought she didn’t deserve the vitriol thrown at her… even today in 23 when there’s this tendency to be more nuanced about widely accepted cultural sentiments, you just see this tidal wave of hate.
To me, John was the heart and soul of the Beatles. I always tell the story of how he can turn a song from a 'granny song' (his words) to a Beatles song by adding a little something. In "Getting Better" Paul sings "I must admit it's getting better" and John throws in "it couldn't get any worse". Just that throw-away line changed the whole texture of the song. Loved him and all these years, I'm still horrified to think that anyone on earth would think of assassinating him.
I’m a huge a John guy but Getting Better is one of my favorite Paul songs. That song is actually quite dark even without that line
I always say that Getting Better is one of the most purest examples of McCartney-Lennon writing
I finished the last part of Get Back last night and spent most of the night watching videos on Twitter from the folk who had gone to Strawberry Fields to sing Beatles songs. As wonderful as Get Back has been I don't think you can ever escape the sadness of two of them no longer being with us. It was the one constant I felt throughout. Although The Beatles finished, it has never felt like there was a full stop behind their work. Get Back, to me gave us that full stop. A chance to see them without banal questions being thrown their way, in their element, being who we always thought they were, and delivering a live performance that with each song puts a bigger lump in your throat. They changed us for the better and I wish them nothing but love wherever they are.
Michael Keating: Very well said, Bro.
I’m a history teacher and I teach about this every year. I’m also a musician and a huge Beatles fan. I unfortunately discuss many tragic events. However, this one always has me on the verge of tears. It feels like the loss of a friend. 😢
For me, with John Lennon the loss was acute. And I didn't really know the guy, except through his songs, movies and media coverage. Reflecting back on it, I believe John's murder was a bullet into the heart of my youth. John and the Beatles were a huge part of my developmental landscape, growing up as a kid in the 1950s and 60s. I guess his death marked the end of an era, in a most heatless and cruel manner.
Well, it got Strawberry Fields in New York to be built as a memorial, so that was some compensation.
History is one big LIE. Beatles were ACTORS and he faked his death. BAM. This whole world is not what you were told. See my Petri Dish Earth vids. Prove me wrong using scientific method. I DARE YA.
@@chrisw5742 You win the award for the most ridiculous comment. Your prize: a round trip to nowhere and a box of nothing to share with no one. Enjoy.
As a history teacher do you teach about his drug use or how how he battered women? Or his infidelity? Etc etc
When I was 4 -5 years old my Uncle Len died. He was a coal miner barely into his forties. The family gathered at his and my Aunt Doris's home in Nottingham in the UK. The kitchen was full of adults and I had taken refuge under the kitchen table, keeping out the way . For some reason the radio was on.. and the sound of "Please Please Me" suddenly started playing. It got my attention. Big time. My ears suddenly took notice in amazement, astonishment wonder and excitement. This was the first time I had heard The Beatles. To explain the effect they had on our working class culture, identity and pride would take a book. Suddenly we heard our own accent on the radio and on TV. But it was not the accent of some low life shady criminal which is how we were usually portrayed in British Police and Detective TV shows. Or a comic relief in a period drama. It was instead very very cool. As their music changed, so did we.. suddenly we had poetry about our own streets, about our own lives, set to the most amazing music. It gaves us an authenticity, a meaning and scource of artistic expression which is almost impossible to explain.. because it was not just intellectual..but sensual, emotional. And this group of young working class men put the UK on the world map like it had never seen before. Not the force of Empire, of guns and conflict, greed. . But music, of joy of expectation and hope. When John Lennon was shot and killed..it seemed -at least to me - that part of that hope and the sense that you could navigate your way out of the hard streets and industrial towns you were born to safely, died with him also. The diversity of inluences they proclaimed openly.. Black Music, Rock and Roll, Folk Music, Traditional Music Hall, Tamla Motown...we had never seen or heard that before. At least in my neighbourhood. "I am he, as you are he, as you are me, And we are all together." Coo coo co choo. Black Chelsea Boots, "long" hair and an irresistable back beat. Love and Peace. "You say you wanna Revolution.. w-e-ll you know, we all want to change the world". Then a gunshot late one night in a New York street. As I said, part of me thinks that it wasn't just John who died that night. But the music and the legacy still lives. Maybe the dreams do also 😌😎✌️
Wow- your share really brought a lot of tears to my eyes. I have never read about anyone from his hometown recount how they were impacted by The Beatles notoriety. It’s just so beautiful. And what you wrote is really beautiful here. Thank you for sharing this. Peace ☮️ and Love 💝 to you brother.
That 41 years later, I watch this with tears welling up says so much about the profound legacy that continues to grace and echo through the world over.
It was so ironically sad to hear Paul say, when George left, "In 50 years we'll look back on this and laugh" (paraphrased). Knowing that John would meet this violent end in a little more than 11 years, it brought me to tears.
I was one of those people who stood in front of the Dakota the day after John’s death. It was an awful gut wrenching experience filled with an unbearable sadness. While all of us share a sense of unresolved grief even after all these years it is important to remember that what the Beatles accomplished will always be remembered in the most wonderfully positive way. May that always outshine what happened to John Lennon on December 8, 1980.
I had just turned 16 the week before John was murdered. I’d been turned onto The Beatles earlier that year, by my then best friend, who worshipped all things Fab, but Lennon in particular. Somewhat coincidentally, one of the first LPs I had bought a couple of years earlier, was “Wings Greatest Hits”. I remember playing it when I first brought it home, and my Mom asking if that was Paul McCartney singing. I remember being somewhat surprised she’d know any musician from “my generation”. When I said it was, she said, “I always like his voice, but it was better when he was with The Beatles”. I replied, “Oh, he was in another band?” (I know, I know…lol). But until I’d gotten into The Beatles, I honestly don’t remember knowing about John Lennon (most likely because when I was first getting into music he was in the midst of his self-imposed exile from the music scene). But after being familiarized with The Beatles’ catalogue by my buddy, I realized a lot of the songs I really liked were written by this John Lennon guy, and I became a fan.
I had just gone up to bed, and was lying there reading, when my Mom came up to tell me that John had been shot (her and my Dad were watching Monday Night Football, like your buddy was). I was shocked, to say the least. I then called my buddy, to see if he’d heard the news. He hadn’t. I was the one that broke it to him. At first he thought I was just trying to pull a bad joke. Then he popped on the TV, and realized I wasn’t pulling his leg. I recall him saying over and over, “Do you know what this means?” All I could think of was that it was the end of any possibility of The Beatles reunion he and I had hoped for, and discussed many times by then. It was strange at school the next day, because so many of the kids had no idea who he even was, other than “that guy who’d been in The Beatles”. It was probably the first time I felt I had more in common with my teachers, than my classmates, as many of them were visibly upset over it. I remember my English teacher in particular discussing it with the class, and I was the only guy who really knew who he was talking about. But as you noted, as a teen, 40 seemed ancient. I no longer recall which one of us two geniuses said it, but in an attempt at consoling each other, one of us commented “Well, he WAS 40. It’s not like he didn’t live a full life”. 😖
I’m 57 now, have been married to the same amazing woman for almost 35 years (a fellow Beatles fan BTW), have three grown sons, and 40 seems like a lifetime ago for me. I think of all that has gone on in my life in the last 17 years, and think how John never got that. Many seem to lament the loss of potential great music he could have made, and there is that, but I just think about how he missed out on seeing his sons grow into men. I know it has been one of the great pleasures of my life, and John was denied that, by the whim of a madman, and to me that’s the saddest part of the whole thing. Perhaps lifestyle choices wouldn’t have allowed him to live to a ripe old age, but at least, like George, it would have been of natural causes, rather than the way he went. Our thoughts are always with him every year on December the 8th.
