On hearing the name of John Lennon, the image that surfaces in one’s mind is The Beatles, the hippie movement of the 1960s protesting the Vietnam War and the tragic event of his murder in 1980. Throughout his life, Lennon created music that spoke, and still continues to do so, to millions of music lovers around the globe, who upheld his belief of world peace and the abolition of wars, with songs such as “All You Need is Love” and “Give Peace a Chance.” His death was not only a great loss to his friends and family, but to the whole world, that has lost a man of complicated addictions, enormous creative energy and of brilliance that surpassed the time he was living in. Creating a portrait of such a creative genius in a mere few pages is a task close to impossible, because he had accomplished so much: “John Lennon didn’t invent rock and roll, nor did he embody it as toweringly as figures like Elvis Presley and Little Richard, but he did more than anyone else to shake it up, move it forward, and instill it with a conscience” (cited in Lawrence 1). With sheer will power and the ability to perceive what truly matters in life, he urged people to create a better world for themselves and their children. His life, though short-lived, was an inspiration to those around him and he will be forever remembered as the spokesperson for a new world order of love and peace.
This singer, songwriter, activist, artist, and writer whose life and work left an indelible mark on rock music around the world, was born October 9, 1940, in Liverpool, England, growing up in a quiet middle-class neighborhood, where he enjoyed the music of Elvis and Little Richard, whose songs he learned to play on his own on the guitar, by listening to record albums over and over again until mastering the chords (Edmondson xi). His educational years were pretty dull, having been too intelligent and not nearly enough stimulated; it was frequent of him to act out. Thus, his grades suffered and finally, he was expelled from Liverpool College of Art before his final year came to an end.
Thus, from early on, he was a music lover and it showed, because he formed his first music group when he was only sixteen years old, called the Quarrymen, which would later transform into the epic Beatles. By the time they recorded their first single, all the members were together: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Richard Starkey, aka Ringo Starr. From then on, their success was almost instantaneous. Hoards of young followers deemed them their music gods, not because of them being a “magical four man partnership,” but rather a set of “two superior song-writers,” Lennon and McCartney (Compton 1). At this time, Lennon became disillusioned, which adorned their lyrics with social and political themes, instead of them being just over-the-top romantic pathos which made young girls scream during concerts. Consequently, in his lyrics, he “introduced a utopian philosophy” about the state of the world as it should be, a world of love, peace and harmony (Kozinn).
Lennon eventually left the Beatles, and pursued a solo career, with his second wife, the infamous Yoko Ono, who is frequently blamed for him leaving the fantastic four. Together, they organized and participated in numerous charity events and peaceful protests, such as opposing the Vietnam War, singing about the catastrophic incident in Northern Ireland, called Bloody Sunday and many others. His view was that if every single individual makes an effort to treat others as he would want to be treated, his utopian vision would be attainable.
In the end, all of Lennon’s grand plans did not unfold exactly how he had imagined them. This hope for a better world was cut short when Mark David Chapman shot and killed him outside his New York apartment building on December 8, 1980 (Edmondson xiv). The whole world was in mourning over the tragic event, over the loss of an individual who did so much for humanity. He spoke to his followers quietly, in a language they could all understand, with a simple, yet potent message of peace: Be peaceful, be loving, be gentle (Henig). His music continues to have the same amount of effect as it did thirty, forty years ago, with the same message for everyone, that all we need is love. Throughout his life, Lennon fought for the betterment of human kind with all his heart, and it is this trait that has made him into the saintly figure history portrays him as.
Works Cited:
Henig, Samantha. “William Shawn on John Lennon.” The New Yorker Blogs, 8 Oct. 2010. Web. 6 May 2012.
Kozinn, Allan. “Critic’s Notebook: Looking for the Real John Lennon; 20 Years Later, Both the Man and the Myth Remain Vulnerable.” The New York Times, 7 Dec. 2000. Web. 6 May 2012.
Compton, Todd. “McCartney or Lennon?: Beatle Myths and the Composing of the Lennon‐McCartney Songs.” The Journal of Popular Culture 22.2 (2004): 99–131. Print.
Lawrence, Ken. John Lennon: In His Own Words. Missouri: Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2005. Print.
Edmondson, Jacqueline. John Lennon: A Biography. California: ABC-CLIO, 2010. Print.