Amazing story my friend.
kato64 Wow you really gush but I feel ya. When we are young we have very little perception of time and its' passing. Only when we are a blessed with a long life do we realize how precious few precious moments are. John Lennon was by no means a perfect soul or human being but then who is ? He only had his mind to speak and speak it he did. In the end his criticized prophetic statement did come to bear. I believe fate was responsible for his demise and it affects us all since we shall never know what " could have been " . But what a great sharing you chose to undertake. I guess 40 is truly indeed the new 20 ! Unfortunately the future looks none too bright and likely we will not need shades ! Cheers.
George didn't die of natural causes I'm sorry to say. He died after fighting a long battle with lung cancer.
@@freespyrit - A lot more natural than the case of lead poisoning John died of.
@@kato64 ok lol
John Lennon has had such a profound way of shaping the way I view life, happiness, love decisions, meaning, and individuality. I was one when he passed and I think about him all the time. I shocks me when I think I’m now older than he was when he was taken from us. He was and is so beautiful. I can’t imagine what a lousy world we’d be in without The Beatles and John Lennon. I love him and I love the creator that gave him to us.
Three deaths have hit me like a brick during my lifetime: JFK in '63 when I was 12, my sister in '70, & John in '80. Every year during those anniversaries I cry & oftentimes at random throughout the year when a memory of them pops into my head. All of those losses felt personal. Thank God for John's music. His genius lives on.
Why jfk by chance
Thank you for sharing that. Be well, my friend. Cheers from Rio
@@TheMellowYellowDrummer That hit everyone like a brick he was the president
@@TheMellowYellowDrummer Because even as children, one could tell JFKs murder was a coup d'etat and it meant everything we held dear about American democracy, freedom, ideals, opportunity and exceptionalism was a lie.
Coincidentally CIA vet Jose Perdomo was the doorman at the Dakota and all of Oswald's contacts in Dallas (according to the Warren Commission testimonies in books 8 and 9) were upper class staunch anti communist White Russian Solidarists and defense contractors. I don't know if Lennon's killing was a conspiracy but JFKs sure as hell was. Like Oswald was supposed to be, I was a low level Marine poor boy who got out and became a far left activist, there is not a snow balls chance Oswald would he hanging out with the contacts he had if he was not a "sheep dipped" "red skin" (someone still working for an agency, although officially not, who establishes a "legend", a create background as a Communist, a fake communist)
I was 22 years old when John was killed. I remember it all too clearly. My mother (53 years old) surprised me by actually crying hard when she heard. I knew she kind of like the Beatles peripherally but that was a real surprise.
That Friday or maybe Saturday or Sunday following (I don't recall which day exactly) Yoko put full page notices in many of the worlds largest newspapers asking for three minutes of silence at noon of one of those days in remembrance of John.
That day I was Christmas shopping in The Galleria Mall in White Plains, NY (It's a huge mall) with my cousin. We planned to find a quiet corner in the mall somewhere when the time came to have our three minutes of silence.
In the huge open area in the center of the mall there were some bleachers set up for children's Christmas shows none of which were going on at that time. We went to the top of the empty bleachers when the time was approaching and we waited.
The mall was jam packed with shoppers. It was extremely crowded and Christmas music was playing. Looking down from the bleachers we saw a mass of humanity moving around below us along with the din of people talking and laughing. It was just a huge, loud and dynamic buzz of people.
When the time came it took about 10 or 20 seconds for all those thousands of people below us to stop moving and become silent. It was so silent (the music had stopped) it was almost surreal. It was like everyone was frozen.
Soon we heard some subdued and very faint and muffled crying but that was it. We heard nothing else for those three minutes. The world had come to a complete and utter stop. Nobody was moving. It made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I felt like I was in one of those old "Twilight Zone" TV shows.
For those three minutes everyone was feeling the exact same thing and it was otherworldly and though it brought me to tears and I was massively bummed out, it was also beautiful at the same time.
When the time was up, everyone started to move again very slowly and it seemed to take another 4 or 5 minutes for everyone to get back to the way they were before.
And it was all about the world deeply saddened and missing John!
That scene is engraved in my memory.
I had bought Double Fantasy the afternoon John was shot, and so I was immersed in the album and then listening nostalgically to old Beatles albums; so the shock of the news was even more devastating because I'd spent the evening listening, appreciating, and missing them. Will never forget it. Such an incredible waste.
Lennon was always my favorite Beatle. Such a great voice. And his stuff after Beatles...Woman, Jealous guy, Watching the Wheels...so talented.
John Henry Bonham had been found dead four months earlier. I was still reeling from that and to hear of Lennon being murdered almost put me over the edge. We were all crying. Even the people on ABC, NBC and CBS telling us what had happened, were crying. As a musician myself, it was a crushing loss. It still stings a little. Rest in Peace John Lennon. Thank you Rick for touching base on this.
Bon Scott passed away about that time as well
@@thomasbehrend7562 artists are frequently self-destructive. We've lost so many. A drummer I worked with for over a decade thru the eighties and into the nineties, killed himself from substance abuse. Incredibly sad.
That was another loss that really struck me hard. You’re never prepared to lose the people you look up to
As a 69yr old, I felt as if my hero big brother had died. I’m on the verge of tears hearing you now.
I was 19 (born in 1961) then Lennon was killed. I was listening to the radio (WDVE) when they made the announcement, they then proceeded to play a Beatles marathon for the next 24 hours. I stayed up the entire night listening to the Beatles, sick to my stomach stunned and in shock. I was heart broken for years and could not listen to Lennon's solo work for over a decade because it was just too sad. I couldn't enjoy the music because it just reopened the wound.
The Beatles music, songs and solo career’s have carried me through my life.
I’m just 14, but John’s music has connected with me in a way that I’ve never been connected with before. My great grandfather loved the Beatles, my grandfather does too, so does my dad, so do I and my children might even too. All my friends know the Beatles and love them (despite liking mumble rap, hip hop or modern pop as well). That speaks as a testament to how their music has surpassed generations and related to everyone at some point. John is my favourite Beatle, and I hope he’s enjoying the afterlife, as he deserves to very much.
Peace.
@Ur Mom go bother someone else
You’re wise beyond your years, and you have great taste. The Beatles are the greatest musical experience of the last 200 years or so.
Peace to you. This is the best legacy John Lennon could give us, his body of work and his longing for a better world to every human. I am glad that as a young boy, you are related to his music, and life. In fact, that is wonderful. While we remember him, Lennon will live on. Forever.
«I’m still not born and I love this music notice me please»
@@urmom5252: Depends on the afterlife. If there were any justice in the afterlife, he would not be in hell or similar. What kind of afterlife do you imagine that John Lennon would be tortured for all eternity? It doesn't come from any religion I would want to be a part of.
But we're talking about fiction here, or at least something we couldn't possibly know anything about, so the point is moot.
I was freshly 21, healing from a serious accident in the Coast Guard that required facial reconstruction and gave me bad headaches. To hear of Lennons murder sent me down a hole. Like others it made me physically ill. I cried. It still hurts and haunts me. Yes he made such an impact on us. Damn.
Watching the Get Back doc this week made me appreciate Johns songwriting ability even more, especially the likes of the guitar and musical arrangement on Dig A Pony for example. The song is a creative play on words which Lennon was amazing at, but what struck me was that considering John never rated himself as a guitarist, he pulls together quite a complex and interesting guitar arrangement which he plays as well as delivering a punishing vocal performance with Paul harmonising perfectly during the rehearsal. They were just so fucking good!
Lennon did consider himself a good rhythm guitarist. In my opinion he might be the best rhythm guitarist. Just not a great soloist/lead player.
@@UltimateBreloom
“I'm not very good technically, but I can make it fuckin' howl and move.” - John Lennon
That he could. That he could.
@@UltimateBreloom "All My Loving" Only example needed of his rhythm guitar talent.
A generation of millions lost their leader, their spokesman, their guiding voice.
I learned guitar by playing John's songs. Even though he had dropped out of sight for the previous 5 years, I was overjoyed when he resurfaced around the release of his new album. He was being interviewed everywhere and was so energized and pumped up about all that would come next... his embracing of fatherhood, his eagerness to rejoin the world of musicians. He had a lot to say about his time over the previous 10 years, the near meltdown of his relationship with Yoko, and how ultimately that relationship was what saved him. I always remember him describing New Wave music as just another wave in the ocean of music, and it excited him to see the evolution of popular music. The thing about his solo albums is they were so personal, and struck me right in the solar plexus when I'd listen to them after he died.
The night John died, I heard it like millions of others, from Howard Cosell on Monday Night Football. I literally dropped to my knees in disbelief, and grief. I was living in Austin, Texas at the time, and I grabbed my wife's arm and said, we've got to get out of here. Within an hour there were thousands of people gathering around the Christmas tree in Zilker Park (a large tree made of lights around a tall tower.) We gathered with the crowd, most of them crying visibly. A van had pulled up with a large sound system and began playing Lennon songs, and especially when Imagine played, everyone sang. People embraced each other and we all knew... we all knew how much it hurt. I think it's not just because of the music, which was part of the tapestry of our lives, an integral piece of our frames of reference. It wasn't just because John and the Beatles were icons who put a hard timestamp on our lives. It wasn't just because we all knew we could never experience again the joy of that music without this awful nail to the heart from that day forward... it was because we truly loved the man, especially the man he had become. All that promise the future offered... squashed like a bug. Just BAM...! And to think it was simply because of the act of one depraved man, who consciously robbed not only John of his life and future joy, but he robbed all of us... he robbed humanity of the musical history that would never come to be... and it hurt. It still does. Thank you for talking about this. And may John, wherever he is, be smiling knowing he left us a treasure, even if it wasn't quite enough...
💔❤️🩹
Your comment highlights something which seems overlooked elsewhere here: the fact that, after a five-year hiatus, he had just released a new record (three weeks before!) and everybody was really excited about it! I remember listening to it in the days after his death and thinking, "Man, this is like a breath of fresh air for us Beatles fans! Imagine what he would have created next!" Unfortunately, it wasn't to be. A generation of (mostly) GenXers like me was left wondering. Forty-one years later, we don't seem to have fully recovered from that tragic day.
When John died back in 1980, my band were asked by people connected to the Beatles to play at a Tribute concert for John in Liverpool. Quite an honor for us. And so as we prepared to play, I noticed the crowd getting larger and larger and then getting out of control. People right in front of the stage started to suffocate and despite pleas from the organizers to move back nothing seemed to change. And so next thing the Fire Marshall shows up on stage and stops the show. And tells us to get out of the way as he was about to let the crowd come up through the stage area to alleviate the pressure and that was the end of it all. Paul had also sent us (via his brother Mike who was there also) a pre-recorded message to play for the crowd which we never did. I often wondered what Paul said on that cassette? Sad days to look back on forty years later. Roger Scott Craig, The Merseybeats/Liverpool Express/Fortune/Harlan Cage/101 South
Born in 1952, I came of age with the Beatles. I was broken hearted when they split up. Like everyone else, I awaited the reunion, if not for good, at least for one more album. When he died, that settled that. It officially closed the book on that part of my life..
I feel so horrible for all who had to go through this. I was born in 1982. But when I was young, I saw John Lennon performing and I loved it. I wanted to know more about him. My Dad told me that he tragically had died and I was devastated. Today I'm 40, the same age John died. It's way too soon. I remember an interview where he said "Life begins at 40". That made me break down basically.
John's output from 65-68 is still today one of the most genius songwriting eras in Western music....Nowhere Man...Norwegian Wood...In My Life...Tomorrow Never Knows...She Said She Said.. Lucy In The Sky with Diamonds.. Strawberry Fields...Day In The Life.. Dear Prudence.. Happiness Is A Warm Gun...just a sampling. Only Paul had similar output but totally different styles IMHO. John created a style that is still heard today, by forging Dylan's wordplay with his own humor and brilliant sense of melody over sometimes angular chord progressions, sometimes simple like chord progressions but always unique and literally created a style of music/songwriting that is often imitated but rarely duplicated. He is greatly missed
When you read 'Skywritings' or see his cartoons and stories he made for Sean and Yoko, you will understand that he was extraordinarily creative in other ways, too. So many wordplays and brilliant inspirations and deep insights. While also whimsical and lighthearted.
@@freedplanet Acting in How I Won The War...his book In His Own Write...fully agree, he was a genius
@@freedplanet and what pisses me off to no end is his last album Double Fantasy he was really settling into a new phase of songwriting before tragically taken from us....may that POS who did it know no mercy
“It was a staggering moment when I first heard the news. Lennon was a most talented man and above all, a gentle soul. John and his colleagues set a high standard by which contemporary music continues to be measured.” - Frank Sinatra
Wow did Frankie really say that? Choked
Love that Frank Sinatra spoke this highly of John and the Beatles.
John Lennon is my favourite Beatle and they are still my favourite band of all times. He has trascended his life with a huge impact in the lives of most of us. In 2000, I have the opportunity to pay my respects at the Liverpool Musseum where his white piano was ocasionally on display. I stood there crying for 2 hours. This trip had been planned for my birthday. I could have not be in a better place. R.I.P. John Lennon, you are deeply missed.
John's death was so uncalled for,,Such a sad day for music and a human being only wanting peace. it bothered me and still does make me cry today in 2023. I'm almost 72 and remember it well. I was stunned.
Rick’s story definitely resonates with me. I was in high school at the time. 41 years later I still remember the feeling of horror, learning from Howard Cosell that one of my heroes had been senselessly killed. I was (and am) a huge fan of the Beatles’ music, and John’s songs were the ones that most affected me. His loss devastated me.
And, yes, in watching “Get Back,” I was definitely struck by the youth of the lads - and it certainly occurred to me how little time Lennon had left; at that point, he’d already lived almost three-quarters of what would be his life. When Macca sang the line, “You and I have memories longer than the road that stretches out ahead,” while performing “Two of Us,” it had a bittersweet poignance that we can only see in hindsight.
That song was for Linda and him-THEY were the "Two of Us" It was explained by Paul many times that he and Linda use to drive WAY out in the suburbs and try to get lost and finally find their way back. read the lyrics again.
Ah, yes, you’re right. Instead of having an emotional reaction to a song in the moment, I should wait to methodically, painstakingly ascertain exactly what the songwriter was thinking at the time of creation and then ONLY think about that particular thing, nothing else. It’ll make listening to music a chore rather than a pleasure, but it will, presumably, make you happy, which is all that matters.
On a cold December evening I was walking through the Christmas time when a stranger came up and asked me if I’d heard John Lennon died, and the two of us went to this bar and we stayed to close the place, and every song we played was for the late great Johnny ace.
My youngest son has the same birthday and plays bass. It brings me comfort.
Oh and like your kids my son has reaped the reward of listening to me torture guitars and plays like a wizard with a natural ear. Rip John, rip.
Like the Paul Simon lyrics there.
@@johntabacco yeah an interesting to know how Paul handled the news. I remember exactly, who doesn’t?, I was working 12 hour shifts in the middle of a marriage wreck, it was one of my lowest points.
Having the wonderful Get Back footage for me has created a new set of memories. As many have said, it's like it was filmed yesterday. Seeing them in their prime, it's a sobering thought of what was to come. Several people in the film are no longer with us & never got to see it. But it's great to see The Beatles at work in their laboratory. So much creativity going on. As they say "To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die " ❤🎶🎵🎶
Superb tribute Rick.
I'll never forget where I was when I heard of Lennon's murder.
I was a lad of 17 working for a lawnmowing contractor, he was driving when the news came on the radio and I turned it up and he yelled at me.
I said , ' it's John Lennon, he's been shot, he's dead' .
My boss said ' turn it down, I don't care'
Shock is the feeling, and all that day I was in shock, and disbelief that my dickhead boss didn't like Lennon.
😮
The day John Lennon died my father proclaimed: ¨One Less Hippie¨...
Well, as destiny would have it, now I´m One Hippie More... and proud of it!
That was a very sweet tribute to John Lennon, Rick. I first heard the Beatles in 1964 when I was 11. It wasn't long before my twin brother and I switched from trumpet and trombone (respectively) to guitar and drums. Like so many other musicians my age, once we saw the movie "Hard Day's Night" we knew what we wanted to do for the rest of our lives. Like you, John's music spoke to me in a special way. The sound of his voice had that edge that was so compelling. A few years ago while in NYC, I visited his "Imagine" memorial in Central Park and then walked to the Dakota and stood at the entrance where he was shot. I always remember December 8th.
I was practicing with my band in my parents basement in Canada when my Mom yelled for us to come up stairs. When we saw the news we were all shocked in disbelief. Hearts broken. I was so angry at America for their love of guns. If he hadn't been living there he might still be alive today. But he loved New York and the city loved him back. 20 years later I moved there. Standing at the Dakota where he was gunned down brought all those feelings back. Such a huge loss to the world and my Innocence.
Dear Rick,
Your tribute to John Lennon sums up succinctly how I feel about John Lennon’s untimely death. I was almost twelve when he was murdered and, like you, this was the first time that someone’s death, other than a family member, really effected me. I can’t help but think how much more music he had yet to create and of course one can’t help but think would the Fab Four have collaborated once again, even if for a brief moment. Every December 8th I find myself reflecting on that terrible evening in 1980 and I continue to ask myself “Why?”
Thank you for sharing your love of music.
The death of John Lennon hit me even harder, than when friends and members of my own family died. I was 15 years old, when John died. The Beatles had been my introduction to music, when I was 2 years old, and my uncle had bought the Sargent Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album, which had just come out. I sat at my nan's dining room table listening to the music, while looking at the album cover with all it's strange looking people on it. Then, instantly had crushes on all 4 Beatles, when I saw the photos of the band. Those crushes have never gone away 54 years later. In 1980, I was watching TV with my mom, when the news broke about John being killed. I remember not only crying, but screaming into my pillow that night. The next day, I was a bit like a zombie. I got dressed for school, walked out the door, and was amazed that life was going on as normal, when to me the whole world had changed. It was raining and I was standing at the bus stop, but never even thought to open the umbrella I was holding, because I was so zoned out. I've always felt lucky, that my introduction to music was from the best band of all-time, in my opinion. It broke my heart, when George Harrison died too. But, the cruel way John died made it just so much worse. 💔
Similar story to mine. It was pouring down rain the next morning and somehow that felt fitting for the circumstances.
Even though I never met him, I loved John. I cried when he died and it still makes me cry. He was not just a great musician. He was a strong advocate for peace and love everywhere.
Touching recollection. John was my favorite Beatle and I picked up the guitar at age 11 because of them back in 1979/80. One of the great things about John Lennon as a famous artist/musician or personality. Is that from watching him in interviews. He was really himself. He always came across as a genuine, honest, and sincere human being. Funny, intelligent, and very charasmatic. Good old Johnny boy! RIP
Lennon was the guy that taught us all to "toughen up and get harmless", that showed us we were all magicians from " Strawberry Fields", that scalped us with "Instant Karma", that erred and then--that a man can recover from error, in "Imagine"...
He was a poet...whose life was the "poem he would have writ, had he but time to both live, and utter, it"....
And NOBODY knew time wasn't on his side...but EVERYBODY knew that we were on his....
Life...BIG LIFE...changed for everyone with John's death...the banality of it-- that a simpleton could capriciously steal from us a HERO...was too much....we ALL were changed....
Well spoken (written).
I was 22 when that news broke and I just cried. I’m currently reading Paul’s book, The Lyrics which explains even deeper the relationship between John and Paul. They came from two completely different backgrounds and it shows in their writing and while I love Paul’s lightheartedness, John’s seriousness and depth are what have always roused me, for lack of a better term. Songs like, imagine and happy Xmas to this day bring out emotions in me of hope and sadness. Watching, Get Back was a real class in their creativity and while there was frustration, the one thing that really stood out to me is all four of them really listened to each other. True collaboration at its finest. They changed the world for the better in my opinion. We haven’t seen anything close to The Beatles and I doubt we ever will. RIP John and George.
I love that John was a goof ball and had a GREAT sense of humor. I relate to him in that respect, and George in the respect that he seemed to feel a bit on the outside of things. Paul, I cannot relate to at all...genius....and Ringo, well who can't relate to Ringo :)
What about Paul makes him unrelatable to you?@@JiminTennessee
I remember hearing "Imagine" being played over and over again on the radio after his death. I sat down at the piano and figured it out by ear around Christmastime. I remember thinking how simple it was and yet so powerful. Was it the strings, the dark piano sound, the lyrics, the double tracked voice on the chorus that drew me to the song? I've been writing songs ever since.
In hindsight you have ABBA, a no of British pop and rock bands, the shadows, the eagles, the ventures, that have written great songs and instrumentals. But for song writing the Beatles were the greatest in quality, scope, variety of topic. John wrote the greater number. The bands harmonies, musicianship made them still the greatest band of all time to this day. I favor the eagles a close second. The loss of John for all music lovers and musicians (I am one) was and is ,an unparraled travesty.
Yup. That was whatever comes after "annoying AF". The communist manifesto set to music by a wife and child beating, adulterous, deadbeat dad millionaire, alcoholic heroin addict, hypocrite POS telling everyone to give up everything they have while he lives in an all white castle. So annoying.
@@baronfyrewhine The wife beating claim is trendy for those attacking Lennon today but I haven't heard child beating added to this narrative yet. Has the internet added a new lie in the Lennon character assassination attempt? Despite what you have heard on the internet Lennon had 2 wives and never beat either of them and certainly didn't beat his kids. The myth of Lennons wife beating comes from his own exaggerated comments trying to frame past lyrics as autobiographical..
@@purplehaze1274 Talk to his older son. I notice you had no problem with the rest of his disgusting life.
@@baronfyrewhine His older son is Julian and he would object to you spreading lies claiming his dad abused him.
I was in the hospital December 9th, 1980, having my 1st child when I heard John had been shot. It was definitely a “when one door closes, another door opens” moment. I was stunned and shocked to the core!
I kind of felt the same way about Jeff Porcaro when I heard of his death. When Toto happened in ‘78, and only 14 short years of becoming one of my most favorite drummers, Jeff seemed at the height of his career, it was another shock to my soul. We were the same age. I couldn’t reconcile it. So many untimely deaths in the rock industry. It’s like a little piece of you dies with them….💔
John Lennon was some kind of special. He was a legend and his story will never die.
I don't think we will ever have another band like the Beatles nor a star like Lennon.
I still love songs like "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away," "Working Class Hero," "Power to the People," "Whatever Gets You Through the Night," "Watching the Wheels," and "Just Like Starting Over".
I second that
The closest thing we ever got to another John Lennon was obviously Kurt Cobain, and well, his death was by gun too. How it was afflicted is another debate, but I too, think he was murdered.
....and you will remember “Ticket to Ride”, John’s most powerful tune.
@@gigistephens4633 ...I’m sorry, Kurt WHO? We’re talking about John Lennon. Not in the same league.
@@jerrymammoser9857 Why are you even taking the time to point that out? And don't act like you don't know who Kurt Cobain is, that's so arrogant and rude, especially at a time like this. And secondly, I never compared the two as one being better than the other, I said closest thing in the last 30 years, and he is. Who else has made such an impact on music?? Kurt Cobain was great, and So was John Lennon. And the reason for bringing him up, was he too was a voice of a generation, revolutionized popular music, was a humongous Lennon fan, and also died in such a terrible and comparable way, albeit younger. To me, what you said came out of a place of hatred, and right now, we need none of that. To exclude either one is just dumb, and if you happen to not think Kurt Cobain was great, that's your opinion, but I happen to know millions of people who think otherwise, it's too bad you don't share the same sentiment. He to, was an amazing human being, and just like Lennon, will never be recreated. Sorry you feel that way.
I was 15 years old on December 8, 1980 and had only discovered The Beatles in mid 1977. They immediately became my favourite group and for Christmas in 1977, one of my gifts was the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album. I played that record to death over the next 2 years and really began to identify in some small way with John Lennon's songwriting. Love McCartney's songs as well but John Lennon's lyrics and style of songwriting hit me right in the gut. When John was murdered, I was in a state of shock for literally several months. Like you, I watched Get Back with a sense of both great joy and deep sadness. Joy because these 4 guys gave so much to the world and here they were having fun and joking around. Sadness because John had 11 years left. Also, George, Billy Preston, Linda, Maureen, George Martin, Mal Evans were so present and happy in the Get Back series and are now all gone. At this time of year, I always think about what might have been. Hold your loved ones close. By the way, I still have the Sgt. Pepper's album I got for Christmas all those years ago. The vinyl is trashed but I'll never part with that album.
In the movie "Yesterday" it showed an amazing scene of John in his 60s or 70s and that pulled me. The actor was a dead ringer for what he would look like and the role portrayed him masterfully. I am 75 and the Beatles were an enormous blessing in my life. More than just a band.
Thank you for this. I remember that day as well. John was my favorite Beatle too. His death was senseless and tragic, but his life was extraordinary and he touched so many of us with his music, his spirit, and his power to summon each of us to make the world a little more just, a little more decent, and a little more loving. If we look at his life in terms of what he meant to ours, it should make all of us smile.
After watching Get Back, the most impressionable moments for me of all that footage was when John and Yoko danced to I ME MINE, and when Beatles hit the rooftop to perform some of those songs.
What i think people missed during the part when John criticized "I Me Mine" when George performed it for him was that he loved it. So did Paul. But John has a strange way of showing his love being a conflicted person. He may have felt threatened by Georges creativity as he was finding his own voice and writing beautiful music at that time. That descending pattern of the 2nd part sounds like 'Michelle' and the lyric "freer thank wine" is reminiscent of "Tasting much sweeter than wine" from A taste honey.
As usual, Paul always had a movie star glow pretty much throughout his life. In the movie, this was no different. But when the fellas hit the roof stage, John just came to life as the consumate rocker and performer. He outshines the others and resembled more of a hard rocker that would define the 70s. I got emotional at this part, seeing him in his element and becoming the star that he was on stage, a special kind of glow and energy not visibly exuded and captured in the studio or behind the scenes.
Never really appreciated that "Let it be" live stunt or the songs as much as their other hits, but in this newer production I couldnt help get emotional by John Lennons performance. He lifted my spirits and the sad reality brought them down. He is my favorite Beatle.
What a roller coaster ride.
I love this comment. Yes I noticed it too. Paul was in charge or trying to be, in the studio. But when they got on the roof, everyone got in line, including Paul. John stepped up and it's the Beatles in their perfect configuration. "On behalf of the band I hope we passed the audition"
Man, you said a ton when you said "What a roller coaster ride"!
The Beatles are what started my fantasy of becoming a musician at a very young age. I remember like it was yesterday (pun intended), putting on my parents album of "Meet the Beatles" and air guitaring to "I Saw her standing there" and "I want to hold your hand", etc. I was captivated by them and their music and I was barely 5 years old. Fast forward to 1980 I was in 7th grade (13 years old) and I had just purchased a boombox that I had worked hard for doing a paper route and saving every penny to finally buy. Christmas was right around the corner and I remember telling my parents that I wanted the "Double Fantasy" cassette tape by John Lennon. I really liked "Starting Over" and "Watching the Wheels". Before Christmas came, hearing of John Lennon's death, I remember being in total disbelief. Even more difficult was getting that album at Christmas. I remember listening to it thinking to myself "I'll never get another album this good, or that moves me the way his music did, ever again. John Lennon was gone and so too was any music that would have been written by him. Such a sad and empty feeling I remember having. Death is so profoundly unchangeable. I lost one of my daughters and lived through that feeling on a far more personal level. But all of those same feelings reemerged. That permanent and irreversible feeling that no matter what, they are gone from this earth forever.
On a more positive note, and why being a musician is so important. Just like artists, poets, etc. John's music will live of for an eternity. Even when planet earth is no more, those sound waves from his creations will float through space forever. John Lennon was and still is such an important musical legend. Not long ago, those same feelings of loss at such an enormous magnitude were felt when we lost Bowie, Eddie VH, Glen Frey, Tom Petty, Prince, and others who made such monumental contributions to music. We will always remember them. And their music, will see to it, that we do.
I'm sorry for your loss. And you're right, I don't know if you're referring to this or regular radio waves from regular radio broadcasts, but NASA beamed "Across The Universe" through space using the Deep Space Network. The transmission was aimed at the North Star, Polaris, which is located 431 light years away from Earth. The song is travelling across the universe (pun intended) at a speed of 186,000 miles per second.
@@sombra1111 Exactly my point. May the songs live on!!
I was born late November 1998, so I’m not trying to step into the light. However, John Lennon’s life and death affects me in a way where it immobilizes me. His music he wrote as a solo artist and later in his Beatles career helped me through a lot. I can connect with him through his first solo album with God and Mother most significantly. Every now and then I try to think of a world in which he’s still here. He may not have been married to the most talented or beautiful woman, but he was happy and that taught me how to be happy. He was a bad man throughout his life, but he changed and that taught me how to change. For that, I’m grateful that he was able to live for even a short time. RIP, John.
He wasnt a bad man! Ridiculous. 😡
Its really hard to talk about John lennon death, he was our soul inspiration and the reason to get excited and play music.
My dad, WW2 generation, came running into my bedroom I was studying and told me John Lennon had been shot/killed. My dad couldn't stand the Beatles, or anything past 1950 musically, but he was shook so bad he came running to me. About as impactful as JFK's death. Beautiful tribute Rick, you had me crying, again.
Wow, that was exactly my situation when I found out. In my room studying when my dad came and told me. He also was not fond of the Beatles.
@@paulmk2290 👍
Very similar. My dad was 40 and did like Rock and Roll but I was only 10 but a big Beatles fan. He pulled me and my older brother aside before school and told us. My brother was sort of relieved because my dad, before telling us the news, made it seem like something terrible in the family had happened. However, that shows the impact of the Beatles. John was my favorite Beatle. Unfortunately, my immature 12 year old brother at the time, who was more a McCartney guy, said at least it wasn't Paul.
I wasn’t born yet when John Lennon was killed, so to me, learning about the Beatles, it was always veiled in a little bit of tragedy, knowing how it ended and how he died. Watching Get Back was the first time I really felt like, wow, he’s so young here, and so full of life, and just a guy-funny and sarcastic and so so creative; instead of the deified, tragic Beatle. It was so moving to see and hear him-all of the band, really. I saw the anniversary of his death pop up on my feed and thought back to the doc and was similarly struck by how young they all are and how soon things would be over for him. I felt like I finally really understood what a loss he was for the world. Not because he was done heroic figure, but because he just felt so human and so alive.
Thank you for this comment, I love it, love hearing your perspective. I was ten when I heard on the radio that Lennon was killed, and I was a huge Beatles fan. Theirs was the only music that mattered to me at that time. I didn't understand the purpose of listening to anyone else. An irrational thought, certainly, just sharing where I was at the time. Watching Get Back, I just enjoyed getting to see what to me felt like the real Lennon, or at least as real as he could be with cameras around. I was very familiar with all the historical interview footage, but Get Back was a real gift. As it was for you, it seems, though we experienced it in different ways. We're lucky to get see all of this, it's kind of a miracle that we can.
Yes Rick, I was hit with the tragedy of his then impending death while watching Get Back, and him not knowing what was coming. Combined with the joy of watching it, made for a bittersweet experience of the film.
Thank you Rick for such a moving account of this sad & tragic loss. We shall always feel it, always, as you, me & others keep the memory alive.
So senseless and tragic. The Get Back doc really brought home to me what gentle, vulnerable and lovely people they all were/ are. For all John's edge and candidness, it's easy to forget what a warm and compassionate person he was. So great to see him and Paul creating together - being best of friends. So inspirational.
Thankyou for all you do Rick.
❤
Well said
Nice. 👍
He had his demons and wasn't always a pleasant guy.
In other words, he was just a guy.
The moment a society idealize its icons, the moment these terrible things happens
I too, being younger than some here, John passed away when I was in kindergarten 😢, but it was nice to see a close up of the makeup of the bond that they all shared, something that I found out about that was deeper than I thought
Well said, I agree
I’m 69 and the The Beatles were THE band throughout my school years. They broke up in my last year. I tear up whenever the anniversary of his death comes round. Just you talking about it makes my eyes moist. Miss him so much. Thank you for this compassionate video. 💜
I was born on Dec 7th. I will never forget Sunday and Monday 1980! I was just a little boy but old enough to remember my family and friends crying! Rick thank you for always being so honest and insperaational!!
I am grateful that I got to meet both John & Yoko several times while living in Times Square half a block away from the Record Plant Studios. I was in my mid teens when I first met him face to face. No cell phones, never carried a camera on me (although in retrospect I wish I did) never asked for his autograph (although living in the theatre district I would meet many high profile celebs it was just never my thing to ask for autographs.) I recall when I worked at the Lowe's Astor Plaza movie theatre on 44th. st. and broadway (it was a state of the art 70 mm screen with a dolby surround system where Star Wars first premiered in NYC). John & Yoko would come out for the late night screenings and they would recognize me from my various encounters with them at Central Park, The Dakota, Record Plant Studios and other NY Spots. They were both very kind towards my younger brother & I and we would laugh a bit. One of my most memorable concerts I attended was the 1974 (i was 14 at the time) Thanksgiving Elton John concert at MSG, NYC. I was sitting 2 rows away from Elton John's piano and when Elton introduced Lennon the crowd went WILD!!! It was one of my most cherished magical musical nights in NYC (& I've had many over the years). Little did we all know that it would be his final large audience appearance. I was working a late night shift at "King Karol Record store" in Times Square when we heard that John was shot. When my shift ended at 1 am , several of my friends and I stood outside of the Dakota with hundreds of others praying for John...It was one of the saddest days of my life. A week later Yoko held a vigil at Central Park that I also attended, it was truly moving to say the least. Although I have my "suspicions" over the actual murder of Lennon (perhaps mk ultra involvement???) especially after watching the documentary "The U.S vs John Lennon". Watching the "Get Back" documentary made me love his spirit and his music even more. Thank you Rick for sharing your thoughts.
@Dixene Lee Well, maybe even John Lennon didn't get it right in every domain, did he?
Besides, I'm sure John would have shown respect to anybody's belief, no matter how different from his.
@Dixene Lee I sanctify no man, and certainly not those guys from the sixties and seventies who had sex with everybody they could and smoked or ate or injected themselves everything that was told to be cool... rather feel sorry for them. I just meant that he was open-minded, like they all were in those days, and maybe would have been respected you saying you'd pray for him. Which we should do anyway, permission granted or not ;-)
Be blessed!
@Dixene Lee Nobody deserves to be idolized. Nobody.
@@ThefrenchFranz Jealous? Angry? Stifled? FOOL!
@@509cougs Any argument, instead of insults?
I was only 4 when he was killed but one of my earliest memories is of my parents crying after hearing he died. I grew up with the Beatles music and became a huge Lennon fan as a teenager. The Beatles are still my all-time favorite band. Timeless.
What a beautiful memory you have. I was 16. My mother was the one that introduced me to The Beatles with the EPs she owned. My mum was the first person I turned to when I heard the news. She understood. She was a doctor and cancelled all of her patients for the rest of that day.
100%, I said that exact thing to my wife while we watched - John has 11 years after this. It’s incomprehensible to me. I was 16, in high school, and I also had an exam that morning. I and many of my friends wore black, spontaneously that day. Man, that Christmas was just hard. I listened to the radio non-stop, and it was non-stop John and the Beatles. I listened to Double Fantasy a lot that break too, and I don’t think I’ve listened to it since. Too sad. I’m still in mourning really. Then losing George after that was too much.
Rick - I saw The Beatles when they came to Portland, OR in 1964...I was only 11 but that experience shaped my life. Got my first guitar, started playing in bands, and after graduating college, started a talent agency and 45 years later it is still thriving. After watching the Get Back documentary, it was amazing how young these guys were. Their cultural impact cannot be overstated. I still listen to them everyday. I remember the night John was killed...it was my mother's birthday and we were all out to dinner. Afterwards when I got back to my car and turned on the radio, every station was playing The Beatles. I was in shock. Such a tragedy. I want to thank you for your thoughtful words and a beautiful tribute to a cultural and music icon - John Lennon.
Can you imagine the music he would’ve written if he lived? He had one of the greatest voices.
I remember watching that football game. My ex-wife was sewing, I was attending NTSU for a Jazz Education degree. We walked into our campus and literally stood around singing and listening till the sun came up... This was my first real loss of a musician yes I grew up with. The next one was hearing about Jaco. These two people will always be engrained in my mind for their wonderful talent.
On the night of December 8, 1980, during a Monday Night Football game between the Miami Dolphins and the New England Patriots, Cosell shocked the television audience by interrupting his regular commentary duties to deliver a news bulletin on the murder of John Lennon in the midst of a live broadcast. Word had been passed to Cosell and Frank Gifford by Roone Arledge, who was president of ABC's news and sports divisions at the time, near the end of the game.
Cosell was initially apprehensive about announcing Lennon's death. Off the air, Cosell conferred with Gifford and others saying "Fellas, I just don't know, I'd like your opinion. I can't see this game situation allowing for that news flash, can you?" Gifford replied, "Absolutely. I can see it." Gifford later told Cosell, "Don't hang on it. It's a tragic moment and this is going to shake up the whole world."
On air, Gifford prefaced the announcement saying, "And I don't care what's on the line, Howard, you have got to say what we know in the booth." Cosell then replied:[22]
Yes, we have to say it. Remember this is just a football game, no matter who wins or loses. An unspeakable tragedy confirmed to us by ABC News in New York City: John Lennon, outside of his apartment building on the West Side of New York City-the most famous, perhaps, of all of The Beatles-shot twice in the back, rushed to Roosevelt Hospital, dead on arrival. Hard to go back to the game after that newsflash, which, in duty bound, we have to take.
When the Get Back documentary ended I started to feel this really heavy sadness - it took awhile for my wife and I to finish watching all 3 episodes because of the sheer excitement and we did a lot of pausing and rewinding to catch special moments and relive them once again. But for the 4 days or so that we would come together after a days work and just sit in awe of the genius of those 4 beautiful souls from Liverpool - it was like literally being in that moment, in the room and in that era. And when it all ended it was like realizing once again that John isn’t in the world anymore. The passion in his voice when he sang Don’t Let Me Down when it was just him and George jamming in the first moments of the documentary sent chills down my arms. We couldn’t help but to just cry at the end - I love John Lennon.
That’s a beautiful tribute. 😢
I can’t tell you how much I felt like I was in 1969 for those hours
Lennon’s death has been the only entertainers death, that made me cry
I was a huge fan from the moment I saw the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. I am a bigger fan now
I was 7 years old in 1980 and I remember my parents being very upset. I remember asking if we would still be able to hear his music, not quite understanding what a recording was! When my parents said we could still listen, it took off a little of the sting but I do remember being very sad.
I wish I could have a nobly-expressed thoughtful feeling about John's death like so many have eloquently written in the comments. I was 25 years old on that date, trying to make something of myself musically. The news of Lennon's death... we learned it was someone named Mark David Chapman who shot Lennon... I just felt awful, I felt this person, Chapman, had _stolen something from me personally._ I would never get to watch John grow old, just 15 years my senior, as I myself grew older. He was so intelligent and uncompromising, I can just imagine how well he would've used those years he was denied; not just musically, but being interviewed, hearing his take on all the things that would subsequently happen socially and politically. We were denied that because one messed up dude used a gun on him. I'm still *so angry.* Sorry, I'll leave to others to capture this thoughtfully, better than I can.
I wasn't around when he died, but hearing the all the recordings of news broadcasts of that night has a spine-tingling effect. If there's one consolation about this year's anniversary. The Get Back doc has given us fans a chance to see more of John and George again.
Hello! so you were dead when John Lennon died?
@@mckayman24
Are we dead before we are born?
Every kernel of what you know have experienced and will ever hope for accomplish and remember happens between birth and death.
John Lennon was given 40 years of life and I would say now, that he made a damn good run of it. I have been blessed with 60 years so far and I am still trying to live up to the example he set.
"Sounds of laughter shades of life are ringing
Through my open ears inciting and inviting me
Limitless undying love which shines around me like a million suns
It calls me on and on across the universe"
His death affected me like no other; tears still come, where they don't even for close family members gone.
I’m the same age as you, Rick, and at the time when John died had been active in music since age 11. I wasn’t particularly a big fan of the Beatles, but I admired their body of work and certain songs. I also admired John’s activism.
When John was shot, I was at a rehearsal, and didn’t learn of his death until the next morning. Shock, sadness, and anger at the senselessness of how he died all struck me.
However, the death that really got me, my counterpart to the impact Lennon’s death had on you, was Stevie Ray Vaughn’s death in a helicopter crash in 1990. Stevie had been such a hero and icon to so many of us guitar players, and was pretty much single handedly responsible for reviving the Blues in the 1980s.
For him to perish suddenly at the pinnacle of his musical and personal life was a crushing blow. A friend called me and said, “Stevie is dead”, struck me like a gut punch; I literally had to sit down. For him to die after getting back on his feet and at the peak of his career still seems intensely tragic, much like Lennon’s death. Think of all the great music we have missed out on from those two in the ensuing years.
I've been a huge Beatles fan since I was a kid. I was always a little more of a Paul guy than a John guy, but I love the music of both. The Beatles were really the soundtrack of my youth, though I continue to listen to them to this day and marvel at the quality of the music and what they accomplished in such a short span of time. I vividly remember when Lennon was shot. I was 24. Monday night football was on in the background and I was cleaning things up in the living room when a housemate rushed in and broke the tragic news to me. I was absolutely devastated and totally shocked. I couldn't even think of sleeping that night, so I later went into my workplace at a data processing service bureau where we did accounting stuff for other businesses. I tried to occupy myself with work while I listened to the radio literally all night long as they talked about the tragedy and played Beatles music. The world was never quite the same after that.
I was around the same age as you, but in high school, a senior. I also lived about ten blocks from the Dakota, so we who lived in the neighborhood thought of John as one of our neighbors. People who lived there then always speak about spotting him and Yoko and how warm and lovely they were when they were stopped by fans. And fans for the most part kept their distance and were respectful of them. I too thought to myself that he has eleven more years to live while watching the documentary. It's hard not to be filled with rage and sadness at the uselessness of his death. But we can also thank Peter Jackson for giving us this tremendous gift..MORE footage of John Lennon than we ever thought possible! It's wonderful to go back in time as a silent spectator and watch these four unique human beings create music the likes of which will never happen again. We can count our blessings that we had John in our lives and just try to hang on to the goodness in him.
Beautifully Said SuperTrouper! Im 52 I remember the day. My Grandmother worked at The Dakota before my time. But I hang onto it to bring some sort of bond with John
@@fishboy2011 Thank you kindly! What a lovely treasure that your grandmother worked there and you can feel that bond with her and with John! Sure wish I had a John/Yoko sighting in my time living in the neighborhood!
I know a woman whose parents were big into the Avant Garde art scene in NYC in the late 1970s. She has a picture of John Lennon playing with her when she was about 10. To her and her parents though, he wasn't a big deal because he'd been in the Beatles. He was a big deal because he was married to Yoko Ono and she was hugely respected.
Elvis’s death had far more of an impact on me, even though he somewhat brought it on himself. The tragedy of John Lennon’s passing was he was shot while innocently going out and having just signed an autograph for his killer. Sadder still that he finally seemed to have gotten his life into a position he was comfortable with - he’d found ‘peace.’
Elvis death was more impactful to me ,he was the man who could sing like no other...John Lennon's death terribly sad ,it seemed he was at his happiest and content finally....guns, keep them out of reach they kill to easily....
Well said, I think the same way
This was one of the warmest, touching and real of all the tributes I have heard about John. I was and am a huge Beatles fan and they filled my life as so many other lives were filled, with joy, magic, love and peace. I was laying in bed with my girlfriend. We had made love and were listening to the radio. The announcer, in a shocked and incrdulous voice, told our small section og the world this terrible news. Thank you Rick for this. Thank you for all of your videos and shared knowledge. A year after, on the anniversary of his death, I propsed to my girlfreind becuse I wanted a memory of joy and love for us and to remember John. I also remember Cosell and his announcement. It was surreal. A man who lived the word, "peace" had been brutally and senselessly murdered. I don't think the world has ever really made sense to me after that day. Gregory Gorton
Like you, I was a freshman in college when John Lennon died. It hit me so hard because I was also a massive Beatles fan. I was also just coming to grips with my choice to go to college instead of pursuing a career as a guitarist. Music was dying a bit in my life and every memorial broadcast on television brought tears to my eyes. I even found myself welling up during your story. Thank you for sharing.
"...the day, the music died... " comes to mind.
I, too, was a college freshman when John was assassinated. Still remember the hallway of the dorm where all of us gathered after the news broke. Still tearing up about it.... It was great to see him smiling and joking and creating endlessly in Get Back. The love between the bandmates is palpable....
John Lennon's songs, especially within the Beatles just got into your soul.
Through his music, he had a way of communicating human emotions that was unsurpassed.
I think after The Beatles was his best music...it was him unfettered.
Everytime i listen to "all you need is love" i instantly remember John...but in a sad way. Never forget.
It knocked my feet off at the time.
At the thought I am still very, very sad
I was 15 when I heard the tragic news on Monday Night Football, one of those memories I'll sadly never forget.
It took less than 6 years for John and the Beatles to change popular music, I truly believe people will be listening and praising their work in 100 + years.....
We're so fortunate to have experienced their brilliance during our lives.
I too, couldn't help thinking about how John had just over a decade left to live while watching Get Back. I was 12 years old when John Lennon was murdered. I was shocked and horrified to hear it on tv as I'd grown up (in my 12 short years) LOVING The Beatles. I found out my Dad was terminally ill 3 days after John Lennon was shot. He died on Christmas Day, 1980. I spent the two weeks before my Dad died hearing so much of John Lennon's and The Beatles music, particularly Double Fantasy as it had just been released, that John Lennon's death is intrinsically linked to my Dad's death. This time of year is always one where I contemplate John Lennon's and my Dad's contributions to the world. Both musicians, both full of curiosity and talent and both fathers who were taken from their loved ones far too young. RIP John Lennon and Richard M Western, my Dad. Thank you for doing this tribute video because it is comforting to know others are grieving at this time of year in a similar way to me.
This was a year ago, and it still has me choked, as will every anniversary of the day. RIP
John Lennon, the composer of 3 of the most important songs ever written, obviously many more but Tomorrow Never Knows, Strawberry Fields and Walrus are my top 3 Beatle songs. 3 Great seeds which flowered right into all great Prog Rock and everything else what followed. Out of his Solo career also a incredible amount of great songs, the highlight from that period allways was "Remember". That song impressed me so much, the piano( I think an educated pianist would never come up with this) the drive, the Bass the Drums, just a live trio. And then the lyrics, the man is able to describe all your growing up hick ups in just about 5 lines. That song always hits me like a sledgehammer
I was born in May 1962. It’s so nice to hear Rick’s thoughts as someone of my age…they are so similar and familiar at the same time.
My favourite scene in the film, Imagine, is the one where John speaks to the homeless hippie who was camping outside his mansion for a couple of days. This hippie was under the impression that Lennon's songs were written for him. Lennon took the time to explain to him outside his front door one morning that he was actually writing songs for himself, and if that touches somebody else, it was great. The scene ended with Lennon inviting the hippie in for breakfast. Jealous Guy served as the background music over that breakfast scene. Very moving stuff. Each time I see the film and it gets to the montage of mourners during the various vigils held following John's death, I always tear up. I wasn't even born when John was shot, but I got to know his music through my father who was an ardent fan. I have a strained relationship with my father, but this was one of the good things he did for me - to introduce me to the music of The Beatles - and I'm forever grateful to him.
Yes, that was striking. And John saying, "no Paul wrote that" and the guy looking all confused!
Isn't there now a film called Looking for Claudio (all about that hippy fan) ?
@@marcchrys Not that I'm aware of, I'm afraid..
That was almost certainly staged. Hate to break it to you. The imagine film was not a documentary.
Thank you for sharing that solemn moment. We are with you in your grief.
John was my favorite and his songs spoke to me as well. I am still saddened by it to this day.
Watching John in Get Back made me feel joyous for his life, like it was like a gift and a celebration seeing this precious footage for the first time.
What I found really heart-breaking was listening the Dave Sholin interview he did in his home with only hours left to live, where he seemed to be in a really good place in his life and was so optimistic for the future.